Rehearsing Crafted Applique

I've set mastering Crafted Appliqué as my challenge and goal for September. Before starting "the real thing" I decided to try it out on some batik scraps, because I'm going to use a batik for my planned project. And to make it the toughest test possible I chose a mini-mini format))

I'm happy to say it worked well on the tiny pieces (the stems are about 1/8'' wide and the petals 1'' by 1/4'', the whole thing in just a bit larger than 6'' top to bottom). The most difficult thing was to finish the mini-mini, binding and everything, instead of starting the new project)))

I chose dark green and light blue scraps, so the subject came naturally - squill, the first flowers to appear in spring on the forest floor, sometimes amidst the remnants of snow (I decided to add some snow after I finished the flowers))). The flowers are almost life-size. I had to fight the temptation to play with different colors, because that would mean pre-treating lots of different scraps, and just stuck with the chosen ones.

Without further comments:

Little Mermaid iPad Case

A quick little Friday finish - a case for my kids' iPad.

I made the EPP appliqué when preparing this post about using freezer paper, so you can see the progress photos there. I love using EPP elements for framing fussy-cut images, it's so much more fun than just a square frame! Besides, this pink fabric when cut to small pieces creates a gem-like effect, which seems appropriate for a little mermaid))

I added polyester batting to make the case extra comfy and cosy for the iPad (which is mostly used by the kids, so gets some rough treatment at times). There was no need for quilting, but I though some hand stitches would add a nice touch.

It also has a detachable strap for carrying around.

Linking up to Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilts

Off the Wall Friday at Creations by Nina-Marie

Magnolias Finished and a New Goal

It's autumn already, but I have the spring back in my living/sewing room with the finally finished magnolia quilt!

The idea was born in spring, obviously, when magnolias were in full bloom all around Dublin and it was still cold. Although I started the quilt in summer, I think the chilly spring air and the cold grey stone are there))

The top was machine-pieced using a freezer paper pattern, I showed the pieced flimsy here. The more quilts I make using curve piecing, the more I like this technique: once you think through your pattern, you just have to follow the numbers and put together piece after piece until it's all assembled. Supersizing is also helpful: it's easier to work with larger parts and the resulting image has a greater impact. At about 1 by 1.5 meters this one is my largest wall quilt so far!

Quilting was, of course, the trickiest part. The flowers were quilted minimally, with kind of veins in variegated pinks, to make them pop up from the background.

I tried dense freestyle quilting in the background and I think in some parts the attempt was rather successful.

However, in other parts I got carried away and the result is not as good.

Thankfully, the dark grey quilting thread blends in with darker areas of the background as well as with the busy prints in the upper left corner. By the way, I used up a whole 800 meter spool of Gutermann machine quilting cotton for the background (both for the needle and the bobbin)!

The binding was also tricky, as I quickly discovered that none of my greys would go all the way around - the dark and even middle greys are too dark for the upper part, the bottom part wouldn't "accept" anything lighter than it was itself. I considered making a facing, but didn't look right in the upper part either. Finally, I settled on a pieced binding, though I'm still not sure I pieced it the best way. I'm open to critical remarks and advice, as it's not too late to change something!

With this project off my shoulders, it's time to set new goals. I had been planning to try quilt-as-you-go (connecting the blocks, that is), but I don't have enough blocks to decide anything about the layout so far. So I was thinking about another challenge for the OMG and  Brave Quilter, and remembered (or rather was reminded in FB) about the upcoming AGM of the Irish Patchwork Society, for which there is a challenge topic "Witches and Castles". I played with it and made a sketch which calls for rather intricate appliqué. So I want to try making it using the "crafted appliqué" technique I've heard a lot about. I'm really eager to find out what all the buzz is about. I've bought the book and supplies and am ready to start!

So, my #Brave Quilter challenge and One Monthly Goal for September is to make a mini quilt using the Crafted Appliqué method.

Also linking up to Freemotion Mavericks at Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing
Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River
Let's be Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Three Ways I Used Freezer Paper in One Quilt

I mentioned before that, finishing the bubbles quilt (which I eventually named "Color of Lightness, Color of Joy"), I realized that I had used freezer paper in three different ways in the process of making it. That's a good illustration of its versatility and usefulness for the quilt-building industry! And that's by no means an exhaustive list, I personally use it in two different ways for hand appliqué and for curved piecing as well (but that's a different story). As I didn't plan to write about it when I started I don't have all of the process photos, but I made a mock-up to fill in the gaps))

1. Freezer Paper for English Paper Piecing

One Lovely Blog Award

Lisa J. of Sunlight in Winter Quilts nominated me for the One Lovely Blog Award, which was an absolute surprise, but a very pleasant one! Thank you so much, Lisa, I'll take this chance to name some of the blogs I regularly read and love))

The Rules:

*Thank the person who nominated you, and give a link to his/her blog.

*List the rules.

*Display the image of the award on your post.

*List seven facts about yourself.

*Nominate (up to) 15 bloggers for this award, and notify them to let them know you have nominated them.

So, for the seven facts I decided to brag somewhat and tell you about the different arts and crafts I have tried so far.

1. In my teens I attended an art school and in addition to the more traditional drawing and painting we did silk painting and also tapestry weaving.

2. I did a lot of knitting and crocheting for myself and my family before I took up quilting. I have knitted hats, schools, sweaters, jumpers, mittens, dresses, baby afghans - everything ... except socks)))

3. I also did some beading and made quite a lot of necklaces in all kinds of different techniques (mostly for myself ;))).

4. I tried making basic skirts and sundresses for myself in my teens, but it was several years ago when I was staying at home with my second baby that I took up a full clothes making course (to escape from home a couple of evenings a week ;))) The pinnacle of my tailoring achievements are three jackets (though I don't dare to repeat that without the help of my teachers))).

5. When I was staying at home with my first kid, I sewed quite a lot of toys, both for her to play with and decorative dolls to be kept on the uppermost shelf )). I was making a ballerina doll when pregnant with the second kid, and couldn't finish it for a long time because of health problems. When I finally finished it, I went into labour the next night))) Now that second daughter wants to be a ballerina))

6. Another thing I tried and liked was felting. I attended a workshop in a craft store on felted beads and flowers, then watched some tutorials on the internet and made some purses and a bag for my mom. (Embroidery, including ribbon embroidery was a passing fade, so it doesn't get its own entry).

7. I was using my mom's old sewing machine for my toys, and she offered to buy me a new one so that she could use it herself too. The lady at the shop suggested a suitable Janome machine, saying, among other things, that it's good for patchwork and quilting and has some specialized accessories included. "Well, quilting is something I'm definitely NOT going to do," I said then... Little did I know...

Now, to the blogs I love reading and would like to nominate for One Lovely Blog Award. I'm sure at least some of them have been nominated before. Please visit them and I'm sure you'll find a lot of inspiration ))

France @ France Nadeau. Inspiration Imagination Creation
Tomomi @ Slaney Hand Craft
Juliet @ The Tartankiwi
Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal
Ruth @ Charlie and Ben's Crafty Corner
Julie @ Pink Doxies
Geta @ Geta's Quilting Studio

Also linking up to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

Little Kitty Village

Here comes the second of the quillows I made for my kids (you can read the full story here).

Once again, it started with a fat quarter with kitties, which I bought in a small shop in Moscow, just for fun - I have no idea what collection it is or what manufacturer or whatever. Its colorway is somewhat peculiar for my taste, but it had to be my starting point.

It's a twin (though not identical) to the Little Puppy Village, but I chose a different quilting pattern to see how it goes (you know how scientists jump at a chance to conduct experiments on twins?)

I think I like this quilting better, and there is also less of it, so this quilt seems fuller and warmer than the other one (on the other hand, I love the colors on the puppy quilt more; as for the girls, they both love cats more than dogs, but the little one is more dogged, so she proclaimed the kitty quilt her own))).

And again, a pillowcase to match:

We were lucky to get a glimpse of sun this afternoon, so we had a little photo session with the quillows. The girls are wearing matching kitty fabric dresses that I made for them a couple of years ago (love raglan sleeves - they make a garment fit anyone, regardless of size)))

Little Puppy Village

Now, this was meant to be quick and easy and here it is completed, BUT: it was started in winter - half a year ago)))

The idea was to make a couple of quilts for my kids to cuddle under on winter evenings, to play on, to take when they are going for a sleepover at their aunt and uncle's place, etc. They were meant to be handled a lot, so I wanted them to be really easy to make and also rally cheap (meaning using my stash only)))

They started with two fat quarters - one with dogs and another with cats (I'll show that one later. UPD: the kitty one is finished too!). Each one had twenty full "portraits" which were the starting point for all the maths as well as the color scheme. The photo below is not the final fabric choice, just the only picture I have before the dog fabric was cut.

I put the tops together very fast indeed, but then I decided I wanted the quilts to be warm enough to sleep under and, having consulted several ladies at the IPS branch meeting, I found out I needed wool wadding. This proved tricky, but eventually the ladies from the Limerick Quilt Center brought some for me for the May meeting. At that time I was too busy with other projects, and it was only in August that I got around to finishing this quilts, one of the incentives was the for which was the upcoming "Pets on Quits" virtual quilt show. And I managed just in time as it started yesterday! Do check it out as there's going to be a lot of eye candy for pet lovers as well as a lot of prizes if you decided to join in the fun (you still have ten days to do so!).

They needed very little quilting to stay warm and fluffy, so I decided to practice my walking foot quilting again, and again used my beloved rainbow variegated YLI thread. I chose wonky lines, firstly, to keep it fast and easy and, secondly, because the top reminds me of kids' coloring pages or something like that. My girls, who have just started trying to use my sewing machine, got to stitch a line each (can you see which are the wonkiest of them all ;)))

I also checked out several quillow tutorials and made a (quick and easy) machine appliqué pillow cover for it. Here is the tutorial by Rob Appell that I used as a basis, the only problem is I made the pillow cover a bit too small and it doesn't look very neat when folded. Anyway, this is the way it's going to look most of the time sitting on the sofa or the armchair.

Also linking up to Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts.

Goldfish

Another of my curve piecing samples quilted.

As it is rather low in contrast, it just had to get some glitter)) I bought some large gold-colored sequins and bugle beads and found a monster "gem" for the eye. I also had some white sequins left from another project, which worked for the bubbles in the water.

The look changes very much with a change of light.

Here are some views in different light to compare:

I like how the binding/sashing fabric (which I bought for a different purpose, actually) works with the seaweed here.

Linking up with Linky Tuesday at Free Motion by the River

Let's be Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

I'm also going to link it up to the Pets on Quilts linky party on Sunday - check it out, it's a yearly event and promises to be real fun (with prizes too)!

СохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранить

Throwback Thursday - Lake Baikal at Sunset

It's time for another throwback post about the dark pre-blog ages. Though with me, of course, it's not that long ago)))

I made this quilt in the summer of 2014 as a part of my "Advanced patchwork" course (topic: stained glass quilt) and at the same time as a gift for my father, who lives in a small town on Lake Baikal - the most beautiful place on Earth. We were going there for a visit and so I needed a special gift.

It's picture-like size, maybe 50 by 60 cm or thereabouts and I only have this one photo of it. It doesn't show a particular place, just kind of an impression. I remember going to some "vantage points" on the shore to admire the view with my father, and he said that the mountains on the opposite side at sunset remind him of Nikolas Roerich's pictures of the Himalayas, this kind of thing:

"He Who Hastens" by Nikolas Roerich from Nikolas Roerich Museum website - have a look, the paintings and drawings are beautiful!

I didn't set out to replicate Roerich (although some of his mountains are highly piece-able, as I can see now), but I did use his bold colors)) Actually, as I was working on it, and even after it was done I thought they were too bold and nobody in their right mind would see a landscape in those bits and pieces, let alone recognize what it is supposed to be. I was really surprised (and pleased) when my mum, on seeing it for the first time, asked "Have you made this for Dad?" To my bewildered "How do you know?" she answered "I see this is Baikal."

I now know that the problem is value, as it so often happens - I presumed that if something is made of green fabrics it will be recognized as one whole thing which is the shore))), but it doesn't work like that)) Anyway, I still like this piece and I like the fact that it hangs in my Dad's living room. Looking at it reminds me of Baikal and I long for a chance to go there again. I'll show you a couple pictures from our last visit so you know why))):

I actually made many more gifts for my other relatives and friends when going there, including three potholder sets with raw edge appliqué - really fast and fun to make and produce a great impression ;))

I'm linking this up to Throwback Thursday at A Quarter Inch from the Edge - it's the link up's anniversary, there will be a lot of quilts to see and there are even prizes to be won, so you can still join, I'm sure everybody has nice quilt stories to tell!

СохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранитьСохранить

Magnolias - Pieced

Yesterday I finished piecing together the magnolias that I wrote about before. It's still a flimsy, so it behaves like one in the breeze outside))

It's about 1 by 1.5 meters and it's all machine pieced. I must admit, it wasn't that bad as the most of the pieces are quite large and the curves are really gentle. Well done me for an easy design)), although I must admit realism had to be sacrificed for ease of piecing - the parts are quite large, so smooth color transitions were hard to achieve.

On the other hand, viewed as a whole from a distance the shape of the magnolia flower is recognizable, what do you think?

I rather like the little zest added by the patterned fabrics

The large areas of more or less solid background look rather dull for my taste at the moment, but I hope to perk them up by the quilting. I'm still thinking it over, but I want to try improvisational quilting, combining several designs as you go, something that I admire so much in other people's work. I have bought black-and-white variegated thread for this quilt, but I'm now inclined towards getting a solid, medium or dark grey one instead. The flowers, on the other hand, do not need much in the way of quilting, some curves to outline the petal shapes - and they are done.

Linking up to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River and Let's be Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Fabric Dyeing Workshop

I spent a lovely day on Saturday at the IPS Eastern Branch workshop with Moira Byrne and Lorna Lafferty. Everybody was nice and helpful and there were tons of interesting information and enticing new possibilities))) Although I had played with some tie-dye before using silk paints that I had at hand, there was a lot to learn and to try out for me on Saturday.

First thing in the morning we got to do some ice dyeing, so that it could melt by the end of the day. Although the ice didn't quite melt by 4 p.m., I rinsed my pieces and was delighted with the result:

Here they are the way the were in the container, one on top of another, and I can already see them made into an autumn landscape with little or no cutting. Some bits are really amazing, the way the colors flow is like no other method of dyeing.

I already have two quilt ideas in my head based entirely on ice dyeing))) The best bit is it doesn't require a chemical lab, any hard-to-come-by ingredients, equipment or skills, can literally be done in the kitchen or in the back garden.

Next were various shibori-style tying, folding, scrunching and stitching techniques. Here are some of my samples:

Looks almost like a quilt already with white sashing, doesn't it? I didn't get a lot white in the samples, I think I didn't tie and press them hard enough, but I think they are still lovely. 

We also did gradation dyeing, but I somehow didn't take photos of my pieces. I made a gradation of greens, because I know I always need lots of all kinds of greens, and finding just the right one can be tricky.

The last thing we did was space dyeing, which means scrunching a piece of fabric really tightly in a jam jar and pouring various dyes over it to achieve unpredictable results)) I did this with a piece of white cotton I had bought at Guiney's and I'm happy to report that it took the dye quite well. 

I intended them to go together with this hydrangea panel and I think I got it more or less right (which is almost miraculous when I think of myself just pouring some yellow dye from a jar, then mixing it with with some blue and pouring, adding more blue and pouring...)

I haven't yet decided on the quilt design for these fabrics, so while I'm thinking I might as well make myself a piece of purple as soon as I buy the dyes. Thankfully, the process is also really easy.

By the way, the pieces with magenta in them were the hardest to rinse out, it really seemed to come out endlessly)))

In the meantime the magnolias have finally taken shape on my design wall, and they are quite large - about 1 by 1.5 meters. I've cut all the pieces, the only thing that is left is to start and to finish as they say in Russian)))

I'll be linking this post up to Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts

New To Me in 2016 at Celtic Thistle Stitches

and Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River