focus ~ FAL Q1 2016
Like many quilters I have lots of projects on the go but rather than list them all in the hopes of finishing them I'm going to narrow it down to keep it realistic and stay motivated!
Here's my Finish-A-Long list for Quarter one:
1, 2 and 3. The three #therearenowords quilts. One for Nat and her family, two for the grandparents. These are in various stages of near completion and will be handed over to Nat in February, after which I will share them here.
4. A magazine commission with an impending deadline - here's a sneak peek:
5. It's all basted (has been for a while) and I am going to hand quilt it with perle - I had a quilting plan but have since forgotten it so I need to have a look again and come up with something!
I would like to check all this off at the end of the quarter and approach them all with great enthusiasm! I keep a copy of this list in my planner so I can refer to it and remind myself of what I said I'd complete.
Have you done your list?
bling and an organised iphone
I am probably about 10 years too late but have decided to inject a little bling into our lives. Pink, girly things bring me joy and I bought a very cheap iphone cover (I like the flip cases that actually stop my screen getting scratched when I chuck it in my bag). It had a random logo on it I didn't like so I picked it off and then needed something to cover the damage. I found Candy Crystal and ordered glittery bows!
Problem solved! I also ordered my girls some hair clips that I glued cute little lollies and bows to, it was a fun quick project and a nice way to make something unique!
I came across a useful blog post by Jones Design Company for organising your iphone. I was often overwhelmed seeing all those icons on my screen and scrolling through to find the one I needed - this makes everything more streamlined and my phone is less stressful to look at!
I have been using it this way for a few days and I love it, I know where everything is, the files I rarely use are on the next screen rather than my home screen so it's even less cluttered. Love it!
Yesterday was my birthday, I had a lovely time with family and a nice chilled out day. I even managed to finish this block I was working on for my 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt. I will do a catch up post on my blocks soon!
I couldn't not...
because it's Cotton & Steel and I can't resist. Also it happens to match the colour scheme of my 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt (if I needed an excuse!).
I ordered these lovelies from Pink Castle Fabrics, great service and quick shipping as always:
top to bottom: Pattern Guides in Navy, Macrame by Rashida Coleman-Hale - this is so beautiful in real life and all those cute patterns will look fabulous in tiny patchwork pieces; Popcorn in Caramel, Penny Arcade by Kim Kight - popcorn!! And so cute that it has the striped paper bag border; Fruit Gum in Ivory, Fruit Dots by Melody Miller - just love this!
top to bottom: Wall Hanging in Blush, Macrame by Rashida Coleman-Hale - macrame is having a revival and if I didn't have so many quilts to make I would totally give it a go! For now I will be content with this fabric print instead; Metallic Gold Stripe in Navy, Fruit Dots by Melody Miller; Penny Arcade in Pink, Penny Arcade by Kim Kight.
I am not just a fabric lover, I am a paper lover too. Recently I have been printing things for my planner and also note cards and birthday cards. It is useful to have some good quality card stock for such things and I found papermilldirect, they have a huge range of paper, card and envelopes and all made in Great Britain.
I got a pick and mix box, which is really excellent value and came beautifully boxed - the info above was printed on the inside of the lid. You can chose your own colour selection and it is gorgeous quality. I will order from them again (and put this in this blog post so I can remember what I got!!).
I am a happy bunny.
just plain human ~ Lily
Today I am again guest blogger for the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew-along and I hope you won't be too disappointed with me.
Before I choose fabrics for each block of my 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt I always read the letter first, then pick fabrics based on the words / theme / feeling of the letter. When I come to write my blog post I read the letter again. When I reread the letter for block #51 Lily I had to laugh... it is titled 'Just Plain Humans' and it made me think about being 'only human'.
You see this is not the most polished of blog posts, I failed to get some great photos - actually I failed to get any photos of my progress at all because I have been sewing at night and I just relaxed into it. I don't have a special way of constructing this block and only a warning of bumpy backsides... I do have a pretty block though!
#51 Lily
I focused on the natural things the family enjoy; the "beauty of the wildflowers and the greening of the greasewood and sage" and the marvel of "lacy snowflakes".
Even my one good picture has a stray thread on it!
Notes:
- I do wish I had used the From Marti Mitchell templates for this block. All the small triangles and angled seams have caused a jumbled mess on the back and I found it really hard to press. The templates help reduce bulk a lot.
- When you are hand piecing small pieces that have mirror image shapes it is crucial to make sure you cut the correct number of each shape because they only fit together one way. I find it helps to lay my pieces on top of the diagram so I can keep track.
Despite the lumps I did enjoy sewing this block, I followed the block assembly in the book and came across no problems.
I hand pieced this block and I do have a hand piecing tutorial for you to show you my methods (at least I have something to offer!), click here for the tutorial.
I will be doing a catch up of my blocks soon as I have quite a few I haven't shown yet. Go ahead and subscribe to my blog to see more and there are other patterns / tutorials coming too!
hand piecing a quilt
I am going to show you how to hand piece patchwork, this is my favourite method for making my 1930's Farmers Wife blocks. It is great for small pieces of patchwork, perfect for 'on the go' sewing or relaxing on the sofa sewing!
Please read through the whole tutorial before you begin and if you already do hand piecing then leave a comment with any extra tips you have, I enjoy hearing them! This isn't a tutorial for a particular block, I am just showing part of a block I made in order to demonstrate how to hand piece and how to build your patchwork.
To begin hand piecing you will need templates or a printed version of your block. For the 1930's Farmer's Wife quilt I print out the diagrams from the CD. I am fortunate to have a LightPad, which I use to trace the lines on the diagram onto fabric (in the same way you would trace an embroidery pattern). You could use cardboard, freezer paper or acrylic templates to draw around.
My five top tools for hand piecing are:
1. 1" x 6" ruler - perfect for tracing and drawing smaller shapes
3. black Frixion pen (and I was excited to discover recently you can get refills!)
4. a long thin needle
5. a quality fine cotton thread, I use Aurifil 50wt.
I prefer to use the water erasable pen most of the time but if it doesn't show up on a blue or dark fabric then I use the frixion. As you are drawing on the back of the fabric the black always works well even on very dark fabric but I can't bring myself to use it on white!
Once you have drawn your shapes onto the fabric you need to cut them out leaving at least 1/4" around each side. I often use scissors for this step but for the 1930's Farmer's Wife I have the From Marti Mitchell templates, which allows me to rotary cut. I like using them for triangles, that's why you might notice the corners have been cut off the triangles in this tutorial.
Preparing the pieces for sewing is probably the most time consuming bit and my least favourite part, so I try to get two or three blocks ready for sewing and keep them in small zip lock bags.
Preparing the pieces for sewing is probably the most time consuming bit and my least favourite part, so I try to get two or three blocks ready for sewing and keep them in small zip lock bags.
So you have your shapes cut out and you want to start piecing them together now. I recommend referring back to the pattern at this point to ensure you have the right placement of your pieces and check the order in which you need to sew them together.
Take the first two pieces and place them right sides together, make sure you focus on which line needs sewing - it is really easy to sew along the wrong line (I have done that more times that I would admit!). You might find it helpful to use a clip or pin to indicate which side you are sewing.
Take the first two pieces and place them right sides together, make sure you focus on which line needs sewing - it is really easy to sew along the wrong line (I have done that more times that I would admit!). You might find it helpful to use a clip or pin to indicate which side you are sewing.
Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. Put your needle through the corner on the line and come out at the corner of the other piece. At first this might seem tricky, if you find it hard then just do one side at a time, push the first fabric further down your needle and the wiggle the needle around to come out in the right place on the other piece of fabric. You want to be as precise as possible to make sure you are starting at the end of each line (in the corners).
Make a small stitch and once you pull that through do a little backstitch to secure it. Then begin a simple running stitch, you can do one stitch at a time, load a couple of stitches on your needle, or more than a couple if you feel comfortable.
Every few stitches (about every 1-1.5") you should do a backstitch. This helps secure your work. Having had to do some unpicking I can tell you that it does work so it's good to remember and will make your quilts stronger.
As I sew I look at the front and the back of the line of stitching, it's important to keep checking you are straight and on the lines so everything matches up.
Once you reach the end, backstitch and then tie a knot.
So that's one piece done, now you need to add another piece. Here I have joined two half square triangle blocks.
Treat it just the same way, sewing one piece to the other. When joining corners that already have a seam, try to get your needle in the middle, right in the corner, so your points will match nicely.
I repeated those steps and now I have two sections that need joining...
Before I begin stitching I use wonder clips to hold the final corner and the middle seam (I work right to left so keep that in mind if you work left to right!). This means they will stay in place and line up when I reach them.
I begin sewing in the corner (on the right in the picture above) and stitch all the way to the middle - backstitching occasionally if needed. Once I reach the middle I make sure my seams are moved out of the way and then do a backstitch. You do not sew through the seams, you need to keep them out of the way!
To get past the seams I either sew diagonally through the centre of the seams or pass through the seams on one side. Basically you want to start stitching on the other side of the seams without sewing them down.
You want to come out at the corner of your next line:
Then do another backstitch and continue sewing:
When you reach the end be sure that your corners line up so the needle is passing through the corner on each side. Finish with a backstitch and knot.
Keep sewing your blocks together until you are done! I do not press my seams as I go along, mostly because you need to move them as you are sewing, I just give them a good press once I finish each block. If you are joining sections together to make a larger block you could press each section before you put them together to make it less fiddly. I let each block dictate which way to press and try to reduce the bulk as much as possible, whether that means pressing some seams open or make spinning seams - see Cassandra's helpful tutorial here.
EDIT: click here for more tips on block construction for hand piecing!
I hope you find this tutorial useful and are encouraged to try hand piecing. I will try my best to answer any questions if you leave a comment below and you are welcome to share any tips or advice too. Happy hand sewing!
My thanks to Helen for all her great advice and for helping me start hand piecing :)
classes, stickers and weight loss
A random combination for a post but hey that's my life!
The new term is starting at Patchfinders - the local quilt shop I work at - and I have a fun line up of classes covering different techniques. In a previous class a couple of ladies mentioned they would just like a day to make some blocks, to practice and gain confidence, so I'm running a class doing just that. I picked two blocks that I thought were simple but fun and one block that requires fussy cutting and working out measurements to piece your own block.
The blocks alone don't look great hung up in a quilt shop though so I turned it into a simple runner with a little bit of hand quilting and scrappy binding, and now it can be displayed. Of course the blocks could easily be the start of a quilt or made into cushions.
To see details of my classes and how to book click here.
If you follow me on Instagram you will know I love stickers (I may have talked about them here too!!). My latest order was from JuJuAllOver and I am in love with this shop. Their shop announcement states, "Welcome to JuJuAllOver where you are more than welcome to be random with us." - how awesome!
I bought this cool Bokeh sheet and some custom headers (they come in lots of different colourways), which I requested to say 'To Sew', and they sent this cute free wintery sampler:
And THEN I hit the sticker jackpot (at this point it's fine for you to think I'm a bit crazy) because I've been on the lookout for some Adventure Time stickers. It's one show I will actually watch with my children! It's hilarious and sweet and weird and brilliant. The best bit is JuJuAllOver lets you customise which characters you get on the sheet!! I ordered princesses and BMO, my favourites. I bought the small sheet and there's also a large sheet with fewer but larger stickers.
I bought this cool Bokeh sheet and some custom headers (they come in lots of different colourways), which I requested to say 'To Sew', and they sent this cute free wintery sampler:
And THEN I hit the sticker jackpot (at this point it's fine for you to think I'm a bit crazy) because I've been on the lookout for some Adventure Time stickers. It's one show I will actually watch with my children! It's hilarious and sweet and weird and brilliant. The best bit is JuJuAllOver lets you customise which characters you get on the sheet!! I ordered princesses and BMO, my favourites. I bought the small sheet and there's also a large sheet with fewer but larger stickers.
For those of you into cartoons, comics, Disney or such, check out JuJuAllOver for the cutest stickers! Look at them on instagram for coupon codes and offers, and also shipping to the UK was totally reasonable :)
Stickers are going to help me track my weight loss. I made my own sort of reward chart to keep in my planner using mason jar stickers from Oregon Country Store and hexie stickers from The Reset Girl. I have a lot to lose so I'm hoping a visual will help and I can reward myself by filling up the pink jar!
I'm not on a plan or doing a particular diet - as soon as you tell me I can't have something I will have ALL of it! So I'm just being conscious, making good choices and exercising more. Wish me luck... and ask me to show you this jar in a couple of months!
Stickers are going to help me track my weight loss. I made my own sort of reward chart to keep in my planner using mason jar stickers from Oregon Country Store and hexie stickers from The Reset Girl. I have a lot to lose so I'm hoping a visual will help and I can reward myself by filling up the pink jar!
I'm not on a plan or doing a particular diet - as soon as you tell me I can't have something I will have ALL of it! So I'm just being conscious, making good choices and exercising more. Wish me luck... and ask me to show you this jar in a couple of months!
one little word
I like having a focus, one word to inspire and keep me motivated for 2016.
My word for 2014 was 'better', I worked on my sewing skills and learned new techniques. 2015 was 'more', becoming more me and creating more happiness - I feel like I achieved that in most things and I will continue to maintain that happy mindfulness.
There is part of me that is very traditional (quite boring actually) - I like order, routine and being at home. I'm okay with that about myself, I function better when I have a schedule and to do lists! I am very domestic (my husband just said I am like a house cat, in a nice way) but it can cause me to get anxious about going out sometimes. It helps to see friends, get coffee, watch a film, have a date night. I would like to do more of that. There is a need for me to abandon restraints I place on myself and just have fun.
Katie Daisy
Maybe it's also small joys like stickers, dancing and using odd combinations of colours in my sewing - that is my way of cutting loose. It sounds so silly but it's the little things in life! I have so many responsibilities that just having five minutes of doing something fun and frivolous feels really good. Last night I couldn't sleep so I redesigned my blog header and thoroughly enjoyed it.
On New Year's Eve I created a vision board, laying out pictures and words on a huge piece of paper so everyday I can see my goals and work towards them. I want to aim high, taking steps to actually achieve my bigger dreams and not just dreaming about them.
I am happy being me; focused on positive things, being grateful and mindful. Though I would like to be a little bit more unexpected, perhaps even capricious, to inject more passion and energy into my life.
Every day, in everything I do, I want to do it with enthusiasm, so that is my word for 2016.
Wishing you all a joyful year!
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