Category: slow sunday stitching

Two Down, Two to Go

by Kay, posted in English Paper Piecing, Quilting from Little things, slow sunday stitching

I have appliqued the centre of two of the fans and have two more plus the centre to finish. I hope I will finish in time for One Monthly Goal for October.

Fanfare applique

The lefthand semicircle looks almost black but all the background pieces are shades of purple.

I would get on faster if I didn’t get sidetracked by other projects, both quilting and drawing

More hexie lozenges

Hexagon Lozenge BlueHexagon Lozenge Pink

Not sure about the blue one, it looks a bit dull, maybe it will improve with the third round of hexagons

A coyote jaw bone for a free course run by Newcastle University, Australia in natural history illustration

Sketch Coyote jaw

Now to check out the rest of the projects for Slow Sunday Stitching on Kathy’s Quilts

Round Three

by Kay, posted in City and Guilds, English Paper Piecing, slow sunday stitching

I am continuing to work on the hexagon lozenges and have added a third row to one of them. I love the blue and red together

Hexie lozenge EPP

This is the maximum size and as you can see from the ruler it is quite large. I only need to make 29 more

I have completed a lot of hand stitched projects this year for the City and Guilds in Patchwork and Quilting and now have my certificate!

I thought I would share a few of the samples; some I liked and some I will never do again! Folded patchwork and cathedral windows take up far to much fabric and although they do look good, I shan’t be making any more

Hawaiian Quilting
Hawaiian Quilting
Folded Patchwork
Folded Patchwork Star
Cathedral windows
Cathedral Windows
Bias binding applique
Bias Binding Applique

I will post more another day including the two main pieces – the quilt and the wall hanging, but now I am going to view the work for Slow Sunday Stitching on Kathy’s Quilts. Why not take a look too

A New Project

by Kay, posted in English Paper Piecing, slow sunday stitching

I have a lovely old quilting book called ‘Patchwork; 25 classic step-by-step projects’ by Diana Lodge. The quilt on the cover is the inspiration for the design, although curiously it is not one of the projects in the book. Even more curiously the hexagon template is actually an octagon!

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They will all have another row of 1 1/2″ hexies and sashing to join them together. I took the photos on my phone under electric light so the colours are not really true. It is a scrap quilt and some of the fabrics used are the end of that particular one in my stash.

I think it will take about 30 lozenges, plus half lozenges, to make a quilt for my bed, so I have a long way to go. But that is the nature of Slow Sunday Stitching and more can be seen at Kathy’s Quilts

 

 

Tie it, Whip it

by Kay, posted in Embroidery, slow sunday stitching

No I haven’t gone all ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ I have been working on two projects this Sunday. It is pouring with rain at last. It first started on Friday evening.  A cheer went up from next door as it has rained once in the past two and a half months.

It was dry and warm again on Saturday for a big family BBQ and it is raining today

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I finished the Dorset feather stichery sample and I am a quarter of the way through tieing the ugly quilt

A characteristic of Dorset feather is the amount of whipping on the stitches, I’m not so keen on some of the colour combinations I used but it is fine for a sample. It will be used  for the front cover of a new needlecase.

 

I used some of the same no 8 perle cotton to tie the quilt as it has a very thick blanket inside which is too difficult to machine. As I got to the bottom of the quilt I could see some very suspicious looking ‘tunnels’ in the wool! I hope the little critters are all dead or long gone! Better treat it to make sure

I used the paper template to make sure I was in the middle for each tumbler without measuring every time

I am a bit late writing this post so I hope I am not too late for Slow Sunday Stitching over at Kathy’s Quilts. Why not have a look at everyone else’s work

 

A Finish in Sight

by Kay, posted in City and Guilds, slow sunday stitching

I thought I would make use of some of the samples I had to make for the City and Guilds portfolio. I deliberately made all my applique samples in the same style to make a large mug rug/mat. Only the binding to finish now – although I seem to be adding cat hair to it too!

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I had played about with the order for quite a while

 

I don’t know why they look pink when they are actually black and white with different shades of blue applique, I must have got the white balance totally wrong when I took them last night. The types of applique are; raw edge with machine and hand stitching. zig-zag and satin machine stitching; feather, blanket and chain by hand – needle turn and difference types of interfacing in various combinations. The bottom left shape had only straight stitch so I added another row of machine stitching and chose the top left layout.

The other layouts have given me some ideas for other quilts.

I am quite glad I have been making a small project as it is so hot. It has only rained once this month in Essex and we badly need rain for the new trees we planted a couple of months ago

I am having a break from stitching to see what everyone else has posted on Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching which you can find here

Not Quite Midnight Stitching

by Kay, posted in Embroidery, slow sunday stitching

I really shouldn’t stay up so late sewing but I have again, at least I didn’t sew a corner in and so no unpicking today.

Dorset feathery hoop

I’ve finished the outlines of the ‘pinecones’ and have started to fill them in. The book ‘Dorset Feather Stitchery’ by Olivia Pass suggests using satin stitch and feather stitch.

It shouldn’t take too much longer to finish this sample and then it will form the from cover of a needlecase.

I think I should take a leaf out of Sock’s book and go to sleep! First though I will take a peek of all the work at Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching why not take a look yourself

Midnight Stitching

by Kay, posted in Embroidery, slow sunday stitching

In a word – don’t. This is what happens when you do

Bad Stitching

The annoying thing is, the stitching was ok on the other side but had to be unpicked

Good Stitching right side

So I went to bed and started again in the morning with better results ha ha

Dorset Feather Stitchery worked sample close up

As you can see from the photos below I have been working from a book by Olivia Pass printed in 1957. A group of ladies from a Dorset WI (Womens Institute) had fun reviving simple stitches in a new form that they called Dorset Feather Stitchery.

 

Mostly they were inspired by the stitching decorating English smocks worn mainly in the Nineteenth century although they were worn as late as WWII in a few cases. Principally worn by male agricultural workers they were a practical and beautiful coverall – I intend to make one myself as I have another lovely old book by Alice Amess called English Smocks with Directions for Making Them. I particularly like one worn by a milk maid from Essex. As I am from Essex and have milked a few cows I think I can wear one!

You can find more about them here

Before that though, I will pop over the Slow Sunday Stitching to see what everyone else has been making, why not see for yourself!

Sashiko Sample Completed

by Kay, posted in Embroidery, slow sunday stitching

Done and dusted – unless I decide to quilt it and make it into a dolly quilt.

Sashiko sample 4

Sashiko complete

I don’t have to quilt it but it would make a useful little mat to put under the fruit bowl. I managed to complete another sample too; hand-stitched reverse applique. I quite like the stepped appearance and it certainly highlights the centre. It would be a good way to mount any hand work and  this little piece of Botanique from Joel Dewsbury almost looks like embroidery.

I really must concentrate on the main assessment piece now – a wall hanging. Here are a few pages from my sketch book mostly worked from photos I took in Australia.

I made a printing block of a simple leaf shape and roughly painted it to print these

Next I will try it on fabric.

I have sketched a few possible designs but that is for another day, now it is time to link up to slow Sunday Stitching here

Sashiko Number Three

by Kay, posted in Embroidery, slow sunday stitching

The penultimate sample. The first curved one and it came out better than I thought it would.

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Definately not perfect but it will do. I have also sketched out a second curved design but realise that it needs to be lowered by half an inch as it is too close to the first sample.

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Again, it comes with free cat hair ha ha

One more to go and another sample finished! As a hailstorm has started outside it might be a good time to start – the snow may be gone but winter has not.

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The cat has settled on my knee so I will be popping over to Kathy’s Quilts to look at everyone’s work for Slow Sunday Stitching which you can see here

What are you stitching?

Snow and Sewing

by Kay, posted in City and Guilds, slow sunday stitching

Second sashiko sample completed! Now with free cat hair!

Sashiko steps

I don’t think the cat hair really enhances it. I have also sketched out the third design, I kept changing my mind about the scale and pattern but settled on this one as I have completed two linear ones and now it is time for a curved design

Sashiko sketch

It has been a freezing week as the ‘beast from the east’ has brought wind bearing snow from Siberia. We have missed storm Emma though and today it is begining to thaw here in the South East.  I think snow encourages sewing – a good excuse to stay inside. However we did venture outside for a lovely walk in the Suffolk village of Long Melford a few days ago.

 

Shortly after this the wind and snow created a short-lived snow storm and we sheltered in the church of the Holy Trinity

Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford

Picturesque though the snow is I am glad to see it thawing but not as happy as the hens who haven’t been able to forage in the garden!

Now it is time to visit Kathy’s blog and see what everyone else has been creating for Slow Sunday Stitching