Block 7 of "Down In The Garden" (designed by Leanne Beasley) is completed, and I've only got 2 more blocks to stitch before the quilt top is ready for the borders. I spent a very rainy afternoon last Sunday curled up on the sofa with my daughters watching a film and made a start on the stitchery - actually if the film hadn't been so good, I probably would have finished this all in one day! The churn dash blocks had been made last summer when I first started this project... ...appliqued onto another mini-block is a pretty dresden plate with a Suffolk Puff centre, (made with a scrap of Lecien fabric from my stash), and finally a little bit more stitchery showing a beautiful bird house. There are 4 different bird houses on this quilt, and they all have pretty vines and flowers trailing around them... ...I can't believe I was able to finish stitching this block so quickly - it's amazing what you can accomplish in the early hours of the morning when you can't sleep! Anyway, here is the completed block. Now there are only 2 blocks left and then the borders to add to fish it off, then I need to decide on the quilting - whether to do it by hand or whether to take it to Janette, who does some wonderful custom quilting. I actually started this quilt last summer on 6th August 2013, and if I carry on stitching with a passion it looks like I just might have the quilt top pieced together by 6th August 2014.
0 Comments
Block 7 of "Down In The Garden" has been prepped and is ready for the stitchery. It's so much easier tracing the stitchery designs before the complete block is pieced together. I've used a Schmetz Microtex needle size 60 for all the piecing, and a smaller than usual stitch length, together with a neutral coloured Mettler fine embroidery thread. I used a very fine Micron Pigma pen to trace the stitchery patterns, and then ironed a very soft fusible interfacing onto the back (my favorite interfacing for stitchery is Vilene H180)... ...this is one of my favourite projects (and my quilting friends know that I've made several designs by Leanne Beasley) as I really enjoy the relaxing time spent on the hand embroidery. These mini-blocks piece together very quickly, and these churn dash blocks were made last year when I first started this project. My friends Linda and Helen persuaded me to make a start on it, as it had been sitting in a box for simply ages, and I can't think why I hadn't started it earlier! Well I'm off to make a nice cup of tea, then I might just make a start on this block!
As you can see, I really have been as busy as a busy bee!! Each morning I've spent an hour stitching with a cuppa, enjoying the peace and quiet before the hustle and bustle of getting ready for work. This was a BOM that I bought 4 years ago, and is designed by Leanne Beasley. It included lots of beautiful Lecien fabrics, and I've added one or two scraps of my own too. This is Block 6 (only 3 more blocks to go!) and I'm enjoying spending time with this "garden" almost as much as I enjoy spending time in my own garden... ...this block shows off several techniques, including stitchery - back stitch, chain stitch and satin stitch using mostly DMC embroidery threads. A beautiful Cottage Garden Thread in "Larkspur" was included with this BOM and it really is beautiful. Machine-appliqued butterflies decorate this block too... ...there's a fussy cutting using the feature fabric "Grandmother's Flower Garden" by Rosalie Quinlan, and I love these cute mini-9 patch blocks. The final stitch was hand sewing around the edge of this appliqued heart (I used a soft fusible interfacing on the back of the heart, and turned it inside out as my needle-turn applique isn't very neat!) using a neutral coloured silk thread, and then I was finished. Over the weekend I'm hoping to get Block 7 prepped and ready for stitching.
Well I'm getting there at last! This is a BOM "Down In The Garden" by the Australian designer Leanne Beasley, and was initially started last summer. During the winter months I put it to one side to concentrate on other projects. I've finally finished block 4, and this one has only taken me 3 weeks from tracing the stitchery, piecing the mini-blocks and putting the final stitches into place. As you can see from the picture below, the stitchery was completed before the applique... ...again there is a combination of appliqued butterflies fluttering across the block, and an appliqued heart... ...and the centre piece is a beautiful stitchery watering can filled with flowers. Several of my blog followers have asked me where they can purchase these patterns. I initially bought mine from an online shop her in the UK (that has sadly closed down) that used to stock lots of beautiful Australian patterns. There are links on Leanne Beasley's website detailing where these patterns can be bought. Block 5 is much more stitchery-intensive and needs to be prepped. I really need to invest in a super large lightbox as my arms are going to be killing me by the time I've traced only a quarter of block 5 if I carry on taping my patterns onto my conservatory window! I've got a small A5 size lightbox which is ok for small projects, but I really NEED a bigger one!
I made a start on stitching this block back in September 2013, then other projects sort of took over, and it was put back in a box until a few weeks ago. Stitching this has been very relaxing, especially early in the morning when everyone is still asleep... ...another mini-dresden plate adorns this block, and I did a short-cut method by piecing these together by machine and then they are appliqued into place using a neutral coloured silk thread, with a Suffolk Puff in the centre. I finally made a batch of these mini-dresden plates this morning, and couldn't believe how quick I made the 2nd, 3rd and 4th one... ...these 3 blocks form row 1 of "Down In The Garden" (designed by Leanne Beasley). Block 4 beckons, and as I've already completed the stitchery for it, I just need to prepare the applique - more pictures soon!
I actually did the stitchery on this block last year, and finished the applique this morning! Well my satin stitch was CERTAINLY improving by the time I'd moved onto Block 2 of "Down in the Garden" BOM (designed by Leanne Beasley) - well, it really couldn't get much worse after the fiasco of the bird's beaks! I used Leanne's tip of stitching around the outline with back stitch first of all, then sewing the satin stitch, and I must say it certainly looks much neater. This project uses DMC threads, and I've been using a size 9 John James embroidery needle for the hand stitchery... ....these cute blue birds are stitched with tiny chain stitch, (I am SO glad I removed the original mini-block and replaced it - these birds really do look SO much better) and the watering can is stitched the same way. Loving this bouquet of flowers!!..... .....pretty red appliqued butterflies adorn this block, and look so cute fluttering among the flowers. Needle turn applique isn't a technique that I'm particularly good at, so I decided to use raw-edge applique with fusible interfacing to secure them into place... ...time for a final press, and I'm ready to make a start on the applique for Block 3!!
Last year I started this BOM "Down In The Garden" by the Australian designer Leanne Beasley. Lots of techniques were used to complete Block 1 and I am so thrilled with it!! Piecing mini blocks, fussy cutting, more piecing to make the large block, stitchery, stitchery and MORE stitchery, and my first time of using Cottage Garden threads - hand dyed stranded cotton, already cut into lengths and absolutely divine to sew with!... ...well I really enjoyed the stitchery, but put off doing the rest for several months. These mini-dresden plates were a bit tricky (I'd never actually made a dresden plate before, so turned to my very crafty sister for some expert help). I didn't really like the middle discs as per the pattern, so made some Suffolk Puffs instead, and this was secured into place with a dab of Roxanne's basting glue before being stitched down.The applique hearts have been sewn into place with a very small slip stitch using a neutral coloured silk thread...... ...this really does look so pretty - goodness only knows why I didn't prepare these dresden plates and hearts last year. Although the first one took a little while to master, I decided to get the other 3 made while I still had my machine threaded! Now to get the butterflies on Block 2 stitched into place!
Well I don't normally do 2 posts in one day, especially at the weekend, but as I'd spent the afternoon busy sewing yet another bag, I thought I'd share it now! I used some lace and vintage buttons and a suspender and a rather saucy ohhh-la-la picture printed onto an EQ printable fabric sheet that I appliqued onto the front panel of another toiletry bag. Again, this is based on the pattern "Anna's Sminkepung by the Norwegian designer AnnAKa... ...these ones are a bit larger, so can be used as a toiletry bag - it would hold several small bottles of all the essentials you'd need for a weekend away or a holiday, and is washable too so it doesn't matter if anything gets spilled inside it.
Well I really couldn't resist opening the packet of Block 3 of "Down in the Garden", designed by Leanne Beasley. I'd bought this BOM a few years ago and finally made a start on it a few weeks ago. I've already completed the stitchery on Block 1 and Block 2 but haven't yet done the applique (hearts and mini-dresden plates and butterflies). After sorting out the fabrics, I traced the stitchery blocks with a Pigma pen size 01 (this is a permanent pen so you do need a very steady hand). Then the mini blocks were pieced together with a churn dash block that had already been prepared (4 of these were made at the beginning, with Block 1) and finally a piece of stabiliser was ironed to the back of the block. It's now ready for the stitchery and I'm using DMC threads for this.
Well stitching Block 1 was a dream - the mini blocks pieced together easily, I'm really pleased with the stitchery and I've just got the applique left to do. I decided that as there a few hearts and mini-dresden plates and butterflies to applique onto this quilt, I'd make them up en-masse, and hope to do that very soon. Meanwhile, I was really enjoying the stitchery, so made a start on Block 2 and it all started off so well. I was stitching the 2 small bluebirds, and had problems with satin stitching one of the beaks. I just didn't seem right, and so I very carefully unpicked it. The second time it was even worse! So again, I tried to unpick it very carefully - except that I wasn't careful enough and ended up with a hole in my fabric!! Disaster!! I thought I could make it better, so I poked the frayed threads through to the back of the block, and fused another small piece of interfacing to the back of the stitchery, and redrew a larger beak and started stitching - but the threads frayed even more and it looked worse than ever! Even BIGGER disaster!! Honestly, I was getting a bit niggly. So there was nothing for it - the mini block itself had to be unpicked and I cut a new piece of fabric, traced the design on it and VERY CAREFULLY stitched those beaks. (I bet Leanne Beasley doesn't have these problems!) However, things still weren't going to plan. When I laid Block 1 and Block 2 next to each other I realized that I'd used the same fabric for two pots of herbs - one in Block 1 and one in Block 2 - that would be next to each other!! I can tell you by now I was REALLY niggly!! Well I decided that I would always notice it (even though my friends said it looked ok!!) and unpicked THAT mini block too. Phew!! Anyway, the stitchery is nearly complete, and then I can make a start on block 3. After I've made some applique pieces of course!!
|
About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! Archives
July 2023
Blogs I followUK shopsThese are the UK shops that I use to purchase my quilting supplies - fabrics and threads etc.
Australian linksScandinavian links |