I’ve been doing a lot of finishing of WiP’s and UFO’s and other things found on the floor, in totes, but mostly pulling from the piles in my sewing room.  Binding has been my evening work and the only step keeping a project from being completed in many cases. I have rediscovered how important the correct hand sewing needle is.  The difference between a chenille 20 and 24 is not just about the thread being used ( I was doing some big stitch with heavier thread) but equally important is the fabric. The fabric was a batik in combination with a metallic cotton and silk dupioni.  The size 20 easily handled the heavy weight metalllic thread I was using and went through the metallic cotton and silk just fine. It would barely pierce the batik fabric and was wearing out my hand muscles quickly. Switching to a 24 chenille still handled the heavier thread but was so much easier to pierce the batik fabric.  The same thing was true when sewing on the binding which was the batik fabric. I found a “straw” needle was able to pierce the fabric easily as opposed to the “embroidery”, the “between” and the “quilting” needle. Yes, I tried all three in various sizes. Unfortunately I can not tell you what size I used as I forgot to look as I took it out of the storage cylinder but the difference really is in the diameter of the shaft of the needle. There was no thick and thin to the diameter and that is what made the difference in my mind. Another project finished, another reminder of the importance of all the tools used to complete a quilted project!

A few recently completed:

Flower Power

Three simple shapes can help you make a fun and easy small table topper. My paisley drops are about 3 inches, the stems are 5” and the center circles are 1 ¼” What a fun way to celebrate the plethora of flowers we have had this spring. Of course, I planted my marbled fabric blossoms on the surface of a vintage linen dyed in spring pinks and lavenders. It would be equally beautiful to repeat in fall colors (and I have done that as well).

To sew with vintage linens I use a fusible tricot to stabilize the background fabric for machine applique. The flowers are fused with a very lightweight paper-backed fusible. Arrange the flowers on the diagonal line from corner to corner of the napkin and utilize one of those decorative stitches on your machine to secure after fusing the shapes.

Fall version as work in progress is now complete and pattern being developed.

Upcycled men’s suits and ties provide suitable fabric for fun collages with a more masculine impression. I use all parts of deconstructed suits and ties including the interfacing, the wrong side of fabric and sometimes even the padding. Two pieces shared here also incorporated my dyed wool and painted wonder under leaves along with vintage and not so vintage buttons.

I make these when I need to take a break from other more serious projects (like mask making right now) and when the large garbage bag of deconstructed wool suits garners my attention because I have tripped over it trying to get to other unusual fabric stashes.

Yoyos are nicely done with no stabilizing of the silk ( I only collect silk ties because of their fluid hand) and the folded hexies harken way back to geometry class.

My general process is to lay out batting, then a piece of Misty Fuse and then start laying out pieces of fabric in a manner that is pleasing to me. I don’t use a backing because I mount these on canvas covered frames. Once in place I press fusing the pieces to the fusible. Even though they overlap it gives enough stability that I randomly stitch vertically and horizontally. Background done so then comes the main feature. For me that is some kind of bouquet often made with the ties—stems, flowers and sometimes leaves although these two pieces both have the painted fusible leaves.

It is a suitable way for me to enjoy the creative process before needing to get back to more pressing projects!!