something stitched

Fall Inspiration

For a change of pace from deadline sewing I turned back to a scrap stash WIP. I find it very freeing to unwind with this “made fabric” project when concentration on a project becomes too tense and stressful. Heaven knows we quilters have scraps. I have a wide variety of scraps because I do a lot of sewing for store displays so they are not color or style coordinated. It doesn’t matter on a project like this and that’s exactly what I like about it. You can see my theme was apples, perfect theme for fall, but the fabric picks are anything but fall or apples. I start with a pentagon of some sort and just start adding fabrics until I have the size for my template. In this project I am using a hexagon but a simple square will work just fine for easier construction. Follow the photos to see that it’s as easy as one, two, three. Relax, unwind and then move on to tackle the difficulty that made you take a break.

Oh, and it’s okay not to finish this “made fabric” anytime soon. I’ve been working on mine for a couple of years!

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.