Work on Wed 1st May

Have had 4 days off so have been making slow but steady progress quilting my FMN.
Ditch stitched all the blocks including the block trim. Decided just to echo stitch around the frames to give mitered corners similar to a wooden picture frame.

With 2 blocks done I was happy but there had been some unpicking as I came to terms with maneuvering the bulk of fabric around, this has got less with practice thank goodness.
I measured my frame width before I started and after stitching a sample discovered that by offsetting my needle as far as possible, my walking foot gave me an almost perfect guide for 5 rows of stitching

I marked my mitered corner with chalk and started at the outside. For 1st 3 rows the outer edge of my walking foot guides me. The last two rows I use the inner edge as I know that is straight and an uneveness shows more against a straight edge. My DH has always said the eye can only take in so much at one time.
Now with 8 Blocks stitched I am  thrilled with how the Blocks themselves are popping out of the fabric.

The middle 2 that I was so worried  about  were the easiest of the lot, the even spread of fabric around me  was a pleasure to work with LOL
Don't think I will be edge stitching all my applique but will just look at each block and see where some stitching will enhance the overall lift.

Many thanks to everyone that voted for my Lilies Wall hanging, I came 3rd  in the viewers choice and I was so thrilled with there being 67 wonderful entries.
It is like being able to visit a gallery of quilts based on a theme so once again I am putting up an entry this week - The theme is applique and possibly the only theme this year that will allow me to show my Oriental Expressions, so here is a detailed preview for those who are new visiting my blog,
Apologies to those who may have seen this before.

Held up by 3 girls from my quilting group it is 77 x 78 inches and once our bedroom is redecorated it will take pride of place on our bed - but not to sleep under LOL
This is probably the most difficult quilt I have attempted. Although the applique is relatively simple there were so many different elements, foundation piecing the great wall around the center, 33 different fabrics all charm squares from Trademe, and working out how to do my calligraphy blocks - not part of the original pattern by Yvonne Morris  over 3 issues of APQ magazine. I tried reverse applique but my gold satin fabric shredded at the edges so I went back to traditional raw edge applique.
The blocks read clockwise from top left Happiness, Peace, Dream, Love, what more can anyone want!!!
The block backgrounds are all fairy frost fabric's, the burgundy borders are Satin and also Burgundy Satin with a black/gold mesh overlay for the sashes.

The fans are backed with gold satin and hang free from the sides of the quilt.

The Kimono's are fabric Origami and this took several practice folds to get right

the Blue border fabric is an oriental brocade of my mother's and this fabric is what inspired me to make the quilt.

Again I give huge thanks to John Neilsen for his outstanding custom quilting for me.

I would love you to vote for me - not for me to win - just to show you like my work.

Wednesday Link started early

It's Monday, my only day off this week so can I find time to link to Esther's Blog on Wednesday, yes -
if I start now.
Thought I would show you the inspiration for my Bamboo Wallhanging.
My Oriental Expressions Quilt
Our bedroom is a very slow WIP to accomodate this quilt as coverlet for our bed.
It will be coming off at night, we are not sleeping under it - and Kelly is NOT sleeping on it !!!!

It was a pattern from a 2010 APQ magazine called Fengshoe by Yvonne Morris.
I had wanted to make an oriental look quilt and had an Oriental "Brocade" fabric from my Mum, the blue fabric. I am very glad she never made a suit, it looks  far better in my quilt..
I  loved the pattern but changed the 4 Dresden Plate blocks to calligraphy blocks for my own interpretation.
They represent clockwise from top left Happiness, Peace, Dream, Love, what better thoughts to go to bed with.
To date it is the most complicated quilt I have made.
It is being held up for this photo by members of my Dargaville quilting group, some of them standing on chairs to get it off the floor.

This is the centre block,  the borders surrounding the centre are called The Great wall of China. 
I went onto Trade Me and bought 2 x 7" charm square packs, one 50 oriental fabrics and one 40 metallic's for this border, and also used them for other parts of the quilt. I needed 32 different fabrics for the wall cut into 6"x2" strips so the charm squares were perfect size.
I had the burgundy satin, parts are overlaid with that wonderful black/gold mesh I can't live without.
The centre applique. The first fabric I used was a red/gold stripe and I wasn't happy with it.
When I found the fabric to frame my calligraphy blocks, I recut my centre applique, pressed it overtop, widened my satin stitch and restitched over the original.
The pattern called for 2 different widths of gold bias for edging the applique but I used  2.5 x 1000m reels of metallic soft gold thread and satin stitched my edgings, it was a lot of satin stitch!!!

The background fabric's for all my applique blocks are Fairy Frost fabric - lights and darks of the same shade that I already had in my stash.
I only ended up buying 4 fat quarters of oriental fabric for my applique blocks, and I hated cutting into them, they were so beautiful on their own.

Top and Bottom of the quilt have Origami Kimono's.
It took several attempts to fold and press correctly, even after finishing I need to make a few catching stitches to ensure they will stay put..
The fabric between tthe Kimono's  is again the fabric I used for my bamboo calligraphy .. a link together for the final room.!!

I have folded the quilt top back to photograph the side borders. Both sides have fans which are not sewn down to the quilt top, I used the same gold fabric as for the calligraphy squares for their backing with one pinned back to show John's  underneath quilting..

This shows my corner squares where Fan's and Kimono's meet, and again shows some of John's quilting detail.
Some of you  may have  heard of John Nielsen who custom quilted it for me as he has tutored longarm quilting seminar's in Aust.
I didn't want it too heavily quilted and the only input I had was suggesting using Ginko leaves as with their oriental meaning of everlasting they seemed to suit.
John created such wonderful simple detailing for me I was very close to tears when I first got it back.
Tuesday night and post is finished, ready to link tomorrow.
Cheers everyone, enjoy your Wednesday while I work.
Jenny.

Work on Wednesday

A double good day. WOW and the 15th of the month so wonderful new blocks from Esther to work on.
Have been working away at my bamboo hanging during the week.

All the leaves are in place, yesterday I worked on the calligraphy which I decided was going to be too hard to stitch directly onto the top.
Thinking about my oriental bed quilt, which is the reason for making this wallhanging ( we are going to redo our bedroom in an oriental theme) I came up with this.

Being able to work with small squares was so much easier.
Still tricky to stitch the smallest areas, but found my default satin stitch worked perfectly.
I was going to frame them individually but when I decided to run them horizontally instead of vertically as in the original, a panel seemed a better option.

In approximate position, adjusted and sewn down this morning, but I forgot to take photo.

Monday morning I relaxed watching the closing ceremony of the Olympic's, a wonderful few hours, but part way through I thought I know what I could be doing.
When my sewing room shifted I found a quilt I made a few years ago with it's binding  attached but not sewn down. My thumbs hated it, but it is now on my sewing room wall.

My first and so far only Bargello quilt. Pattern was from an APQ magazine but this is nothing like the original. It was a comedy of errors!!!

I was meant to make 16 identical blocks, the 3rd one I made in mirror image!!
Had not enough spare fabric and didn't want to unpick, so made 8 originals and 8 mirror image, played with the placement and this looked good - until I sewed them together.
My first 4 blocks ended up in the center and so did my lack of understanding of the art to bargello pressing and stitching at the beginning, it was all I could see.
Practise makes perfect - or at least better - so they say.

The final layout reminded me of butterflies and I had a pattern for a mosaic one and thought now is the time.

I had fabric scraps from the quilt and with a slight size adjustment it covered my sins.
But it didn't look right on it's own, so I found 2 other butterflies, 1 foundation pieced and 1 applique.

I now had butterflies everywhere, I had looked at hydrangeas for my original colour palette so the butterflies seem in keeping. Borders added and I was happy, but the final act was still to come.
My border is synthetic silk and my iron was too hot!!!
A hole in my border - so one more butterfly - escaping!!
You can just see it in the top right corner.

And this morning, Esther's new blocks
Magnolia is one of my favorite flowers and I couln't wait to start.

This is as far as I have got this morning, back to work tomorrow so will be slow progress till next week.
Cheers everyone, Jenny
PS. I am viewing your blogs, but am finding it very difficult to post comments.
I write them, but most won't publish!!

Work on Wednesday

This is my last day of 5 days off, back to work tomorrow for 4 days.
Have been spending time between my sewing room and watching the Olympics, and trying to ignore housework!!
Project this week has been my  Bamboo Wallhanging.
It is a pattern meant for stencilling but I am very pleased with how it is converting to applique.
Very much like a mosaic.

This was the start about a week ago. Background is an upholstery fabric and the leaves are raw silk.
I am using gold mettalic thread and a not quite satin stitch on the edges, straightforward but time consuming.
Found an early problem in that even with fusible web the silk frays very quickly.
This section I put all the pieces on at the same time and last ones to be sewn needed the fraying removed before I could stitch. At least my stitching is giving a neat edge.

For section two I only put the larger leaves in place and sewed them first the added the smaller pieces.
This has worked much better and I now have section 3 finished as well.

Section 4 is started, but have to go and get more thread then back to sewing this afternoon.
I do wish I had gone out earlier though as it is now bucketing down, after brilliant sunshine first thing.
After the final leaves are done there is calligraphy representing the four season to go in the upper right corner. I am still thinking about this as they are going to be the trickiest part.
Have a good week everyone.
Will be visiting blogs later.