Slow Stitching and Updates

I'm taking a short pause from my playing to make Easter supper (it's in the oven) and write a post on my many ongoing projects. There's lots to show, so here it is!

Community Stitch Challenge Redo 

So far I've participated in two stitching challenges with TextileArtist.org. You may remember my challenge piece from Cas Holmes' week. I liked my piece but I knew that it didn't have the layers that Cas Holmes adds to her pieces.

Stitched piece for Cas Holmes stitching challenge

After thinking about it for a week, I remembered the fabric in my basement cupboard of clothes that I've kept for just this kind of project. I'm now going through these to see what I can add as layers to this little piece. It's far from finished but the project is now percolating in my creative brain. I'm looking forward to seeing what I come up with 😊

Some ideas for adding layers

As you may be able to see, I want to make this piece as a reminder of this period in our lives. Do you see the little mask in the middle panel?

Mandala Update

In my last post I showed you the BIG Mandala that I created for Project Quilting Quarantine (PQQ) 2020. It wasn't finished - and still isn't but it's getting there! I had no idea what to do for the edge since I didn't have anything that I could just add like lace or some other finish. Finally I thought about adding a border of ruffled batik. With the addition of the twisted couched yarn, I think that it will do. I now need to add beads and one thin strip of free motion quilting in the last circle (if I can). I'm hoping to finish it this week.

The BIG Mandala now has a border ruffle and yarn. 

Making lace-type fabric with water soluble products

Last June, during Quilt Canada, I took a full day class with Amanda McCavour. She introduced us to 2 different Sulky Solvy products. I worked a little bit on my project after the class but never finished it. While making the BIG Mandala, I thought that I might make my own lace with these products as an edging to my piece. Well, I had fun experimenting with these products but quickly decided against using this as an edging because I would have needed 50 inches of it!

Here is my experiment. I used what I learned from Amanda McCavour as well as from the beautiful book I bought by Meredith Woolnough, Organic Embroidery. On a strip of about 3" wide, I FMQ a very dense circle (using tiny circular motions, sort of like mini pebbles stuck together), and then added lines in between, to a circle in the middle. I made two of those. Then I made one piece of very fine scribbling. Finally I make a couple of arches and since I had room, I added a couple of fine strips.

This is what it looked like after I had FMQ and before dissolving the Sulky product.

Different experiments

Two circles with webbing

My notes

Finished product

I left the corner of my hexie runner in the picture to give you an idea of size. Those are ¾" hexies! It would have taken forever to make 50" of lace fabric to go around the edge of my Mandala!
I will, however, add these to the Cas Holmes' Community Stitch Challenge Re-do 😊 and I'm looking forward to experimenting some more with these water soluble products.

Cutting Tumbler Scraps

I picked up a Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine a few months ago because it came with some tumbler templates that I couldn't resist. It's a lovely quilting magazine but I don't generally buy traditional quilting magazines because I make so few traditional quilts. However, this caught my eye and last week I didn't want to think so I just grabbed some scraps of fabric (anything bigger than 3"x 3") and started cutting out tumblers.

My tumbler template with cut out scraps.

It's going to be very scrappy but instead of the white background of the magazine quilt, I'm just going to use solids of any colour to break it up. Once I cut another gazillion tumblers, I'll start looking at how to place my fabric. Until then, no thinking, just mindless cutting!

Making Masks

Like every other person who can sew, I made a few masks. As you can imagine, they are not my favourite thing to do but I did want to help keep my sister-in-law healthy since she's an x-ray technician in the local hospitals. The first one was a prototype but with her comments I made 4 more that are definitely better. My son wanted to make his own mask, so now, if I get sick, he can make some for the family 😊

Masks for my sister-in-law

My son learning to make his own mask.

Sewing fabric strips

The day before my local quilt shop had to close to customers in the store, I went in and bought some fabric. I didn't need anything but I wanted to encourage them since I know that times might get rough in the next few weeks (or months). I bought a few fat quarters but also a package of fabric strips called Bubble Up. There is enough to make a lap quilt to protect one of our love seats from Chevy's hair and nails.

I sewed it together that weekend and finally sandwiched it this week. I'd like to quilt it this week. I've been watching courses on BluPrint and am considering using my walking foot, or FMQ in rows. The fabric is quite bright so I'm not sure that FMQ would show up. I hope to feature this on the next Free Motion Mavericks on Thursday - as long as I start it!

Isn't this going to make a wild and fun lap quilt?

What I learned

• As you can imagine from all of these projects, I am like a butterfly flitting from one project to another (or like a squirrel)!
• I actually have more on the go, but this is enough for today's post!
• I just checked and the challenge for Project Quilting Quarantine this week is Floral. I'm sure that I can add something more to my list - it's either that or read many books (or both!) Although if the weather gets nice (above 10C, I will go outside to clean up the yard - this would be the first year in a long, long time!)
• I could work on my many UFOs but they all require some concentration, which is just not there right now. I do hope that it will come back some day.

What's on this week

• Community Stitch Challenge - Week 4 with Richard McVetis. We find out what the challenge is on Monday.
• Project Quilting Quarantine challenge - Floral (due Sunday, April 19, 2020)
• Make buffalo plaid curtains for my niece.
• Finish FMQ and beading the BIG Mandala
• Keep cutting tumbler pieces from scraps.
• FMQ or quilt with a walking foot, my Bubble Up lap quilt.

Related links

• Community Stitch Challenges
• Week 2 - Cas Holmes - Stitch Challenge and Free Motion Mavericks Link-up, April 2, 2020  
• Love Patchwork and Quilting magazine, Issue 81
• Quilt Canada in Ottawa, June 17, 2019
• Meredith Woolnough, Organic Embroidery
• Sulky's water soluble products
• Project Quilting Quarantine challenge - Floral

Linking parties

I'll be linking up with Free Motion Mavericks at Muv's. Remember to link up too! I am also linking up to Slow Stitching Sunday, Oh Scraps as well as many other great link ups. Let's see what everyone is making during their quarantine time and if they had access to chocolates! What I made Monday, Design Wall Monday, Monday Making, To-Do Tuesday, Tuesday Colour & Inspiration, Midweek Makers, Needle & Thread Thursday, Put Your Foot Down,

Happy Easter!