Quilting & Learning - What a Combo!: flowers

Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Spring is in the air with Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to Free Motion Mavericks (Week 220) link-up.

Spring is in the air!

There is hope! There is a viral rumour that Spring may show up again this year. We are all very hopeful. It's funny to see my friends refusing to bundle up to cross the street to get coffee. Unless it's a blizzard out there, we are acting as if Spring was here 😊

This week I decided to invite spring onto my fabric with some free motion quilted (FMQ) flowers.

I know how to do the FMQ all-over flowers but I wanted to practice some real flowers. I'm planning a pretty baby quilt with a FMQ garden in the centre.

The full image isn't great, so I cut it up into two halves.

FMQ spring flowers - 1

FMQ spring flowers - 2

I researched the web for FMQ tulips. What I found was more of a snow drop (see related links below). I practiced it and from there came up with a pretty good looking tulip. I was pretty familiar with the tulip's leaf since I had just trimmed the dozen I bought this weekend.

Snow drops in spring

Tulips dancing and pansies accompanying them

As I was adding flowers, I took advantage of the empty space at the bottom of the flower bed to FMQ shorter flowers that could be violets or pansies. At this point, I became less specific about the type of flowers that I was drawing, as long as they looked flower-like. 😊

Here are some flowers that I drew based on The Bloom going on in the desert right now! I've included some links below. My plan was to quilt them using different colours, but I got carried away with the grey thread that was on the machine.

Desert blooms

This time the leaves and flowers at the bottom are just experiments. I'll have to look into drawing smaller flowers too!

Finally, at the bottom of the piece, I tried FMQ some lotus flowers and leaves. It would be nice to add a pond in that baby quilt garden!

Lotus flower and leaves in the water

What I learned

I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to draw these flowers too much before I got the hang of it. If only I had practiced those lotus flowers!
The grey thread looked great on the blue background while I was stitching, but next time I will try something with more contrast so that is photographs better (mistakes and all).
It's on my bucket list to see the desert bloom....one day :-)

Saturday, June 30, 2018

June is finished?

June is almost done and with the end of the month comes those deadlines that I may, or may not, have ignored so far 😊

Kingfisher Stitch-Along and One Monthly Goal (OMG)

My goal for June was to finish 16 hexie flowers. That's a lot less that what we need to follow the Stitch-Along but to be honest, I didn't think that I could even do 16. Thanks to Miaismine's very positive comment, I figured out that from the date she left me the comment, that if I did roughly one hexie a day, that I could easily complete all 16. So that's what I did. I even took some hexies to work and basted them on my lunch break!

First hexie flower hand-appliquéd
on the diamond

My neighbour's beautiful
clematis with my hexie flower

I also finished hand-appliquéing my first hexie to my background. I really like how it looks. This project is going to be a LOT of work. Oh well, it will get done eventually.

Pretty red hexie flower

The first 16 hexie flowers completed!

Star hexie flower

Starry Bright Night QAL

Month 6 of the Starry Bright Night QAL is all about curves - not my favourite thing, which is one of the reasons that I've procrastinated, although any excuse will do to procrastinate :-)

Block 5 - not a star. Could it be
a nebula?

I chose to make Block 2 which includes off-set curves within curves. To give it a starry look, I used an orange fabric for the centre, then bright yellow and a lighter yellow to symbolize a fiery star. Of course my son then told me that stars are only one colour because that's how they categorize them. Oh well, the artist in me doesn't care 😊, except that I messed it up, which I do care about, but at time, not enough to make another one! If you haven't figured it out, you'll have to read what I learned below.

Batik Lap Quilt

Batik Lap Quilt - feather meander

I finally got my silk thread from my supplier :-)

317 (Orenji)

345 (Kyoto)

I was doing well quilting Angela Walters' Feather Meander until I ran out of thread. So Wendy go me two spools of Kimono silk thread from Superior Threads. One spool of 345 (Kyoto) and one of 317 (Orenji). Looks like I'll be back at it. Yeah! This is my To-Do Tuesday project for the week!

What I learned

Although I've completed my 16 hexie flowers, I'm not going to be making the next 16 my July OMG. As much as I love making them, I would rather take my time and not have to rush. I am happiest without deadlines!
I also enjoyed hand-appliquéing the hexie flower onto the diamond fabric. It is a rather slow stitching Sunday type of task and is going to take a while. It will be a gorgeous quilt though.
I was also reminded, while I was appliquéing my hexie flower to my diamond, that I should have ironed (and possibly starched) it, before starting.
I've added a few pictures of my hexie flowers to my post since it was nice enough outside to take pictures.
My curved starry bright night block is a bit of a mess. I learned that if you are going to cut multiple pieces of a pattern at the same time, that all of the fabric needs to be either right-side up, or all right-side down...not folded accordion-style. I really should have known better but it's been a very long time since I've sewn with patterns. I've also been sewing a lot with batiks and solids which don't have a right and wrong side (which is one of the things I love about them!)
I must admit though that sewing these curves was a lot easier than I expected. Alida suggested that we not bother pinning the pieces since they were wonky anyway. Wow, that was really wonderful and easy to do! If I end up making a new block, I'll post it here as an addendum.

Kingfisher Stitch-Along - main page
Kingfisher Stitch-Along related posts:

Lots of progress, June 24, 2018
Kingfisher Stitch-Along Update, June 17, 2018

June's One Monthly Goal post:

June beginnings, June 5, 2018

Elm Street Quilts' One Monthly Goal (OMG)
Starry Bright Sky QAL page
Batik quilt post:

FMQ, design wall and a quilt-along, April 16, 2018

Linking parties

I will be linking this post to both the One Monthly Goal - June Finish Link-up and the Starry Bright Night link-up. Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?, Friday Foto Fun, TGIFF, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, Design Wall Monday, Moving it Forward, To-Do Tuesday, Linky Tuesday, Tuesday Colour Linky Party, Midweek Maker, Let's Bee Social, Silly Mama Quilts WIP, Free Motion Mavericks, Needle & Thread Thursday.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Kingfisher Stitch Along update

I had some ideas for my EPP (English Paper Piecing) for the Kingfisher Stitch Along - but I changed my mind, and I re-read the instructions :-)

Kingfisher Stitch Along

Pink hexie with a yellow and blue centre

Something wasn't letting me start my hexie flowers. I just wasn't inspired. Since these are hexies we're talking about, this was serious! I figured out that I just didn't want to be making hexies with the same fabric that I've been using for the last year.....so, to be different, I've started using batiks. Wow, am I motivated now 😊

It also turns out that the project is using one inch hexies and the EPP I've done to date are ¾". I was quite happy to take out some new fresh templates that I haven't used.

So this week I took out my batik fabrics and found all kinds of lovely, yummy fabrics. I've decided to make the flower with the same fabric, but a different centre.

I pieced most of these flowers yesterday, outside in my back yard. It was a little warmer than I prefer, but I've decided to enjoy the summer this year (as much as I can stand it) and not spend it all inside estivating.

My little piece of paradise

Here is a gorgeous blue one. I had a great time finishing these and then finding the perfect spot in the garden to take the picture.

A gorgeous blue hexie flower among the flowers

I even have two types of blue flowers blooming right now so I couldn't leave one out :-)

Hexie flower among the mountain bluets

I then had to make a green hexie flower since most of the rest of the garden is still very green.

Green hexie in the tree

This morning I was only able to spend an hour outside - it was just too hot! I finished this flower in the coolness of the house and then took a quick picture outside.

My hexie flower pales next to these pink beauties!

What I learned

It would seem that I'm not melting in the heat, so I'm going to try to tough it out a little more.
If the garden looks like a jungle behind the plants, it's because it is. Last weekend I was able to do a little bit of weeding, but it was just too hot yesterday. Whatever plants come out in the garden are real fighters and have won the battle against their more fragile neighbours.
I really love making these larger hexie flowers. It's great working with batiks again. It's been too long 😊
I love taking these photos. I saw someone do this on the internet and was really impressed. I wish I could give her credit but there is so much stuff out there that it's hard to keep track.
My OMG is to make 16 flowers by the end of June. That may be pretty ambitious....we'll see....

Sunday, November 05, 2017

More learning and updates

For the October Learning Quilt-A-Long, I made and quilted 4 improv pieced blocks using different batting.

I've had a chance to bind, wash, air dry and iron them - it's made quite a difference, but unfortunately, not easily seen on the images.

Here are the results:

Log Cabin block after washing

Log Cabin block

The Log Cabin block was made using Warm 100 Cotton with 100% cotton scrim

X block

X Block after washing

The X block was made using Hobbs Tuscany Collection silk and fine polyester (90%-10%) with resin bonded.

Half-Square Triangle block

Half-Square Triangle block after washing

The Half-Square Triangle block was made using Hobbs Tuscany Collection cotton-wool (80%-20%) batting with resin bonded.

Square Pieced block after washing

Square Pieced block

The Square Pieced block was made using Tender Touch bamboo-cotton (50%-50%) with scrim.

I did steam iron the blocks since they were pretty scrunched up.

Update on the Splash of Color QAL

It's time to show some progress on the Splash of Color QAL. Here is the quilt block that I am making. It's called Shattered Angles.

I have no idea at this time if it's going to end up as a lap quilt or just a wall hanging or runner. We'll see how quickly I get tired of it!

For readers who don't know me, I have a problem working with black and white fabrics. Even with the addition of a little bit of colour, I find the lack of other colours quite depressing to work with.

Two Shattered Angles blocks

Slow Stitching with English Paper Pieced Hexies

I have finally reached the point where I'm tired of just making hexie flowers. So I put all of my hexies together to what I could make, either a wall hanging or a runner. I wanted to keep this project simple, without having to make a gazillion more hexies, so I just played around until I figured out a way to put the flowers together. This is what I've come up with.

Putting the hexie flowers together

So far, my plan is to put a white-on-white hexie row between each row of flowers. I am using coloured fabric with a white or off-white background between each flower (with a pop of colour in the middle hexie).

All the hexie flowers to date

I haven't decided yet if it's going to be three hexie flowers wide or just two. I'm also not sure how long I will make it.

What I learned

After washing the blocks, I'm not sure that I can tell the difference between the batting, except for the silk. It's still the thinnest and lightest.
All of the batting has shrunk a little, so that all the blocks have a slightly puffy look. I can't even tell now if the wool-cotton batting has more loft after washing than the cotton and bamboo-cotton.
I would have to say that the results are pretty inconclusive so far.
I'm surprised that I made so many hexie flowers before getting bored! That's probably a record for me. Now I'm looking forward to putting them together into something....
I still want to appliqué some hexies to make a piece. I could certainly do that with any left-over flowers.
I cleaned my sewing machine this morning and may have messed something up. I decided to just turn it off and hope that it's just a temporary issue. I will deal with it another day. It it turns out to be serious, I may have to revise my learning goals - hand quilting anyone?

Related Links

October Learning Quilt-A-Long: Goal Setting (Oct. 1, 2017) and Sum Up (Oct. 25, 2017)
Splash of Color QAL and a deadline, October 16, 2017
Splash of Color QAL - Quilt Block
Hexie flowers posts:

Labels, Image Transfers and Slow Stitching, October 15, 2017
More goals....really?, October 5, 2017
Lots of projects, September 12, 2017

Linking Parties: I am linking up to the Splash of Color QAL, as well as many other quilting parties. Check them out! Slow Sunday Stitching, Oh Scrap!, MOP Monday, Design Wall Monday, Main Crush Monday, Monday Making, Linky Tuesday, Midweek Makers, Let's Bee Social,

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Many Challenges

To encourage me to keep blogging (I don't need encouragement to quilt!), I've decided to write about a few challenges that I'm participating in.

2015 A Lovely Year of Finishes - March Challenge

I was hoping to participate earlier this year but as you can see, it didn't happen.

The world - crazy quilt style

My goal for March is to complete my Music Challenge quilt for our Guild. Since the deadline is our April meeting, getting it completed before March 31 would be perfect. When we joined the challenge, we were given a fat quarter of music fabric. It has to be incorporated into the quilt (as little or as much as we want). The quilt should illustrate or be inspired by a piece of music.

It took me a while to decide, but I finally picked "Imagine" by John Lennon. It all started with a quilting pattern of people holding hands - what could be better? To make this interesting, I decided to make a 3D quilt. The centre is the world, made from fabrics that represent various cultures and nations, pieced crazy quilt style. I've completed the piecing of the world and have embroidered and embellished it with ribbons etc. I haven't added beads yet since I need to FMQ it first. I'm still not sure how I want to do this yet. I guess I have a couple of weeks to figure it out.

Background

Music Challenge Quilt - so far

I've completed the pieced background and have started FMQ it. I want the "people holding hands" to be the focal point of that section, so I'm still trying to figure out how to finish FMQ it. After that, I will have to attach both pieces together.

What I learned:

I'm really happy that I took the time to write about this project because the pictures I took have shown me that I have a lot of work to do to get those "people holding hands" to show up.

See you at the end of March!

Common Thread Quilt Guild UFO (Unfinished Objects) Challenge

Our guild is hosting a UFO challenge. Since I had to register just before I left for China in the fall, I made some very quick (and possibly not great) UFO choices. It's a good thing that I have kept my list of quilting projects up to date. I only had to review it to come up with some UFOs for the challenge. Here they are:

Snippet flowers in a vase from 2008 (ready to FMQ if I can find it :-( )
Batik quilt from 2011 (needs interesting FMQ since it has too little contrast)
South-West art quilt from 2010 (working on it during my lunch - occasionally)
Strip-quilt number two from 2012? (needs to be FMQ)
Completing my mother's whole cloth quilt from 2002 (hand quilted)

I think that the deadline for the challenge is our May meeting. At this time, two of these projects have a fair chance of getting completed; the South-West art quilt and the Snippet flowers in a vase (if I can find it!).

Frayed Knots Spring/ Summer Garden 2015 Block Exchange

I've included this block exchange as a challenge - cause it is! Having to make 23 blocks by a specific date is definitely a challenge for me.

We have a choice of many sizes of blocks, as long as they have a 36" perimeter. I'm keeping mine simple by making 9"x 9" blocks. The background has to be pastel colours. I keep forgetting the word "pastel" probably because I don't usually do pastel! It was terrible - I had to shop for pastels :-)

Some exchange blocks

I am making an assortment of blocks since I don't have the patience to make 23 of the same blocks. It turns out that there aren't that many patterns for 9" x 9" blocks, but I finally figured out that they are essentially variations on 9 patch blocks, so I can either expand a 6" block, or reduce a 12" block. That will give me many more options. I'm not very good in math, so I use grid paper to calculate the sizes. Gotta love grid paper!

Here are a few of my blocks. I have 10 blocks completed. Only 13 left to finish before June! Very do-able.

Check out other participants in the March 2015: Lovely Year of Finishes

Monday, July 29, 2013

Finishing Projects or Procrastinating?

I have to machine-quilt a quilt by next week. What am I doing? Finishing projects, starting new ones....and learning how to use my new-to-me Jenome Memory Craft 5600. What a machine! I feel like I just bought the Jaguar of my dreams!!! It purrs, has even stitching and the bobbin winds at the touch of a button. OMG, it’s amazing.

Encyclopedia of Embroidered Flowers by Barbara Baatz

Except that I still need to quilt my brother’s quilt!

While I was procrastinating, I finished an embroidery I started at least a year ago. I bought the book “Encyclopedia Of Embroidered Flowers” by Barbara Baatz. From the book, I made a pattern of eleven of the flowers and bought a lovely frame for it. I embroidered most of the flowers within a short time – and hadn’t touched it in over a year. Well, procrastination on one project can be a good thing for another – the embroidery is now finished!

What I learned:

I need to keep working on my short and long satin stitch; and
I have to figure out what to put behind my embroidery to stop it from puckering.

It was a great project – I’m glad that it’s done.

I also made the cutest mini-messenger bag using a free pattern from All People Quilt website. I chose some lively fabrics but my daughter thinks that they are too juvenile – and since she’s the family style consultant, we listen to her! So this lovely mini-messenger bag will go to Denmark with my niece!
I have great plans for another one in fun but adultish fabrics. Any bets on when I’ll start quilting my brother’s quilt?

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Remembering Jeannette (1915-2013)

Two weeks ago my grandmother, Jeannette Belanger, passed away at the age of 98! It wasn't a sad affair since she had lived a good, long life and wasn't really having anymore fun.

She particularly loved flowers, playing cards, good food and being active. There were many funny stories. As one of her grand kids said, "she was a card shark"! She did love to win! She wasn't impressed with my card playing since I couldn't count fast enough (still can't).

Flower Applique

In her last few years in the home, I did what I do best - I made her a few small quilts. Nothing fancy but since she loved flowers, it wasn't very difficult.

Memere, as she was known to her many grandchildren and great-grand children was generous and loved to laugh. We all, in our own ways, said goodbye. It invariably included a few drinks and food in her honour.