Love Entwined Part 4

I have been working on the applique on LE fairly regularly and really enjoying the hand work.  I did fiddle around quite a bit trying to decide on appropriate fabrics for Part 4, the vase of flowers.  Initially I thought I would do it all Broderie Perse but as I cut out the fabrics I felt I wanted a more scrappy look so I have mixed it up a bit.  I also settled on stem stitch embroidery for the flower stems and I am really pleased with the ones I've done so far.  I haven't religiously stuck to the pattern , I liked the pattern but felt a less crowded look would suit my little project better.  So I have used some much smaller flowers and skipped a couple altogether.  I'm in the process of prepping the berries and then I won't be far off finishing this section and I can go back and complete a couple of things that I didn't finish, that pesky zig zag...ric rac is looking better and better, lol.  I have some very teeny circles to stitch down and four more Oak Leaf type shapes to complete.  I can't wait for the next part to be released!

Here are a couple of photos ( I definitely ain't no great shakes as a photographer)

Better get back to prepping so I can stitch the berries down tonight.

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Love Entwined Part 3 Progress

I have been stitching away on LE and am gradually getting it done.  I can't help looking forward to the next pattern release even though I haven't completed the last 2 yet!

I also called in to my LQS and chanced upon a few really lovely fabrics by Mary Koval that I think will be perfect for LE.  I love the Ombre with spots, the blue and the pink, I hope I can find a place for them. In the first photo below you can see 3 of the Mary Koval fabrics on the left of the photo, the little pink flower sprig on the light cream background and the green with large floral is a Blackbird Designs fabric. I think the light blue with the feathery leaves is lovely, Mary Koval again.

A better photo of my progress so far.

And a photo of a collection of fabrics I think will find their way into LE.  Apart from the few I mentioned above they are from my stash.

Tonight I am not cooking, yay!!  So while I can, I will  grab LE and stitch to my hearts content, probably late into the night, no school run in the morning and Rugby season for us is over!

Enjoy your weekend.

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Love Entwined Flowers and Zig Zag

The third instalment of the LE BOM arrived a few days ago.  I was very excited to see what was next even though I am not quite up to date, but I am getting there.

The zig zag border has been the subject of quite a bit of discussion and I wouldn't be surprised if a little private cursing wasn't going on too!  I started off trying the English Paper Piecing method using the fusible wash away stabiliser in place of paper or card but soon decided it was too labour intensive.  There had to be another way!  I scoured the Yahoo Group messages and visited some wonderful blogs where other generous and more experienced ladies had posted their method of attack, step by step thankfully!!  I finally settled on the method of machine stitching light and dark strips together which I then ironed a freezer paper template to so I could cut out a fairly accurate strip, marked, ready for needle turn applique.  I have nearly finished one side but have yet to deal with the corners...ummm.

On a brighter note, I have had a lovely time sewing the pink flowers and am looking forward to starting the next applique.

I also added more tiny circles around the compass, all the French Blue ones.

Not a great photo of the zig zag, sorry.

I have also finally sewn on a border and quilted a quilt I began from a class I took quite a few years ago with Australian quiltmaker, designer and author, Judy Hooworth.  I had a bit of a play with a quilting motif by Judy from Green Fairy Quilts on the border and in the setting squares.  I'm really quite pleased with the result and it was fun to stitch.  With the really busy fabrics there was no point in doing anything too fancy as it wouldn't show up but this design gives a nice texture to the quilt and where you can see it I think it works well.  Judy(Green Fairy) posted a video on how to do this design on You tube, it's worth a look, as is anything this extremely talented lady quilts!  I used King Tut thread top and bottom and a really nasty cotton batting I received as a free gift with a magazine subscription.... no wonder they were giving it away!  It pulled apart with the least tension put on it and it is really thin with a nasty rough hand.  I will gently wash the quilt once I finish stitching the binding  down and put it in the tumble drier which will hopefully shrink it up a little to give it a nice crinkly look.  I have no idea what brand of batting it is, there was no label and I've never come across anything like it for sale, thankfully!

You can see the quilting motif best in the border on the right in the last photo, my version of it anyway ; )

Well, back to Love Entwined and I am still squeezing in some stitching on the Whig Rose blocks.

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Love Entwined Progress...Baby Steps

I bit the bullet and did the tiny circles surrounding the compass, and you know what, it wasn't so bad at all!  I admit I didn't do the patterns 32 circles but I am really happy with the result of my adjustment.  I have also stitched down all the triangels for the crown around the compass.

Late last night I put together the 6 petals for the applique I will do today.  I glued them down with Roxanne's Glue Baste so I could see how they look (the fabrics).  I think I like the fabrics I have chosen.

I really should have cropped that photo,oops!  Oh well, I am happy with the pink fabrics now I see them in this picture.

I've had a bit of a cold so I haven't done any stitching on my Whig's Rose but I will try to get some done later today.  I also have a quilt on the longarm but I haven't been able to decide how I will quilt it yet.  I'll show you when it's finished.

Have a great day.

Happy stitching ,

Rowena

Love Entwined compass Crown and Flowers

I had been waiting for a parcel to arrive so I could continue with the next stage of Love Entwined, a 1790 marriage coverlet Esther Aliu is offering as a free BOM.  Esther has suggested using a wash away fusible applique product I have never tried before.  I was unable to find the Floriani brand she suggested but did manage to buy a product that does the same thing, Wash Away Applique Sheets by C & T publishing.  I trace the pattern piece onto the sheet , cut it out sans seam allowance and iron it to the wrong side of the fabric eyeballing a seam allowance.  I then use Elmers glue stick to glue the seam allowance over the edge of the wash away fusible then stitch it as I would usual applique.  Once the quilt top is made you wash it and the fusible wash away does just that, it washes away leaving just a little fibre which gives the applique a very very slight puff, barely visible.  So far I am loving this. I have recently been using freezer paper in the same way but you have to cut away the back of the applique and background to remove the freezer paper, this new technique makes it possible to avoid that step, suits me!

Here is where I am up to now, the triangles forming the crown are just glued in place ready for stitching down, but I am so pleased with the result so far, I am enjoying this so much.  Those little stems were tiny little suckers!

The little flowers, someone said they look like they are blowing in the wind, lol.

I still have to stitch the tiny circles around the compass, after the crown triangles, ahem!

I have also still been appliquing my Whig Rose blocks, I am on the home stretch of block number 2, it's going to be lovely, I think.

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Compass progress for Love Entwined BOM

I stitched the centre on the compass block, a four patch cut into a circle.  I didn't like the look of it so unpicked it and started again but with a single print, much happier.  I also have sewn the narrow circular border on ready for 32 teeny, weeny circles!  I went to 3 shops today trying to find a circular paper punch the right size with great intentions of making the task easier, no luck.  I settled on some tiny metal washers from the local hardware store.  I will use the washers to make the circles then starch them very well before removing the washer so I can sew the circles down.

The second set of patterns have been released so had better get a move on.  I have bought the background fabric and had a look at some blues today but I am thinking I may do a very scrappy version and try to use up some of the fabrics I have accumulated over the years.

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Love Entwined, am I mad?

 Esther Aliu has a beautiful new BOM that started this month called Love Entwined.  It's a bit quilt with literally tons of applique.  I'm afraid I have succumbed after seeing all the beautiful work on the first block, a compass design.  I had never attempted a Compass block before yesterday so I decided foundation piecing would be a good way to go.  I didn't do too badly after messing about with a trial segment to re-aquaint myself with the process. Here's where I am up to .

I think the fabric choices ended up taking longer than the actual sewing!  I am pretty happy with the result.

I have also finished the quilt top I was making for my youngest son.  I have used a jelly roll by Minnick and Simpson, the border fabric is the same range.

I have another quilt top on the Longarm which I have to finish quilting before I can quilt this one.  I am still loving doing the applique on the Whig Rose but nothing new or thrilling to show yet.

Better get up and start my day, taking my daughter for her last visit to the Orthodontist today, pretty exciting for her.

Happy stitching,

Rowena