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

First Whig Rose Block

It has taken a week of stitching every spare moment to complete the first of 9 blocks.  I am so pleased with it , I can't wait to get on with the next one!  I think the fabrics work really well together.

That's all for now, I have to get back to block number 2!!

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Whig Rose Block Progress

I don't know if you can tell but I'm really excited about this quilt.  Over the past 5 years or so I've discovered I really enjoy hand applique.  So when I finished a recent applique project I was looking for something to keep my little hands busy while I watched/listened to a couple of my favourite television shows.

I have always loved any antique quilt that included red, green , a bit of yellow and perhaps a little pink and of course plenty of applique.  I have always felt a full applique quilt would be biting off more than I could cope with so it had remained "one of those days" type of dreams until last week.... I don't know what changed but I found myself drawing up the pattern from a photo of a beautiful antique gem....next I was at my LQS working out yardage AND buying it, still a little in shock at what I was doing.

Now , so close to the finish line of the first block, I don't know what I was so worried about, it's been  really fun and I cannot wait to get all the blocks done.  I haven't yet decided if there will be an appliqued border or not, I will make that decision after another 8 blocks are completed!  So, another progress photo!  I will be using the same fabrics in each block, I love the colours together on the centre flower! It's not exactly perfect but I love it how it is.

and a close up of miss pretty...

I'd love to keep chatting but I need to sew a couple more leaves and / or flowers on before I have to make dinner.   Why do families have to eat???

Happy stitching,

Rowena

Centre Applique Block

Another post so soon!!  The weather is cold and it's definitely been perfect for sitting in a nice warm room doing some applique.

Years ago I bought this border print fabric on impulse.  Fortunately I bought enough of it to be truly useful and finally decided on a quilt plan to use it.  I did play with it as vertical strips in a strippy type quilt but preferred the medallion using it as borders.  The photo is the applique block (28" square) from When the Cold Wind Blows book by Blackbird Designs and the first border using said fabric.  I think I will follow that with some scrappy pieced blocks and then some more applique perhaps, not sure. I will however, finish with another border of the pink border design fabric.  Sounds like a reasonable plan to me.....

First a wider green then the pink. No, it needs to be narrower.

I apologize for the terrible angle and terrible photo but I was holding the fabric up and taking the shot at the same time.

That looks better, the photo and the narrower green border but it won't be that close to the applique, testing fabrics is not an exact science!.

I really don't have too much of the red and green applique block done but here's where I was a day ago, I am now nearly ready to stitch the large central rose, exciting!  I can't wait to get the first block completed, I really am full of enthusiasm for this quilt, only 9 blocks to do, he he.

Back to the applique, I hope to get plenty done today, I have to take my Mum for blood tests so there is opportunity for guilt free stitching while we wait!  Yay!

Hope you all had a great weekend. Any Australian ladies who made it to the Sydney Quilt Show, I didn't make it this year for the first time in many years, so if it is possible, some photos on your blogs would be greatly appreciated!  I have seen photos of the stunning Best of Show by the very talented Janet from the Quiltsalott blog but would very much like to see any more quilts that may have caught anyone's fancy.

Happy stitching,

Rowena