Free Motion Mavericks - Week 67 - I Had A Little Nut Tree

My favourite nursery rhyme, turned into a 12 x 12 inch free motion quilted wall hanging:-

I had a little nut tree, nothing would it bear...

... but a silver nutmeg...

  

... and a golden pear... 

There wasn't enough room for the King of Spain's daughter.

My original idea was to make it look like a book illustration, but while I was treadling away, stitching the leaves and stems for the flowers at the foot of the tree, I realised that the shade of green looked vaguely familiar. 

In fact, it is staring me in the face every time I glance at the crockery on the dresser in the kitchen. Add to that the fact that to get the circle for the design I had drawn round an 11 inch dinner plate, the whole project turned into a picture of a plate.

Logic dictated that the background should be a table cloth, easily done by cross-hatching in variegated thread.

 Doing the leaves was great fun, especially using thread with an occasional flash of pink.

The hand stitched pink flowers were the final touch.  They seemed to take hours.  The variegated thread gave an element of surprise, which relieved the tedium.

This the second quilt that I have made for the forthcoming show of 12 x 12 quilts at Midsomer Quilting.  Now I shall have to wait until December to see what everyone else has made.  

Here goes for week 67...

The project in Week 66 that really caught my eye was Heulwen's cushions for her nephews and niece, with a different design for each child, and free motion quilting to suit each design. The children will love them! If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up to Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

Quilt Label and Hanging Strip Combined

Finished today, a 12 x 12 inch quilt.  Here is the back view, with the title. 

Rather than do a label and a hanging strip separately, I like to combine them into one job. Here is the strip, a two and a half inch wide piece of calico, with the selvedge running along the lower edge.  I have turned under the raw edges on the sides with a single fold and done three lines of machine stitching to prevent fraying.  Two lines would probably do, but I am just making extra sure.

To mark the centre of the strip I have made a light crease, and the pin marks the centre of the top edge of the quilt.

Next, I place the seam guide on the machine right up against the side of the foot, and adjust the stitch length to its longest setting.

Then, lining up the crease with the pin, I sew the strip to the top edge of the quilt.  To make sure the strip doesn't shift from position, I start from the centre and stitch one half in place first.

A long stitch is handy because it is quicker to do, and in effect it is just tacking the strip into place.

Now the quilt is turned over and stitched from the other side.

At each side there is plenty of room for the rod to emerge from under the strip, and the strip is well clear of the corners.

The raw edges are going to be covered with the binding.  I have already started the binding - the pink stitching in this photo is the first line of stitching, which attaches the binding to the front of the quilt.  I always do the binding entirely by machine. 

Here is the method I use, and which I adapt slightly for densely quilted wall hangings - firstly, there is no need to stitch around the edge, because with dense quilting the edge is already firm and stable: secondly, I start by attaching the binding to the front, and then fold it to the back for the second line of stitching.

To reduce the bulk inside the binding, I trim the strip as near as possible to the machine tacking.

Then I turn the binding to the back and machine stitch it into place.

Before hand stitching the lower edge of the strip to the back of the quilt, I use hair grips to fold it up a fraction against the binding and hold it secure.  This gives a little fullness to accommodate a rod without putting the front of the quilt out of shape.

Finally, if I need to add any more writing, I slide a fold of paper inside the strip just in case any permanent ink soaks into the quilt.  Just think how disastrous it would be to wreck a quilt at this stage.  No, it doesn't bear thinking about.

A Picture for Sunday - Two Young Storks

On a tower in Avila in a huge scruffy nest, these two youngsters were waiting for their next meal.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 66 - Checks and Stripes

Ready just in time!  I finished this quilt the day before the birth of my latest great-nephew.  At the end of next week I am hoping to go and see him, as well as his little cousin who was born in July, taking an armful of boy quilts so that their mums have plenty to choose from.

The cars fabric is almost finished, but I managed to frame this British racing green sports car to put in the centre.

The London tea time fabric has made another appearance.  For some reason Shakespeare has no eyes.  I worry about the pound sign too.  What if the infant that sleeps under this quilt is turned into a shameless money grubber?

I enjoyed combining the baby blue check border with the striped binding.  It is a timeless classic combination that makes me go cross eyed.  With a bit of luck it will hypnotise the baby to sleep.

This is a glimpse of the latest project, another 12 x 12 quilt for the exhibition at Midsomer Quilting.  It should be finished by Monday.

I have been in my element today quilting these miniature leaves.

Here goes for week 66...

The project in Week 65 that really caught my eye was Teresa's dragonflies quilt in kimono fabrics with Oakshott cottons - absolutely stunning!  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday
and Angie's blog A Quilting Reader's Garden for WIPs Be Gone
and Michelle's Romantic Tangle for Let's Make Baby Quilts.

A Picture for Sunday - Robin

Every gardener's friend.

Welcome to Yanicka, the latest follower - thank you for joining!

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 65 - Free Motion Sunset

 

 

Hooray, it's finished! 

 

This is the first of two quilts that I shall be entering into the annual 12 x 12 exhibition at Midsomer Quilting.  It has taken me about a month, and today I put in the last few stitches. Although it only measures 12 inches square, it seems to have taken an awfully long time.  Because the colours in the variegated threads are so subtle I can only work when the daylight is good, which can't be guaranteed at this time of year.  Also, because the picture is built up by such a gradual process, it is best to leave it for a few hours, or days, and mull over what to do next.

 

 

For instance, here it is yesterday morning on a coat hanger on the kitchen dresser, after I had squared it off and before putting the binding on.  After a good long stare and a cup of tea, I decided that the reeds in the foreground should be slightly taller and in a darker thread, so I added more.  The foreground definitely needed to be brought forward. 

 

 

 Once the binding was on I hand-stitched the birds - three buzzards high up in the sky...

 

 

 ... and a flight of ducks breaching the horizon.
 

Where there are ducks, there has to be water.  Putting in the reflections of the bushes and the colours of the sunset was tricky.  I take my hat off to Linda.  She made me make the effort.

 

By far the most difficult part to do was the cloud.  It went through a stage of looking very scribbly.  Because the thread is variegated it is impossible to predict where the most prominent colour will end up.  I always end up stitching over colours that stand out too much, and eventually have to rein myself in to prevent a build up of bobbin thread on the back.

Selecting the material for the binding gave me a dilemma.  None of the plain colours that I had were right, so I opted for a brownish, greyish and yellowish batik.  Once it was on I thought I had made a mistake.  It looked too busy, and I put a line of dark stitching just inside it to divide it from the picture.  The thin dark line calmed down the busy effect.



Once I hung it on the wall, I saw I had made the right choice, because the colours of the binding blend in perfectly with the colours in the house.  This is where it is going to live, just between the kitchen and dining room.

All the free motion quilting was done on the 1945 Singer 15K treadle.  The machine in the photo is my 1927 Singer 99K, which I used for stitching the sun and for the binding.

I am so glad I have finished this quilt!  Now I have to make another quilt for the exhibition before the end of the month, which is going to be completely different.  Quicker and easier, in other words.

Here goes for week 65..

Many thanks to everyone who linked up last week to show their free motion quilting projects.  What a coincidence - I dashed off to Wales for a few days, and while I was away Heulwen and Hoffi, the Welsh girls linked up!

The project in Week 64 that really caught my eye was Hoffi Coffi's little zip up bag - wonderful quilting!  Zips are one of my pet hates, so she got maximum points from me as soon as I saw the picture.  Then I read on and saw the latest example of her genius for recycling, so I had to give her even more points.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.
Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Linking up with Kelly's blog My Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thurs
and Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday
and Nina Marie's blog Creations... Quilts, Art... Whatever for Off The Wall Friday
and Amanda Jean's blog Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

A Picture for Sunday - Yellow Rose

The yellow of this rose made it stand out on a dull rainy day.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 64 - Lots of Lines

Over the past couple of days I have been busy sewing lines.  With frequent changes of thread, the colours are gently graded, and I have now got to the top of a rather colourful sky.

Meanwhile, down at the bottom of the picture, things are a bit trickier.  Quilting water can be a bit hair raising, especially now that Linda has thrown down the gauntlet and put reflections in a lake.  If the water turns out looking peculiar I shall just have to fill it with reeds and call it a marsh.  We shall see.  The joys of working with variegated thread.

Here goes for week 64..

Many thanks to everyone who linked up last week to show their free motion quilting projects.

The project in Week 63 that really caught my eye was Alison's baby quilt - such beautiful colours and a lovely classic design.   Having made a few baby quilts in the past few weeks, I can vouch for the fact that doing an all over free motion quilting design on a pieced quilt isn't always plain sailing, and Alison did a great job!  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more photos.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.
Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post and/or grab the linky button for your blog's sidebar.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France and Macau have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

A Picture for Sunday - Low Tide

Mud looking dramatic.  Beautiful, almost.

Vintage Book Review 2 - Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont

No book deserves the title "The Needlewoman's Bible" more than this one.  It is the size of a pocket bible, measuring 5 and a half inches by 4 and a half...

...and is an inch and a half thick.

It has been translated from the original French into several languages and there must be many thousands of copies still around. 

It even has its own angel bearing the DMC company motto.

It has more than 800 pages, so it has a silk ribbon (and now rather fragile) bookmark.

There are thirteen (or should I say XIII) beautiful colour plates scattered throughout the twenty chapters, which deal with absolutely everything a Victorian or Edwardian stitcher could possibly need to know: plain sewing, mending, lace making, trimmings, embroidery...  Whether you were a housekeeper mending worn out areas of knitted garments, or a skilled embroiderer working on silk or velvet or with gold thread, this book was written for you.

There are over 1100 engraved illustrations, which, although tiny, show a remarkable degree of detail.  I particularly like the disembodied hands with the neat frilled cuffs that float through the pages to show you how to work the thread.  The hand positions shown are sufficiently clear to enable you to learn a skill from scratch or broaden your expertise in a particular craft, for instance...

... tatting...

... netting...

... or knitting. 

Having been an avid knitter in my younger days, I had never encountered or felt the need to do double crossed casting on with a threefold thread.  Somehow it sounds as if there is cheating involved.  However, once you have cast on, the book gives an impressive array of stitches to choose from, including the gloriously named Double English on page 285, which sounds like an entry on a hotel menu ("Ooh yes, I'll have the Double English"... visions of a full English breakfast with two fried eggs).  Those who prefer a lighter, more continental start to their day need only refer back to page 284 for the Brioche pattern. 

The ubiquitous hands also show some interesting little gadgets, including a winder or lace turn (I'm still trying to work out the theory behind that one) and this rather marvellous cord wheel.  I own up.  I want one.  Next time I decide to make my own cord for braid I won't need to stretch yards of stranded embroidery cotton across the room to loop it round a dining chair and twist it with a pencil.

This little book is an absolute gem to be treasured by anyone with more than a passing interest in needlework.  Its only drawback is that none of us will live to the age of 487 and have the time to perfect every wonderful craft it describes.

If you want a closer look at this book

It can be viewed online here or at Project Gutenberg.

Alternatively, the relatively recent reprint of the book entitled The Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework is easy to find if you make an internet search.

Finally, I have found a very brief, sad and intriguing biography of Therese de Dillmont.


Linking up with Connie's Blog Freemotion by the River for Linky Tuesday