Multitasking Stitching

Multitasking stitching, that is probably improper English but that is what I feel like I am doing, trying to keep all of my hand stitching projects progressing. It seems like all of the projects I am drawn to are all hand work. I spent a lot of time on my next Baltimore album block, a bias basket. It was the first one I have ever attempted. It really did not go very well. I glued all the bias strips down, it was very hard to keep them aligned with the pattern, but after stitching it down for a week I had it finished and decide to gently wash it before I proceeded with filling the basket with appliqué flowers. The red dye bled all around the block, I had prewashed the fabric until it rinsed clean, and still it bled-frustrating! And so the washing of the block began. At first I really wanted to try and salvedge the block, but eventually I decided the basket was just not quite right and I would never be happy with it. There was no more of the background fabric however, and I REALLY wanted to save it, so I carefully removed the basket and washed the fabric some more. I eventually got all if the pink out of the background and you will never believe what finally got it out...Dawn dishwashing soap. I had tried everything and the commercial about the ducks that had been in an oil spill being cleaned with Dawn dishwashing soap came on TV. I had some and thought why not try it, and it worked!
Anyway, a week wasted on that block, I decided to go to a different block, a berry wreath block. I have had a ten inch square of this rather strange dark green and orange reproduction fabric for quite a while. I could never find a place for it in the Civil War Bride quilt, but I really like it for these leaves.

I am back basting this block and I will finish the leaves and wreath and then start the 76 berries. SEVENTY SIX berries, on one 14 inch block!

The word that comes to mind is "Endurance", and I think of my sister who just ran a half marathon,

and how unfair it is that my hobby that involves endurance does not burn as many calories as hers- good job by the way Sis.
On to the next hand stitching project, I am starting a new reproduction sampler. This one is a Scarlet Letter project and I just love this little gal because if her name, Freelove Hazard.

She was 10 years old when she stitched her sampler in 1792. I am stitching it on a 25 count linen that I put in a tea dye to make the fabric look older. I really like the way it turned out, kind of blotchy...and I tested it with a final wash in the Dawn dish washing liquid to make sure this color would not wash out, cotton is an amazingly tough fabric.
Well this is an unusually long post for me, but the third hand stitching project I am juggling is, And They Sinned. This sampler is long, I was recently changing stitching frames and took this picture of it on my ironing board.

Here is a close up, I am to the one third completed point.

So my stitching plan is Baltimore album blocks on my weekdays that I am off work when I can get into the sewing room and do some prep work. And they Sinned on week nights, and Freelove is going to be my Sunday stitching project while I am watching Peyton Manning stomp all over the rest of the NFL football teams. (I have been a Denver Broncoes fan for years...in the good years and the bad).

Happy Stitching all,
Cheri

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Peahen in Crescent Wreath

I have completed Baltimore Album block one. This block was started last November in a class with Elly Sienkiewicz. The padded roses turned out so good. The dimension did not really show with the first layer, the red background of the rose, but when I added the pink top petals, they really puffed up. It was slow appliquéing, going thru the red rose and the batting underneath (see last post), but the end result was great.

I tried to do a lot of dimension work in this block. I don't know if the little yellow flowers have a name, but I made them starting with a 1.25 inch circle. I made a little mini yo yo then brought the gathering thread to the center front of the yo yo and back around to the back of the yoyo at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o clock. I sewed each one down with a red seed bead and just did a little tac stitch on each petal. There were a few more stems on the pattern, but I got carried away with the blossoms and did not put the stems down first. I decided most of those stems were covered with just bits showing thru and the flowers filled the wreath enough. I thought I would just embroider in those stems but I really don't think the block needs it.

The last addition was the peahen which I completed off block on lightweight interfacing that Elly referred to as gossamer in the class. I trimmed the interfacing to an eight inch. It was very easy to turn under the interfacing. I think the padded roses would probably be best done off block also.

I am looking through my appliqué patterns and deciding on what will be block two.

Happy Stitching All,

Cheri

 

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Appliquéing Again

After a very long break from quilting I have picked up a Baltimore Album block to work on. I started this wreath block at Elly Seinkiewicz' class during last years International Quilt Festival in Houston. We did some inking and this block has Elly's signature under the inked cartouche, so I would really like to use it in a quilt.

 

I was a little concerned about this block having a different background but I remembered these three background pieces I bought for a project I never started.

I could get 8 album blocks from each of these for 24 blocks and the class block would be number 25, a good number for an album quilt. So I have the beginning of a plan in my head. I think I am just going to do some of my favorite appliqué blocks from the many different books and patterns I have.

Besides inking on album blocks another focus in Elly's class was off block work on padded roses. This became a problem for me as I found the technique difficult and the results were just not pleasing. I decided to go to my old favorite appliqué technique of back basting but cut out a rosé shape in batting and lightly glued on the rose shape,

then proceeded with back basting and then appliquéing the red fabric over the batting.

There may be a little more of the padded effect when the block is quilted, but I don't know that the "padding" gives that much extra. I still need to quilt in some petal lines on the rose and then I will add the pink petals with a stick and stab stitch which will in effect quilt and appliqué the pink petals in one step. This is the point I am up to this weekend.

 

I am happy to be appliquéing again, happy stitching all,

Cheri

 

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