Go Slow

It is time for some slow sewing. Some projects are patient. They  have their own pace. They aren't slaves to an alarm  clock or a timeline or a deadline. They meander about the house. They linger in the back of our minds and play gently. They come and go and are always happy to see us when we  finally pay them that little bit of extra attention - sounds a  bit like a puppy!

              

The project featured in my blogpost this week is just like that. I have been working in tiny little bits of stolen  time on this project for years.  I am currently working on the baskets border of my version of the Marg Sampson George Hexagons and Baskets Quilt.  I first posted a picture of the unfinished centre in 2015. You can see it here.  I also posted about the fussy cutting in another post - click here

Here are some photos of the baskets as they are progressing. I am adding the daisy petals one by one at the moment using needle turn applique.  I am really slow at this, but that doesn't matter. This isn't a race, and there are no prizes for fast finishers. It is all about the process, and I am enjoying the simple pleasure of working with tiny pieces of scraps and turning them into petals.

When all the daisies are done, then I have to add all the other flowers to the baskets. Each basket will have different flowers. 

To give you an idea of how it will all come together below is the WORST photo in the world of the quilt on a design board . It looks so wonky but thats because I was way too short to reach up to pin it straight!)  You can also see the diamond design I want to use for the next border when the baskets are completed , which will  be started somewhere in my octaganarian years!!!! 

The point is RELAX - enjoy your sewing. It is meant to be for pleasure and the process is as important as the final product. Just think of all the friendships you have made along the way - a journey well worth taking. I for one am all for the scenic route!

Happy sewing, love Miriamx

Sewmiriam Workshop

What a day it has been! My Saturday workshop ladies are amazingly talented. I look forward to this class so much and today - well they took my breath away!

What delights me every single time in patchwork, is how the same pattern can look so different when interpreted in different colours and print styles. Read on and you will see what I mean.

Let's start with the stars inspired by the book 15 Minutes of Play by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. Here is Sandy's red and white version. It is stunning!

Here is Nancye's star done in Scandinavian style prints. It is beautiful and radiates elegance.

Here is Anne's lovely star on the design wall 

And here it is with the corner squares and inset triangles being added. Now the star is starting to glow!

Anne has chosen a gorgeous purple small dot print and I can't wait to see how the quilt will look with the next border added. 

Dee is working on 2 cushion covers and wanted a Japanese theme. I put together a fabric pack for her and  reduced  the pattern size considerably. Here is cushion cover number one. ( Do you think Dee will notice if I steal it?  I love this star!) 

Here is the second  of Dee's small stars, and it is equally as beautiful. Just look at those houses and baskets! 

There was also work being done on Sewmiriam Quilt As You Go Pony Express Quilts.

Here is Marg's playmat version ready for its rusty red binding.

The detail in this quilt is wonderful. Lots of "I Spy an Animal" going on here.

Here is Nancye's work in progress with a special little girl in mind. In no particular order here are her blocks so far. This quilt looks so fresh and lovely. 

Sue is working on 6 inch blocks for her twin set quilts. Sue is carefully planning the block placements and using Tilda fabrics for a soft dreamy effect. Divine. 

Phew! What a wonderful amount of work to show you this week! I haven't mentioned that there was also great interest in my easy orange peel technique, and in between all the other projects I did spy these being created today. I think we will be seeing more of these in coming months. If you missed my tutorial series click here and follow the link.  

 Being grand final week here in Australia for several football codes, I imagine that I will not be alone in my sewing/cheering/snacking happy place. Go the Swans! Maybe Sandy's red and white star will be our  lucky charm this year.

Happy sewing, love Miriamx 

Free Tutorial - Orange Peel Perfection Part 2

Last week I posted a free tutorial on how to make a very easy orange peel shape and how to use it in a 12 inch block. Once you know the technique it will revolutionize the way you make this shape. If you missed my Part 1 tutorial blogpost you can read it by clicking here.

This week 's blogpost is the Free Tutorial - Orange Peel Perfection Part 2 . In this blogpost I will be sharing edge finishing techniques and block variations, so let's get started! 

Once you have adhered your orange peels to your blocks you will need to finish the edges to secure them well. This can be done in a number of ways. You can do it by hand stitching, creating the look of needle-turn applique. This edge finish is very neat and almost invisible .

I know it is hard to take your eyes off the gorgeous hare in this Tula  Pinkfabric but if you can look at the stitches on the edge it really does look like a very neat needle-turned edge but without all the hard work! Oh how I love a good cheat technique! The blocks look great done in this way....

If you are in a hurry, or just prefer to use your machine, as I often do, then you may want to machine finish your edges. You could use a buttonhole stitch , or a small zigzag stitch. I prefer a small zigzag stitch using Superior  Mono. Poly thread. Stitch length 2.5   Stitch width 2.0 

It can be seen, but when the blocks are laid out it does not detract from the overall look of the blocks. . 

The advantage of this finish is the speed of its execution.

This week I have completed a few more blocks and have been playing around with placement.

I have also been playing with a few different sizes of orange peel shapes and arranging them in different ways to make new blocks. I hope you like them.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I am so glad you did!

Happy sewing, love Miriamx

Free Tutorial - Orange Peel Perfection

Welcome to my Sewmiriam Blogpost for this week.  I have a special treat for you all - a free tutorial on a very easy way to make an orange peel shape and how to use it in a 12 inch finished block.

The orange peel shapes look like this - gorgeous! 

And the blocks look like this ... stunning! 

 Now that's my kind of quilting block! One you can adapt and make your own, build upon and have fun with once you have mastered the technique . So let's get to it!

These instructions are for a 12 inch finished block. 

You will need 

 * One     12 1/2 " x 12 1/2 "  piece of background fabric 

 * Four    5" x  9"   pieces of fabric for the peels

 * Four     5"  x 9" pieces of iron on light weight non woven interfacing 

 *  Template plastic 

  * Pencil

  * Sewing machine & thread 

  * Scissors

  * Iron and ironing board

  * Rotary cutter and cutting mat.

1. Take your background fabric square and fold it diagonally and press. 

Repeat so that you have two diagonal press lines that intersect in the middle of your square as shown.

2 . You can now use one of these quadrants to create your peel template. Place your template plastic over the quadrant and draw along the diagonal line to create your centre line marking 1/8 " in from the centre and 1" in  from the outer corner . This will be the length of your peel. Now you can make the peel as thin / fat as you desire. I like to make mine quite fleshy! Draw and peel and cut out your template. The dimensions I use are 7 3/4 " long and 3 3/4 " at the widest part across.

3. Take your peel template and place on the wrong side of your iron on interfacing pieces ( that means the non shiny side) and trace around using your pencil. Repeat for all of your interfacing pieces. This pencil line will be your stitching line later. 

4. Place each  interfacing piece on your cutting mat and make a cut lengthwise about 2-3 inches long.

5.  Place an interfacing piece on top of a fabric peel piece with right sides together. ( shiny side of interfacing will be facing right side of fabric) 

6 . Using a stitch length of 2 stitch carefully on the pencil line. 

7. Trim around the peel shape leaving only 1/8" fabric/ interfacing seam allowance.

8. Turn out through the precut slit of the interfacing and gently push out the corners. DO NOT PRESS!!!

You should now have a  perfect peel with a shiny interfacing back .

9. Place a peel  carefully along one of the diagonal press lines of the background square positioning in 1/8" in from the centre . Press in place. Repeat for the remaining 3 peel shapes for the block

10. Finish your block any way you wish. The peels are adhered to the background but do need to be secured more permanently. 

You can machine appliqué or  hand appliqué or use any decorative stitch really. This is a versatile block! 

Here are four blocks together . Even at this stage you can see that ther is going to be a nice circular movement when the blocks are joined together. 

Variations.

Where do I start? You could make it scrappy, or colour coordinated. You could make it look traditional or modern. You could mix the modern and traditional. Bright, soft, mono chromatic ....... What fun! 

Here is a block done with a dark background 

Sizing - this technique can be sized up or down easily. You could make it precut friendly in a snap! 

And then ... The technique itself you could use for circles , leaves, teardrops.....

Follow my progress in upcoming blogposts as I make more blocks and experiment with stitching and quilting techniques.

Thank you for visiting my blog. You are always welcome here - a creative and hopefully inspiring place for you to enjoy.

Happy sewing, Miriamxx 

Stars in the Making

Today was filled with great delight at the Sewmiriam Workshop at Cottage Quiltworks.

This was the project  - a big, bold, happy star quilt top. 

This is my version of the Barn Star - from Victoria Findlay Wolfe's book 15 Minutes of Play . 

Today in my workshop we gathered our copies of the book 

and following a few tips and tricks I learnt along the way from making mine , including adjusting the size and creating our own templates ( which we can all now make to any size!)  we set about making our own stars.

Much fabric play was done and the building blocks of the stars began to emerge

You will have to wait until the next months workshop to see the stars in all their glory . This photo is just a tease! 

Most of these stars will be large, however the Japanese star when finished

will be just the right size for a cushion cover, and will be this size when finished

There was also some wonderful Sewmiriam Tote bag work being done by Marg 

and the start of my Twinset Quilts by Sue, using Tilda fabrics. 

All in all a busy, marvellous workshop. Thank you ladies for being so talented and generous. I really do have the best job in the world, and I can't wait to see these projects again next month.

Happy sewing, love Miriamx