New Tangent - 1930s!!!

I am off on a new tangent - well new for me and quite a big change. 

Going from Japanese woven taupes to 1930s clear brights!!!!

I have been collecting for a wee while - it started at the Vintage Fair a few years ago 

when I picked up some authentic 1930 Feedsack fabrics.

Then this year and last year I picked up some Reproduction 1930s fabrics

at Fabric-a-brac.

And it is time to make something using 1930s fabrics.

I have found a book with some interesting applique blocks in so I am off on 

my new tangent. This is the first block of many.

Watch this space - I will be back soon with the next block.

Japanese Taupe Quilt Finished

My taupe zig-zag quilt for my sister-in-law came back from Carol, the quilter 

yesterday and wow what a wonderful job she has done.

With this quilt her quilting was as much a feature of the quit as the applique 

and piecing. There was plenty of space for her to fil and she did a stunning job of it.

This is one of the side triangles - I love the way she has imitated the applique 

flower and the leaves - so clever. 

Then look at what she did on the outside border - so perfect.

Up through the pieced zig-zag she quilted straight lines and in amongst the flowers 

a large stipple. I loved these both. I really do not like very close machine quilting on 

bed quilts. I like the quilt to stay soft and cuddly.

As you can see above I have started getting the binding sewn on using the same fabric 

as the border. I am putting this quilt in the Auckland Quiltmakers Show next weekend

so I have to get going with the hand sewing of the binding and then add a hanging sleeve.

The Auckland Quiltmakers have an annual Show and Sale at the Jubilee Building, 

545 Parnell Road, Parnell on Saturday and Sunday 4 and 5 May from 

10.00am - 5.00pm each day. 

Looking forward to seeing you there if you live close enough. I will take a photo of 

the quilt hanging as it is really hard to photograph it at home and will post it next week..

Sashiko and Chirimen Butterflies

Today was Sashiko Club day at the shop. This is an old project that I found

 and thought needed finishing!!!!!!!

It is a Sylvia Pippin design that is really quite dramatic. 

But is has been on the go for at least 3-4 years - I can't even remember exactly 

when I started this - it was just a long time ago!!!!

But I do still like it and I am going to finish it - very soon. It is just 24" by 22"

I got some more chirimen fabric while I was in Japan last year - that is the fabric

I used for the butterflies. It really is very bright for me but I think it works.

    

   

Little Chirimen Packs. 

Chirimen is  a woven fabric that has been made in Japan for hundreds of years.

 It has a special weave that gives it the wrinkled effect like a crepe..It was originally woven 

in silk for kimono but nowadays most of what we see is rayon or polyester.

 It is widely used for craft projects these days. 

You can see the weave in the close up photo below.

Little Felt Pin Cushion

On Wednesday night I got together with a couple of friends to enjoy a glass of wine and stitch. We had a bit of fun playing with wool felt and hexagons and this is the result. 

We had challenged ourselves to use hexagons and wool. 

I have running stitched each hexagon onto the background and running 

stitched the front to the back. It measures just 5".

This morning I have pulled out all the wool felt left over from previous projects when 

we stocked the Moda Wool Felt and have cut a variety of little kitsets for this cute pin 

cushion - isn't it amazing what comes out of a bit of fun and messing around with fabric.

I have also cut some the same as mine.

Away From Home 1800s Quilt

This year at our 1800s Quilt Group I am working on a quilt from the book,

 "Away From Home". Several others in the group are also working on this 

quilt but maybe making it the whole medallion size.

It is a wonderful book filled with excerpts from letters written home and diary entries 

by the girls who left their rural communities to work in the cotton mills in America. 

The mill featured is Mill Hill., Lowell, Massachusetts.

The quilt in the book is big - 100" square. There are other designs in the book 

that also tempting.

But I am making a variation on it. Surprise! Surprise! You may remember a 

few years ago our group was working on American Schoolgirl quilts - most of which 

were under a metre in size, so I have decided to add this one to that collection. So I 

am doing just the centre applique panel and then a couple of the borders reduced 

in size of course - hope the maths works - haven't got that far yet.

This is my centre panel - lots of pieces just pinned on and the sun without its triangular rays, 

but tomorrow at group I hope to make some more progress on the stitching.

I just love the fabric range - these are just some of them.

Floral Zig-Zag

My quilt top for my sister-in-law is finished and I am very pleased with it. 

This is it on a double bed along with the cat!! She doesn't miss out n anything new into the house, especially a  quilt. Not to say she hasn't investigated it many times before!

It has now gone off to Carol for quilting. She has lots of space to add quilting to.

Now I can start a new project or two!!!!

Taupe Challenge

I thought I had better do a post as it has been a month since the last one - how hopeless is that! I just haven't been doing a lot of stitching - well I have done some but it hasn't been that 

exciting to show as you have already seen it.

I have been  stitching down the applique vine on my sister-in-laws quilt and that was shown in my last post. I now have two panels of vines in between three zig-zag panels with just two flowers and a leaf or two left to applique. Then borders to go and then off to the quilter it will go.

Now for the Challenge - this is a taupe challenge that two of our groups at work are

doing. It is a nine by nine - you have probably seen or heard of the

 twelve by twelve challenge. Well this is our version of that.

Nine by Nine means nine people, nine months, nine topics, nine little quilts 

made by each of the nine people, all little quilts finished at nine inches.

Our first topic was 'Leaves No Flowers'. This is my one.

I have appliqued the nine maple leaves onto individual backgrounds and then out them together. I couldn't resist a little bit of embroidery -a result of the class with

Alison last year - now everything has to have some embroidery on it!!!!!!

The stems are the Asahi Bias Tape which I love - it comes in about nine colours and 

has fusible webbing on the back so you can iron it place as you sew the edge down. 

Pre-made bias tape so fine is just a dream to use.

It was so much fun to see everyone's nine inch blocks at our first 'reveal' meetings.

Now it is onto the next topic - A Pieced Block.

We are planning to show the nine sets of quilts in the Taupe Exhibition at the shop 

(Patchwork Passion, Onehunga, Auckland) at the end of the year.

I will post each month's quilt after our reveal day. I promise to be back soon.