Basting

Hands up if you love basting quilts. That's definitely not my favourite job. I've searched high and low for a method that saves my back and my knees and doesn't involve weird yoga like positions on the floor that cripples me for a couple of weeks and requires Chiropractic care.

A few years ago Mr Q built me this basting frame which I might add, can also double as a quilting frame if I so desire. At the time I thought it was brillaint but it had a major disadvantage. I won't go into great detail but the setting up of it and the rolling, unrolling needing two people  got to me.

I paid for the last big quilt to get basted but here the longarmers charge the same price as doing an all over quilting pattern and thats out of my range.

I have been wanting to try Sharon Schamber's method and so I spent an afternoon this Easter doing just that.

Here are the U Tube links so you can watch the videos.

Hand basting part one

Hand basting part 2

 I had the slats of wood off the basting frame so it cost me nothing. It involves starching the backing, rolling that and the top on slats and as they get unrolled with the batting inbetween, you thread baste using a tailors tack stitch. I used the dining table and went surprisingly quickly. This method can be used if you intend to machine quilt or hand quilt.

I've used a new batting for this quilt. It's Quilters Dream Orient. It's a mix of cotton, silk and tencel which is a plant material.

My favourite batting is Quilters Dream Request, the thinnest 100% cotton batting. I was keen to compare the two. The Orient is super smooth and a thicker batt than the Request cotton but very soft and drapeable. I'd think it would be beautiful for machine quilting and big stitch hand quilting but not for fine traditional stitching.

The basting stitches are removed as you quilt which is a plus. I'm not sure how I'll go with the hand quilting though as it seems to me that the big stitches on the front may be finger catchers. I will let you know.

I had to think hard over whether I would hand quilt or machine quilt since I have so much on the go, it looked like machine quilting would win. That is until I pulled out these perle cottons. I'm a sucker for these varigated threads and big stitching, sigh.

In case you didn't know, the quilt being basted is the pattern from the Quilt Romance book by Kaffe Fassett and is shown on the cover.

We had to go to the mall today, which by the way I hate doing. I feel like malls suck the life blood out of me. Good thing is the threads I got and  the glasses Mr Q organised. The best part is having coffee and a macaroon at the Lindt chocolate Cafe and I had to get these blocks of chocolate. Look Amy! Look Cathy!

The Caramel is my new favourite and the sea salt has finally hit the shores of Australia.

Party of five

I've got the bad bunnies in line now that I bought in reinforcements. Meet alpha male bunny who likes to take charge.

The lure of some fresh, crunchy carrots did the trick.

A feast for the bunnies.

They have to sit nicely and wait patiently while we set up the party.

Happy bunnies.

Thanks Cath for the pattern in the Homespun magazine, I had a ball making these.

Thanks Clare for the free tutorial for the carrots. I reduced the pattern by 60% to make them more manageable for the bunnies.

Thanks Jeanette for making bunnies too and pointing me to the carrots.

Since I've been so busy rabbiting, not so many klosjes but I'll get going and  prep a whole lot more today.

Wishing you a very happy Easter weekend, Janet

It's me again

It seems like I have a lot to say for myself this week. I just have to show off my latest pillowcases. I used the tutorial from you go girl for her on the edge pillowcase tutorial.  When I made the last lot of pillowcases I used this tutorial I'd found and made up the crochet myself. I was happy to follow Cassies great instructions this time as she had some great step by step photos. The fabric I used is French Hatbox from Tanya Whelan, one of her older lines.

 

I used  Heirloom 100% bamboo wool, double knit and was a little disapointed in how it washed up a little fluffy. I'll try cotton next time and expect a little shrinkage. These have been gifted to a lovely blogger who kindly gave me permission to tell you about them before they hit the post.

I have to say that I nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to sew blanket stitch with doubled thread that was 15 times the width of the pillowcase. I just could not stop the twisting and tangling. I tried doing half that length thinking I could secure the ends on both sides of the flap. Better but still driving me nuts. Finally I had the bright idea to use single thread and just sew two rows of blanket stitch. Ah, that was the answer for me, it worked a treat. I'll definitely be dressing up my pillows from now on, I love them.

A couple of purchases were made from the trip I told you about last time. This is my latest book aquisition which is very good in my opinion.

I love step by step instructions.

It even explains how to draw and make templates for the designs. I've seen a few Sashiko books but this one stood out.

How about this flower fairy fabric? I don't have a clue what to make with it but I though the spots and sparke on it were lovely. No doubt it'll end up in some project for the grandkids.

 I have a couple of links for you.  I had a lovely comment on this post about the fusibles from Beth Ferrier.  I consider her an expert and it was her technique of applying the fusible and glue sticking the seam allowances that I followed. Scroll down the comments and have a read if you're interested to know what she has to say about the Wash Away applique sheets.

I also happen to think that blogger friends are the best and I'd like to say thank you for the offers of help I recieved for painting the bunny faces. I do feel challenged by them but I want to have another go.

Thanks Kaaren, my folk art hero and thanks also to Cath who happens to be the designer and also offered to help with the painting. Go check out these bunnies and bears and you'll see what I'm aiming for.

Cath along with Colleen and Julie have a business called Angels in Disguise and they have some beautiful stitchery patterns as well as prim dolls and all sorts of other goodies.

And I'm waving out to Pamina who has started some klosjes this last week. Woo hoo!

Happy stitching my friends, Janet

Sewing and shopping

Those bad, bad bunnies. These two are in time out, please don't pay attention to them, they'll just get worse. They wouldn't co-operate for the face painting session. As for pink bunny, she had a nasty accident and I'm afraid she didn't survive but it's ok because she was a donor bunny and her limbs were saved for a transplant.

Maybe if they behave (and I don't have another craft fail), I can let them pose for you at a later time.

When you have days like this you can click here to feel better.

Pattern is in the latest Homespun magazine, No.82 vol 11.3 See them sitting on the chair on the bottom left of the cover.

I did say Mr Q and I went on a day trip, to Berrima down the south coast. I love visiting one of the old antique shops there. The owner buys container loads of goods from mostly England and sells a lot for props in movies. I do happen to know that the fur coats in the Narnia movies came from here. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the store but I took lots of photos to share.

Edit: I just found the name, its Peppergreen Antiques.

It seemed like everything they had, there was a lot of it. Buttons not only in containers but drawers and big plastic bins of them. I loved the scissors and cringed at the antique irons used in olden times.

Lots of French bakeware, containers filled with rolling pins, antique fishing reels and rods, cut throat razors. You name it, they probably had it.

And this collage is for the klosje enthusaists.

A whole wall of antique and vintage quilts and eiderdowns. These would be classified in the cutter category but I believe the owner has her own special collection. A lot were from the 30's to 60's I'm guessing.

A whole room was dedicated to textiles, linens and clothing. I just loved these vintage cloths.

From the patchwork shop, I picked up some bling for zippers.

 

We went to a Patisserie where we had coffe and bought these hot cross brioche, no spice but delicious cut and toasted on one side with lashings of butter. I'll be making my own spice ones this week.

I did do some other sewing in the weekend but it's getting washed and dried so next time I'll show and tell.

Handing in my report card

It's Saturday and I've been out all day on a little day trip with Mr Q. I wish you could have come with me but I took photos so I can share but you'll have to wait until next time or this post will end up being huge.

I am reporting in with my klosjes for the week,  they look like these spools, not much room for thread.

Only twelve this week since I've been so busy. Any number over zero is good in my book.

I think I have the grand total of sixty five so far, not too shabby for three weeks.

I'm reporting back on the fusible products I was testing for applique on my last post.

Wash Away and Floriani Stitch n Wash Fusible are the two products. First of all, they need a medium heat with the iron and to be rinsed in warm water. They all have a percentage of soluble fibres which differ from one product to another.

For the Stitch N Wash it's 50% soluble and 50% non soluble fibres. They were ironed with a medium low heat and I stitched both products onto a piece of fabric.

I also sandwiched a piece of the Wash Away and stitched around it since this is what would represent the applique piece.

Here you can make out the amount of fibres for the Wash Away dissolving in the warm water.

If you click on the photo below, you can read the labels better.

Finally, the Stitch N Wash Tearaway. I should say that both products came out soft, contary to my first experiment but this tearaway has a little bit more body. Interestingly, the Wash Away didn't dissolve as many fibres in the piece that was sandwhiched but I dare say that after a few washes, that you'd get more fibres out.

I prepped this block ready to stitch using the Tearaway and I'll slit the back after washing to remove it. I used a glue stick to adhere the seam allowances. It pays to keep wipes and a handtowel on hand.

I should say that I'm a tried and true needle turner with a toothpick but I may use this method for difficult shapes. I like to have options and this was an interesting excercise.

Thanks to Miriam from Yellow Roses for giving me this lovely award which is so kind of her. Now, I'm rubbish with passing these on because I'm afraid I'll leave someone out. I visit so many inspiring blogs so I can't pick just twelve. To all bloggers who are out there putting their inspiring work on a blog, consider this awarded to you.