Sew It Up - DYB

Yes in between the cleaning/purging I'm also trying to get some stitching done!  It's not easy when I keep moving things, to find what I need but maybe when it's all arranged it'll be easier to find and work with!!!

So this is a "do your own blocks" round robin within the CQI group where six 6" blocks are stitched up by the owner, sent around and five other ladies works on one block and some have the 6th block as a "shared" block where all members work on it, then it comes home to the owner - all finished blocks.

I've chosen colours of fancies that I like along with three Singer sewing themed silkies (from Edith M) which I've been hoarding for some special project - well this is it!!!  The other three blocks have various dragonflies as the accent patch.  I decided I'll be tatting my favourite beaded trim to surround the Singer silkies before I send these blocks out to be embellished in the RR.  When they come home I will be sewing the blocks together, then embellishing those seams for an overall effect and then somehow making this into a special sewing machine cover for my hopefully reorganized sewing room. 

Another deadline to work towards (6 months down the road) - all cleaned up and usable sewing room!!!

I'm Pooped!!!

OK I'm pushing it on the final leg of clearing out outgrown, not wanted, not needed, not my thing anymore items out of my sewing room in order to unload the two items going out the door on Saturday and my antique folding table (gonna be my cutting table) into the room.  I have two more drawers to unload and then it's to clear the hallways for easy mobility.  Once this has been achieved I'm going to take a breather for a while and probably in that time frame I'll be picking up another shelving unit, this one from Linda as she too is purging/downsizing in preparation for her move into a condo.  Then it'll be rearranging the furniture to fit and also flow for comfortable stitching days ahead!

I'm used to doing bits and pieces here and there with more down time than doing time so I can tell you this is killing me, but having the mouse problems, then moving and delivery deadlines I'm getting stuff done a lot faster!  LOL!

My Vintage Machine!

WOW what a surprise I received the other weekend!  My friend Linda and Patrick are downsizing and moving into an upscaled condo due to Linda's health problems.  Well I was luck to be gifted one of her vintage Singer sewing machines.  Thank you so much my dear - I'll for sure treasure this machine!  I took pictures right away but didn't get around to searching for the issue year etc or blogging until today.

So basically this one has very colourful decals (not the mother-of-pearl I had said it had - that was Linda's other machine) and with it's serial number I found out it was issued in 1924 from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada.  YEAH for Canadian made!!! 

I love this baby and once they have packed up I'll be buying her fabric shelving unit for my sewing room as you enter and once set up I'll be displaying this machine on top or maybe in the corner on my first Singer sewing machine cabinet.   

Sylvia's On the Mend!!!

OMGG I can tell you all that my sister Sylvia is looking lots better, healthier and more energetic than she was this past year - OH YEAH lots better!!! I know her hubby said she was on the mend finally and whenever I talked to Sylvia on the phone she's sounded better and better and more like her normal self.  But it's just not like seeing it with your own eyes!!!

Well both her and Len are in the city this week for Len's apt on his back and yep BOTH of them are looking lots better, Len probably because of the worry over Sylvia this past year or so and Sylvia because her hip and thyroid problems were finally diagnosed and fixed!!! Yes I had a lovely visit and BBQd supper over at Pat's last night and it was so AWESOME to see her actually eat a meal and enjoy it too!!!

Then this morning I took some earned OT off and had Sylvia to myself and took her shopping for whatever she wanted. Yes we took the wheelchair; as her above the ankle break (happened May 30th) is not healing as fast as the DR would like so no walking pressure on it as yet, and her newly replaced hip (March 28th) can't take hopping around on one foot (not that she could anyways!!!) and we basically stayed in Grant Park shopping mall.  We even had coffee and muffins at Tims too!!!

Can you believe it, I did not buy anything at all, just helped her shop and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  And when I took her back to Pat's she wasn't even exhausted, but thoroughly pleased with herself.  OH YES, now I can't wait for some holiday time so I can go visit them and enjoy some sewing time with her and maybe even her friends too!  AND I can tell you she's even done some quilting this past couple of weeks and is looking forward to our fall quilting retreat put on by Oma's Quilt Shoppe.  YEAH!!!

MISSING QUILTS - HAVE YOU SEEN ANY?

OMGG I just don't understand people.  I grew up in a household with words of guidance such as "if shopping don't touch" "it's not your's so don't touch" and "be careful, just look"!!!  What is it with this world and misplaced self worth or disrespect for other's property!!!

Anyways here is a site with many "Lost Quilts" from various venues, deliveries and or just stolen from homes.  If you have a chance take a look, maybe you've seen this quilt somewhere and if not just having more and more "notices" out there of this site might help for some more missing quilts to be found and/or returned! 

AND especially this quilt by Allison Aller "Crazy in the Garden" which I've seen "grow" from various blog entries and/or emails within various crazy quilting yahoo groups! 

This is so sad and not fair!

Tatted Edgings

The other day I recieved my new tatting book "Embellishing with Edgings" by Handy Hands and so far I LOVE it.  Thank you Georgia for offering this book through the NSAN group buy!  I've tried two edgings but not on hankys but as edgings/trims for my carzy patch quilt blocks.

No. 2 (hearts) is so lovely but I think it would be more awesome in a one colour for the whole trim.  This I found to large for the item I wanted it for so am going to try reducing the number of chains on my next one.  Will try and show the difference when completed.

No. 13 was a little big but just fit in so I continued with it and I think I agree with my sister that sometimes varigated threads just detract from the design.

 

But I did this in the colours of the CQd block and it does look nice with the pearls stitched on afterwards.

 

So that's another CQd block done and this one is in record time - like 3 days after it was received!!!  WOW!!!  Definitely a FIRST for me!  So it'll be in the mail earlier than necessary but with Canada Post's usual 2-week delivery to and from the USA for me I figure it's nice to give the next person within my RR a break.

My March RR Update

Sorry I totally forgot to do the previous update on my SewBuds March RR block and now I've another so I'll do them together, but if you've missed the initial posting, here it is!

After Candi embellished the bottom right corner my block sailed off to Cris.  Now she saw the fabric printed leaves and decided to stitch a tree trunk below and then embellished the leaf shapes.  Then added a green heart bead to my tree - lovely!!!

Then it sailed off to Susan who added that neato moose pin next to the tree along with some embroidered grasses beneath his feet or should I say hooves - hmmmm!  Then she added a seam treatment onto the gold patch along with a motif or two. 

Now I'd like to see the whole block - maybe someone will take that picture soon???

DYOB #3 - Stitch 1 and 2

Whoops, I fogots to post my stitches last week and now the second stitch is complete.  Guess I'll do both at the same time.

Stitch #1 - Herringbone Ladder

This one I didn't try anything fancy with just played with the space and threads.  On my heart I basically inverted the design that was shown with Japanese Buttonhole Twist borders and DMC metallic for the herringbone stitch.  It was a might tricky to maneuver but getting out my Wonky Giraffe made it lots easier - having both hands to manipulate the needle.  Then I finished off with a wavy fly stitch for a seam finish as this was a "patch" embellishment not a seam treatment.


Then for my swap block I decided to try a wavy path along the seam line.  That too turned out lovely!  I still might add something within the waves but will wait for the block to "speak" to me.



Stitch #2 - Basque

OK this stitch just baffled me and my creativity flew the coop so to speak.  So on my heart block I just followed the lace edge and bordered the butterfly patch with a varigated Watercolours silk thread - simple but delicate like.


The swap block I used Needle Necessities varigated which I love and tried to go around a mirror but that did not work so I tried for "repetition" of the stitch within the patch, decreasing the size and also the thread thickness. Not sure it came out as planned.

More CQing!

Hey, I'm caught up with my CQing RR blocks for a change.  Maybe it's a good thing there was a slight postal disruption so I could get things under control again, but sheesh I know there are various packages on their way to me - as yet not received - YIKES!!!  

So here is Jane C's (SewBuds) lovely block with Janie's, Carol's and my own embellishments.  I really would love to know the story behind the development of this block and hope Jane will let us know as her booklet didn't really expand on this. 

Here is my patch (top left corner) using Jane's lace and black silk ribbon - trying to portray a side profile of a hat - not sure it works though.  So I found one of my gold glass pieces and bronze beads and tried my FIRST cabachon!  It was easy but I know for next time I have to allow more space (air to breathe) between scallops - but it won't fall out!!! 

Then I decided the lace needed some beads to fancy it up - so I used Jane's brown metallic beads - might have overdone it now!  Oh Well!  Hmmm it still needs something so I used my gold Japanese Buttonhole Twist and sporadic Colonial knots as fillers for that patch.  As a seam treatment I used my friend Pat's lovely brown rayon floss and one of the easy chain seam treatments from "Embroidery Stitches from Old American Quilts" by Dorothy Bond.

So it's on it's way to the next member for her turn!

I Tatted Some More

OK I really like this modified pattern by Carolyn Groves so I found my size 10 crochet cotton and attempted another one to see the difference in sizes.  Yes there was a slight variation in size but still a nice and lovely motif no matter the thread used.

Size 10 (2.25x2.5"); size 20 (2x2"); size 30 (1.5x2")

I think I'll be making more of these up and have them on hand for swapping, gifts, CQ embellishments or even for sale if anyone is interested.  Now just to find a nice creamy tone or even a white and try that too - hmmmm - maybe a red or black angel???

More Tatting - YEAH!!!

Ohhhh I've had some fun this past week or two, perservering and eventually getting the flow of adding beads to my tatting on both the shuttle and ball threads.  Yes the first one was kinda UGH but the others after that I'm very pleased with.  Yep so much so I decided the pattern needed one more bead at the centre of each of the last chains and I added them in myself - WHOOOHOOOIEEEE!!!

This is the "Tatted Christmas Wreath" by Samantha Melnychuk and I made it with Cebelia size 30 colour 699 - just perfect for a lovely ornament or even a special card adornment!


Left one has extra beads added in

Then I tried the "Joyful Bell" by Marilee Rockley and that too toak a few attempts before I stopped twisting something and/or making the chain lengths uneven and distorting the bell shape.  These were made with size 20 crochet cotton.

And for last pattern I've attempted - all I can say is thank you very very much Carolyn Groves for experimenting with "Tatting Patters and Designs" by Blomqvist & Persson (page 35, star #4) and coming up with this lovely version.  I LOVE my new angels!!!  I can just see them on my Christmas or Heavenly crazy patch quilt blocks.  The yellow one (size 30 crochet cotton) I did first and after four attempts finally finished one to my satisfaction with a metal heart for the body.  Should have started with size 20 - DUH!!!  The cream one was with size 20 crochet cotton and lots easier to manipulate the arms that is for sure!

Yes I had an enjoyable time this last week finishing off these much needed embellishments.