Slow Sunday Stitching? Probably not today.....

You all know how much I love sitting on Sundays and slowing stitching something beautiful along with my friends over at Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching party.  Alas (I just love that old-fashioned word!), that's probably not going to happen this Sunday, because today is Red Rooster Retreat preparation day - we leave early tomorrow morning so I've got lots to do today!  However, I will of course be taking several hand-stitching projects with me to retreat for quiet, relaxing evenings.

I'm steadily making progress on my last block for The Blue Collection.....

The vase itself is done except for a space in the top for the tree to slip down inside when it is ready.  Applying the leaves is really fun now that I have all the preparation done and they are ready to just stitch down in their proper places....

I started with this.....

Then using the starch method, each piece was prepared like this...

And then it's a simple matter of using a few tiny drops of glue to hold them in place for stitching down ...

I really enjoy this method of applique!  I shared this technique with a group from my guild last week at our monthly sit-n-sew.  They all did great!  I'm hopeful that a few of them will finally begin to enjoy applique after learning this method, as I did :)

Carole brought the CUTEST little cup for holding her starch.... I heard a group of students all ooohhhing and ahhhhhing, so of course I had to go over and investigate :)  And there was Carole holding up this tiny cup - the most adorable little starch holder in the world!!!

I'm sure you all know someone like Carole.  She is one of those people who always looks beautiful, no matter what she's wearing, and she always has the perfect accessories ... if she weren't so sweet and lovable I'd probably hate her :*)  She loves laces and ruffles and everything girly!  And she always finds the perfect little tools and accessories for her quilting adventures too.  So I wasn't at all surprised that she had come up with this cute little cup - the perfect "Carole" accessory :)

I told her that I had seen someone use a small child's tea cup in one of the blogs I follow, and that she had used the handle for a rest for the brush.  I have been keeping my eye open for one like it with a handle in thrift shops ever since.  Well, in typical sweet Carole style, she came up to me at the end of the class and presented it to me!!!  I was thrilled of course!!!!  She says she has another one at home, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she just told me that so I would accept it :)

I'll also carry the June Bertie BOM block along for some quick embellishments once the center is assembled....

I love that pop of red in this design :)

So what will you be slow stitching this week?  

Share it at Kathy's Quilts!

And just so you all know what I have to put up with around here ..... while I'm running around trying to do a blog post, pack things up, and take care of a million other things in order to be ready to leave in the morning, this is how my faithful companion helps out!

Well, come to think of it, isn't this what you're supposed to do on Sunday - rest?  

Good girl, Gypsy!!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Design Wall Monday - 4/8/14

Yes, I'm a day late, but I have several exciting-to-me projects currently in the works....

These Diamonds are Forever blocks are just too much fun to let them sit idle for too long!  They're like potato chips - I can't resist dipping my hand into those luscious strips and starting just one more block.... and then just one more.... well, maybe just one more LOL!!!

I love all these wonderful colors and playing in the scrappy strips - and don't these lime pieces look like a row of ties?  LOL!!!  Yes, late last night I was getting a little loopy and in need of sleep :*)  You can see by the number of "ties" that I still have quite a few blocks to go on this project, so you'll be seeing it again - just thought I'd warn you!

I also spent a very relaxing and enjoyable couple of hours this weekend preparing the applique pieces for my last vase in The Blue Collection.

My tools of the trade for Starch Applique preparation

Edit - One friend just pointed out that she found it amazing that diced pimentos would be part of my applique tools LOL!!!!!  Of course, that's just the jar that I keep the liquid starch in for traveling :*)

This is the vase that holds the center tree, and I totally love this piece of Jenny Beyer border fabric I found for it!  There is only a fat quarter of it, so I have had to be very careful about cutting it.  There are a lot of pieces to this block, and of course those angles are already threatening to give me headaches.  Looks like I'm going to have to re-cut the bottom right piece because it is not lining up :( 

The Blue Collection is one of those dreaded Dinosaur UFO's that I really, really, really want to get done this year!!!  Once this block is done, I will have the outer border applique remaining, with about a million leaves (see below picture of the original by Maggie Walker), but most of those are going to be done with raw edge fusible.  I'm sorry but I'm just not crazy enough to sew all of those leaves down by hand!!!  And there is still the motif block at the center top that needs to be completed as well.  But I'm beginning to smell a finish here and it feels GREAT!!!!

This is the Designer, Maggie Walker's quilt.....

Courtesy of Maggie Walker

The number pulled for my Guild UFO this month is #7 - which is to assemble my Fantasia blocks from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge last year into a top for the contest at our next meeting.  Ugh!  I have no idea how I want to set those blocks!  At least I DO have all of them done, which gives me a great shot at maybe meeting that goal.  Here's the RED block for reference :)




The May Bertie's Year BOM block should arrive this week and I'm looking forward to playing with her - we're quickly becoming very good friends.

And that's about it for me.  What is on your Design Wall?  Some see all the pretties at Judy's Patchwork Times today!  Also linking up with Connie's Linky Tuesday party!  Hey, wait a minute.... that MY Cottontail bunny she's featuring today!!!!  Yippee :*)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

DWM - Learning Something New!

                  ***  Looking for my Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol 6 GIVEAWAY?  Click HERE! ***

The Blue Collection has become one of my primary projects recently, and I've been trying to stay focused and keep blocks prepared so that I always have one ready to work on when it's time to sit down for some slow stitching.  Like yesterday.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any blocks prepared yesterday, so instead of stitching, I had a lot of prepping to do!

These pieces are not yet stitched down, but I laid them out so you could get an idea of how they will look when they are.  All were prepared using the Starch Method, a new method for me that I decided to try after hearing some really good reports on other blogs.  I have to tell you, so far I'm a very happy camper!!!

This method involves using freezer paper templates, and painting liquid starch with a small paintbrush on the seam allowance edges that will be turned under.  It was a simple enough procedure.

This little piece very quickly went from this....

..... to this.....

to this..... and it's as close to perfect as I'm ever gonna get!!!

Here are a few other pieces that would normally have given me some trouble trying to needleturn them, but they were very easily shaped with this method....

Aren't those curves nice and smooth!  Yep, I'm a happy camper!!!  This next one has a couple of problem areas that would have given me fits before.

See the little round bump at the top?  Designed for torture!!!  But it was no problem, and the curves are nice and neat!

This piece was so tiny, I had to put my finger there to give you an idea of its size so you could be REALLY impressed with how nice and neat it is :*)   It is the stem that goes on the tip of this piece.....

It's a strawberry leaf, and it does have a little bit of a raveling issue in that little deep cut.  There just wasn't enough fabric there to fold over on both sides.  I think it will stitch out okay though once I remove the paper.  It's really the only piece that gave me a problem.

I believe The Blue Collection is going to be much more fun finishing up than it has been to this point!  There are many tutorials out there on the Internet if you are interested in trying it too.  Just Google "Starch Applique" and you'll get lots of them.

Hawaii Sunset is still sitting front and center on my Design Wall - I haven't been able to touch it this week at all, but I hope to work on some flying geese tomorrow at sit-n-sew =^..^=

And I thought I'd let you know - I have officially decided to join in on Bonnie's Mystery, Easy Street!   I just love the colors she's using this year, and the fact that she has promised to take it "Easy" on us helped me decide.  I have all the fabrics in my stash, so long as I decide that the gray will work.  I'm still on the fence about that one.  You can see the paint chips laying (lying?) next to each colored stack of fabrics. 

There may still be a few I'll pull out - too dark? - and a few I'll add in, but for the most part, this is it!  I hope some of you are going to join in the fun!!!

That's all I'm up to right now.  What about you?  Do you have something fun and exciting to show us on your design wall, or floor, or bed - whatever it is you use to view your beautiful quilts in progress?  Please join the linky party at Judy's Patchwork Times so we can all enjoy it too :*)

********************     And don't forget, if you want a chance to win one of these....

..... don't forget to go HERE to get in on my Birthday GIVEAWAY !!!

Have a gorgeous week!!!!

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=

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