Wednesday WOW–November 28

It was a good day to spend at the sewing machine.  Started out cold, but warmed up pretty well for the end of November.  Still, not a day you would wish you were outdoors!

So, sewing is what I did.

This pile of scraps looked so pretty, I had to take a photo!  There’s bound to be some way to use these bits and bobs.  Perhaps another day.

For today, I worked on these quarter circle sections.  I got all 36 done and now I’m ready to move on the the next step.  This is only the beginning!  I’ll have to experiment with my camera and see if I can get it to show the colors better.  These purples are so much prettier in person!

To be continued, so come back next week!

Oops

So, you might have noticed there wasn’t a Sunday Serendipity post.  Yeah.  Here’s the deal.  For one thing, I COMPLETELY forgot about it being Thanksgiving weekend.  Not that it mattered a lot since these days, we are down to enjoying a quiet dinner just we two.

No, the main problem was that I made plans for a lovely day in the studio, folding fabric and listening to Bon Jovi.  Then Sarge happened!  It seems he was also making plans . . . and they did NOT include studio time for me!  Sigh.  But it was a lovely day and he fed me quite well, so I’m happy with how things worked out.  Except for missing you guys, that is. 

I’m pretty sure I can get back to Serendipity next week, so stop by then.

Sarge and I really need to communicate better, tho.

Wednesday WOW–November 21

Today was a purple day.

I finished cutting fabric today and actually got started on stitching!  That little pile on the right represents a whole day’s work!  LOL!  Ah, but the cutting and stacking is the complicated part and that’s all done.  Now I can just move through the stacks and stitch to the paper.  Assuming I’ve cut and stacked correctly, that is!  Time will tell.

A few weeks ago, I was looking through my stash and wondering why there isn’t a lot of purple.  Purple is my favorite color, after all.  You’d think there would be lots.  Looking at this picture, however, it occurs to me that this is where all my purple stash is! 

Serendipity Sunday–Flowers Yet Again

I’m determined to get the hang of folding Kanzashi and I might have made some progress today.

I did some checking on the ‘net and some of the tutorials I found say to stitch the ends that are folded to the center.  So, I tried that and although it makes things more fiddly, it sure did seem to help.

Now, this is more like it!  The red petals are 2.5-inch and the white-on-white is 2.75-inch.  The white is a stiffer cotton and this rounded petal worked very nicely.

I wanted to try some different fabrics, like these kimono silks.  The pieces I have are very small, so this is made with 1.5-inch squares.  Oh my!  What a chore this was!  This fabric is prone to slipping and sliding, yet has a definite grain line that must be respected.  In the end, though, it makes a charming little flower, and I’m happy with the result.

I wonder how chiffon works.  One drawback to this particular fabric is that it has a very low melting point.  That means none of the folds could be pressed.  But the 3-inch size wasn’t too difficult.  I’m not sure what possessed me to try this at 1.5-inch!!  It was a struggle, believe me!  In the end, I poured out a little puddle of glue and dipped the blunt ends into it as I folded each petal.  I had to keep shaping them as the glue dried and then it was a bit on the stiff side to string then together.  But there it is . . . and likely to be the only one I ever make!  Especially since my typical glue process involves getting it all over myself and the work surface! 

And here are today’s flowers all together.  There are still some other fabrics I want to try . . . a different weight silk, some sateen, maybe a knit.  The book also has projects using denim and leather (or vinyl).  I think the denim is workable, but I’m not sure about leather.  We’ll have to see how brave I am next week!

One thing I know.  After working with those tiny pieces of chiffon, regular cotton is going to be a breeze!

Wednesday WOW–November 14

Not much I can report about today.  I spent half of it on the phone – but that’s a different kind of story!

Once I got to the worktable, it was a mess!  I did a little work on a couple of projects, but it was one of those days when I can’t seem to focus on one thing!  A little preparation for quilt guild, a little clean-up for doll club, a little bit of applique, a little Electric Quilt.  I think you get the picture!

And speaking of getting the picture, let’s get a closer look at that computer screen:

I read on the EQ blog about exporting a picture of a quilt in each EQ project and naming it the same as the project (except for the extension, of course).  When you set the view to Large Icons, this allows you to browse through your projects and quickly find the one you want to work in.  It’s great!  I found projects I had forgotten I had!  Also some duplications I can go back in and clean out.  Why didn’t I try this sooner???

I think my next step is a bit of cleaning out – in the studio as well as EQ.  What you don’t see in the first picture is the towering stack of papers, fabrics, and patterns just off camera!

Serendipity Sunday–More Flowers

There was still one type of Kanzashi flower that I did not try last week, so I started with it today.

It’s a pleated petal, but without a pointed tip.  It was actually a bit harder to fold than the other two.

So, of course, that means I like this version the best!  I think it presents a nice crisp petal, but with enough softness – at least on this side – to look more natural.

I’m feeling more comfortable with the basic folds, however.  So I tried another pointed petal.

And I raided the button box for embellishing the centers. 

Also tried another sample of the rounded petals.  I have really struggled with this fold.  The corners that fold to the center just don’t stay put for me.  In this instance I resorted to gluing beads to keep the corners in place.  There has to be something I’m missing.  I will just have to keep trying.  Practice, practice, practice!

I’ve been gradually reducing the size of my flowers, too.  Started with 3.5 inches, then 3 inches, then 2.5 inches.  The book has a project using 1 inch squares.  It may take me awhile to work down to that!

Now I just need to figure out what to do with all these flowers!

Baking Day

But not the kind done in the kitchen.  Good thing, since I’m pretty much a disaster in the kitchen!

I got all the pieces done and put together for these cute cupcake pincushions!  I think they will make great party favors, hostess gifts, or last-minute gift items.  For once, I’ll be going into the Giving Season with something ready!

I made several flavors:

Fresh Strawberry

Double Dutch Chocolate

Pistachio

Cinnamon Bun

Strawberry Cream, and Almond Jamocha!

I made all of these from a pattern called Pin Cuisine from Kids Quilts.  A simple, well written pattern that I recommend if you are interested in pincushions (one of my many fetishes!) or maybe you want to have a supply on hand for the holidays. 

Doesn’t help satisfy my sweet tooth, though. 

Wednesday WOW–November 7

So, here it is Wednesday already?  I’ve had a hard time remembering that . . . today – Wednesday.  Really?

It should have been obvious.  I spent the day at the quilt shop.  Yep!  That makes it Wednesday!  I started gathering and cutting fabrics for my next project.  No pictures of that because who wants to see a pile of fabric scraps?  If you can’t run your hands over it, that is.  Next week I’ll start stitching and there will be pictures.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t get pictures today!  After all, my worktable always has something on it!

How’s that for a mystery shot?  Wha????

Does this help?  Those long snakes get coiled up and they will go with the “cups” I made last week.  As you can see, I have a few more to roll and then final assembly.  This week, maybe.

Sunday Serendipity–Flowers

Well, since I finished (mostly) the first book last week, I spent some time deciding which book to explore next.  How about a change of pace?  We are still folding fabric, but the results will be somewhat different.

I actually got this book when it first came out and making Kanzashi flowers was all the rage.  Now that the popularity is beginning to drop off, I think it’s time for me to take a stab at it.  The projects in this book are sure gorgeous!

After a bit of history, the author takes you through the steps to make three basic styles of flowers.  I made it through two today!

My first attempt wasn’t quite what I was looking for!  I started out with 3 1/2 inch squares – because I had some squares already cut from a previous project – but soon discovered that eight petals weren’t enough.  Back to the drawing board!

Ah, that’s better.  These are the rounded petals.  The light fabric wasn’t as firm as the darker so the rounded shape did not hold as well.  Those two over at the side are turned the other side up and flattened, but they still aren’t very round!  I had some trouble getting the petals to sit straight and space evenly.  Turns out it’s harder than it looks! 

Moving on to the pointed petals, I started with 3 inch squares this time.  On one side, these petals make a nice, clean lined flower. 

But the other side is sooo much more interesting!  It’s like veins in each petal.  I’m still struggling to get an evenly spaced flower, but this one is a bit better at least.  Obviously it takes some practice.

And here they are.  Not a huge output for the afternoon, but I’m getting the hang of this.  There is one other style of petal and then lots of variations.  Hopefully each flower will look better and be easier to put together.

I guess we will have to wait and see, won’t we?