Seams #10 - #15

 I have been working on the Blue CQ...and not on the things I should be working on, like ornies and gifts etc. But hey, there is still 12 days until Christmas....

So here are some more seams...

Seam #10

 

seam #11

 

seam #12

 

seam #13

 

seam #14

 

seam #15

 

top R) quadrant progress

Poor seam #14 needs something extra, but I don't know what yet. The whole piece definitely needs some "lightness" as well, to lift the seams, but we'll worry about that later. It needs another good iron to. While the shirt interfacing was good to use, the fabric is lifting in some places, giving that puckered look, which I don't like at all, but it is such a big piece, it take s a great deal of manouvering during stitching.

Saturday here, and we're off to a Barbie. Have a good one.

seams #8 & #9

 

seam #8 buttonhole and bullions 

 

seam #9

1st quadrants stitching complete so far. It is not quite as vivid as in reality. I am going to do all the main seams on each grouping- by then I will have decided if there will be a theme at all- then I will go back and add beads or maybe some sequins, or colonial knots, or some other smaller seams coming off the main ones.
So now comes a bit more thinking and planning. I need to make sure the colours are evenly spread out over the whole quilt. I don't want similar seams next to each other, and I am struggling with the piecing of the bottom left quadrant. It doesn't really flow like the rest, so I will leave it until last and decide if it needs redoing ( I think it will!)
So the theme. I had an idea a few day ago about stitching quotes into the quilt to fill the voids. Again, I am trying to be methodical in how I approach the embellishment, so each quadrant looks the same (balanced) on completion, and if I do it methodically, should I run out of time, I won't have one quadrant heavily embellished, and another looking just a bit sad. So, a plan, and sticking to it. How novel...(for me)

Sunday... seam #6

Here are the stockings, finished as promised. You have approx 8 hours to get into the draw. Please leave your comment on the December Giveaway post (NOT this one).
And here is seam #6 completed.

BLOG FLOG & seam #5(again)

Today I want to tell you about a new CQer on the block(blog-lol). Please go and visit my friend Freda at Sew what's New. Freda is a marvelous crazy quilter, and an incredibly kind and generous lady. Be sure to check back with Freda often, she has some great stuff to share with us all.

I did a bit more work on  seam #5 last night while watching "Ruins". It was a "quite good" horror, but I am finding the endings of films more and more wanting of late. If the ending sucks, or doesn't finish the story, I feel like I have wasted my time. I LOVE horrors, so if you have seen any good ones let me know. I am keen to go and see Quarantine, but I am worried that the trailer will be the only good bit. There is always SAW 5, they never let you down.

Anyway, I digress. The seam

Don't forget to go say hi to Freda!
Ciao

Blue CQ - seams #2, #3 ,#4 & #5

I am just going to show pictures of the completed seams. I figure if I ever get round to writing that book, some new information would probably be a good selling point. So, feel free to come up with your own versions of these seams, but how I actually achieve them - which stitches, in which order- will be a closely guarded secret, revealed only under threat of death...or a bloody good bribe!!

 

seam #2

 

seam #3

 

seam #4

  

seam #5 

  

and the entire piece so far, with a seal of approval from Grasshopper.

The lighting is bad in some pics, but I am photographing as I complete different parts of the seams, so if the colours are funky, or a bit off, its because they are a bit off! 

Blue CQ- Seam #1

So I thought I would (attempt to) blog each seam as I do it. I have  thought that one day I may do a (self published) book of seam treatments. I wanted to do it with the Black CQ, but time got away on me...anywho, we shall start and see where we end up. I will also show you some neat little templates I recently got, that some of you may find helpful.

These have come from a lovely lady name Robbie. She calls them Creative Embroidery Success Strips (link above). I have experimented with them on some ornies I have been finding them very useful. They come with a great little booklet that tells you how to get various stitches - which template to use for which stitches etc. You can measure height and width of stitches, though I have mainly been using them for spacing. My only negative comment would be that I would like them to be longer, but I guess you would when stitching an 80cm seam!! Despite being short, they are very easy to move along the seam and continue on with marking. They were also very reasonably priced at just $20 US. I have not ever seen or used Miss Carole Samples templates, so I cannot compare, but these are very handy, and small enough to take with you anywhere.

 

Here is the beginning of seam #1, courtesy of Annie's Crazy World, the "up and down buttonhole"...going up and down! I have used the template to mark where the base of the 'v' will be, the rest I eyeball.
 

With the first part of the seam done, I am using the same template (section of) to mark the other side of the seam.

  

which I did in a single cretan.

  

And finally, another template to mark a fan shape. I just eyeballed the position for these.

And here is the completed seam #1 

There will be a bit more added to it yet. In the black CQ I had the aqua french knots reoccuring thru each block. For this quilt I am thinking white maybe the go. It it will a lightness thru the quilt, and I thought it may look like seam foam riding the top of the seams. I may add some beading as well.

As I said, this seam is approx 80cm long. It isn't showing very well in the pic, but the colour stands out more. I am using predominantly the Sassa Lynne threads. (you can find them by searching Sassa Lynne on Etsy).
So there is seam #1. I have a little finishing to do, but in a few days I will announce the December giveaway. It will be a quick turn around this month so hopefully the recipient will get the gifty before xmas!

Blue CQ

Here the piecing complete on the "blue CQ" Now, I am first to admit, I am no Allie when it comes to sewing curves, and I know this doesn't 'look' like a crazy quilt, but i am really happy with how well this has come out so far. There are a couple of piecing issues on the right side of the quilt, repeated colours in similar shapes,in neighbouring blocks, but hopefully the embellishment will cover those.

As I said previously, these are pieced together in fours, to help with continuity when stitching the seams.
I am not a technical sew-er (not sewer!!) so I thought I would show you how I pieced these blocks.

In a previous post I showed my "floorplan" for the quilt. I cut all the blocks up for piecing. Here I have my block template, and my foundation, which this time is shirt interfacing (no formfuse...arrghhhh!). It took a bit more ironing, but I think it will be nicer to sew thru, and more forgiving of any mistakes I did make. I could pull it off and try again. Anywhoo, good stuff, although 3x the price!

 

Here is my foundation over the template . I just sketched that on there.

 

Each block was numbered. I transfered that to the back of my foundation, with an arrow to indicate "up" .

  

Next I cut the template up. You can see that I marked which colour fabric would go where.

 

Piece number one cut out...

...and laid on the foundation.

 

And here is the block with all it's pieces ready for sewing. Sewing is just a matter of right sides together, and slow and steady, trying not to pull the fabric too much. There are only a couple of blocks that are noticably "pulled" due to curves on the bias. Stitching will hold them down. I also number the pieces in the order I think they should be sewn down. This block, the light middle piece went first (ironed in place), then the two mid blues, then finally the darker blue. I really only drew the lines on the foundation as a guide, they weren't followed when sewing the block  up.

So, there you go. Yay, now I get to start stitching. This will be predominantly seam treatments, although I would like an overarching (dingdingding - private joke) theme. I think it looks like a stormy sea, but I want this to be used on a bed, so do I add lots of bits and bobs with little seascape vignettes. Beno, my eldest, said it reminded him of doodleart, there may be something in that. And of course there is my leaves......I gave up the idea of tatting in this, I may have to give up the leaves too...we'll see. I also really like the idea of gathered yoyos, and the inside of the yoyo is full of beading and little surprises. If I did that and they were sewn on separately, it wouldn't effect the quilt so much in future if they "fell" off.

Lots of ideas there. If the quilt sparks anything for you, let me know. You might provide the missing link!!

progress made...

From this...

 

 ...to this!

 

The top Left blocks are peiced (the pic is crap, sorry). I feel very relieved to have started. This is NOT the wallhanging I said I was starting, that was a disaster. This is back to the original sketch. I drew the blocks up, to actual size, and have used them as templates to make the blocks, cutting them up to get the right shape and size for the piece. I will sew the blocks together in groups of 4, and embellish them, before sewing the groups together, and completing embellishment.

The colours look blue and black (and they very well may be) but when I bought them, they were all shades of blue....
The blocks a 34 cm, approx 14" I think.

New quilt design- ADVICE please for the "Blue CQ"

So here is what I have come up with for my next quilt. I have never really "planned" a project before, and I already worry that I am over thinking it!! It will be pieced in blocks, but then assembled and embellished as a whole cloth. The blocks will be approx 15", so you can see that the pieces will be BIG, but I want lots of scope for multi layered seam treatments. I will add beads etc this time, not many, but any self respecting CQ needs a bit of sparkle, don't you think.

So the over thinking part.
I want to piece tatting in here some how. Where??
It will be a monotone palette again (denim look - chambray and handdyed blues). Should I piece anywhere, anyhow, randomly, and rely on the seam treatments to maintain the integrity of the design, or should I try and use the shades of the fabric to help with that. I am thinking of those 4 main "voids" in the "+" shape. So for example I would use one fabric for each of the corners from the 4 blocks that make up those "voids" (ha-did that make any sense?)
Because I peice onto fusible interfacing, I can't add tatting later...maybe this isn't the right piece for adding tatting.
I really like the design. If I piece randomly I am pretty sure that the seams will hold it all together.

Please, I want to hear all your comments and ideas!