With husbands new business it has been hard finding the time to get some sewing time in. It has been easier to do hand work. Last September I started a hand embroidery club at my local quilt shop. I wasn't to sure on how well it would go over but it has been a blast. Each month is a different stitch in a different pattern. I like to use plastic quilting templates if I can but I also show how to transfer a pattern from paper to fabric. That isn't generally a difficult thing to do unless your background fabric is black (or any other dark color). This first Embroidery quilt sampler I'm doing in 2 color ways, a white back ground with 30's fabrics for the sashing & a black background with bright batikcs for the sashing. Here's a pic of the completed white with 30's quilt.
(Please excuse the vacuum cord & my husbands boots.)
As soon as I get the black version done I will post pics of that as well. Scratch that I probably end up posting pics of it as I go & then with the finished project.
I've also tried my hand at big stitch quilting. I wasn't too sure about working on a project this large. I started it last December. I was concerned about it in the beginning because I wasn't sure how long it was going to take, but as I worked on it more I enjoyed the process more & relaxed about how long it was going to take.
The pattern is my own design "My Kansas Quilt". The first time that I made this quilt I used Civil War Repro scrap fabrics. I wanted to see what the pattern looked like using a different colorway. I used a silk batting & Aurifil 12 perle cotton for the thread (4 1/2 rolls). It's not perfect & I'm good with that. It has a special meaning for me because it was made from start to finish by my hands.
While doing all of this hand work it got me thinking that I should create a new program (offered to guilds) centered around all of the different types of hand work, embroidery, big stitch quilting, hexagons (English Paper Piecing) etc. So now I'm busily making projects (quilts) with those different techniques. Knowing me I can't go/do small. I want my quilts big or at least big enough to use. I've never been much of a wall hanging person. I do have 2 wall hangings that are up year round. My very first big stitch project.
And the 30's butterfly's embroidery quilt that hangs behind my treadle.
(Yup that's a fishing rod in the pic) Kiddo placed it there & I think forgot about it.)
So the majority of the projects I'm working on (yup there's more than 1 project going on. Shush, husband doesn't know that. When I started quilting he said that he didn't want me to be working on more that 1 project at a time.) are all big. I'll share them (the hand work projects )as I'm working on them & I can't forget my sewing machine though & I'll share what scrappy projects I'm working on.
I hope that y'all are having a great Friday. Its raining here (a great time to be sewing!). Kiddo didn't have school today (Good Friday) so he's out enjoying time with his dad in the shop. Off I go to stitch something, by hand or machine! More later on,
Vicky
