WOW or WIPS 19th June 2013 at Esther Aliu shttp://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com/

This week Anna Marieke and I have been mainly answering emails over 600 of them have come in the last 2 weeks????? In any spare moments I have been sorting boxes of sewing gear that has been stored for the last 18 months and I’m now putting in my swing room or on the shelves again. As I was sorting I kept thinking about the Love  Entwined quilt and putting fabrics aside that I might use, I ended up with a very large plastic box full and only may be 1/8th will be any good or else I will end up with a quilt like Jacobs coat of many colours if I use all the fabrics LOL. I have also pulled some Kimono’s that I may use too.  As I don’t have much to show this week I will show you some of the bright colours in Kimonos fabric

A jumble of silks before folding, I have pulled some of these colours for may be LE

This is silk goldthread and silver threads very very tightly woven and used as a belt over the Kimonos.

My jumble of silks fold ready to put away. These I pulled for may be LE they are all full kimonos at this stage if I use them I will have to sit and unpick them!!!!!

Pile on the right I wear they are short kimonos.

Waiting to be unpicked maybe????

Then we jump to the other end of the colour scale the Taupe’s

This is an extremely finely woven wool fabric used to line mens kimono jackets. I tis so fine you can see through it if you hold it up to the light.

I will show you more of these colours next week may be??????

I have been working on a sample quilt this week, one of the sample blocks the fine silk I used around 12 years ago has perished , using such fine fine silk was a bad bad mistake but I did not know as much then as I do now LOL.

Honey Bee block I'm repairing, green fabric was a bad mistake silk was to to fine and has perished, I have cut the blue silk away and will replace it and replace blue appliqué pieces. This block is made up of silks on a calico back ground.

Close up of damaged silk square?????

I also found a small quilt called The Seasons while sorting my boxes, I had forgotten all about it, I loved it when I made it and still do so I wonder why I never finished it years ago??????? I’m enjoying working back on it now. I’m hand quilting it.

Summer Autumn Winter and Spring.Silk on silk.

Elaine these photo’s are for you, I found this boys Kimono to day and thought you might enjoy the satin stitching on it.

A boys Kimono worn on Boys day when he is 4 I think. Fabric is silk then hand painted and finally embroidered with gold and silver satin stitching Zoom in it is amazing,

Close up

A very close up LOL

My other project I’m looking at this week are 42 blocks; these are very old are made from a fine muslin and are very very off plumb,

Not what you would call a square is it??????

I have to work out how to make them in to a square with out cutting in to the coloured baskets??????

I have a set of 42 blocks I bought on EBay 15 years ago as no one else bid on them and I hated the thought that they would be dumped if I did not buy them ?????? here are 16 of them laid out so I have a secondary pattern in white.

I know fabric has a memory so I soaked these two wee blocks in hot water for 20 mins and then drew up a 9 1/2 " square on a old pillow slip and made a mini ironing board out of it. I them towel dried the wee squares and reset them on the drawn 91/2 " square and ironed pressed them dry, this did make a Hugh difference to the blocks but you can see there still is a big 1/4" missing and some of the others are worse than these two.

I’m thinking of backing the wee blocks on a iron on very fine backing like you use for embroidery to stabilise them so when I quilt them the stitching will not tear the fabric. First though I have to get them in to a square, I’m thinking of crazy quilting ????? adding pieces of fine muslin to the sides then cutting it back to the 91/2″ square ?????? Any ideas quilters??????.

What I FINISHED  this week!!!!!!! a decorated JoJo bra????? it is for fundraising; for the breast cancer research here in OZ. I could not find the black butterfly I wanted for the right hand side of the bra and finally I found it in one of the boxes yesterday and I sat and sewed it on last night, now I can deliver it today.

Bra for Cancer research made from blue cotton Jo Jo's and lots of beading, plus the Black moth for new life or a new beginning.

Happy stitching All Cheers Glenda