This afternoon I played with my lovely Hope centre making up my first complete 1/2 circle and 6 dolls for my first corner I’m slowly machine appliqueing? Will make up the other 5 heads tonight if I can stay awake!
WOW or WIP’s 4th March 2020
Hello All, I did not want to write the date today it makes me realise my year is flying by to quickly. Each day I have it planned for sewing but things happen and some times it goes so quickly I don’t get any sewing done! I played all morning with Sue then this afternoon it was back to my lovely Hope centre making up those tiny 1/2 circles and wee dolls.
This is what I need to make up and 4 of them they are only 3inchs by 2inchs!!! It is glued to cardboard so I can make my templates.
This is how I made up my 1/2 circles before adding the tiny tear drops and loops. I’ve added a very tight machine embroidery stitch to give me the diamond back ground shape.
Finished making my background 1/2 circle.
My loops cut out in one piece of fabric !
Completed making up the tiny pieces now waiting to be machine appliquéd to my centre, need to make the other 3 now.
My loops are going to be made with of irononfussing fabric so made a template so I can cut them out in one piece.
Top is my template to make up the loops in one piece of fabric!
I worked on appliqueing down these leaves till I ran out of thread on the weekend and had 4 leaves to do. Managed to pick up the last small reel of thread yesterday which will be enough to finish this block, then I can start hand appliquéing down those wee circles.
Close up of those leaves which are big around 4 1/2 inch’s square.
Then I was side tracked during most of last week trying to finish my Wee houses?!
Will add another dark strip around this about a 2inch strip. Ended up scraping this idea
And this one.scraped it !
Went with this frame which was a nightmare as the two silks taught each other every 1/2 inch of the way, so had to pin every 1/2 inch!!! I bent at least 30 pins trying to push them through these tightly woven silks. Then I stupidly added a flange to make it 4 thicknesses of silk?!
Finally I finished those 4 mitred corners and I could breath!
All hand basted ready for machine quilting in the ditch around each block.
Then it was a couple of hours pulling out all those threads!!!
All machine quilting done in the ditch. Time to do the hand stitching in the evenings now which is pure enjoyment.
Now going to hand quilt those wee houses by hand have stitched the pink house and it was fun seeing it pop as a wee 3D house
Now to day I need to play For awhile so making A Sunbonnet Sue for fun.
I made around 37 of these 25 years ago when living in PNG as a friendship swap, blocks were 6 1/2 inch’s square. I all ways wanted to make a quilt up of Sue for my self so may be I will start today, I’ve kept this one from back then to remind me of the fun I had making those Sun-Bonnet Sue’s . I made them when I started to learn about patchwork!!!
Made up my pattern yesterday and playing with my first one this morning.
Looking more like Sue, I all ways give Sue boots with heels LOL.
Have boxes of lace so many of them will have lace!
May be she will look some thing like this by tonight? This is all just pinned this morning.
Circles were some unfinished ones I bought online from the USA many years ago 1930 fabrics some shirting and some feed sacks, many I unpicked and redid. I completed them and then added the bow ties with some 1980 1990s fabrics, added a red flange then the border. It is going down to be quilted and given to a fire victim in Victoria.
This one I made from NZ and Oz fabric designs, then added all the interlocking rings. It is also been quilted and bound by other quilters and been donated to a fire victim. I hope they bring a little warmth and comfort.
In and around the garden.
Still trying to find out which butterfly he will become?
Night moth
Night moth
Another wee critter found on my work table.
Yesterday he was attached to my car and had to remove 4 strands which I attached to the corner post of the carport. When I came back home he had rebuilt this beautiful fine web?
Look closely and you can see him spread across his cross !
A splash of yellow
Can you believe this is a flower ?
If I look closely I can find tiny beautiful native flowers.
Female birdwing butterfly she would cover the palm of my hand which is a big hand LOL
Local Friar bird
So lovely to see them fly in each evening just before the sun sets.
Thanks for dropping in, hope you enjoy my garden and creatures. They change month by month. Happy sewing All. Cheers Glenda
All your project are so lovely but the the bling you’re adding to the Sunbonnet Sues is wonderful! Of course I enjoyed seeing all the green, the flowers, insects and birds from your garden. Happy stitching!
Dear Gretchen, lovely to see you and catch up. My favourite time of the day now is my evenings when I just sit and hand stitch quietly. Last night I sat and stitched Sue’s hat, adding all the lace and french knots. It took me 3 hrs and I don’t have much to show for it but oh the enjoyment and fun of doing it !!!! Out garden is a haven for the wild critters this year, as we have only had 1/2 our average rainfall for the wet season. So the garden is full of flowers and unusual blooms every where. I missed seeing one of our cactus bloom two days a go, it only flowers for the one day and it had 5 large 6inch blooms and I did not see them till the next morning so so sad. To day I will be sneaking in some machine applqiue, I hope to finish the last 4 leaves on my Red and Green block, i’m missing not sewing those red circles down in the evenings. Cheers Glenda
Oh those gorgeous birds and plants. We are just barely having a tiny crocus or two here. Your little houses look fabulous. And Sue is so adorable! thanks for the Hope tutorial. I haven’t been able to start yet, but terrific tips on doing those little dodahs! Love seeing your photos.
It’s the time of the year that is rarely like this Lennea as the monsoon rains destroy every thing, but we have only had 1/2 our average rain and only in bursts, which has meant less leaches but more butterflies and next all there babies will be stripping the young trees of there leaves so some will die, nature never lets you win? I have a young tree I’m trying to nurture and I think the caterpillars will wipe her out one night when I’m not looking LOL. But in the mean time there is lots of colour, flowers, birds and butterflies ALL so colourful. Working on my Red and Green block again managed to get enough thread to keep me going, have only 2 leaves to do now so I’m happy. Cheers Glenda.
I love your Wee Houses, great job 😉 Pretty and sweet projects on the go too!
I love my wee houses too Frederique, this is one wee wall art I will keep. They took a long time to make and I learnt so much about patience LOL Cheers Glenda
Love seeing all your beautiful blooms! Thank you for sharing! I also really enjoyed all of your quilting items and your tips on those oh so tiny circles.
Yes, the year is flying by, but don’t measure your progress in quantity alone. The quality of what you’re making is superb, both your applique and your wee houses! I love them both. Better to work slow and steady on a masterpiece than to whip out hundreds of “quilts-in-a-day.” Also, the slower you work, the more (time and enjoyment) you get for every dollar spent on your fabric!
I do agree with you about going slow Rebbeca, my evenings are spent jus ton hand sewing and I get a lot more enjoyment from those 4 hrs than any machine sewing that I do during the day time. My first wee foundation paper house took me a couple of hrs LLLOL I should of sewn it by hand but was determined to learn how to work on these tiny tiny wee blocks. Im so glad I did now. Like you our fabrics are expensive so it does not get wasted, I’m constantly making up scrap blocks LOL I’m lucky I like scrappy!!! Cheers Glenda