A study in HSTs

It was International Quilting Weekend last week so I thought I'd play with some blocks that I've been fancying lately.  In the midst of watching some great free quilting video tips from The Quilt Show,  I made a gazillion HSTs!

Tree of Life block.  8" finished.  Kona Natural with Kona Rich Red

 You will recall from my last post that I was on the lookout for a new red & white project since I've stopped the Just Takes 2 project ... so this is it.  I've been loving the Tree of Life block for some time now.  I've got some lovely Tree of Life quilts pinned too for inspiration.  But they all seemed quite large.  I found a Tree of Life instruction and there were options for an 8" or a 12" block.  So I chose the 8" and I think I like it.  There are 34 1" HSTs in there!  I am thinking that I might as well get started on my Jubillee Quilt.  Hopefully when I am 50 (in some years) it'll be all ready to be enjoyed. 

Feathered Star block.  15" finished.  Kona Natural with Kona Navy

 

Lucy from my Flickr group gave a link to a wonderful tutorial for the Feathered Star block.  And on Sunday I started cutting those HSTs.  There was a LOT of cutting. 32 HSTs here!  Instead of red & white I tried blue & white and I love it!  I want to add some embroidery to it ... we'll see.

Basket blocks.  4" finished.  Kona Natural with brown prints

And more HSTs for the lovely Temecula Blessing Baskets QAL.  Such a pleasure to work on these little weekly blocks and the leisurely pace sure helps.

I've morphed the dress (SIM 1914) to a blouse.  I suddenly had a practical wave and wondered when in the world would I wear a dress!  So I decided on a top instead.  A couture blouse if you will!  I've adjust the side seams, put in the back darts and the put out the princess seams, but I may have to fit it again to see if I need to tighten the princess seams a little more.  And then I'll move on to the next step of cutting the underlining and using the muslin as the pattern.

 The Lydia knit top worked really well for my sis.  Neckline, sleeve length and hem length was good.  So now when I sew knits for her I can use this pattern as a base.  Mine need to be a little larger.

Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Schaeffer arrived last week from The Book Depository.  Loving some reading time.  The world of Haute Couture is an entirely different culture and techniques have not changed much over the decades.  And Cotton Friend from a local bookshop.  It's translated from Japanese to Mandarin, I can't read neither.  But as with most Japanese craft books the pictures are quite informative.  It's an old issue but it has quite a number of casual ensembles especially for linen and cotton ... my favourite.

 A very big bar of olive soap from Jess W's holiday to Istanbul.  I will imagine myself in a Turkish bath!  And butchered cashmere wool pieces from her old coat!  Great for a base for some wooly applique project methinks.

Sashing CW blocks

Finally I got my sashing for the CW blocks figured out.  I really like all those corner stones that other quilters have incorporated into their quilts.  There's a round of 1/2" cream sashing followed by 1 1/2" black.  The going is slow.  Some points had to be cut off because I didn't piece the block well.

I stumbled into a blog tutorial here which stretched one charm pack into a lap sized quilt.  I've always wondered if this could be done.  I've got 2 more borders to add still and I just got the binding too. I don't know if you have noticed the fabrics for the charm packs are thinner as compared to yardage of the same line.  I don't think I've had this issue previously.  Frankly sewing with thin fabrics can be quite fiddly and to make things worse some are cut off grain, not happy at all.

Blueberry Crumb Cake charm pack with Kona Natural

The Couture Dress is still in the muslin stage.  Long way to go methinks.  The rules change when sewing a dress.  The waist was too tight and so I dismantled the muslin and reconstructed it again but this time only working on the bodice.

And this is my first attempt at sewing knits.  Quite scarry but challenging at the same time.  I dropped two sizes because some of the reviews said that it was big but now it's too fitting for my liking.  I think it'll fit my sis better.

Lydia (Burda Style)

  I still need to mock serge the sleeve and hem.  Will have to use the twin needle to hem them, also my first time.  There's a good tutorial on sewing knits at Dixie DIY.

 Fabrics from Fabric Shack.  I needed to replenish my Kona Natural.  Also I have stopped on the Just Takes 2 QAL.  The paper piecing got to me eventually ... :(  But I still do want to start a bed sized quilt in red & white some time in the future.  And maybe a blue and white one too? :)  Part of the fun is finding the pattern.  I'll surely lean on the traditional blocks.  The black print on the top left is for the CW quilt, the Kona Amber Solid is for the BOM on Craftsy.

March Blocks - Foundation Piecing

Binwani's is shifting from Jalan TAR so they were having a good sale.  I bought some wool suiting.  Looks like some I need to dry clean and some can be hand washed.  So those for the dry-cleaners will be jackets, The Starlet Suit Jacket to be exact :)  The satin silk were very reasonable too.  So I bought some for linings.

Discounted woven cotton from Nagoya fabric store.  There's 4 pair of shorts there!

Got the Autumn and Winter design from 1-2-3 Stitch.  I had Summer for sometime now.  Since this is the Loose Feathers series, I better get them before their gone!

Broken Dishes Quilt Top

I completed the top last weekend.  I find that making one doll quilt a month is something that I can try to shoot for.  Better still if Kathy's choosing these quilts.  That way I don't have to make those all important decisions!

Broken Dishes Quilt Top.  Designer: Kathleen Tracy.  Book: The Prairie Children & Their Quilts. Size: 15 1/2" x 18 1/2"

Pattern: JJ by Burda (free pattern)

 

I get a kick over my seam treatments, really loving the neat look.  Quite a bit if work on the Hong Kong seam finishes since there are usually more seams to bind when it's a princess seam blouse. The hem with a bias binding is my first. Much easier to work with especially when your hems curve.  Also it is best to use a narrow hem with curved shapes.  About the stand collar I feel that it should be a 1/8" wider, but there's no turning back now.  The fit is good but it'll look better if I lose my tummy!

I'm loving all these sewing stuff.  I really intend to take it up a notch.  So I enrolled in Gretchen Hirsh's The Starlet Suit Jacket and Kenneth D. King's Jean-ius! on Craftsy.  Like Susan Khalje, their really good teachers and watching these videos demystify couture sewing.  And the technique tips? PRICELESS!  To add to my education I ordered Claire's Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques the bible for couture sewing. 

 Mary Kathryn was having a Superbowl sale and I couldn't resist getting my hands on Garden Club.  The applique blocks are huge!   If I ever get serious with applique I'll reduce the blocks for sure.  I won the Primitive Quilts magazine when Cheri was having a giveaway some weeks back.  I rarely am so lucky.  That's Cheri's design on the cover!

Cheri even signed on the page of her design! 

Some stuff for stitchery from Bird Brain Designs.  Love those little hangers.  They'll come in handy when displaying some tiny quilts, I'm sure.  And the Vogue pattern finally got here too.

Piecing and the Couture Dress

I've been piecing and sewing this past week or so.  No finishes in the horizon yet though.

Just Takes 2 - Part 3 is done.  I could learn to like paper piecing!

 Craftsy February blocks are done too.

On the right will be my backing for the non-existent Civil War quilt top :p  Fabric Shack's sale fabrics are perfect for backings IMHO.

Linen and cotton linen blends that I bought online from a local fabric store Kamdar.  They sent me white instead of black :(  There was some mix-up on the website and it should have occurred to me to highlight this to them.  But a pair of white linen shorts should be nice too.  The black linen on the left will be for my fashion fabric for the couture dress.

The muslin work has started and I have switched my pattern to Simplicity 1914.  Learning some very interesting couture concepts.

I've still got a little way to go with the JJ blouse.  I am very happy with the construction of this blouse so far pretty methodical and neat.  Doesn't pay to rush these things.  When you're flustered ... just stop!  Come back to it another day when you're in a better frame of mind.

Some sewing

When I went through my small garment fabric collection I decided to sew a blouse that I've sewed before.  It's a free pattern at Burda called the JJ Blouse.  Since this time I have plenty of fabric I am going the whole 9 yds (no pun intended)!  I'm making some changes to the length of the blouse, the height of the stand collar and the sleeve cuffs.  Also I am adding a contrasting fabric.

I am trying to incorporate some couture sewing techniques to this blouse here and there and only where it is practical.  This blouse won't have lining or underlining but there's quite a lot of hand stitching that will go into it.  After reading Susan Khalje's book and enrolling in her The Couture Dress video lessons on Craftsy, I figure what best way  to familiarise myself with these techniques than actual WIP.  The pattern provided is Vogue 8648.  Although I am not a dress person I think I should at least have one in my wardrobe!

Above is a knit that Jess W gave me some time back.  I've not had the courage to cut into it up till now.  I think my 'skill' in sewing is growing and I may have developed a zen like patience these past years.  So I'll be taking baby steps. Not wanting to spend on a Basic Tee pattern, I actually had Sewholic's Renfrew Top in mind so I scoured Burda only to find a Basic Tee pattern called Lydia for a steal.  So this project is next.

 On Craftsy too there's a free BOM with Amy Gibson.  The 12" blocks were rather large so I'm scaling it down to 6" blocks and restricting my colour palette to blues and cheddar.  2 blocks a month for 10 months, should be pretty easy to tackle but Amy's BOM is utilising a different set of skill every month so that should push the envelope a little.

Half of my Amish Star quilt backing is on the left and all 6yds of backing for Just Takes 2 quilt on the right.  We've only done two sections of the quilt and I am buying backing?!  Must be going wacky!  I had to grab it because the colours were great and so was the price!

I keep forgetting to show this wall hanging that I made for Margaret and Jackie W in December last year.  It's for their new craft room.  It's such a delight to stitch this although I had to bear with a lot of pink!  Stitched with stem stitch and the border are Tilda fabrics.  It's a free pattern by Verna Mosquera called Sew Pink.

Here's some questions Lori is asking :)

What's your favorite movie and why?
Must be The Dead Poet's Society.  Words makes my soul soar?

What's been your best vacation ever?
Maybe to Bali.  Was my first real overseas vacation.

Do you go to a specialty store to buy your tennis shoes?
No.

What's your best running/walking  tip?
Be conscious about your stride i.e heel toe, heel toe ...

What do you do to relax?
I stitch and have a cuppa.

As far as food, what is your splurge?
A piece of rich banana chocolate cake?

If you could have any career, what would it be?
An Architect.

Do you have any tattoos?
Nope and never will.  I just don't get it.

Would you ever hire someone to help clean your house?
Prefer to do it myself.  But I may if I am unable to or have difficulties with some major cleaning tasks.

Coffee? Or Tea?
Both

More FMQ ...

I am still working on the FMQ with Leah Day and I think I am getting a hang of things.  Leah's quadrant concept is quite logical and it gives the randomness of stippling a direction of sorts.  From the front of a busy pieced quilt you can't tell that it was worked in rows but from a solid back it's only slightly easier to figure that out.

Christmas Quilt.  Designer: Cheri Payne

I completed Lori's QAL Pink Lemonade top.  I don't know when I'll get to quilting it as I want to zoom into some sewing, at least till end of February.  I don't usually work with such bright colours but I bet the antique quilt was once this bright too.

Pink Lemonade. Size:20" x 26 1/2"

Just Takes 2 - Jan 15th

The house block was a royal pain, but it'll have to do!

An old lap size quilt top that needs to get quilted.  This was one of my early largish quilts that I pieced.  I didn't know about the importance of stitch length then.  I had to hand stitch all the seams tight before quilting further on this baby ... sigh.  Straight line machine quilting for this.  This quilt will be for my aunt who is not well.

My sewing book finally came early this month.  Still reading it.  Wonderful techniques and finishes.  Since cotton and linen are my preferred fabrics to wear and work with, this book is right up my alley. 

I did not need to add to the crotch line length to the front pattern after all.  So I removed the slashes that I made previously.  

 I altered my pants block yesterday and even cut out a new piece of muslin for the front. A tedious task because I had to unpick the waistband, inseams, side seam and hems, fortunately I used basting stitches.  I suppose I could just as well cut out a new back piece but I thought I should be frugal with my muslin.

The pants fits well now and I have a basic pants block to refer to.  Next will be to learn how to draft a bodice and sleeve block pattern.