Take a Stitch Tuesday

Stitches 84 to 88

TAST Stitches 84 to 88

Four samples for TAST this week with Sharon b. at Pin Tangle. 

It has been a while since I did any embroidery samples. I love learning new stitches and seeing what can be done with them.

Sharon has been presenting a new stitch challenge every week at Take a Stitch Tuesday.

She is presently taking a breather but has promised to returned if there is enough interest.

There are now 140 stitches to choose from, so I still have over 50 to catch up.

After practicing the stitch around a 4” frame, I try to come with a design using that stitch.

Stitch 84 – Spiked Knotted Cable Chain

This stitch is easy once you get into the swing of it. The stitches in the border are the actual stitch. I think adding the french knots to the paisley shape makes it more interesting.

Spiked Knotted Cable Chain

Stitch 85– Raised Cup

I really like this stitch. Who would have thought you started with a triangle. I made the border by wrapping in the same way on straight stitches. I like the lumpy bumpy looks of it.

Raised Cup

Stitch 86 – Turkman Stitch

This stitch is nice whether in a straight or circular line.

Turkman Stitch

Stitch 87 – Buttonhole Picot (Version 1) made with Bullion Knot

Stitch 88 – Buttonhole Picot (Version 2) made with Chain

I found these stitches difficult to make, especially version one. It will definitely be version two if I make this again.

Buttonhole Picot (Version 1 and 2) 

I will link up to TAST at Pin Tangle and The Needle and Thread Network .  

Check out this site as well as the comments to see all the beautiful work going on there.

Happy Stitching,

Terry

Spiderwebs & Winter Blues

Quilts for Christmas

My personal quilting challenge for 2014 was to make a quilt for each one of my six grandchildren.

Spiderwebs

Spiderwebs

This is #5 and is Maxie's quilt. It was actually completed in 2012 as part of a UFO Challenge. I don't feel like I will ever see the end of my UFOs but I'm trying.

block with spiderweb quilting

I changed the name to Spiderwebs. I blogged about it here.

label

Winter Blues

Winter Blues

And this is #6, for Massimo,  the last of my grandchildren's Christmas quilts. This was another Judy Laquidara challenge. It was the January block for Scrappy Challenge 2014 and was actually the first one I made as a grandkid quilt.

block

I changed the name of this one also.   See more about it here.

label

Happy Quilting,

Terry

ART PROMPT - #18 – Use stencils

It's been a while, but continuing on with my Art Prompt project.

Fifteen Moons

Fifteen Moon

For my background I'm using a bargello quilt made several years ago, still trying to get rid of all my UFOs.

Bargello - UFO

I wanted to paint circles all over the piecing but decided that it would be too much.

So my next idea was to do the phases of the moon and that would let more of the background show.

I made my own stencils, using what was on hand – a cutting board (from a goodie bag at a Fire Dept function), a small bowl and a sharpie to mark my circles, x-acto knife and scissors.

Cutting stencil

I chose 4 different colours of Lumiere Metallics (pearl white, metallic bronze, halo violet and pearl turquoise) and applied with a stencil brush.

Applying Lumiere Metallic paint

first coat of paint

second coat of paint

I used wool batting on top of thermalan and found that it hangs very nicely. For the centre of the quilt I did a straight line stipple, not sure what to call it.   Around the outer border, I wrote three lines of the phases of the moon. First quarter, waning crescent, new moon, etc.

quilted

I zigzag the edges and instead of adding a binding, I found (in my stash) some fuzzy wool in just the right colour. I had just enough to twist 3 strands together and zigzaged it around the edges.

Adding wool "binding"

quilting and "binding"

Here's the back

Fifteen Moons - back

and the label.

label

My next prompt is a little scary!!

Linking to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday and The Needle and Thread Network WIP Wednesday.

See you next time,

Terry

NEXT PROMPT - Add Wood

ART PROMPT - #19 

HERE'S MY “ART PROMPT” PLAN

One prompt, one project (taking as long as required to finish the project)

It's OK to finish or use a previously started project (UFO) as a starting point.

Make something creative.

Use any Media.

Blog about the project.

Pick another prompt once the project is done.

Emma's Quilt

Quilt Documentation #185

Emma's Quilt

Quilts for Christmas

My personal quilting challenge for 2014 was to make a quilt for each one of my six grandchildren. This is #4 and is for my granddaughter, Emma.

This quilt's history goes back a long ways.

I actually forgot I had made these blocks and found them while rummaging through a box of miscellaneous bits and pieces.

They were from a Mystery Quilt found in a Canadian quilting magazine (name??) in the early nineties when I first started quilting. This was the first I had heard of a mystery quilt and was quite intrigued with the whole process. I did get the blocks made, and there was a whole lot of small squares and strips cut -  but that's as far as the project got.   I stitched the strips end to end for the outer border.

Close-ups of a couple of blocks:

Emma's Quilt

Emma's Quilt

A lot of the fabrics are polyester, but back then I used what I could find at our two local fabric shops and there was not a lot of cotton to be found. I don't really have a problem with the fact that the fabric is polyester other than it is harder to handle and doesn't press well.

I chose several different turquoise fabrics for the lattice to brighten up the blocks.

My husband has travelled all over the world with his work and has surprised me a few time with pieces of fabric from different countries. The back and binding of Emma's Quilt is made from a piece of cotton that he brought back from India a few years ago.

cotton from India

The quilting is a simple grid - stitched in the ditch.

Emma's Quilt - back

And here's the label:

Emma's Quilt - label

I was quite happy with the way it turned out and Emma loved it!

Linking to The Needle and Thread Network WIP

Happy Quilting,

Terry

NOFA Meeting February 7, 2015

Another successful Northern Ontario Fibre Artists meeting was held on Saturday, February 7^th. Six members attended, Kit was unable to attend.

As usual, we had a good showing of projects – some completed, some WIPs.

terry

Karen

round robins

round robins

Jane - Silvia

Terry - Marnie

Karen

Silvia

We decided to hold our workshop before lunch so we could all take in the Boreal North Sculpture Association show held at the Harry Oakes Museum of Northern History. The show was amazing and featured sculptures made from every kind of material imaginable.

Karen presented our workshop which involved making paper using toilet paper over carved stamp blocks. These have a somewhat embossed look and were a lot of fun to make.

At our last meeting we made round robin quilts,  four persons worked on each quilt – you can see the progression of each quilt here.

The following photos show what everyone went home with and the finished product.

Jane

Terry

Marnie

Karen

Silvia

Marie

Little bags - fronts

backs

Linking up to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

Happy Quilting

Terry

Sammy's Quilt

Quilt Documentation #184

Sammy's Quilt

Quilts for Christmas

My personal quilting challenge for 2014 was to make a quilt for each one of my six grandchildren.

Sammy's Quilt is another scrap quilt and again I used one of Judy Laquidara's pattern from her Scrappy Challenge 2014.

This is #3 and it is the March block in Judy Laquidara's Scrappy Challenge 2014 at Patchworktimes. 

Here are two other setting options I considered:

And this is the one I chose:

Sammy's Quilt - top, not quilted

This pattern only uses squares and half-square triangles. Here's a couple of close-ups so you can see the "puzzle quilting design":

I chose  flannel for a cozy back.

Sammy's Quilt - back

And the label.  This quilt measures 59" x 84".

Three more to come.

Linking to The Needle and Thread Network

Happy Quilting,

Terry