Tag Archive for 'hand quilting'

HAND QUILTED HOOP TRAVEL BAG

Published on June 29, 2011 in patchwork, scraps and stitchery. 9 Comments Tags: hand quilting, sunday patchwork, The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, Travel Hoop Bag.

No matter how busy I am, I make sure that I carve out some time in my week to sit down and do some crafting for myself. Especially right now, these little projects are keeping me sane!

You might recognize this as a Sunday Patchwork project. I had decided that the pieces needed to be hand quilted and made into a Hoop Travel Bag. I started the hand quilting back in March and I was finally able to finish it off when we went to the cottage.

Although I own a hoop bag already, this was the first one that I made. I had trimmed down my patchwork pieces to the final dimensions of the outside pieces in the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery pattern and followed the instructions from there. It came together really quickly and was so fun to make. It took me just over an hour to construct the pouch and I was almost giddy when I finished it. Sewing is good therapy.

I am doing more and more handwork. It’s perfect for trips, stitching outside, watching movies and hanging with friends. Right now I’ve got an embroidery sampler project, a cross stitch project and an English paper piecing project in progress. Ideally, I’d like to have a hoop bag for each of these. So, I think I need to make myself at least two more. (an extra one for good luck)

WHOLE CLOTH QUILT : NYC SUBWAY MAP

Published on January 31, 2011 in stitchery and the workroom. 21 Comments Tags: carolanne graham, hand quilting, whole cloth quilt.

I am falling more and more in love with any type of hand work and needle work. It’s so relaxing to be able to sit on the couch or in bed with a hand work project. The first session of our Whole Cloth Quilt class was in November and with the holiday rush, I didn’t completely finish my quilt until just the other day. I only had ten more stitches to do.

Whole Cloth Quilts are traditionally done as wedding quilts. There is no patchwork, like a traditional quilt, rather the design is created though elaborate hand quilting designs. In the class, Carolanne teaches a variety of ways to approach this concept to make something quite traditional or more modern. Each student gets to design their project entirely, so the possibiltiies are quite endless!

For my quilt, I wanted to use a map for my design. After searching around on the internet, I found an awesome vintage New York City subway map. To keep the project manageable, I decided to make this quilt a wall hanging and I’m going to hang it up on a 12″ quilting hoop on the wall. I used my Valdani variegated thread in four colours to represent the outline of the island and boroughs of New York and then the three distinct colours used for the subway lines. I’m so happy with how this turned out. I am already in love with hand quilting, but creating a project that completely features it was super fun. I think I might try doing a whole series of whole cloth quilt maps.

The rest of the class chose to do a variety of projects from baby quilt, lap-sized quilt, pillows, tote bag and table runner. Their work was all so different and amazing. What I especially love about our hand work classes is that they have a great social, ‘quilting bee’ feel, since we are all sitting together for the entire class, chit chatting and drinking tea. It’s so relaxing! Our next session is starting up next week, so I’m excited to see what new whole cloth quilts are going to emerge.

SAWTOOTH STAR PILLOW

Published on February 16, 2010 in patchwork, stitchery and the workroom. 12 Comments Tags: english paper piecing, hand quilting, hexagon, intro to hand work, sawtooth star.

It’s been a few weeks since the Intro to Hand Work class finished and I miss it. I really enjoyed the freedom of sewing without a sewing machine. It meant that the class group was able to sit around the large table, chatting and working away at the same time. It also meant I was able work on my project when I was on transit or sitting in bed late at night.

We basted our final sawtooth star blocks with a layer of batting and a muslin backing, just like a mini quilt. I kept my quilting design very simple, echoing the shape of the patchwork lines. It’s cool to see the hand quilting pattern from the reverse side. I used both a round quilting hoop and a square Q-Snap frame when doing this project. I like having the flexibility to switch between the circular and square frame as I choose.

Hand quilting is amazing. I just love the way the it looks. When I see it, I unrealistically want every quilt I make to be hand quilted. The slightly uneven quality of the stitches is so charming.

Turning this one block into a pillow was so incredibly satisfying because the entire project was completed within just one month. It seems a big feat, compared to the ongoing quilt projects I have that are a year or more in the making.

I chose to use the turquoise powerlines on grey print from Repeat for the back of the pillow. It couldn’t be more perfect. I love everything about this graphic pillow. I’m so proud of it!

I’m pondering my next hand piecing/quilting project and think it’s about time I did an English Paper Pieced pillow. I created this gallery with some of my inspirations.

DOUBLE WEDDING RING UPDATE

Published on July 21, 2009 in patchwork, stitchery and the workroom. 11 Comments Tags: double wedding ring quilt, hand quilting, my first quilt, neptune, tula pink.

I took a look today and realized that I never posted my finished quilt top and quilt back for my Double Wedding Ring Quilt. I’m not sure how that happened. I love looking at this quilt, the colour combination still delights me. For the backing I used the submarine print from Tula Pink’s Neptune collection and then scrapped together the leftovers from the border and the rings.

It’s amazing how quilting projects can stretch out in time. When I started making this double wedding ring quilt, I thought I’d be done in no time. What on earth was I thinking? I was able to put the entire thing together and get it basted during the four week class. I was undecided about the quilting though. I machine quilted around the blocks and then debated if I should continue on the machine or try to hand quilt. I couldn’t decide, so I took a ‘break’ from the project instead.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on hand quilting my queen-sized quilt. Slowly. I am getting better, at least. My stitches are not perfect or even, but at least they are shorter. I’ve been experimenting with using the small little inbetween needles and I’m now using the smallest ones – size 12. In the beginning I did not understand the purpose of these teeny tiny needles, but now I’ve seen the difference in stitch length it can make.

The other night, I decided to figure out just how far along I was. When I realized that I was only about a third of the way done, I was slightly crushed. At this rate, it’s going to be a quite some time before i take my last stitch on this quilt.

Soooo.. I’m switching gears and bringing out my Double Wedding Ring quilt. When I took a look at it over the weekend, I realized that I could quite possibly hand quilt this in a relatively short time. (compared to a queen-sized) So, I’m going to do my very best to finish this quilt soon. (using my typical loose definition of ‘soon’)

PREPARING TO HAND QUILT

Published on November 20, 2008 in patchwork, stitchery, the workroom and tools. 5 Comments Tags: hand quilting, my first quilt, q-snap frame, thread heaven, Valdani.

I have finally assembled all my ingredients for hand quilting. My thread arrived the other day – it’s a Valdani Hand Dyed Variegated cotton thread. The colour is called Silver Foam. I really love variegated threads. Why just have one thread colour, when you could have thread colour that changes as you sew? It’s way more fun.

Johanna recommended Thread Heaven which is a thread conditioner and protectant. Besides reducing hand fatigue and preventing tangling and fraying, it is acid free and perfect for machine or hand sewing. I have always used beeswax for coating thread and apparently this can have negative effects on both the thread and the piece you’re working on. Thread Heaven sounds dreamy and apparently is awesome for bookbinding, beading and embroidery too. I’ll report back with my review, but I’ve got it in the shop if you’re wanting to try it out yourself!

I’m also trying out a Q-Snap frame (17″ x 17″) for the first time. It’s a square frame that is really easy to assemble and won’t give you hoop wrinkles. I really like the square shape, especially since I’m hand quilting straight lines. I’ve also got a leather thimble, but may need to get a metal one instead. As for needles, I plan on trying the little short ‘in-betweens’ and regular needles and see what feels good to me. Considering how much time this part of the project is going to take me, surely I’m going to form some clear opinions to share with you shortly. I’ll take any hand quilting tips that you might want to share with me. I have no idea what I’m doing!

I just noticed that this my 101st post. What?! Wow, that kinda snuck up on me.