Coming Soon: Big Stitch Swap Round 2

That's right!  Keep your eyes open.  A second round of the Big Stitch Swap will be starting before the end of the month.  Organized by the wonderful Sarah and I, there will be spaces available for another 48 people to join in.  The idea is that each participant will make something small (think mini quilt, zippy pouch, iPad cover) that involves hand stitching as a significant contribution to the swapped item.  It can be embroidery, hand quilting, cross stitch...what ever floats your boat!  Get your thinking caps on and we'll be back shortly with details on dates and a registration form.  Woo hoo!

Hand Quilting Twinkle Twinkle

For way too long, Twinkle Twinkle has been folded and sitting on the shelf of an end table next to my spot on the couch.  Ignored.  I thought surely if I left it next to the couch I'd pick it up some night and start stitching.  Right.  Right?  No.

I can not even really remember doing it, but I had previously echo quilted the center of each star with perle 8 over the summer.  When I pulled it out again this week, I started echo quilting in each diamond shape around the star with various colors of perle.  I am about half way done with them.  

I now need to come up with a plan for each of the larger squares at the four corners of each star block.  You can see I've been sketching out little orange peel-like shapes in chalk.  They're a possibility....  but each time I lay the quilt out to see how I like my orange peels, someone moves in and makes a nest.  It's a weird reoccurring problem with this quilt in particular - she has a special affinity for the teal I think.

I am hoping to have this finished by the end of March (binding and all) so that I can enter it into our Modern Quilter's of Ireland exhibit.  Fingers crossed it's done in time!  A deadline might do me good here :)

Oops! Forgot this one!

I completely forgot to tell you about this bit of happiness.  A finish!  I have not had a finish in ages.

I had a orphan block from my Twinkle Twinkle bee quilt that joined me in Jen Kingwell's hand quilting class at the Fat Quarterly retreat.  I recently spent evenings echo quilting the star, straight line quilting the red boarder and then quilting triangles into the outer pink boarder.

I then was stuck.  The star needed more, but it took me ages to find inspiration.  Or for inspiration to find me.  Eventually I remembered that I had stencils for orange peels so I thought I would give them a try between the star points.  And they worked!

The back is an envelope closure of teal blue, coordinating with the front.  This is my first cushion cover, so I could not envision how it would come together.  Now that I have one down, I think I could try a zip in my next version. 

And so it lives on the living room couch.  It has been napped on, curled up on and snuggled by the dog.  It adds a super spot of color and makes me happy every time I see it.  Needless to say, I'm already plotting my next!

Mini Star Quilt Finish

A short post to say hello and show you a little mini quilt finish.  I recently dug through my unfinished projects cabinet and found an old test block that I had started to hand quilt.  Are you ready for how long ago I started this?  The text block was in 2012 and I started hand quilting it as part of my 2013 Fat Quarterly Retreat classes.  Goodness how time flies.  Anyway, it was tucked away and I completely forgot about it.  

So I brought it along with me for a weekend of camping.  There I finished hand stitching it and hand stitched the binding onto the back.  I washed it when we got home and it kind of warped a bit (upper left corner).  I think I'll give it a press (can you press out wonkiness?) and will pop it up on the sewing room wall.  Happy happy happy little finish!  

Fat Quarterly Retreat :: Part 2 :: And a Giveaway!

Ready for part two of the retreat round up?  I promise there is no part three (whew!) and if you make it all the way through this post you'll find a prize at the bottom.  Bonus!  

Let's start with photos from not only one, but TWO classes with Jen Kingwell.  Oh. Yeah.  My first class was hand quilting with Jen (sure, we're BFFs now....) where we were each to bring a 20 inch quilt sandwich to practice our hand stitching.  

It was a pretty super class for three reasons.  First, there were only about 12 of us in the class so it was like having a one on one conversation.  You could ask any question you had and she was very relaxed chatting away.  Second, Jen demonstrated her technique for hand quilting using a clear plastic sheet.  You could see where her needle was going, what angle it was at and what her hand under the "quilt" was doing.  Such a simple idea and it made all the difference.  Finally, she took a good bit of time to discuss notions - what thread you can use, what needles she likes and why, how to use a thimble, etc.  Brilliant.

She discussed stitching while travelling.  As you know, I stitch on every flight I take, on all buses going by and when ever I am in my camper.  Apparently she does too!  Jen made for each and every one of us a little travel pin cushion that is shaped like a ring.  It just slips on your finger and holds all you need without it rolling off your seat.  I'm sure you look less like a psycho using that on a flight vs. leaving pins in the back of the seat in front of you.  Just sayin'.

AND we had a cheeky show and tell.  Jen Kingwell...yes, THE Jen Kingwell, pulls out Green Tea and Sweet Beans and Gypsy Wife from a small suitcase like they were random scraps she stitched together watching TV reruns of Friends the week before the retreat.  You should have seen us - the quilt junkies with our cameras flashing.  Hilarious.  There was no dignity.

She discussed her fabric choices, her quilting style,etc.  What an amazing learning experience. 

After class, she draped her quilts over the table in the hall so we could closely look at each of the blocks.  She let us flip them over, re-arrange them for photos and ooo to our hearts delight.

Gypsy Wife

Gypsy Wife

Gypsy Wife

Green Tea - the flower block in the center is my favorite!

Green Tea

Nicky and Jen, chatting away....

My second class with Jen was Green Tea & Sweet Beans where we were to learn tracing templates, hand piecing and needle turn appliqué.  Now, these techniques were not part of my repertoire going to the retreat and I dare say they will remain absent moving forward.  This is not my happiness.  But I wanted to give hand piecing and appliqué a try...who better to learn from then the master herself?  

Jen gave each of us a copy of her pattern and a quilter's wheel (what a fab invention!), gave us hints and tips on tracing a template, using sand paper to secure our fabric/templates, marking fabric and chatted about the possibility of using her pattern with machine piecing (now that's interesting!).  Jen stitched along with us, giving us plenty of opportunity to ask questions and observe up close.

Together we were to make this block that would require us to trace templates, cut our fabric, use hand piecing and appliqué the stems.  Right. 

After a three hour long class (I think it was three...) I made this:

One flower head.  Now, that said, I learned a tremendous amount and I will continue on with this quilt using my machine and raw edge appliqué.  It will be a long term project.

But what, you want to know, am I giving away?  To share the retreat with those of you who could not attend, I wanted to give away the contents of my retreat goodie bag!  That's right - a fat quarter of apples, solids from both Kona and Riley Blake, two mini charm packs, a pack of Makower Nautical prints, swatch buddies AND a COPY OF GREEN TEA AND SWEET BEANS.  Yes, it's all yours.  

This giveaway is open to anyone who did not attend the retreat.  Just leave a comment below telling me what your favorite thing is about stitching with friends and I will draw one winner on Sunday night (3 Aug) by random number generator.  Please be sure you are not a no-reply commenter - if you are and have not included your email in your comment, I am deleting your entry.

Good luck, everyone!

Big Stitch Swap Signups Are Open

That's right!  In invite you to join into a swap that myself and my friend Sarah are organizing.  The Big Stitch Swap.  Sarah had the super idea of doing a swap where hand stitching of some variety is a significant contribution to the swapped item.  It can be embroidery, hand quilting, cross stitch...what ever floats your boat!

What to make, what to make?  Well, our suggestions would be something along the scale of a iPad cover, a zippy pouch, a fancy notebook cover or a tote bag.  I am in the mood to make a mini quilt.  You get the idea.  The only guideline is that your hand stitching has to be a significant portion of the item's design.  

Want to join in?  The swap is open to 40 people.  The only catch is you need to have participated in two other swaps before joining into this one.  If you have, just click here and complete our entry form.  We will then secretly assign partners.  Know that your partner is not necessarily making an item for you.  While you are waiting for your partner assignment, join into our Flickr group and start thinking about an inspirational mosaic like the one I have below.  I used Big Huge Labs for mine, but you can use what ever works for you.

1. Link 2. Link 3. Link 4. Link 5. Link 6. Link 7. Link 8. Link 9. Link 10. Link
11. Link 12. Link 13. Link 14. Link 15. Link 16. Link

The swap timeline is as follows:

- Signups open today (19 June) and will close on 27 June or when we reach 40 participants.

- Partner assignments will be distributed on 4 July (before my celebratory BBQ!)

- Posting dates are from 4-8 August depending on your postal system and where your partner lives.  

As usual, we ask that everyone actively participate in Flickr conversation threads, drop hints on photo comments for your partner, etc.   If you have any questions before you sign up, please do ask!  Better to ask before you sign up than after...it only makes my life more difficult to find a substitute if you drop out.

I do hope you join us!  This will be so very fun!

Make a button for your blog with this HTML:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/thebigstitchswap" title="The Big Stitch Swap"><img src="http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j433/FairyFaceDesigns/5600ba67-e53c-4907-a8cd-8e06785ccc6b.jpg" alt="The Big Stitch Swap" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Business Travel Meets Creative Happiness

I had to travel to Berlin for most of this past week to meet several work collaborators and discuss science.  The people I was meeting with are always kind, smart, helpful and quickly volunteer an idea or two.  These are always great meetings.  However, no matter how beneficial the meeting is I am always missing my evening creating time when I travel for work.

I was stuck in a generic hotel room in the central part of Berlin.  Nothing makes this feel more comfortable than scattering around a few "travel handmade" goodies like zippy pouches or totes for touring town.

On this trip I had two zippy pouches with me, each one containing a different project.  I was super lucky to score both zippy pouches in swaps.  The first was made for me by Kat (pictured with the generic check in desk orchid) and the second was made for me by Di (pictured with the hotel bar tea light and fake plants).

More on that later.  We did get out for one morning and one afternoon to do a bit of sight seeing....

But the only location not to be missed on my list was the local fabric shop.  This trip I went to visit Volksfaden.  Not only did they have a fabulous selection of modern fabrics, but they also created the most wonderful atmosphere in which to shop.  I loved the bits and bobs they had scattered around to keep your interest or inspire you.

I picked up a few goodies, but not too much as my suitcase was awfully full on the way over!  I'd be mocked by my boss man if I was over the limit on the way home due to fabric shopping.  After a bit more sight seeing and dinner, we headed off to the airport to kill time....

Out of Kat's zippy pouch I pulled a knitting project.

That travelled right with me from those uncomfortable airport gate seats into even more uncomfortable air plane seats.  I have travelled a good bit through Europe and to/from the US lately, each time bringing a knitting project.  The needles have never been a problem with airport security.  I do tell the security screener that they're in my bag and usually they can't even be bothered to look at them.

Once I was on the flight and I could settle into my fold-down table top, I pulled out a hand sewing project from Di's zippy pouch.  I am making a cathedral windows wall hanging (if I have a short attention span) or quilt (if I am into a 20+ year project), so I have my little window fabric already folded, pressed and ready to go.  My focus fabrics are pre-cut and ready to use.  Inside my pouch is also a printed version of the instructions (just in case...) as well as a spool of Aurifil, a needle book and....

little scissors!  Yes, they will let you on a flight with small scissors so long as they are less than 6 cm from the fulcrum to the tip.  You might check the detailed information your airline carrier supplies online, but this has been generally true for me time and time again.  I always pull them out of my carry on, show them to the screener and leave them out, free in the x-ray bin.  Again, the screener barely bats an eye.

I finished a few cathedral window blocks on this flight, but more importantly just having to sit here with this project re-ignited my interest in hand sewing.  That alone made carrying these supplies on my travels worthwhile.  Anyway, I thought you might like a little peek into how I bring crafty goodness on my travels.  Might you have another suggestion of how your creative endeavours travel with you?  I am always open to suggestions!

Little Star: A finish!

At the end of May, I started Little Star on a total whim. It was one of those quilty ideas that you had to immediately.  The quilt top came together nearly immediately as I was using the left-over pieced scraps from Nieve's quilt, Chaos.  I then thought it would be a great opportunity for me to give hand quilting a try.  You can read about that adventure in this guest post, but suffice it to say after a bit of a learning curve I did gain enough hand quilting confidence to finish her off.

This quilt has been finished since the first week of July...I just didn't get around to take photos for all of you.  Well, today's the day for her great reveal!

She is hand quilted in teal perle echoing the star, then in chartreuse green in straight lines through the center of the star.  The chartreuse blends in with the scraps, so you really only see that from the back.

  

I'm quite pleased with this little finish.  I'll happily pop her into the next shop pop-up stall to go to a new home.  Until then, she makes me happy every time I see her!

Quilt Stats:

Name: Little Star
Made for: the shop

Fabric: Scraps (all 100% cotton) in the star, then Kona teal as the background.  Kona medium grey is on the back, then its bound in a Robert Kaufman print
Thread: Aurifil 2600 for piecing (50 wt)

Batting: Simply Cotton

Size: 31 inches x 31 inches

Quilting: Hand quilted echoing the star in teal perle cotton (Anchor no. 8) and then in straight lines through the star with chartreuse perle cotton (Anchor no. 8)

Pattern: A small version of the Giant Star.