Block Printing and Slow Stitching

 We had a super evening at Flowerpatch Quilters recently when Iris L. brought along her wooden printing blocks and paints so that we could all have a go at printing on some calico. Iris explained how to do it - that you shouldn't use too much paint or press too hard on the blocks and have a soft board underneath, thus avoiding splurges!

Iris had given me a few prints at the previous meeting and I had great fun thinking of ways to use them in sewing.

The little hedgehog is on a needle case, there is a greetings card, easy peasy pouches for specs and some slow stitched hangings.

I so enjoyed making the small hangings that I made four of them. They are all approx 6" wide. The first was using the poppy prints:

The next one used two of the sunflower prints:

Then I did a very blue one:

Finally I used the two prints that I printed during the Flowerpatch meeting to make this one:

I started each little hanging with a layer of wadding and a piece of curtain fabric on top. I laid the print, or prints, on top of this and then added various rectangular scraps of fabric (I save lots of tiny pieces from other projects), overlapping them until the background fabric was more or less covered. So as not to overwhelm the prints I tended to use pale fabrics. Once I was happy with the layout I tacked the fabric pieces down with big stitches. Then it's just a case of stitching to hold the edges of the rectangles down and adding some embellishment. I did some stitching on the prints each time, but without obliterating all the printing. Sometimes it's hard to know when it's finished! I laid my work on a another piece of fabric without trimming, marked the edges, machine zigzagged all the way around and trimmed close as I dared to the stitches.

Here are some pics of a few details.

I have put three of the hangings together, but the blue one didn't look quite right with them.

I used the buttonhole edges of shirts to sew them in a line (I have no idea why I was saving these - maybe to tie a plant to a stake in the garden!) and these also make hanging loops at the top.

Happy Slow Stitching - Anita x

A Little Slow Stitching

I've recently finished sewing this small wall hanging in raw-edge applique and stitch, and I'm pretty pleased with it. It's been so nice to work with jolly, bright colours while the days are still short and the weather is dull.

It measures approximately 9" x 11" finished.

I started by drawing the design on some paper, traced the flower shapes onto freezer paper, cut out the shapes, ironed them onto the right side of my chosen fabrics and cut them out. I only cut out the biggest 'circles' of the large flowers and just roughly cut the edge off these paper patterns for the smaller 'circles' as I went.

I sewed the stripey blue background fabric to some wadding with free motion machine quilting and marked the flower positions and stalks with a frixion pen, using my paper design and a light box.

I sewed the stalks of the large flowers first using a folded strip of fabric held in place with green thread across it.

Then I did the large flower top left sewing the fabric down with whatever stitches took my fancy.

Next came the yellow flower at top right, which I sewed into position with matching thread, leaving the finishing touches until later as I was excited to do big flower no.2 in the centre.

I really like the way the white dots on the green fabric show through the stitches.

After this I attached the final two yellow flowers and couched down some thick cotton thread in green for the stems. The red stitch across the top of the flowers is fly stitch.

A bit more embroidery to the yellow flowers before I sewed some brown background stalks with whipped running stitch and more fly stitch.

My picture is framed with a narrow flange of bright orange, a wide plain green border and brown binding.

In this photo you can see the stem of a large flower.

It makes me smile every time I see it - what more can you ask?!

Happy stitching

Anita x

Slow Stitching - Flowers

I've been doing more slow stitching in the evenings, sitting on the sofa surrounded by tiny scraps of fabric and colourful threads, needles, pins and scissors at the ready. I so enjoyed sewing my Slow Stitching - Shapes that I thought I would do something similar but with a flower theme.

These are all about 6" square and, as with the "Shapes" I didn't plan any of the sewing, but just let the pictures evolve. Each one started with a square of blue stripe fabric backed with some wadding, and I started the sewing with a few pieces of fabric in the background.

This one began with the fence, then the dotty green fabric, the stitched trellis, stems, leaves and finally flowers.

I started this one with the leaf shapes, then stems, flowers, stitched lines at the bottom and finally the bee. (excuse the stray thread which I've just noticed)

The order for this one was green fabric strips, thick stems, flowers and finally the stitched grasses.

And for this one (which was actually the first I sewed) I started with the strips of brown and green fabrics in the background, then the stems, leaves, flowers, grasses and finally the stitching across the bottom.

I plan to make them into a zigzag book so that when it is opened they will be in a horizontal line like this:

To finish, I zigzagged the squares onto a backing fabric and then trimmed around.

Still having fun - hope you are too!

Anita xx

Slow Stitching - Shapes

While we can't get together for our meetings (it's been a year since our last monthly meeting because of Covid19) we have been sending out a regular email to Flowerpatch Quilters members with any news and a monthly challenge. For February I devised a mini slow stitching workshop that everyone could do, or not, as they liked, at home. I really enjoyed doing it myself and completed six 6" blocks.

My own idea of slow stitching is that when you start you have no clear plan in mind and just let the applique and hand stitching grow. The most difficult bit is actually getting started! For that reason I suggested cutting out a circle; square or rectangle; and a triangle and sewing these to the background. The full instructions / suggestions can be found in my printer friendly pdf file - Slow Stitching Mini Workshop

I have sewn my six blocks together with thick thread to make hinges. They can now be hung vertically in a single line, or folded concertina fashion making a "book". This is closed with a strip of cute house fabric and a button. To make this work I sewed three buttonholes in the strip and as I do very little normal type sewing, this was scary and exciting for me. :) I don't know why I was concerned - I just pressed start and the machine beeped when it was finished - I love my new machine!

This pic shows my blocks and on the back you can see the strip hanging down. The top of the strip has one of the buttonholes as a hole to slip over a nail or hook.

And this pic shows them folded into my "book" -  neat and tidy.

All in all a very enjoyable project - so much so that I've now started on slow stitching concertina book 2 with the theme of flowers.

Happy Stitching - Anita x

Slow Stitching Circles

I've had a lovely time stitching circles and half circles in the evenings as in my previous post. I didn't really want to stop! They are all raw edged, with lots of embroidery, and thicker threads couched down around the edges, etc. The most difficult bit has been deciding what to do with them - to display them nicely. I did wonder if a simple regimental positioning would be best ..... and I'm still wondering, but I settled on a sort of vase of flowers.

I started by pinning a few rectangles of cream fabric on some calico, backing it with wadding, and then quilting from top to bottom with wavy lines. I thought the applied fabric would make the background a little more interesting but they don't really show up much. I appliqued the circles onto the calico, sewed the stems, appliqued on the vase and then sewed the thin wiggly lines in brown. The stems are thick green cotton thread which is couched down, and the wiggly lines are whipped straight stitch.

Here are a few pics of the individual "flowers"

And the vase.

The half circles sewn to the top and bottom of the vase were originally intended as leaves, but they morphed!

This was a really enjoyable experience apart from all the decision making once the circles were sewn - sometimes you feel that you haven't got another decision in you! That's when sewing gets put to one side, and may never re-emerge! :)

Happy Stitching - Anita x