A Confession

I am a devoted blog reader and a lazy blogger. When I read this post- I decided it is time to write again. Thank you dear reader of my blog- without your comments and page views I would have quit long ago. When I began blogging I thought I will do it just for myself to keep a visual record of how I spent my days- and of how my quilts grow- from idea to being quilted.

Well I am sure if you are blogging you know how important feedback is- here I want to thank Liri (have you seen a more beautiful header than Liri's in blogland?)-  your comments are always building my confidence as a blogger- and why have we not see a blog post from you for so long?

I will do the hand piecing tutorial, although nobody have indicated that they are going to join me, in a future post. I have spent a few days with my children at a hot water spring, Goudini- near Rawsonville in the Cape. This gave me lots of time for hand piecing and I completed another 12 blocks.

My embroidery weeks came to an end now with all the heart embroideries completed for this quilt. It is on my design wall- but will have to wait patiently while I work and complete my quilt for the Tri- Nation exhibition. I am scared of the quilt and have found an excuse to put it off till TOMORROW, but tomorrow I am going to work on it.

(To fix a sideways photo-read here)

I also worked on a Blackwork "strip". After I stitched out one block I was so pleased with the results that I want to make a five block string. However I could only fit 2 blocks in a hooping- so it took 3 hoopings. Every time one need to make sure that the blocks are correctly spaced and placed. Hanlie Snyman- our Bernina teacher (The best of the BEST) find this challenge thrilling- that is what make it interesting to her. For me- it is an adrenalin pumping exercise and I do not like adrenaline and what it do to me!

I used Perfection cotton thread that Pam Holland gave to me for the Blackwork and just love the results.

On this redwork piece I used a multicolor pink to red. I liked the background but when it sewed the satin stitches it did not look so good any more. I can try to isolate the satin stitched parts and give it a second colour. Then the background will be this lovely: "Now you see it, Now you don't." Or perhaps I should just make it in red?

Onbekend maak onbemind

In Afrikaans we say that the unknown cannot be loved. In South Africa the "modern" prints are only showing up in the last 3 years. So first I looked at these fabrics and thought "How can one use this in piecing a quilt?"

I have now realised that this wild fabrics need to be shown off. You cannot piece a star- it will get lost in the multi-colour prints. But if you use bold big pieces you can make a vibrant quilt. I have hanged all my new purchases of this wild fabric on my design wall. And looking at it for a week while doing my embroidery. I can truly say: I think I like it!

I completed some more blocks from Aie Rossman's Heart applique. I have now realised that the perfect setting for a blanket stitch in my Artista software is 1,5 wide and 1,5 spacing. I have also seen if I off set it I get the neatest results. I have also started to put applique paper (Steam a seam) on my applique fabrics. Although I am using mainly batiks, they still fray and do not have a neat appearance. The applique paper bond the edges and give a very neat result.

I have admired this embroidery piece for a long time- and the results is just as stunning as it look on my computer screen. I will embroider some more of this designers work. I selected the same colours that was suggested to get this wonderful effect.

I was enjoying seeing all the embroidery designs stitched out. So I got an idea for a quilt to showcase them all. I have recieved two rolls of Moda fabric strips 4 cm wide(1and1/2 inch). I used half of both to create blocks of Double Irish Chain. This is my idea of how to combine it. I will use the black and bright green blocks in the center and the red and blue blocks on the outside.

So I had a new motivation and I could embroider 50 designs. I decided to embroider all of the many heart designs that I have on a cream fabric and the other designs- not bigger than 4 inches, on a white fabric. I have nearly completed all the designs on the white background and will be able to start piecing the rows tomorrow.

This lovely Blackwork look like hand embroidery. I have used a cotton thread. I see that the fabric need to be reinforced- it get distorted from the stitching. I will use iron on  interfacing  and also sew it on cotton batting to support the stitches.