Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week April 30th

This week's SBQ was suggested by Jennifer
is:

Do you have any pieces that you would liked passed on to future
generations as family heirlooms?

The red and white piece I'm currently working on. It's the largest project I've worked on ever and very personal as it contains motifs that have personal or historic meaning for me. Having said that, it would be nice to have anything I made passed down in the hope to inspire future generations to pick up the needle and make a little history of their very own.

hexagaons

A project started a little over 4-5 years ago when I was just starting to explore the world of quilting. The shop assistant of my then favorite quilting shop gave me a mini-lesson on Paper Piecing after I asked her about a gorgeous little japanese hexagon quilt on display in the store. It was close to summer holiday time, and she told me that this was an excellent thing to do while on holiday, because it was easy to take along and took up little space. It sounded like a good idea, so I bought the last package of 3/4 inch hexagons, a few charm packets, and a sweet little sewing box to put my sewing gear in, and I was on my way. A few weeks later I was making the little hexagons in the car while not on co-pilot duty helping to pass the time, and sewing them together in front of a crackling fire during cool summer evenings in our little house. The colors of the Marc Chagal Church windows inspired the color choices at the time.

The red, white and blue was all done on holidays in France, but for a few reasons ended up in the closet while other projects moved up the line. I had recently pulled it out of the closet to make for my friends' little baby, since the new mother loves bright jewel tones, but after she saw the original fabrics I had intended to use (soft vintage pastels) she decided that she liked those instead. Pffft! So now my little hexagons will become the take along project on holidays or time-killers in the waiting room.

SBQ of the Week: April 3, 2008

This week's SBQ was suggested by Terri and is:

What items do you consider essential to your needlework that you keep
in your stitching bag?

Stitching tin, actually.

Currently there's only one project being worked on, so the essentials are fairly few, but on further thought, it would remain pretty much the same with the exception of threads needed for the project. But for now - I've only worked on the red and white sampler, so that means there's only one color thread. Easy.

So, as for the supplies. Well, to begin with two needles. My favorite very, very fine gold needles that have been with me for what, 4 years now, and show no signs of wear. Then, two long, fine pins. These are to help me count on the linen or to use as reference points for placing the next motif. A super small, extremly sharp little scissor, for obvious reasons. A mother-of-pearl thread winder with my red thread wound around it. This is all in my sewing tin, one that used to contain little candies, tucked into a quilted envelope that contains my linen, ring, and current motif, always ready to go!

SBQ of the Week: March 26, 2008

This week's SBQ is:

When you stitch a pattern that you have downloaded do you print out
the pattern or do you stitch directly from your computer screen?

Print it out.

The computer sits on a proper desk with a proper computer chair in it's proper computer room. The room for stitching standards is dark as no direct sunlight comes in. Although I spend much time with my computer, using it and needing it for many things - including downloading patterns for not only stitching, but for other crafts, the thought of trying to get comfy-cosy by sitting in front of a glowing screen to read off a pattern is something my normally adventurous self just would not do - no, wouldn't even bother trying!

Of all my crafts, stitching is probably the most private and intimate activity. The delicacy of the work, the focus needed ( or wanted perhaps ) to create and place each stitch - for that I want and need to be in a different place with a different atmosphere. In order to do that, the pattern has to be printed out. Besides, what if I want to take the project with me? Stitch with friends, or like my cat, move to different places in the house following the sun?

Nah - I love my Mac, it's an indispensible part of my life ( alas! ), but I don't love it THAT much to have to spend even more time than I already do staring at its' screen.

snow, snow, snow

A winter surprise on Easter Monday...too bad it didn't last very long.

quilting bee

Yesterday my quilting friends and I got together to share our latest projects, drink tea and shoot the breeze.
Whereas the most of us were in a winter slump, and didn't make much progress or do practically nothing at all, these past weeks we've picked up the needles and threads and have made up for a hiatus that was a tad too long.
I managed to take a few photos, before my camera's batteries ran out (that's what happens when someone else borrows it and doesn't give you a heads-up)




This is the colorful result of Marjo's two-day Bargello workshop. Beautiful, jewel-colored baticks. She wasn't two sentences in her explanation of the process of making such a quilt and my mind was spinning! Pffft! I love detailed, pay-attention-to-what-you're-doing work, but this, this I'm not ready for yet! lol!! Hat's off to you Marjo - this is gorgeous!




Here is An's little bag made for a friend at work, Coby's very dark navy blue quilted bag (sorry, that it's impossible to see here, but take my word for it the quilting is beautiful!) and Marjo's Bargello.




Finally, An's great progress on a kit we bought together at the European Quilt Championships in Waalre, but I haven't started yet, because of two projects that have time-priority. This is a hexagon quilt, a little wall quilt made up of all sorts of reproduction fabrics and Ans' own bits from her stash. Adorable, isn't it?

That's it for today - diving back behind the sewing machine!

progress?

Pick a strip, pin it down, stitch, stitch, flip, flip, press..... (groan) ....wrong color! Grrrrrrrrr....
grab seam ripper tucked in sewing machine....Grrrrrrr...
Proper color, pin it down, stitch, stich, .........now what? ........bobbin empty.......Grrrrrrrr...
Did I go through three bobbins already?
Sigh......
Load several bobbins.........
Ok.
Grab block, pick a strip, pin it down.....etc..etc....


This is how my afternoon has been going. Have to keep saying a silent mantra: quilting is fun, quilting is fun....
It's just one of those days where the rhythm just isn't there, but I keep plodding along, because one block done is one block less to make and one block closer to the finish.

So, pick a strip, pin it down, stitch, stitch, flip, flip, press......
(quilting is fun, quilting is fun, quilting is fun.....)

SBQ of the Week: March 5, 2008

This week's SBQ is recycled from January 4, 2005 and is:

After you stitch a pattern or kit, what do you do with it?

Good question - there are so many wonderful patterns out there! Usually, when I've completed a project, the pattern ( in this case a leaflet) will go back into a file and saved. If it's out of a book, the book will go back onto the shelf. The only time I'll return to said pattern is to perhaps pluck out a particular design detail to work into another project such as a quilting project or a T-shirt that needs to be "pimped" up a bit, or to share with a friend who happens to be looking for just such a pattern.
As I said before, there are so many beautiful patterns out there that I'd like to work on, I'd rather get to working on them than repeating a pattern.

SBQ of the Week: February 26, 2008

This week's SBQ was suggested by Rachel and is:

What is your cross stitch weakness? (i.e., What do you have to have
when you see it, even if you are supposed to be on the Wagon?)


That's easy: patterns, patterns and more patterns!

red & white log cabin quilt

This is my latest project - and one that I have been procrastinating something serious!
It's going to be a red and white log cabin quilt destined to hang in our living room. I've been so busy with my teaching and building in Second life that my quilting has truly suffered, so now I've enforced "quilting time" so that there will be some sort of progress in my work.
These logs don't look very interesting, and quite frankly are a bit boring to make, but the end result should be very graphic. Not going to make a long post - need to go behind the machine and get to sewing!

Have a happy Monday!