Wednesday 29 June 2016

WIPW - What Does It Stand For?

WIPW, Work In Progress Wednesday, or should I say What Insignificant Progress Wednesday!
Well not really insignificant, but I made NO progress on the TASTy sampler (as I reported yesterday)

and only a little progress on the
HC quilt

I quilted a bit in an area where the grey crayon met the blue crayon.

Trinity Green
This is where the progress was made. Another 200 triangles found their way onto the paper strips. The total numer of triangles is 2187


Fabric in Focus

I wouldn't say I am a flashy person, but I do like fabric with metallic glitter.
This is a Christmas print.
 Or would you call it star dust?
Actually in this strip you can see four triangels with gold print, if you look closely.

I hope you have had a shiny, bright and productive week.

Tuesday 28 June 2016

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings

I'm on a diet! Or rather I've been too busy to have any second helpings of TASTy stitches. I hope to be back on track next Tuesday.

Wednesday 22 June 2016

WIPW - Obstacles

More sudden obstacles mean my WIPW (Work In Progress Wednesday) report is meagre - yet again!

Trinity Green

I only had time to sew seventy triangles, so the total number I now have is 1987 triangles on the paper strips.

Fabric in Focus
Fuzzy cutting means that one cuts out a selected part of a print.
I have had this print in my stash for a long time, not knowing how to use it.
Although beautiful, it IS a very busy and overpoweringly PINK print, and I fuzzy cut the green leaves.
 There is still a bit pink left to add a bit of colour and interest to the green triangles.


H C
I have started the handquilting, and follow the black inked lines with running stitches in black thread.
 The quilted stitches are sometimes burried in the loosely vowen gauze on the back.

Tuesday 21 June 2016

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 36 - 42

The seven TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday, check it out at Pintangle) stitches I worked this week contained some that are raised and take on a life of themselves. Some look messy!


 From the top:
36) Knotted Buttonhole Stitch
37) Beaded Hedebo Stitch (I had to look up how to make the loop)
38) Knotted Loop Stitch (I had forgotten both the name and the instructions)
39) Italian Border Stitch
40) Buttonhole Wheel Cup

As these cups took a long time to make, and the following two stitches would as well, I decided to work only 1/3 of each and place them in the same row.
41) Closed Base Woven Picot Stitch
42) Open Base Woven Picot Stitch

Untidy and unruly, NOT my favourites!
I hope I will enjoy my second helping of TAST stitches more next week.

Wednesday 15 June 2016

WIPW - Cutting Triangles

After another hectic week it is time for the weekly Work In Progress Wednesday report:

Trinity Green

The total number of sewn triangles still stands at 1917 as I have had no time to sew, but I did cut a lot of new triangles.

 Fabric in Focus
Among the darker shades of green there is one fabric that is wool. I found it in an abandoned box of dressmaking fabric of my aunt's. As you can see it is Japanese and 100% wool.


 Do you think it is odd, or does it add a bit of interest among the cotton prints?
I did soak it is hot water so it won't shrink in a future wash.

H C
The HC quilt needed a touch more of grey crayon,
 and then it was ready to be sandwiched and basted.

For the back I used gauze/muslin/cheese cloth, or whatever you prefer to call this loosely woven fabric. I will not only quilt but add embroidery, and the back won't look pretty. That is why I have chosen gauze as a working backing. I will later add a neat and tidy backing, covering up a million of quilting and embroidery sins.
So the next step is quilting.

Tuesday 14 June 2016

TASTY Tuesday - Second Helpings 29 - 35

First I had to redo the strange looking Oyster stitches of last week.
Then I worked the next seven TAST stitches:
It was a pinch to complete the last row of stitches and I took the picture when there was still daylight with the stitches only half done. I had filled the row by midnight and kept my 'a stitch a day' target.

From the top:
28) Oyster Stitch, which I redid, and now are correctly made.
29) Algerian Eye Stitch
30) Cast On Stitch
31) Pekinese Stitch
32) Linked Double Chain Stitch (I had to look up the name and instructions)
33) Sheaf Stitch
34) Pistil Stitch
35) Drizzle Stitch (I used a tiny blob of glue to stiffen the tip of the thread so it would be easy to rethread the needle again and again)


Wednesday 8 June 2016

WIPW - Pushed Aside

I was worried I wouldn't have a Work In Progress Wednesday report this week, because I spent a lot of time on my Second Helpings of TASTy Tuesday stitches and had to push aside Trinity Green and H C to make a stumpwork portrait of a nurse. Then in the last couple of days I found the time to catch up.

Trinity Green
I made an additional 270 triangles and now have a total of 1917.



Fabric in Focus
I already told you about some pieces of fabric that I was given by my friend Ã…sa Wettre. This is a print of her own design. Aren't the birds charming? The hearts remind me of Swedish waffles, a very popular snack,  eaten with whipped cream and jam. A Swedish waffle griddle often has a pattern of hearts.


H C
The white cotton met a blue crayon, and then a hot iron.

I hope you have a colourful week, blue or green, or any colour you like!

Tuesday 7 June 2016

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 22 - 28

With a slim margin I managed to complete this week's portion of the TAST stitches I am repeating. Don't know what TAST stitches are? Check them out at Pintangle.

22) Buttonhole Wheel
23) Cable Chain Stitch
24) Palestrina Stitch
25) Bonnet Sttich
26) Up and Down Buttonhole Stitch
27) Basque Stitch
28) Oyster Stitch

Now I don't know if it is because I am working on Aida or because of my lack of paying attention to instructions, but the Oyster stitches look strange, don't they?
I checked out a number of other instructions and found I need to redo the initial Twisted Chain stitch to make the 'lump' in the middle sit right. I will have to redo the last row of Oyster stitches. It means I need to make eight (8!) TASTy stitches until next week Tuesday. When will I ever learn?!

Monday 6 June 2016

Get Better Soon Card

Someone close to me needed hospitalisation and nursing care. I made this stump work portrait to wish for a speedy recovery.
The white uniform and cap are made from scraps of an authentic white medical coat. The material is so compactly woven it was hard for the needle to pierce the fabric, and stitching was a pain in the neck fingers. Now my poor fingers need nursing care!

Wednesday 1 June 2016

WIPW - Trudging Along

I have been trudging along with my Work In Progress Wednesday work and here is my report:

Trinity Green
270 new triangles, the total count is now 1647.


Here is a bit of fabric history.
This green fabric in the picture below is from a tradesman's sample book. The fabric was made in Switzerland, but sold on the African continent, in this case Senegal, I think. The granddaughter of the sales representative lives in Sweden and the samples were slumbering in a box of hers until she gave some of them to me. I then packed them off to Japan where they have been patiently waiting to be put to use. 

 Cutting them into triangles to
  incorporate them into my Trinity Green quilt was an easy decision.


H C

I coloured some areas with pink and green crayons.
If you use baking parchment and a hot iron, the oily pigments of the crayons are set in the fabric.