Quilted Case Rules

On a whim a couple of weeks ago I decided to sew a quilted case for my quilting rulers to protect the corners from damage and the possibility of them being accidentally broken or cracked.  It occurred to me that it would be a great way to use up left-over fabric scraps in my stash (of which I have plenty) and a resourceful way to de-clutter.  Cleaning out the pillow-case of scraps brought back wonderful memories of garments that had been made for my daughter when she was very young and even some of my own clothes along with crafts from more recent years so this project really became a collection of memories.  

Firstly I measured a layout of the size and shape that would be needed onto brown paper and then set about blending and sewing the fabrics so the plain and floral colours would be evenly distributed. This was painstakingly done row by row and also in accordance with how much fabric was available for each colour.  The length of each strip in each row was staggered for a brick-like effect.  

But, of course, once the strips were sewn together, the embroiderer in me realised that it could do with a 'bit' of texture and interest here and there which, of course then led to perhaps a 'bit of bling' here and there which then led to filling each plain coloured fabric strip with some form of embroidery and/or beading or sequins.  I'll admit it, I confess ... I was obsessed ... but you see once I had started and could see how beautiful it was looking with just simple embroidery stitches ... alas, I could not stop.

By incorporating simple embroidery stitches of chain, stem, lazy daisy, star, straight, feather, blanket and french knots together with brightly coloured sequins, bugle, seed and pearl beads, it created an incredibly interesting work of art.  Because there was so much bright colour in the fabrics, I decided to only use white stranded cotton and thicker crochet cotton for contrast.  You can see by the above photograph that the edges of the strips were all of a slightly different length but would be neatly cut to the measured size as seen in the photograph below after it had been quilted with contrast fabric and wadding.  I decided to just quilt along the seam of the long strips and not the shorter seams of each strip as I felt this gave enough of an effect without becoming too tedious.

Once this stage had been reached, the blue binding was sewn and slip-stitched into place across the longer top edge before then folding the entire case into shape.

Once this was done blue binding was then sewn and slip stitched into place from the lower folded section through all thickness of front and back, around the overflap and back down the other side.

 A couple of press studs were then hand stitched on the flap and front of the case to ensure the rulers don't move and/or slip out.

This is the back closed view...

and this is the back open view.  After completion, I decided to carefully add a few more sequins on the red section and another backstitched star with seed bead on the black strip as they were on the front flap and 'front and centre' of the project.

I absolutely loved working on this project.  Who would have thought that left-over scraps of fabric, a little imagination and simple embroidery could create something so useful.

Ros

'The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph' - Marvin Phillips

Kirsten's Wedding

It's been a rather exciting time in our family of late and in particular on the weekend just passed.  My daughter Claire had been asked by her very good friend, Kirsten, to be her Maid of Honour at her wedding.  Let me just point out that these two girls have known each other for 25 years since they were 5 and 6 months old when Kirsten's Mum and I began attending the local playgroup.  They became fast friends and continued on life's journey together through Preschool, Primary School, High School and beyond sharing many, many activities, common interests and special times.  

And it was because they spent so much time together with Kirsten coming over to our place for after school playdates, sleepovers and such and likewise Claire going over to her place that they almost became like 'second' daughters in the other's house.  It was for this special reason, that I decided to stitch Kirsten a beautiful memento in the form of an afternoon tea tablecloth that she could have as a keepsake.

Kirsten is an interior designer with an artistic and creative flair so I wanted the chosen design to reflect her personality.  I also wanted a modern and colourful, yet feminine, design and searched through lots of books and magazines until I found one which I was happy with.  After discovering the perfect tablecloth to match her chosen colour theme I then decided on threads of orange, pink and purple variegation and white for the roses and a lovely forest green shade for the ivy leaves and stem.

Because the design was going to be placed in a corner I needed to make a complete corner pattern which involved tracing from the original pattern for one side of the corner and then flipping the tracing paper over to obtain the reversed angle for the other side of the corner.  This new complete pattern was then traced onto each corner.

I experimented with a few different stitches but in the end used stem stitch for the roses and ivy leaves, stems and veins and for the main stem used row upon row of stem stitches which gave a rather beautiful raised and thick textured appearance which actually helped balance out the overall design.  

I wasn't present when the bride opened her gift which had been carefully ironed, folded and wrapped in tissue paper with a Care Instructions card included, but have it on very good authority that she absolutely loved the tablecloth and I'm sure Kirsten was very much aware of the time and effort and love put into such a special gift for such a special occasion.

With the exception of heavy rain falling between when the bridal party left the house to the time they arrived at the ceremony, everything went smoothly and perfectly.  Of course, the bride was absolutely beautiful, serene and calm and the only tears were happy tears.

Congratulations Kirsten and Nick.

Ros

'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you've imagined' - Henry David Thoreau

New Release - Rainbow Lorikeet

It seems an appropriate time right now to release this particular new design because we have more than the usual numbers of Rainbow Lorikeets frequenting our backyard and neighbouring gardens at the moment.  This very brightly coloured member of the parrot family feeds on pollen and nectar from native flowers and with our neighbour's yellow Grevillia bush in full bloom and dripping with honey-sweet nectar it has enticed so many of these native birds.  They're quite a social species also and often there can be as many as five or six feeding on the same bush at the same time before flying off together and displaying their colourful wings, so you can imagine how noisy it becomes - but pleasantly so.  Even as I write this, I can hear them squawking  in the trees outside. When the Bottlebrush plant is in bloom in our front yard, we have them visiting also. 

The Rainbow Lorikeet can be found in rainforests and woodland areas in coastal regions across northern and eastern Australia, so it's a bird mostly suited to tropical climates.

My cross stitch design - one of my personal favourites - consists of thirteen colours and was a joy to design because I could use so many bright and distinct colours and the finished product  just seemed to 'jump' off the fabric.  

I wish everyone a safe, happy and relaxing Easter and trust it provides a perfect opportunity for stitching and working on other 'to-do' projects.  

Ros 

"When life deals you lemons - make lemonade"