A New Skill

For some time now I have been wanting to learn to quilt partly because I was keen to expand my skills but more recently I have been so inspired by the absolutely beautiful work that some of the ladies at our monthly Guild stitching afternoons do with hand embroidered blocks which are then included in larger quilts.  So, on good advice by one of the ladies who lives close by I signed myself up to do a beginner's course at our local quilting shop and bought all the necessary equipment ie. a 1/4" foot for the sewing machine, cutting mat, ruler and a rotary cutter.  The owner of the shop kindly helped and guided me with choosing a selection of 6 fabrics and explained how and why a variety of blending and contrasting colours are needed.  So with sewing machine dusted off and a pencil and folder for hand-outs, I prepared for my first lesson.

The first part of the the first class concentrated on the basics such as safe use of the rotary cutter and its use with the ruler, fabric grains, how to straighten, square and cut fabric, pressing tips and the importance of using the 1/4" seam allowance measurement to ensure precise joining when sewing all seams together so they align perfectly.

The block on the left - called simply a 9 piece block - was our very first attempt and as you can see consisted of just small squares to make a large square, but this gave us a good introduction into choice of fabrics and how placement can give totally different effects.  We were also taught the importance of order in which to sew the individual squares and then row by row and that by doing it that way it eliminated any chance of placement mistakes.  The block on the right - called Rail Fence Block - was our 'homework' and whilst it looks complicated consisted of long strips of our chosen fabric sewn, pressed, cut and then placed in criss-cross order and then sewn.  It was very important that the strips aligned perfectly otherwise the effect would've been lost.

The block for Week 2 (on the left) - Churn Dash Block - involved learning the technique of half square triangle pieces, in particular the trick to cutting and sewing on a diagonal so as not to stretch the fabric which would then of course affect perfectly matching the seams of the other squares.  Having learnt that technique our 'homework' was the Sawtooth Star Block (on the right) where two triangles were joined onto the one rectangle piece before sewing onto the other squares.  Fabric choice was important with this block so that a definite 'star' was obvious but just as important was the precision of the points of the star sewn into the seam so there were neither gaps nor overlap.  It's with designs like these that you realise how important correct seam allowance is.

Last week our block - Variable Star - extended to learning 1/4 square triangles and once again carefully choosing fabric to create the effect and whilst looking complicated, it really is just a matter of being organised and concentrating on which pieces should be sewn together and double-checking as you go along to avoid mistakes.  I was rather pleased with myself on this one as it all lined up perfectly first time.

For 'homework' this week we are hand appliqueing shapes onto background fabrics using Vleisofix - which for me will be the most enjoyable of all the blocks as it involves hand embroidery and the use of blanket stitch.  There are 3 other ladies in the class and all of them don't embroider so they needed to buy embroidery needles, thread and shown how to stitch.  Our teacher knew I was an embroiderer, and when she asked me if I was right for supplies I just gave her a 'you've got to be kidding' look and politely told her that I had plenty in my stash to choose from (she had NO idea how many threads are in my threadbox).  Then with a chuckle, she facetiously asked me if I wanted a quick lesson in how to do blanket stitch to which I replied that I thought I'd be alright!! 

Last night I chose fabrics from my dwindling supplies, cut and pressed the shape for applique on background fabric and agonised over which shades of thread to use.  This afternoon and evening I plan to thoroughly and leisurely enjoy my Sunday by stitching and sewing this last block together.  Next week we begin assembling all the blocks and so I'll post at a future stage on the progress of my beginner's quilt.

But for now, please excuse me - I have 'homework' to do.

Ros

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

Gift Table Crafts

Twice a year the Queensland Embroiderers' Guild open their doors to the public to profile and display the varied works of its talented members and it is requested that we all contribute a couple of stitched items for the gift table to help raise funds.  There are no restrictions on what we make as long as it consists of some form of hand stitching and for some ladies it can be an issue deciding on just how much time and effort to put into an item that will be donated.  

However, for me the dilemma is always in deciding on what type of item to stitch as there are always so many small crafty ideas that I can think of whilst at the same time trying to keep ideas fresh and modern. Unfortunately, last year I foolishly forgot to photograph the slip book covers which had been embroidered with a variety of colourful basic stitches, but which I know sold rather quickly.  This year I decided to stitch my latest love for the delightful biscornu.

It was a wonderful way to perfect the technique and as you can see I stitched a couple of different sizes on coloured aida and linen fabric with ribbon attached to the two smaller ones for use as hanging ornaments.  Small beads (from my stash) were included as embellishments either during the stitch-up process or design stage and all were finished with a bead in the centre on the front and back.  With the exception of the far right biscornu in the purple and teal colours (a little creativity on my part) which was a design from a recent book purchase, the designs for the other biscornus were from a website - Wyrdbyrd's Nest- which listed quite a range of free patterns and well worth checking out.  

It was a joy and pleasure stitching these little treasures and I can only hope that whoever purchases them from the gift table will appreciate the love that has been put into them.

Ros

'Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you.  Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.'  -  Anonymous

Totes, Travel and Tears

This post is one of mixed emotions as our daughter and her very good friend departed Brisbane yesterday morning bound for a six week travel holiday to the United States.  Whilst we are so very happy and proud of them to have worked so hard to save money, showed independence by organising their own itinerary and made all the necessary arrangements themselves, I'm sure it's only natural that as a parent it has torn at the heartstrings to wave them goodbye at the airport and watch them head out into the big wide world on the adventure of a lifetime to fulfil a childhood dream.  Let me tell you that I'm not one that's good with airports or goodbye's at the best of times but the goodbye at the airport yesterday was ... well ... difficult.  With my son's comforting arm around me, I can only hope that people who saw me as we walked back to the car park assumed the reason for my tears and then just as I had some degree of control over myself by the time we arrived to pay for parking at the ticket machine, my daughter sent me a beautiful text from her iPhone - which, of course, only set me going again.  I have no idea how I drove home.

However, a 'little' part of me is travelling with our daughter on this journey.  A few years back when she began her travels around parts of Australia, I stitched a sachet bag for her which she always uses now for underwear and/or stockings to prevent them catching or snagging on other items in her luggage.

This design - Flap the Owl - was one in a range of 'funky' cross stitch kits from DMC which was packed from materials for Leutenegger. With the use of bright, block colours, the design stitched up easily and quickly and was then machine sewn onto contrasting fabric (from my stash) and bordered with bright ribbon to match the drawstring.

Because this idea has proved to be such a success, last weekend our daughter asked me if I would make her and her friend a couple of basic shoe bags (based on the same principle).  However, what she didn't expect was the opportunity this request offered to use my imagination to make something both personal and creative and so I set out by making three bags each using hard wearing fabric - drill and calico - from my stash.

The high heel shoe on the yellow bags were edged in button-hole stitch with contrasting coloured ribbon used for the drawstring according to the colour of the thread used and the 'Bon Voyage' bag was hand stitched using back stitch and red, white and blue filament-threading for the U.S.A. stitching.  The other slightly smaller bags featured the girl's names on each using colours to reflect their personalities and then those same colours used to form a posy of flowers with the lazy daisy stitch for the flowers and stem stitch for the stem.  They will use those particular bags for their flat shoes and sandals.  

It goes without saying that this project proved to be a very happy, pleasurable and rewarding one and the girls were simply overjoyed with them.  We wish them safe travels.

Ros

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page" - Augustine of Hippo

Embroidery - Machine vs Hand

Recently I attended the Brisbane Stitches and Craft Fair (as a visitor) and as always, was  'like a kid in a candy store' and totally in my element being surrounded by all the different types of craft and creativity.  I found it interesting to see and learn the new craft trends as well as the ones that have stood the test of time proving their popularity and also the crafts that have made a revival, albeit with a modern twist.  What was particularly lovely to witness was the cross-section of ages attending reinforcing the fact that interest in craft will continue.  

I noticed that there was quite a large representation of sewing machine companies showcasing  the embroidery techniques of their latest machines and their capacities were nothing short of amazing and awe-inspiring.  However, it got me to thinking .... how does machine embroidery compare and differ to hand embroidery? 

Now, right from the outset, I want to make it quite clear that I do not wish to be controversial or state that one form of embroidery is better than the other.  Having used both forms myself over the years it would be rather hypocritical of me to be that judgemental.  I well remember purchasing my 'top of the range' Janome sewing machine in the early 1980's (and which I still  own to this very day) capable of multiple embroidery stitches and which at the time was rather 'state of the art'.   My children's clothes and bed linen were proudly and lovingly adorned with beautiful machine stitching, able to be washed easily and adapted as they quickly grew.  

The way I see it, there seems to be a few advantages and disadvantages to both forms:

-    Let's start with the time factor - obviously handstitching is a lot more time consuming than stitching by machine.  Depending on the design and type of stitches used, the machine would power through the work in no time and depending on its purpose and the number of designs needing to be stitched, ending up being quite labour and cost-effective.  
-    However, the initial outlay of a sewing machine is costly whereas hand stitchers' basic requirements are relatively inexpensive.  
-    There is a limitation to the type of stitches machines can produce though giving hand-stitchers a wider range of choice and skills.  
-     Portability of hand embroidery is a real bonus for stitchers with the ability to carry work anywhere, anytime and pick it up and put it down as opposed to machine embroidery where that is not possible.  
-     Whilst there are a wide range of threads for both forms, hand embroidery gives the choice of multi-thread use useful for textured work and three dimensional effects.  
-     Certainly the issue of cleaning is a consideration -  machine embroidered items can easily be put in the washing machine albeit on a gentle cycle whereas hand-embroidered work requires careful attention with gentle hand washing and drying, thus making it time consuming work.  

For me though, I think what makes hand embroidery so appealing is the fact that it is a calming and relaxing pastime, skills are continuously honed and you finish with a unique, heirloom quality item and a real sense of accomplishment.  Hand stitched items made with love and given as gifts are always appreciated also.  Whilst smart technology makes machine stitching a realistic way of the future, hand stitching represents a link to the past spanning simply centuries.

Here are two baby blankets given to me when my children were born.  

The first one was hand-stitched by a family friend and the fact that she took the time to choose fabric, ribbon, a design and stitch it with me and my new born daughter in mind, makes it very special.

This blanket, with its machine embroidered motif, was given to me by my dear aunt when my son was born.

Two blankets, two different forms, but both special heirlooms which I wouldn't part with for all the world.

I guess, like with everything else, it comes down to choice and I would be very interested to read comments and views on this subject.

Ros

'Seek first to understand, then to be understood'. - Dr. Stephen R. Covey