Happy New Year! Here is the 10th block of “To Everything There Is A Season”, a BOM I launched last April.
If you haven’t seen the blocks, here they are! The blocks are available on my website Simple Bird Studio.
I am sooooo close to finishing Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”! Once the border is finished, I just have to do the two corner blocks. Then add the sawtooth border. Then quilt it. Then bind it. Remember, one stitch at a time!!
Til next time….
Kerry
When I mentioned in my last post about “off-block construction” a few of you asked if I would do a tutorial on that subject. So…here it is!!
I would normally use my Applique Pressing sheet for this tutorial, but, sadly I cannot find it. A few weeks ago, I spent a couple of hours organizing my quilting stuff. I guess I have put my pressing sheet away in a really secure spot. I am sure I will some across it one day! But that’s ok….because maybe you don’t own a pressing sheet. So, let me show you what you can use instead of an Applique Pressing Sheet.
I used a piece of freezer paper (shiny side up). First I traced the pine cone on the shiny side of the freezer paper with a Sharpie marker. I have found that a Sharpie marker is about the only thing that leaves a permanent mark of the shiny surface.
Note: If I was using my Applique Pressing Sheet, I would simply pin it to the pattern, and build the pine cone on it, like I did with these flowers.
First, I made my templates using 2 layers of freezer paper. Yes, they are a little on the small side!
Then I chose my fabrics…light, medium and dark brown.
Whenever I have a unit that has a lot of pieces in it (and those pieces need to line up) I take the time and do this next step. Once the piece is prepped, I take out the template and place it on top of the finished piece. The template has to have the shiny side up. Next, I take a very sharp marking pen (I like to use a Clover water soluble fine marker for light fabrics and a white chalk marker for dark fabrics) and mark the remaining seam allowance. You will be very happy you did this!!
So….next, I start to glue the pieces in place. The glue will not stick permanently to the shiny surface of the freezer paper (or the pressing sheet), but it will hold temporarily.
Once all of the pieces are glued in place (and you have made peace with the fact you will have to make 7 more pine cones) you can lift the entire piece off the the freezer paper (or applique pressing sheet) and simply put it in place on the background. If you are working on a unit that has fewer pieces (or larger pieces) you can actually stitch it before you place it on the background. I thought this piece would be easier to stitch while it is on the background. Lots of options!
Til next time….
Kerry
It’s that time again! Time to post the next block of “To Everything There Is A Season”, a BOM I launched back in April. It’s hard to believe this is the 9th block…3 more to go! This month’s block (and the previous 8) are available on my website Simple Bird Studio.
This block looks intimidating, but do not be fooled! It is an easy block, with lots of pieces. How many pieces you ask? There are 320 pieces in this block. I counted them myself!
I started in the center with the holly leaves.
Then I added some berries.
I am stitching as I go…prep a bit…stitch a bit…
Next, I started to add the pine boughs. This is where the fun begins! For the pine needles, I used my bias bars to make strips and then cut the strips into shorter pieces. The ends of each of these pieces are turned under and stitched.
Let me tell you about the pine cones. I constructed them off-block and then stitched them in place. Not just one pine cone….
…not just 4 pine cones….
Eight pine cones and some frosty snowflakes! Chilly!
Til next time…
Kerry
Where did October go?!? It’s time for me post the 8th block of “To Everything There Is A Season”, a BOM I launched back in April. If you are new to my blog and you haven’t seen the blocks yet, here they are! All of the patterns are available for purchase on my website Simple Bird Studio. The patterns are available either as a digital pattern (which I will email to you) or as a paper pattern (which I will mail to you). The choice is yours.
Block 1
Block 2
Block 3
Block 4
Block 5
Block 6
Block 7
And here is Block 8, The Poinsettia, just in time for the upcoming festive season. (It will be here before you know it!)
Here are a few close-up photos. The yellow centres are made of Ultra Suede. This is where I purchase my Ultra Suede. I love the little bit of texture that Ultra Suede adds! I also stitched around each yellow centre with one strand of gold embroidery floss. I added a few French knots to the flowers, but I used 2 strands of embroidery floss for those.
I also used one strand of brown floss to embroider around each of the ovals on the vase and around the darker handle on the right side. Fancy!
Til next time…
Kerry
To me, applique is about the journey, not about the destination. With the kind of applique I do, there are 2 parts to the journey. First, there is the prep work, which consists of ironing the seam allowance over a freezer paper template. You can see how I prep my pieces in this blog post. If I had my way, I would prep all day long…literally! I think it has something to do with “instant gratification”. When I prep, I can see the design coming alive before my very eyes. Very rewarding!
The second part of the applique journey is the stitching, which is my least favourite part. I must confess, I find it terribly boring, so thank goodness for audio books!
So, my usual way of working is to prep a bit, then stitch a bit, just to keep the momentum going. But, I didn’t do that when I started working on the left side of the third border on Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”. I prepped the entire left side without stopping to stitch anything in place. Remind me never to do that again!
After a weekend marathon of stitching (and listining to “The Deep Blue Good-by, written by John D. MacDonald) I am almost finished stitching the border. I just need to add the red berries, just like I did on the right hand side.
Also, I am almost finished hand-quilting my Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt. Sweet!
Of course, I had a bit of time to start a new-ish project! This is the beginning of the centre medallion of my block-of-the -month “To Everything There Is A Season”. So far, so good! (Note to Self….stitch everything in place before you prep one more piece!)
Til next time…
Kerry
Here it is the beginning of another month and that means it’s time to post the next block of a block-of -the-month I launched back in April. To see the last 6 blocks, click here.
For those that have ordered the patterns, thank you very much!! I am really overwhelmed by the positive response to the patterns. I’ll answer some FAQs…there will be 12 blocks in total. The blocks measure 18″ x 18″ without the seam allowance. There is be a beautiful center medallion that combines elements of all the blocks. It is spectacular! And, finally, there will be outer borders. The finished size should approximately 90″ square.
There are 2 ways to order the pattern, which are available on my website. You can purchase a full size paper pattern and I will send it to you in the mail. The cost is $10.00 and includes shipping in Canada and the US and also includes a colour picture of the block or….you can purchase the downloadable pattern for $7.00. Some people have had trouble downloading the pattern (you will need Adobe Reader to download the patterns) and for those people, I sent a 6 page PDF of the pattern which seems to have worked well. This month I have included the 6 page PDF in the link. along with the full-size pattern and a colour picture. Hopefully that works for everyone!
So….here is the block!
I must admit this block intimidated me because of the shading and I just didn’t know if I could carry it off. I procrastinated all month long (not like me at all!) and when we came back from Barbados I finally started the block. That way, I only had one week to make the block. Talk about pressure, but sometimes that is the only way to get things done!! Can anyone relate to that?
So I started (very cautiously) with some leaves…
…then I added a few apples and thought they looked pretty darn good!
So good, in fact, that I added a whole basket full of them.
I knew I had some wood grain fabric left over from a BOM I did about 10 years ago and I searched my sewing room until I found it.
Next, I added the straw…..
…and finally, a sweet little bird!
Til next time…
Kerry
I have noticed the squirrels are gathering their nuts for the winter. My friend (who know all about that kind of thing) tells me that means we are going to have an early winter. Darn.
Here is the 6th block of “To Everything There Is A Season”.
In case you have missed the previous blocks, here they are…
Block 1
Block 2
Block 3
Block 4
Block 5
These blocks are available for purchase on my website Simple Bird Studio.
Til next time…
Kerry
My apologies for being a little late in getting the next block of “To Everything There Is A Season” posted. Hubby and I have been camping at a local campsite. I told him I had to come home early to get some laundry done, but really I wanted to come home to finish the block. Mum’s the word!
This block, Fall Kaleidoscope, is available on my website Simple Bird Studio, along with Blocks 1-4. You can choose from having a digital pattern emailed to you, or you can go old school and order a paper pattern. If you order the digital pattern, I will email your pattern to you as soon as I can (usually within a couple of hours).
Oddly enough, I was a little slow starting this block because I found all the points a little intimidating. Once I finally started the block, I found myself thinking that there is not one single thing in this block to be scared of. Honestly! It went together very nicely! Here are a few little hints to help you along the way…
I used 3 different shades of gold for the petals and just placed them randomly.
Next, I prepped a complete section of straw and leaves and left it on my design wall for a while. I decided the dark green leaf was too dark and so I switched it up. (Yes, you are allowed to change your mind!)
Once I decided on which green to use in place of the dark one, I completed all of the leaves.
Then, I added the rest of the straw.
And, finally, some cattails!
Til next time….
Kerry
It’s that time again! Time to post the next block of “To Everything There Is A Season”, a block-of-the-month I launched in April. The first 4 blocks are available on my website. There will be 12 blocks in total and a centre medallion and borders. You have your choice of a paper pattern mailed to you, or a digital copy that I will email to you.
This block was an absolute delight to make! I am going to show you a few tricks to make this block go really smoothly. First, this is how I make my really skinny bias stems. I make a piece of bias using my 1/4″ bias maker.
Next, I iron it half lenthwise to set the fold. I run a line of glue down the centre of the strip…
…and finger press it in half. As you can see, it really is skinny compared to a “regular” 1/4″ stem. It also has some “dimension”.
It really is a lot easier to construct these flowers “off block”. To do that, I build the flowers on my applique pressing sheet. I actually glue the pieces to the appliue pressing sheet and wait for the glue to dry. Then I just peel the flowers off…..admire it….and then pop it in place!
So, next I added the dainty little blue and pink flowers and some purple berries…
The tiny pink buds just made my heart sing!
And, of course, no summer bouquet is complete without a bee….bzzzzzz!
Til next time…
Kerry
Oh my! Time really does fly! Here we are at the first of the month already. It’s time for the third block of my BOM ” To Everything There Is A Season”. This block, The Rose Kaleidoscope, is relatively easy and is one of my favorites!
I launched this BOM two months ago. Thanks to everyone who has purchased the patterns! This is what is available so far….
Block 1 – The Spring Urn
Block 2 – The Hummingbird
All of the blocks are available on my website. When you purchase the block, I will send you the link to the file within 24 hours (usually much sooner). I use Dropbox so that I can send the files from anywhere. Once you download the file, you can print it out. If you would rather not print the pattern yourself, for a few dollars extra, I will mail you a full sized pattern. Both options are on my website.
Til next time…
Kerry
Simple Bird Applique 