Desiderata

Posting this final project of 2019 as an Island Batik Ambassador is bittersweet, as it is in fact my last project as an Ambassador...at least for now.

The theme for this month could not be more perfect for me:

Explore the world of 3D using your creative talents for this month’s challenge. Bring your inner artist out by using optical illusions, textures, trapunto or whatever else will make your quilt pop into life!

Over the years I have explored many facets of 3D and illusion, and taught workshops on isometric perspective using 60 degree angles.  If interested, you can see lots of samples here.  Three years ago, my bucket list was down to two remaining projects, both involving optical illusion.  This Global Warming quilt, with it's very clever construction technique, was the first one off that list.  It is still one of my favourites.  It was such a leap of faith to sew all that patchwork and then take scissors and cut a big circle out of the middle of the quilt!  But it worked, and brilliantly.

Finally, I tackled the mother of all optical illusion quilts,"Through The Lens", designed by Ukrainian quilter Mezhibovskaya Valery Vadimovna, who blogs under the name lerusisik. 

Polly was as boggled making that one as I was!

For this month's final challenge I decided to keep it simple and piece a very basic optical illusion, the type we first learn to draw in grade school art class. In the Island Batik box which arrived in July, there were generous cuts of solid black, white and grey batiks provided, and I knew these would be perfect.  I used the black and white (along with some blenders) for the front, and the grey for the quilt back.

Products used in this project were supplied to me by Island Batik, Hobbs, and Aurifil as part of the Ambassador program.

I taped plain freezer paper sections together to give me a 24" square, and drafted my very simple design in pencil.  (Two lessons learned here:  do NOT use scotch tape if you plan to iron the freezer paper to your fabric (it melts)...and be sure to draw with a fine, black sharpie, as those pencil lines smear and are hard to see later on.)

I located my focal point dead centre by drawing an X from corner to corner, and then ran my seam lines to this point.  The numbering makes it look complicated, but in reality it's the opposite, as it keeps things in a logical order.

And of course, Polly was there to double check my work.

Since that original X gave me 45 degree angles in each corner, I used these as dividing lines for my floor, ceiling, and walls and pieced each section separately.

It was slow, but satisfying, when the seams matched. This shows the floor section completed.

When the first wall is added, you can really start to see the 3-D effect.Notice that although the patchwork appears a bit wonky, the bottom and left side edge are straight on the cutting mat.

I confess it was a very satisfying moment to find this patchwork measured a perfect 24" square when it was sewn! :) You will see I didn't bother to take the patchwork all the way into the centre, since there a sphere to be appliquéd there later.  Doing it this way prevented a lump of seams.

Hobbs "Thermore" batting was chosen as it is thin but still provides loft.  I like it a lot for wallhangings and table mats.

A plain black border was added on all sides, and the quilting kept very plain.  Using Aurifil clear monofilament, I stitched lines radiating from the centre to the edge in both the floor and ceiling, and stippled every-other block in the walls in matching black and white Aurifil 50 weight.  Dove Grey 2600 in the bobbin was a perfect match for the grey backing.

To make the spheres, I traced circles onto coloured batiks, drew equally-spaced curved lines, and layered with scraps of Thermore. I used black Aurifil 50 weight thread to zigzag the lines. 

Because the squares of the chequerboard design were too small to appliqué, I opted instead to colour them in using Aurifil 12 weight thread, stitched free motion between the zigzag lines. (You can see I shaded in the sections before stitching so I wouldn't get off-track and colour the wrong ones.)  It worked brilliantly and was MUCH faster than doing applique.

I backed the circles with plain black batik and stitched completely around each.  I cut an X in the back and turned the circle to the right side. Any black that showed around the edges when I pressed would create a dark shadow line, perfect to reinforce the illusion.

Once the spheres were stitched, they were hand appliquéd on top of the background. 

When photographed on a very dark, snowy day, the centre and front sphere appear to be the same colour, however in real life one is brown and the other is  bright orange.

I decided to add a blue just for a bit of colour.   I may change out the centre for a brighter yellow...but for now, I am happy with this.

Even though it's a very simple piece, I am pleased with how it turned out.  The Island Batik fabric is a great choice for doing black and white patchwork as it doesn't fray so there are no stray threads of black ghosting through under the white.

My sincerest thanks to Island Batik, Aurifil thread, Hobbs batting, and Accuquilt for being such generous sponsors for this fabulous 2019 Island Batik Ambassador program. It saddens me to leave, but I have no doubt that the universe is unfolding as it should. Thank you for following along on the journey.

Please visit my fellow Ambassadors to see their final projects for the year:

Carolina Asmussen ~Carolina Asmussen

Gene Black ~ Gene Black

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Connie K Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River

Anja Clyke ~ Anja Quilts

Tina Dillard ~ Quilting Affection Designs

Becca Fenstermaker ~Pretty Piney

Jennifer Fulton ~ Inquiring Quilter

Barbara Gaddy ~ Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Dione Gardner-Stephen ~ Clever Chameleon

Sarah Goer ~ Sarah Goer Quilts

Vasudha Govindan ~ Storied Quilts

Lori Haase ~ Dakota City Quilter II

Joanne Hart ~ Unicornharts

Mania (Magdalini) Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for Quilts

Carla Henton ~ Create in the Sticks

Stephanie Jacobson ~ Steph Jacobson Designs

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Joan Kawano ~ Moosestash Quilting

Kim Lapacek ~ Persimon Dreams

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Leanne Parsons ~ Devoted Quilter

Bea Lee ~ BeaQuilter

Toby Lischko ~ Gateway Quilts & Stuff

Bill Locke ~ Studio Bill Locke

Denise Looney ~ For the Love of Geese

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Sally Manke ~ Sally Manke

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack's Blog

Kathleen McCormick ~ Kathleen McMusing

Carol Moellers ~ Carol Moellers Designs

Karen Neary ~ Sew Karen-ly Created

Lisa Nielsen ~ Lisa Lisa and the Quilt Jam

Jackie O’Brien ~ If These Threads Could Talk

Laura Piland ~ Slice of Pi Quilts

Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde

Vicki Schlimmer ~ Vicki's Crafts and Quilting

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Sherry Shish ~ Powered by Quilting

Anita Skjellanger ~ Quilt in a not-Shell

Laticia "Tish" Stemple ~ Tish's Adventures in Wonderland

Jennifer Strauser ~ Dizzy Quilter

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations

Terri Vanden Bosch ~ Lizard Creek Quilts

Alison Vermilya ~ Little Bunny Quilts

Sandra Walker ~ mmm! quilts

Suzy Webster ~ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

(Debora) Anne Wiens ~ Seams like a Plan

Geraldine Wilkins ~ Living Water Quilter

Janet Yamamoto ~ Whispers of Yore

Stitch Witchery

The witching hour is fast approaching, and this little stitchery is a fun and easy project you can whip up in no time!

Optical illusions fascinate me, and this super simple drawing trick is one we learned in elementary school.  I started out with plain white Kona cotton, and 12 weight Aurifil cotton thread. It stitches beautifully with a size 100/16 topstitch needle. Regular 50 weight cotton was used in the bobbin.

I began by tracing the outline of my left hand on the fabric with a removable marker.

 Then I added straight horizontal lines across the background. 

 The lines were stitched once, but I did a double pass on the hand to make it more distinct.

 Stitching slightly curved lines within the hand itself gives it a raised illusion.

Just to be a bit gruesome...I added a little stitching with red thread at the bottom of the wrist for effect.

 I think this would be a fun way to quilt a background in a Hallowe'en quilt!

You can watch a You Tube video here for inspiration on drawing the hand.  The 12 weight thread is available from my online store.  Happy Hallowe'en!

I Got The Blues...

No, not that kind of "blues" - the good kind.  The Aurifil thread kind!

So many shades of blue are now in stock, including # 1320 which is the signature Aurifil blue, used in their logo and packaging.

I also have 3 different weights (50, 28, and 12) of the shade of blue used in the Canada 150 logo, for those stitching sesquicentennial projects. (and by the way...did you know that "Canada 150" is part of the logo and needs to be included every time?)

The 28 weight is great for satin stitching:

The 12 weight can be used for either hand or machine embroidery.  You can find these threads here.

Embroidered Sailboat Quilt

The stitching day last Friday at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium went very smoothly, and I thank all who turned out to watch me free motion embroider this little sailboat quilt. With a size 16 topstitch needle in the Bernina, and blue 12 weight Aurifil thread, it took no time at all to stitch up this adorable quilt. (Apologies for the photos; it's winter in Nova Scotia, and the light is a bit of a challenge.)

I used a stencil to mark the sailboats, which were stitched in the heavy thread.  Borders and outlining were done free motion using Aurifil 50 weight.

Some folks were keen to stick around and watch the binding process, so I stayed and did the whole thing (luckily, I had made the binding at home and tucked it in my bag just in case.) 

When I packed up to come home after hours of stitching, I popped up the throat plate on the machine intending to clean out the fuzz from the thread.  There wasn't any. Not a speck. I'll talk more about that in another blog post :) 

It measures 38" x 44", which is a nice, generous size for a baby quilt. Mrs Pugsley's has this fabric available in her shop, and will include  free directions as well. This quilt is available for purchase from me if you aren't inclined to make your own. Remember that I also stock and sell Aurifil threads, and have a good supply of colours and weights currently in stock.
Thank you to Beth and Jackie of Mrs Pugsley's Emporium for being such wonderful hosts for a fun day.

Zentangles With Aurifil

Last week on a visit to my sister's, my niece Christina showed me the grown-up colouring book she got for Christmas. The book is the artwork of the very talented Nova Scotian artist, Rachelle Richards, who sketches in a very Zentangle-ish manner. I was particularly taken with this owl, as the loops she had drawn in his feathers reminded me of clam shells;  I kept thinking, "I can quilt that!" So I did..using four different weights of Aurifil thread - 12 weight for the shape outlines, and 28, 40, and 50 weights for filler stitching.

As you can see, I didn't follow Rachelle's lines, as her drawing is much more detailed than I cared to stitch, but I kept the picture beside me as I worked and stitched the fillers free-hand.  What fun!

I contacted Rachelle for permission to show the above image, and she graciously agreed.  Her business operates under the clever name of RRRTWERK  (it took me a minute to get that; you have to use your pirate voice *-)  Rachelle has several adult colouring books available for purchase;  you can see more of her work on her Facebook page: https://m.facebook.com/RRRtwerk 

Thanks, Rachelle, for allowing me to play with one of your designs.

The project is a great way to show off the effect of using different threads - bold to subtle.  Mrs Pugsley has invited me to bring the threads, and my machine, to her shop next Friday (February 5th), where I will be stitching up a storm (not literally, I hope!)  In the next post, I will show you what I will be stitching that day.

Now...hop on over to Rachelle's Facebook page for some inspiration!

Red Work Holly

I've been doing more stitching with the Aurifil 12 weight thread and am really excited with the results.  I've long been an admirer of Red Work, but uncooperative fingers don't allow me to do much hand embroidering.  Doing it free motion is incredibly quick and easy, and very satisfying. Red Work is so feminine, you can't help but love the delicate look. I decided to stitch out a Christmas wreath I had designed a few years ago.  For the first run through, I only did the centre section, thinking it will make a sweet cushion.  A little red piping on the edge  will frame it nicely.

Since it turned out so well, I added some patchwork chequerboard, pieced with a solid red and white from Michael Miller's Cotton Couture line. The needle thread for the Red Work is Aurifil 12 weight and in the bobbin is Aurifil 50 weight, both in my favourite 2250 bright red. I traced the design with a red FriXXion pen (and hope that won't come back to haunt me...) Then I layered the top with wool batting, and a polka dot backing.

I timed the stitching of the centre heart:  3-1/2 minutes, which included a stop to take a couple of pictures.

When I finished the lines in red, I switched to a 50 weight white cotton thread and quilted the piece as usual.

A plain narrow red binding frames the edge.

I've stitched it three times now, each version quilted a little differently. As easy as it was to stitch, it was certainly not easy to photograph.  By our holly hedge seemed a logical spot, but the yard was shaded and the stitching doesn't show well.

This one on the table is a little clearer, and you can see how nicely the stitching looks.  You would never know it wasn't hand embroidered.

Thank you to Cheryl Coville for her help in proof-reading the instructions. You can download the pattern for Red Work Holly here or order a printed copy from my website. I'd love for you to try this method and let me know what you think!

Aurifil 12 weight - Clinical Trials

I finally got a chance to play with the Aurifil 12 weight thread I ordered in.  I am excited by the possibilities wound in each spool.  I've sewn with 12 weight thread before, but never successfully through the needle - it always ended up having to go in the bobbin, and my work stitched upside-down. This Aurifil thread is different.  I gingerly started stitching some samples to test it out.  I didn't even have to adjust the tension on the machine.

The thread has a silky finish which goes easily through a size 100/16 Topstitch needle.

Free motion embroidery with this thread holds lots of promise.  I traced a simple design onto white cotton and layered it with tear-away stabilizer.

Not bad for a first attempt! Honestly, it's way better than I could have stitched by hand...and literally done in minutes.  I can see some cute Red Work Christmas ornaments in my future.

Blue Work is fun too.

This time instead of doing it with stabilizer, I added batting and backing and quilted through the layers. You can see where I checked the thread tension on the side - again, no adjustment needed.

I had this basket block on hand, so I added a bit of embroidery to jazz it up.

This gorgeous straw-gold colour reminded me of grape tendrils, so I dug out some grapes leftover from a liturgical project. (nothing gets thrown out :))

What an easy way to add quilting and embellishment at the same time.

 The thicker thread has much more impact than a 50 weight.

So far, I have the 12 weight thread available for sale in red, black, gold, blue, white, and leaf green.  I used the latter on a quilt which will appear in the winter issue of Quilter's Connection. Obviously, I can't show that quilt online as yet, but I will have it with me at the Zonta Bazaar on October 17.  Next post I will show more Red Work. (I am going to have free-motion embroidery on everything in the house!!)