Sew Karen-ly Created...

If you have arrived here via a link (such as to a tutorial) click on "Sew Karen-ly Created" to return to the latest blog post. I invite you to my website to see a gallery of quilts and patterns available for purchase.
Comments are always appreciated, simply click the word "comments" at the end of each post to leave your message. Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, 7 February 2011

Valentine Sewing

My last post ended with this picture of a pile of silk scraps in colours appropriate for Valentine's Day. Hmmm...what shall I make? Here's what I came up with: a quilted heart sachet/pillow and a flax-and-lavender-filled eye mask, which can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer. I was less than 2 hours from start to finish, including time spent figuring out the designs.
I started with the square heart sachet, and drew a simple shape on paper. It's a little wonky, but that suits me; it's only a rough guide, after all. I stitch much better than I draw.
Then I added some feathery looking scrolls and do-dads around the heart.
The silk was thin enough that I could see to trace the design when I held it against a window. Several marking pens were tried before I settled on a blue, water soluble marker with a soft, thick tip. The fine tipped ones dragged on the silk.
I layered the red silk on a scrap of wool batting and free motion quilted following the marked lines. YLI silk thread was used on the top and regular cotton sewing thread on the bottom. You can see I am not very close to some of those lines :) Originally I planned to add cross hatching in the centre of the heart but decided I liked the way it was puffing up.
The markings were washed off and the heart was left to dry; I moved on to making the mask.
I spent some time figuring out the shape of the mask. I considered tracing around the black part of this Hallowe'en mask and adding an inch or so to make it larger...
...but in the end I found the largest pair of sunglasses around, traced the general shape and added a good inch or so all around. I made the top edge straight across.
Because the China silk was so thin, it needed medium weight fusible interfacing.
It was ironed to the back of the silk.
The template was used to cut two layers, a front and back.
Then the pieces were sewn right sides together, leaving an opening at each side: a small one to add elastic, and a larger one to allow turning.
The curves were clipped along the bottom and at the nose piece.
The mask was turned and pressed - carefully, because silk does not take a hot iron well.
The elastic was cut rather loosely, as this isn't anything you want tight around your head when sleeping. 13" seemed a good length. This lingerie elastic has a pretty picot edging which seemed appropriate. I slipped it in the smaller opening and topstitched it closed.
Through the large opening, I added flax and lavender. It was tricky to decide how much, and I may have gone a little overboard on this part, but I ended up using about 1 cup of flax and 1/4 cup of lavender. The flax is just the regular grocery store kind found in the cereal aisle at Sobeys and the lavender came from the health food store in Sackville, N.B. It smells wonderful.
The opening was then stitched shut. I also stitched across the nose piece, just to keep the contents from shifting too much from side to side.
To dress it up, a little ribbon rose was added to the centre. Ta da - all done!
By now the quilted heart was dry, so I placed it face down on a piece of silk lining and stitched around the edge, leaving about a 4" opening on one edge to turn.
A chopstick was used to gently coax out the corners and then the sachet was stuffed with leftover bits of wool batting with lavender mixed in.
It's about 6" square...and smells wonderful!
I plan to make more of these masks as they were very simple to do and will make a nice little gift...useful on those sleepless nights we all have when planning our next quilt.

Saturday, 5 February 2011

A Fabric Buying Excursion

Yesterday Lynn called to invite me to go to Moncton, N.B. with her. It was a beautiful day, with the snow sparkling in the sunshine. We visited both quilt shops in Moncton - The Covered Bridge Quiltery and The Fabric Cupboard before stopping for an unusual lunch. At the latter stop I picked up this hockey print which will fit perfectly in my blue and cream log cabin.
I admit I was drawn to the Canadian flag on one of the jerseys. This also gives me another cool selvedge strip to add to my almost-ready-to-be-sewn collection.
Between the two shops, I ended up with six Fat Quarters, a very modest purchase considering all the gorgeous prints on display. They are now cut into 2" strips waiting to be sewn. This morning I gleaned red, rose, pink and white pieces from my boxes of silks and hope to make something heart-felt for Valentine's. The design is roughed out in my head but not on the computer as yet. I would be interested in hearing if others are drawn to including silk in their patchwork. The haptic and visual qualities of working with silk are very appealing; my hands and eyes find great reward.
With more snow in the forecast for later today and tomorrow, there should be some cosy sewing time.

Thursday, 3 February 2011

One Is A Cardinal Number

...and that's how many cardinals I saw in the birch tree this morning - one! I was thrilled to look out on the snow and see Mrs. Cardinal surveying the feeders. Naturally by the time I got the camera, she had flown but it's great to know she is back in town. Where there is a Mrs. there is always a Mr. Cardinal as well.
It was fun to wake up and see the new snowfall which covered Nova Scotia.
35 cm is what we received.
Yesterday it was cosy and warm inside and I spent the day working on a scrappy blue and cream log cabin. I am just about half way along in the piecing and adding to it here and there as time permits.

(and yes, the strip of green is meant to be there - for a special reason!)

Tuesday, 1 February 2011

Around The Table

Drum roll please... It's been a while in the works, but finally it's ready to show. Around The Table is the latest design to join the Sew Karen-ly Created... pattern line. The wedge shaped mats resolve the awkward issue of rectangular placemats on round tables. The star design in the centrepiece carries through the individual placemats and radiates to the outer edge. Around The Table is sewn in Benartex's Forever Spring line by Nancy Halvorson.
The round centre is foundation pieced. Templates for the placemats are full sized, printed on oversize paper (thus no taping or pinning together). The placemats go together very quickly, with only three large pieces. The 19" x 12-1/2" placemats allow ample room for a dinner plate.If you'd like to purchase the pattern For Around The Table, it is available here or ask your local quilt shop to order it in. Check back shortly as there will soon be pictures of the set shown in alternate colourways. The helper "elves" are busy stitching now!
This design grew out of a conversation with quilter Rosa from Ohio, which I mentioned in a previous post. Rosa if you are reading this, could you kindly email me please? I lost your email address (and many others!) in the big crash of 1/11...

Sunday, 30 January 2011

Snow, Bees, and Optimism

Cumberland County, Nova Scotia has enjoyed much snow this winter. (OK... so maybe I can't speak for the whole county when I say that...but I am enjoying the snow!) Today hubby and I decided to check on the hives to see how the bees are faring.
In the winter, we are unable to drive into the field where the bees are kept. Normally we drive in on a dirt road part of the way and hike in from there. Today we found that road had not been ploughed so we had to hike a little further, climb a barbed wire fence, and then...this mountain of snow. We sunk into the soft snow almost up to our hips. It was hard and slow...and lots of fun!
As we neared the hives, we spotted evidence of winter cleansing flights the bees had taken, some more successfully than others.
The hives themselves were secure and cozy. Many bees were flying around to greet us. All is well.
On the drive home, we spotted this car in a driveway....a little MG, top down, and a toboggan in the backseat. You have to love the optimism of youth!

Saturday, 29 January 2011

Joan's Meadow Song

This is Joan's Meadow Song, which she began in my workshop last fall at Fibre Arts Festival.

Her colour selection is gorgeous, making those little pinwheels dance across the face of the quilt. I am expecting to see another version soon, as I know Mary is working away on hers (feeling pressured now, Mary? :) The pattern for my Meadow Song quilt appeared in the spring 2010 issue of Quilter's Connection magazine.

Friday, 28 January 2011

Winter Sunshine

Jeannine Damstetter of Gardner, Masachusetts sent in this bright and cheerful version of Yuletide Jewel. Imagination is a wonderful thing; Jeannine saw this as a dream catcher and chose her colours with that in mind. (Her grandson turned it sideways and said it looked like an eyeball! :) Like elsewhere along the east coast, Massachusetts has seen their share of snow this winter and Jeannine's colour scheme is a cheerful boost of winter sunshine. Jeannine kindly commented on how simple the instructions were to follow. Next up for Jeannine is my Oriental Beauty and we will watch to see her unique interpretation of that design. The pattern for Yuletide Jewel is available from my website, or ask at your local quilt shop. Thanks Jeannine for doing such a spectacular job!

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Farrago Blossoms Underwater

I just love when folks send in pictures of quilts they've made from my patterns; I learn and grow each time. These pictures of Farrago came from online quilt friend Joanne Colleaux from Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada.

Here's what Joanne wrote about her quilt:
"In the last 10 days, I had time to make my Farrago project. I'm very pleased - a lot of work, but worth it. I liked the blue-green palette that you and Carol Griffin used, and the fabric placements that she used to get the star points. My goal was to feature several fabrics that I'd purchased to commemorate great visits to the Atlanta and Newport Aquariums. Only the turtles didn't make the cut. Rather than try and piece those really deep arcs (which I was sure was beyond my skill level) I machine appliquéd the dark value narrow bands. I used freezer paper templates for pressing over the starched edges. I was pleased that I'd purchased your arc foundations - the paper was very easy to remove. In terms of the quilting, I took my cues from photos you posted of your work with various NYB pieces. Why mess with success?"
It really is beautiful, Joanne; thank you so much for sharing pictures as well as your process.

Friday, 14 January 2011

Pictou County Beauties

Just look at these beauties from Pictou County, Nova Scotia! (and check out their quilts, too :)

Anne Mattie (on the left) and Wilma Jenkins have been busily working on their Maritime Beauty table toppers. As you can see, Wilma varied the centre of hers for a terrific look, pieced in colourful batiks. Wilma and I have only met through email as yet, but I had the pleasure of meeting Anne last August at the Northumberland Quilt Show at the DeCoste Centre in Pictou. I understand these ladies have a couple more projects up their sleeves, so we will look forward to seeing more pictures. Great job, Anne and Wilma! I hope all readers will click the word "comments" at the bottom of this post to let Anne and Wilma know you have enjoyed looking at their work. You do not need a Blogger account to leave a comment, simply click "anonymous".

Thursday, 13 January 2011

No Treadmilling Today

Here's what I am working on for the next little bit...along with everyone else in the Maritimes! 30 cm of beautiful white snow. Fortunately school is cancelled so I have helpers.

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Black Clouds and Silver Linings

If anyone out there has ever wondered if it's possible for a household to fry two motherboards in a single day...I'm here to tell you the answer is "yes". Desktop and laptop both bit the dust in two unrelated, unfortunate (shmelting) incidents. Bad Karma indeed...

Lynn to the rescue, with a very snazzy loaner until things are sorted back to rights. The good far outweighed the bad today. Thank you, Lynn. for being such a stress reliever.

Friday, 7 January 2011

Sew Much Fun

Because I had a magazine deadline to meet in December, there wasn't much time left to make gifts. The lavender socks were given away prematurely, with only one knit...although they did include a promise for a second to match. (thanks for your understanding, Nancy :) Thinking about what could be made quickly, I remembered the nifty "Humbug Bags" that the Bernina Lady was demonstrating at her visit last July. I rummaged through my zipper box and came up with a pink and a navy zipper and went looking for fabrics to match. This brightly coloured scrap of a Benartex batik was perfect for a pretty bag.
I simply layered it with a scrap of wool batting and a piece of matching lining, and free motion quilted around the butterflies in the print.
With the addition of the zipper, a hanging loop, and a seam across both ends, it was done.
I made mine the size of one I had received from Lynn, as it's perfect for my iPod and I thought the recipient might find a similar use.
They are neat little bags as they sit upright on their bottom. (Like me :)
It went together so quickly, there was time to make one more. For this one I chose a pretty Kaufman oriental print for the top and another as a contrasting lining. I did all over quilting using blue variegated YLI Ultrasheen thread.
Here's the lining:
I was unsuccessful in locating a bag of humbugs to put inside, but these kisses worked well. By strange coincidence, the recipient of this bag included a bag of humbugs in her gift to my son! She's obviously a better shopper than I am.
With Christmas behind us, I am back to work on a set of mats to fit a round table. I mentioned in a previous post that Rosa from Ohio and I have been chatting this project over and discussing sizes, shapes, etc. The design has gone through several drafts and revisions to reach this stage, and Rosa has not yet seen my final version. I got to see Rosa's this morning. A few minutes ago I started doing the straight line quilting in the ditch on the centrepiece and am now ready to tackle some free motion. The fabric is Forever Spring by Nancy Halvorsen for Benartex. After this are 4 placemats to layer, baste, quilt and bind.

Monday, 3 January 2011

Special Gifts

We were blessed to have special gifts under our tree this holiday season, many hand made, others chosen with great effort especially for us. One in particular bears mentioning. I was surprised and delighted to open this parcel from my brother. It is an antique German toy sewing machine, in near perfect condition. He spotted this at an auction in October at the home of the late Edna Sutherland of River John, N.S. The home had been in the family since the early 1800's and there were many original pieces. The little sewing machine is exquisite. The hand crank turns perfectly and the machine stitches as it was intended many years ago. There is not a bit of rust on the machine; it has obviously been well loved and cared for.
The machine even has the original needle. It was fun to thread the machine, turn the crank and imagine the delight this brought a child many years ago. It certainly delights this child. Thanks, LR.
Another less tangible but still appreciated gift was one of good travelling weather over the Christmas season. The skiff of snow we had allowed us to visit and our house guests to return safely home without issue. Today the back yard is Christmas-card pretty. We awoke to 15 cm of snow.
No doubt it will be all cleared off in time for the students to return to class tomorrow but if not...well, not many would object to the gift of another day off school.

Saturday, 1 January 2011

New Year, New Beginning

Inspiration is everywhere. I wonder who will be the first to transpose this new ball in Times Square into a quilt? These 32,256 rainbow LED lights projected through Waterford Crystal triangles would look gorgeous expressed in batiks sashed with black Kona cotton. Any takers? :)
Personal expression, interpretation and putting our own spin on things are important considerations for quilters. I was thrilled to read Joan's blog this morning and see how she has interpreted my Meadow Song design. It was a wonderful beginning to my year. I hope yours has also begun in such a positive way.
Happy 2011 to all.

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

I Love Surprises!

This morning the mailman delivered an envelope with an unfamiliar return address, from Fredericton N.B. Hmmm...who could it be from? The picture of holly on the front of the card was a bit of a giveaway, as I recognized it from this blog post. It was from Linda. (Can you tell I love holly?)
When I opened the card, a little tissue wrapped packet slipped out. I wonder what's inside?
Saint Nick! I had been hopeful of winning this fellow when Linda had a give away on her blog but alas, I was not successful. Well...until now! He is absolutely beautiful, pictures really do not convey how exquisite these sticheries are.
Saint Nick is alreay hanging on the tree. Many thanks Linda for your thoughtfulness, and for providing a wonderful Christmas surprise.

Sunday, 19 December 2010

A Little Christmas Fun

This week in the mail I received a card which caused me to laugh right out loud. It was a group picture of the crew from Shelburne taken during one of the Fibre Arts Festival workshops, fashioned into a Christmas card. It made me laugh as I had jokingly referred to "our Christmas card photo" back in the post I wrote at that time. Sheila remembered the comment and went to the effort of getting the card made. Thanks so much, Sheila; that's one for the album for sure. Little fun surprises like this are a big part of the joy of Christmas.

In that spirit, here's a little surprise for Rosa from Ohio. Rosa and I have been corresponding about a new design for some wedge placemats to fit her round table. To test the size and the accuracy of my templates, Rosa stitched up this sample with material she had on hand. She was pleased with her results and it will become a gift for a toddler friend. I hope you enjoy sharing your workmanship with the world, Rosa!

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

Sew and Tell

This Maritime Beauty was stitched by Sheila Smith from Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Sheila was part of a spirited vanload of quilters from Shelburne County who attended my workshop at the Fibre Arts Festival in October. Her guild worked on a foundation pieced project last month and that was enough to get Sheila in gear to try her Beauty. The group intends to do more foundation projects in the new year, so we will watch to see the results. Great job on the Maritime Beauty, Sheila, and with the machine quilting. Impressive indeed! I really like when the colours are placed to allow the centre square to stand out; in my eye, it makes a nice foil for the curves and spikes. Please click on "comments" at the end of this post to tell Sheila you stopped by to admire her lovely work.

For the second Sew and Tell, you'll have to skip over to Gail's blog to see her latest Yuletide Jewel.

Edit: 10 am This picture just in from a friend's iPhone, taken at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton, N.S. It is very cool to see Canadian Heritage Quilting sharing shelf space with two other Maritime quilt classics. How wonderful!