F-Bee-I

Here's where the bees are currently, up to their antennae in wild blueberry blossoms.

Bee heaven!

Trouble Your Troubles

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”  (Dr. Suess)

Oh my...I've been avoiding looking at this antependium all week because I don't like the shape;  the top needs to be trimmed to accentuate that the design forms a cross but I just don't want to take the scissors to it again.  I trimmed the bottom section last week and am reasonably happy with it (although it took three full days before I looked at it again after I did that!)

I had hoped to leave the top section straight up to the hanging rod so that it would be well supported, but it makes the whole piece look top heavy.  Like an engineer designing a building, my plan B now is to double up the beam across the centre to carry the weight (i.e. if needed, I will add a sleeve with a rod across the centre to make sure it does not curl on the pulpit.) I've marked where I need to trim to make it match the curves in the bottom part;  now I just need the courage to pick up my scissors.  I don't have a big bat, Dr. Suess...but I have sharp scissors.

“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.”  

Local Quilter's Connection

A heads up for local quilters:  I am very pleased to say that Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium is now carrying Quilter's Connection Magazine!  Previously, non-subscribers had to drive to Moncton to pick up the latest issue.  Kudos to Mrs. P. for listening to what quilters want and for bringing this fabulous publication to our doorsteps.

Sweet As Honey

I mentioned last week that Scrapmaster Linda visited Amherst. Bee-ing her thoughtful self, she brought along some sweet gifts.  I love the colour of the napkins, and her FQ is a perfect match. Notice that it`s tied with a selvedge from a bee print.  She even fancied up a gift bag with bee motifs.

Included in the bag was this adorable fabric postcard

I will add this to my extensive (ha!) collection of ATC`s, which brings the total number to 3.  

The others are an Anne card made by Cynthia Mitro-Richardson as a thank-you from the London Friendship Quilter`s Guild, and an awesome NYB card made by Kate from Kanata.
Thank you Linda for your thoughtfulness.

California Dreamin'

The VW Bus fabric I got at Mrs. Pugsley's and showed on my last post is sewn up and ready to be delivered for Father's Day.

My husband has had a life-long dream of owning a Westfalia, a tricked-out Volkswagen camper van. Never mind they stopped making them in '79, there are still lots on the road today.  It's not likely that this dream of his will be realized any time soon;  these days we seem to choose our vehicles based on how many beehives will fit in the back...but the fabric is perfect for a pillowcase, where he can motor around in his dreams.
The print on the fabric was running crosswise but I had purchased enough that this was not a problem (if you encounter a similar situation, purchase one metre - 40" instead of 27")

Originally I intended to trim it in bright red but decided that was more my taste than his.  He's a plain, vanilla kind of guy so I went with a pristine white Cotton Couture by Michael Miller for the cuff.

 He hasn't received it yet so shhhh....

Our sky is grey...what's it like in Californa, Marilyn?

It's Hard Not to Hoard Fabric...

I went to Mrs P's and bought fabric...I didn't need these fabrics but I sure did want them.  VW buses, antique sewing machines, a newspaper print (in French no less) -  it's so hard to resist.

I have no clue what I will make from any of them, but this newsprint by Stof  has intrigued me since I first saw it. When Linda was in town earlier this week, she sent me into a bit of a panic when I saw her heading to the cutting table with this bolt balanced on top of her pile.  I was afraid she was going to buy it all (she's like that, you know...) so I made sure I got some in case she comes back for the rest.  (She says she won't, but you just can't trust that woman around fabric...)

This one is called "And Sew On" by Henry Glass.  Frankly, I don't need to make anything from it, just having it to admire is satisfying. All those beautiful vintage machines with their black Japan finish and scroll-work details on a red background is perfection.

It goes nicely with my sewing machine collection...which includes this toy hand crank (a gift from my brother) as well as four Featherweights.  Surely it makes more fiscal sense to buy machine fabric rather than another machine...?

A wee hold up

The quilting has gone ok on the silk antependium - not perfect, but I wasn't shooting for perfect.  The scheme has been revised a bit and I've decided not to add multiple lines of cross hatching in the centre, but rather a single diagonal line.  In reality, there's only  2" of space there so this allows a bit of dimension to the surface.

As much as I was hoping to have this finished up by the end of the week, I have run short of fabric for the binding so will need a trip out of town to find some more white silk. (Imagine: an excuse to buy fabric...and as you will see in the next post, I`ve already added to my stash this week)

Decisions, Decisions...

The wedding antependium has been pieced and ready for quilting for a few days but I have been pondering my options on how to proceed.  Silk is a different animal than cotton and needs special treatment.  Using scraps of the white dupioni, I tested several different markers and left them overnight.  The purple air soluble was as bright the next day as when it was applied which is very odd.   It took a fair bit of soaking in warm water to remove the blue water soluble one, and even a bit of scrubbing for the Crayola washable marker to disappear.  The FriXXion leaves a distinct white mark which in this case is not horrible as it is a white fabric but even so I hesitate to use it...just in case.  I've decided in my typical fools-rush-in fashion that I will free hand the quilting and not mark anything.  I drew out my spaces full sized and doodled a simple design which I think I can do. 

I *think* if I eyeball the curve and make the feathers fit an imaginary boundary it will be ok.  Humility quilting for sure...A piece of masking tape across the centre point will give a temporary line to follow for the first straight line which the edge of the presser foot can then echo for the cross-hatching. Last evening was spent practicing the design on the full sized pattern.  Thankfully, I quilt better than I draw as my fingers no longer hold a pen well.  Polly watched jealously all the attention that paper was commanding.

Naturally, when I laid it on the floor to take a picture she saw her opportunity to claim it as hers.

The actual piece is hanging up out of Polly's reach or I am sure she would have that too...

(Blogger turned the picture sideways so you'll have to tip your head over to see it correctly!)  Some collective finger-crossing would be appreciated for the quilting because it cannot be ripped out successfully if it doesn't work.  I would have to start the piece over from scratch.  Oh, my...

DWR Appliqué

Making it up as you go along means you have to be open to "let's try this and see it if works."  So far so good.  Having never made a Double Wedding Ring (DWR) before I was unsure if it would be tricky to line up the rings for easy matching.  I decided that logically the rings would meet at a 45° angle in the corner.

It was a snap to put them together (sometimes that's not a good sign!)  It took three full days to appliqué the rings onto the squares;  working with silk is very slow...and slippery!

After the rings were appliquéd, I held my breath and began to join the blocks into rows.  Thankfully, the rings matched up easily.

These seams will all be pressed open with a damp press cloth and then the rows will be joined together.  It's exciting when it starts to come together!

Apple Blossom Time

Yesterday on the way to the bees we passed this spectacular apple tree, just covered in blossoms.

What made it even more spectacular was the fact it was planted next to a red  maple.  How Canadian.

 The contrast in colours really made both stand out.

I'd like to think hubby's bees had something to do with the successful pollination...but those aren't bees in the blossoms.

Our own apple tree in the back yard is just beginning to bud;  I am surprised this one is so far ahead.  This is the weekend of the annual Apple Blossom Festival in Kentville.  I hope there are as many blossoms in the Annapolis Valley as in Nappan!

Expect the unexpected

A funny thing happened yesterday...A few days ago I stopped in to a shop to drop off an item for service and was to return in two days' time to pick it up.  I hadn't seen the woman who waited on me for some time and we chatted a bit to catch up.  When I returned she greeted me with, "I have a surprise for you!" and handed me this spool of thread.  It took me a long moment...and then a light bulb came on.  We both started laughing.

Years ago I had made napkins using this variegated thread on the rolled edge.  She admired the thread so I gave her a spool.  She promised to return it after she made her napkins...but they never got made and the thread sat all this time.  How much time?  Hmmm...Our kids were little and I was teaching Sunday School ...it must be 16 years ago.  Look at the price!

I love the unexpected.  This was such a good laugh!

Linking Rings

In addition to gold, there are three other shades of silk being used to form the design on the pure white background:  champagne, cream and ivory (no hubby, those words don't all mean the same thing *-). The colours are pale at the edge and intensify towards the centre.   It's slow going but the process is enjoyable.

Wedding Antependium Begun

In the past I didn't show pictures of the paraments as they were being sewn, waiting instead until the congregation had seen them.  As this one is for weddings, I don't think that's really a consideration anymore as it won't be presented as a beginning to a new church season.  I hope I am not breaking any rules!

Because the design is based on a traditional double wedding ring block, there were lots of choices to be made about how best to approach the construction.  Generally the blocks are pieced, but appliquéing the rings is also an option and that's the method I chose.  Within that discipline, I also had to consider if I would appliqué individual blocks or simply do the rings on a wholecloth background.  I decided to do individual blocks;  this way will allow me to combine patchwork and appliqué in the construction...and also help define my space for quilting.  I began by applying a featherweight fusible interfacing to the back of the silk habotai. The antependium needs to hang straight on the pulpit so having the piece a bit stiff is an advantage.

These are new silk pins so they are nice and sharp;  notice the pins only go in the seam allowance.  They can leave holes in the delicate silk.

I also bought new scissors and they are awesomely sharp!  They are identical to my old ones, so a special thank you to Lesley who gave me the cute little scissors fob. It makes it easy to see which pair to pick up.

I cut freezer paper templates with the seam allowance removed, ironed them to the back of the interfaced silk and using a glue stick, folded the edges under.  I clipped the concave curve so it will turn smoothly but not the convex one which turns neatly without encouragement.

The rings fit nicely on the 6" blocks.

I printed out another full sized pattern to make it easy to check the placement of the rings as I go.

 The big trick will be hiding the pattern from Polly...

Antependia Interruptus

It's raining outside, the hubby is home, the cats are restless...and I have an antependium to make.  This is a wedding parament and the design will be very traditional.  I've had my sketches drawn since November and bought the silk in January...and that's as far as I got.

I've been dragging my feet on this project for no good reason;  I just can't seem to get started.  To help nudge me along, I printed out my sketch full-sized thinking that might provide impetus.  It took 16 tabloid sheets which I taped together and then laid on the floor to measure.  The few minutes of attention that the paper got didn't sit well with Polly, who immediately claimed the paper as hers.  Squatter's Rights.  She was guarding her new territory fiercely when her tail started giving her grief.  Oh oh.  We knew what was coming, so I went for the camera...

 

(Don't be alarmed by the sirens, hubby is watching TV)

After a full 10 minutes of this, there isn't much left of my pattern.  Sigh...I hope it stops raining soon so the cats can go outside...

Bazinga!

In a previous post I mentioned I picked up some fun fabric on my trip to Mrs. P's the other day.  She received this novelty print of The Big Bang Theory; I know someone who is a big fan of the show.

Week before last when I filled in at her shop, I cut many pillowcase kits for customers so I decided that would be a perfect quick project (and useful gift).  Not having made one before, I followed Beth's simple instructions and had a finished pillowcase in less than 10 minutes.  No wonder quilters love sewing these things!

n a

The Power Of One

It was one of those days...the kind that start off with a dental appointment and then go downhill from there ...including a summons for jury duty.  Sigh...I needed a fabric pick- me- up so I headed down to Mrs Pugsley's Emporium.  In addition to some awesome fabric, I got a big surprise! Aren't they gorgeous?  They are a gift from a very talented knitter, Lou Harrington.  I'm not really sure why Lou thought of me when she knit these socks - other than that they are red - but I am just thrilled she did.  They are beautiful.

They have a dainty picot edge on the cuff, flowers worked in duplicate stitch on the heel, and are knit from a very fine wool, much finer than I've ever knit.  Lou says the wool is 99% sheep and 1% Lester.  (Lester is Lou's cat!) Polly discovered the Lester right away.

 I swear she sniffed every single stitch before she gave permission for those socks to go on my feet.

 They are a perfect fit (how did you know?)

 Polly is still checking to make sure the Lester content is up to code.

 Wow, Wow, Wow.  I appreciate every single stitch that went into these socks.  My feet are clapping :)

Lou is joining the teaching team of the Fibre Arts Festival Society of Nova Scotia this fall and will be doing three different workshops on knitting.  You can contact Lou if you would like more information on her classes.

Thank you Lou for your thoughtfulness;  you sure turned my day around.