I've been making 3D bow-tie blocks since early 2006. Shayne taught me the block. I thought, I never do hand-piecing, but these are cute, maybe by machine. Then a lot of travel opportunities came along.... The hand-piecing kit has travelled with me to Sydney, Canberra, Thredbo, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco, Washington DC, New York, Gore, Ngatea, Whakatane and Mangonui. And just to and from work! Hours of travel have been rescued from boredom, and I've talked with, demonstrated and shared the project with many friends and strangers.
About 540 blocks later, it was time to stop making blocks and start making a quilt. Arranging blocks is one of my most favourite things. A week's solitary retreat to Henny Penny's house was the perfect opportunity.
Bush walks , swimming and composing a quilt, could there be a better holiday? By the end of the week the trusty Featherweight had stitched all the vertical seams, linking the blocks into 6 strips 4x22 blocks wide. Back at home I'm slowly finishing the horizontal piecing to bring it all together. I've got an idea for a pieced backing, and for the quilting design. NOT by hand
Now I need a new hand-piecing project!
The empress's old clothes
Between losing some weight and deciding that "baggier isn't better" lots of my earlier garments just weren't wearable. What to do?
Answer: re-fashioning... taking the favourites and cutting them down to size. What have I learned through this exercise?
Answer: re-fashioning... taking the favourites and cutting them down to size. What have I learned through this exercise?
- It can be worth spending $45/meter on printed tulle. At the time I couldn't believe I paid so much for jungle print mesh. At least 10 years later the fabric retains its original colour and texture - the refashioned top literally looks like new.
- My colour taste has changed a lot - now I'm brighter and more confident in combination
- I've learned a lot! my construction techniques and fabric handling skills are streets ahead of where they were 10 years ago
- It's still easier to do old things than new ones...sigh...
the emperor's new ....
I just went clothes shopping. For once it was so successful I thought about putting my sewing machine up on TradeMe. Thanks Anneli! It is nice to have a good ready-to-wear experience.
Unfortunately my greed for variety is larger than my wallet so that will have to power the scissors to the stash and the foot-pedal to the floor. No matter how good the shopping is, to this long-time seamstress it seems like too easy a win.
Making it myself is always that bit more effort, that bit more stress of will it all work, the risk of cutting.
When I'm in the zone it all comes together easily. A few month's break is enough to lose that sewing fitness - last week's garden-party suit nearly failed through the dozy decision to cut knit on the bias. What was I thinking? Just enough fabric to cut a second skirt on the straight and recycle the first failed skirt into a jacket. Patchwork came to my rescue there.
Somehow I think the garden-party suit will be in my wardrobe longer than the 3 new off-the peg shirts. Nothing like a challenge!
Unfortunately my greed for variety is larger than my wallet so that will have to power the scissors to the stash and the foot-pedal to the floor. No matter how good the shopping is, to this long-time seamstress it seems like too easy a win.
Making it myself is always that bit more effort, that bit more stress of will it all work, the risk of cutting.
When I'm in the zone it all comes together easily. A few month's break is enough to lose that sewing fitness - last week's garden-party suit nearly failed through the dozy decision to cut knit on the bias. What was I thinking? Just enough fabric to cut a second skirt on the straight and recycle the first failed skirt into a jacket. Patchwork came to my rescue there.
Somehow I think the garden-party suit will be in my wardrobe longer than the 3 new off-the peg shirts. Nothing like a challenge!
Are we piecing?
Does this writing piece us together, or am I making a wholecloth?
As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we've never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.
Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Blog-tag, KFB!
As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! And if we've never met in real life, leave me a comment of your favorite post I wrote and why it was your favorite.
Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.
Blog-tag, KFB!
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