What's on the Design Wall and a New Video Tutorial

February 26th, 2012

I’ve been playing around with different machine embroidered wreath designs and I thought that doing my experiments in blues and yellows would work well since I wasn’t making them for any particular project and blue and yellow always work together.  I’m still playing and making more, but I threw these up on my wall to get a sense of how they might go together.  Here are some closer shots of individual ones:

I’m not quite as fond of wreath #2 below. It’s a machine-embroidered applique version of asymmetric hyperquilting (no internal thread work on the outer plumes), but I feel like it’s missing something. I’m thinking of going back in and stitching a different freehand motif inside those outer plumes.

Next up is wreath #3:

…and then wreath #4:

Notice that wreath #4 is the opposite version of asymmetric hyperquilting since there is thread work inside the outer plumes but not in the inner plumes. I like this version of asymmetric thread work better. Next is wreath #5:

…which is the larger size of wreath (11.5 in diameter wreath) without any internal thread work. I think it has a nice “classic” look. Then there’s wreath #6:

…and wreath #7:

…and wreath #8, which is the smaller wreath (10.5 in diameter) with no internal stitching:

I’m going to make a few more and put them all together into a large sampler quilt that shows different sizes/designs for different wreaths. It’s going to be awhile, though, because I have 2 other quilts I’m putting together now and I want to quilt those first.  I’m having trouble keeping up with my machine quilting…ARGHHH!

These wreaths have been really fun to play with and I’ve only scratched the surface of what could be done with them.  We just made them available in our online store and if you’ve ever wondered how you’d machine embroider the applique of a block this large, here’s a video tutorial that shows just how easily it is done:

aborto misoprostol

New Bird Blocks and a Wonderful Resource for Quilters

February 4th, 2012

I had the chance to work on designing some new quilt blocks over the last couple of days and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it. I could play with this stuff for days on end, but unfortunately, life kind of gets in the way. Here’s another one:

…and this next one is meant to have a mirror image block that will be to the left of it on “real quilt:”

…and this last one is for a different quilt entirely:

Can you tell that I’m having a love affair with these birds and all things “plumey?!” All of these will look so much better once machine embroidery has been added but I have so many projects going on right now that it’s gonna be awhile! I’ll post pictures once that part of the project is added.

On another note, I wanted to let folks know about a great resource for quilters interested in making quilts using fabric cutting dies. If you haven’t been to Ebony Love’s “Blocks to Die For” website, take some time to check it out! There’s a lot going on at that site. Ebony is a piecer who has spent loads of time cutting geometric shapes using Accuquilt products, both the Studio cutter and the Go cutters. She has very generously shared all kinds of tips and tricks that she’s learned along the way, and this is valuable information! She’s posted many, many, wonderful video tutorials. I haven’t watched them all, but my 2 favorite videos are the tutorial that shows how to lay out fabric on a strip die to use fabric most efficiently, and I also loved the tutorial that showed how to convert fabric scraps into useful strips. I don’t own any strip dies so as I watched these videos, all the info was new to me and I was struck by just how wonderful it is to have a site that is truly devoted to the fabric die-cutting community. While her site is loaded with lots of free information, she also has a digital magazine that’s available by subscription. This magazine is designed specifically for the die-cutting enthusiast, containing even more tips and tricks as well as patterns based on specific dies. If you’re reading this blog entry and have never played with a fabric die cutter, you honestly don’t know what you’re missing. I was very resistant to this form of fabric cutting myself and it has revolutionized my life! If there is any part of you thinking of taking the plunge, watch a few of Ebony’s videos and that may make your decision for you!cialis professional