Connecting Threads 'Autumums'

AUTUMUMS is now available in the

Fall Connecting Threads catalog!

This is the Gathering Wishes fabric line and all that

Autumn makes my heart sing:) 

It has been a year long adventure and

I am so happy to be able to share it with you now:)

You can always scroll to the bottom but how about building the anticipation with a quick tutorial on assembly.

Lately I have been cutting my HSTs to the next inch up vs. the 7/8".  This gives me a little wiggle room and an opportunity to trim if necessary.  Sometimes my personal seam allowance brings me right to the measurement I needed.

I have said it before and I will say it again, I am old fashioned and find that I get better results when I work one step at a time.  The blue ruler above is the Quick Quarter ruler (above pic) and I get very good results with it and Mary Ellen's Best Press. Pictured below are some sewn squares that have been sprayed with Best Press.

 Look how nice and crisp they are after and ready to be cut apart!

 Trimmed and ready to go!

 Time for applique....

Sometimes the amount of applique pieces needed can seem overwhelming but if you go to my tutorial, you can cut down your tracing and cutting by a quarter if not more. 

Save this link so that when you buy the pattern,

you will have this to refer back to.

See my CUTTING MULTIPLES TUTORIAL HERE: http://nestlingsbyrobin.blogspot.com/2015/02/tutorial-cutting-multiples-of-fusible.html

I used a small zig zag stitch to applique all

my petals down before assembly.

 

Let's talk quilting....I know it is hard to decide on a design that will accent your applique or fill a large space.  I outlined the flowers and did stitch in the ditch for all the seams (blocks and borders).
The border quilting was finding a leaf shape I liked and adding swirls around it. 
The leaves were alternated right and left and traced to the border.  I then lightly sketched in some vines and smaller swirls to fill the space around them.

I believe you can click on the photo to enlarge it and the side lighting should show the quilting a bit.

Enjoy having a little Autumum in your world as much as I enjoyed designing and making it!

Stabilizer Free

How to live dangerously and go stabilizer free...

I like to stitch away from myself and counter clockwise being right handed (pic 1). This allows for a smoother line/curve.

With stabilizer you can travel your threads without shadowing.

This particular project has no stabilizer and this little curly-que goes the wrong direction for my stitch preference.

Take multiple tiny stitches directly ON the traced line until you get to where you want your line to start

 (pic 2).

Now as I stitch in my preferred counter clockwise direction, my stem stitch will cover my travel stitches.

The next time you get started and forget to stabilize or decide that it will get in the way of wanting to hand quilt, you can go stabilizer free!

Heritage Stories: MY find:)

I found this Gorgeous embroidered pieced in an antique mall for maybe $6 or $8... 
It was just what I always wanted but didn't know it until that moment:)

 Look at these perfect satin stitches (that I loathe to do!!)

The fabric was much heavier than I like to

hand quilt through but I made do!

The edges were a bit wonky but once I put the binding on,

I was able to preserve most of her adorable edge

work that adds so much to the design.

It is almost time to change out my holiday décor and so here is another sweet rescue piece that lives in a cute little vignette:

A cross stitched Revolutionary Drummer boy doily.

The hunt is half the fun and I am always looking.

Time to Dream

Look at these circa 1900 lovelies that arrived this week!! I have a tiny work break coming this week and will be spending time dreaming of a perfect way to use them.

Any suggestions?

Heritage Stories: Kay's Applique

Today I FINALLY get to show you
what I worked on this summer:) 
Kay and I have been FB friends for years and
as I posted some of my commission work,
it must have peaked her interest. 

Kay's Country Applique

I am pretty sure that by now you all know my passion for applique. Imagine my excitement when I had the honor of quilting these lovelies designed by Marion Vernon and Carlene Buck!!

 

I am so glad that Kay recognizes what an amazing job she did stitching these!!  This is another fun part of Heritage Quilting for me...I get to wonder in awe at the work and time taken to add each little perfect stitch into a piece of art. 

BEAUTIFUL DETAILS!

 

 

Here is a back shot of the quilting because

sometimes it is lovely from the back too:)

 

 

You don't always need to mark out a design either. 

Let the fabric talk to you and tell you how to quilt it.

The plaid like print was perfect for double row cross-hatch

and added loads of texture to the final look.

 

 Hanging Diamonds were the perfect background fill

so that the applique was the star of the block and worked as a

different texture to the plaid print. 

Read all of Kay's story on the making of this delightful quilt HERE

When you are ready to start your own Heritage Journey, find me HERE

Until next time,
Keep Quilting

Heritage Stories: Susan's Find

You can look and look and rarely find such a lovely piece of embroidery needing its story finished.

 

Susan found this wonderful piece and thankfully someone suggested it be hand quilted and she knew just who to trust with it:)

 Neither of us know who started it but it is an honor

to be a part of completing her story!

Her stitches are perfect and lovely

and the design is so endearing!

 I know that Susan bragged on my quilting HERE

and so now it is my turn to brag:)

This final pic is where this adorable piece lives.  Susan's sense of design is awe inspiring!  I love being at her home where every little nook has fun antique items to drool over. 

 Home Sweet Home fits in perfectly in this vignette or the next one she dreams up after holiday change outs.

 

Make sure you check out her blog for lots of eye candy:

https://suznquilts.wordpress.com/

 

AND.....Susan has a new book that will be

out the end of this month! 

She has made Dresdens tiny and fun and adorable! 

Take a peek HERE.

PRE-Order it HERE.

Hurry Hurry:))

Heritage Stories: Bowties

I have written before about why I am a Heritage Architect

and here is another one of those stories.

 

This quilt came to me because the quilter had taken a class, made the top, and started hand quilting only to realize that it just wasn't her thing and so it sat in a closet for 20 years.  Instead of trashing it (after all that work!), she found me via a guild member from my guild at the fair- Thank you Karen!

Unfortunately she no longer had the template for the flower in the red blocks she told me.  NO Problem!  I can recreate that star-like flower out of freezer paper and away we go.

This simple and sweet Bowtie block really just needed some outline quilting with the flower to accent the red blocks and a lovely quilted throw was completed for her to give to her son!

What son wouldn't want a warm snuggly throw

made by mom on a chilly winter eve?!!

Heritage Stories: HEXAGONS

I am sure most of you have seen a Grandmother's Flower Garden full of hexagons from maybe the 1930s or 40s.

I had too in shops and online and they were never my favorite.

Then I was given a bag full (40+ flower heads) from

a new client that her mother had hand pieced while

working in a textile company.

 

This woman had been searching for almost 10 years to find someone to complete her mother's legacy with many twists and turns.  When she met with me (a total stranger), she handed me the bag and was ready to leave them with me.  I asked whether she might want to wait until I wrote up a quote, etc.  She replied no because I was her last hope and if I couldn't do it, they were just going into the trash.  I almost cried and I didn't even know the full story at that time.

We discussed ideas for her abundance of hexagons and she told me that she really wanted to share the wealth with family members.  A table runner and twin quilt for herself and stockings and mini pillows to share with others.

I set out figuring the best way to approach this project.  Many others had turned it down because the edges were too frayed to work in the traditional English Paper Piecing but I am an excellent appliquer (if I do say so myself:) and those edges could be tamed in that technique.
We agreed that hexagons would be appliqued to squares and set with sashing...Easy:)

Hand Quilting Detail

Finished Table Runner

As we go through the post, note all the fun colors of flower heads I was given to work with.

The stockings were a lot of fun to make once I drew out my template and decided how and where to utilize the hexagons for maximum design effect.

That red and black one to the right was hard to part with:)

Mini Pillows

Hand Quilting Details of borders

 Ta-Da!! Last but not least, the Twin Quilt just for her.

 

This story brings tears to my eyes and it is why I Love being a Heritage Architect!  Every stitch I put into this project brought me closer to the quilter and mother that made these

precious pieces and gifted them to her children. 

Now her children and grandchildren can enjoy these heirlooms for generations because they are being taught the importance of appreciating what has been made by hand.

Keep Quilting!

Poochies

I love seeing these little faces while I work through out the day!

Public Service Announcement!

No matter how much Extra fluff your thighs may have, DO NOT use them to catch falling items such as a seam ripper!!
The whole entire inch went in and I didn't feel a thing until I looked to see where it had gone....
WHUUUAAAA!!!!

Priority #1: DO NOT bleed on the quilt:)
Waddle to get paper towels with object sticking out of leg.
Gently remove and apply pressure.
Take a sewing intermission preferably with a glass of wine.
That will teach me to correct my mistakes!

It is easy to joke about it now but in all seriousness this could have been much worse.
During the course of our sewing day (years) we tend to get slack in our safety precautions...
-Put the pins in our mouth
-Leave the rotary cutter open and/or unlocked
-Forget to the shut off the iron
I feel some of you nodding along.

So please take that extra moment to be safe.
Do the extra crunch to bend over and pick up the item off the floor.
Your body will thank you.

Machine Quilting for anyone!

Have you wanted to attempt machine quilting or are you looking for a new way to approach it?
This is the class for you!  I have met Christa and so it was no surprise to me that her class would be well organized and exactly what it says it is: Plan It, Stitch It, Quilt It! 

Christa's class is perfect for anyone wanting to start machine quilting. Her voice is calm and her instruction is precise and linear.  There is a great combination of walking foot and free motion instruction. 

As a student I appreciated the method of showing how to draw out your design first and then follow that up with the machine work.  This is so accessible for the home student.

Christa has graciously offered a 50% off code for you to access.  It will show up in your cart and is only available for her class until 4/4/17:
 http://craftsy.me/2iIqdEy

Enjoy and Have Fun!!