Clothing Patterns to Die For!

There I went, getting distracted again. Buts its OK because some wise crazy quilter named Julierose left me a lovely reminder that not all projects are destined for completion and I've begun culling down to only the projects I really like.

 I purchased the Lenox Shirtdress from Cashmerette last year. It and the lovely rayon fabric sat waiting for me and finally a few weeks ago, I was able to put it onto the front burner and start cooking.

Its a great pattern! I love how the bodice is nicely fitting to my bosom and the design is supreme, highly recommend it. It will become a favorite pattern, used many time in the future. I have a little story about this shirt dress.

I've been combing pattern books at many fabric stores searching for a really good shirt dress pattern. But until I discovered The Lenox Shirtdress, I was unhappy with all of the them. I didn't want a 'sack dress' I was determined to find a great fitting shirt dress and here it is.

On another note entirely, I came down with the Shingles virus last week and that is a trip alright!

I had begun with some red blotches that were itchy, but it was the speed of their progression that forced me visit emergency room at our local hospital in Duncan. Sure enough, Dr. Lough pronounced me having Shingles. I was a little alarmed at first due to so many other folks I've known over the years that said it was nasty. But if you catch it early its best to get started onto the anti- viral drug and L-lysine 1000 mg 3 times a day.

Except for 1 and half days of vomiting and other uses of the toilet, including high fever, increasing with new blotches, things are getting better and I'm only 6 days into this virus. 

In case you didn't know some of us as kids are exposed to the chicken pox virus, we don't get the virus. But its hangs out in our body waiting until the right set of circumstances arise. My sister says stress is connected. Others online say that it just rises up for no particular reason. But I'm here to tell you that yes, lesions do appear and yes they are painful and itchy, but not anything that Tylenol can't help. So be aware.

Off to carry on with resting. Bye for now.

2019 Finish Along Projects

I have soooo many things to finish, I don't know if I can even come up with a list of it all. 

#FAL2019 really got me thinking. I have to get serious about finishing my work. I confess, I do tend to lean towards eclectic. I walk with my hand of creation diaily and the load gets heavier instead of lighter.

When I opened a drawer of two of unfinished projects, I closed it immediately! Phuef! That was close to a stressful moment. I am avoiding stress in any form these days. But after a while, the drawer memory crept back in and I opened it.

I need to do that for self protection.

Ok, so here is the one photo for now to let you really see my 'unfinishedness" problem.

I have been moving around far too much and have accumulated 19 finished tops in one drawer and 27 various bits, blocks and roundy things in the other drawer. Plus upon my tidying up today, I discovered at least that more in another area of my sewing room. So that is it for me. Time to knuckle down and get on with finishing at least one project each week, that means I'll be finishing for the next several decades!!

Join me on Instagram friends @carlithequilter to follow the minute by minute progress shots that I write from my phone. I spend far too much time on a computer already with my partime job. So please DO pop over and join me and thousands of other worldwide quilters, textile artists and so much more on IS.

#FAL2019 #finishing #artist #finishalong2019

Using Photographs in Quilts

I laboured over spoiled images going into the garbage can until I realized that sometimes, its just a great idea for a professional to do the printing instead.

1. So begin by researching and speaking with your local professionals who do machine embroidery as well as photo printing on YOUR fabric. 
2. This is really key, quilters to get a great long lasting image transferred to fabric. Ask them to show you some samples of images transferred. 
3. Ask about the level of qualified staff they may have on hand, this is not something for the newest member of their team to do. 
4. Speak about resolution that is best for them to transfer.

In this Denim Wedding quilt, I began with having the photographs selected to actually go onto the quilt. Decide how many images are necessary? Choose photo's that are crisp and clear, not any blurring or overexposure is recommended. 

And sometimes you can tweek the photos emailed to you for the project.

 Setting out your design for the layout of your photos, I began integrating in a free form way of peicing of denim, all with keeping in mind that I was going to hand stitch sashiko style to quilt it all.

If you are using 100% quilting cotton. Your end result will be easier to quilt by hand or machine. Unfortunately, I ran out of time in the last few days before flying to this wedding that I didn't get a photo of the finished quilt front. 

But the sashiko stitching is obvious and does provide interesting look at what you can do with hand stitching.

   

All the photos are easier to handle and to machine sew all connected seams with denim. I didn't quilt up against the photos though. But each photo provides this couple with a wonderful memory for sure.

To recap, photos are not scary to put into a quilt, they do need special attention though if you are selling the finished quilt so guarantee at least a decade of looking awesome in the finished quilt.

This is a wrap. 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend of stitching!

January Start Update-Upcycling and Scraps!

On Boxing day of 2018, I was at London Drugs and low and behold, here was this lovely size 6 mannequin.

This little mannaquin helps me "see" the article as it changes as you upcycle the whole thing.

And a wee bit of progress has been made for the Maps Challenge over at AHIQ:improvisational Utility Quilts.

And before Christmas I needed a warmer housecoat and the upcycled housecoat as seen below is the ONE I love.

 And hand piecing has been going on whenever I get a minute to sit and stitch as seen below. For the full post on these interesting blocks, pop over to AHIQ.

While this photo is all blurry, my son took some photos of me wearing this dress and its become a favorite for sure. Another post is coming with those photos. Upcycling is soooo much fun!

Bye for now, 

Retro Beauty is Finished

I found that with Canada Post on strike now, that I was in the last days of completion that I made haste with getting this quilt done!

I must confess at times, I despared about actually finishing this quilt due to the unruly beginning and the actual resizing I had to do on each block.  See the light yellow sashing, well that is one of those "surprise fabrics" that I don't know what mix it is, but its not cotton.

All the blocks were made by volunteers, no one knows how they understood what a 1/4 inch seam means? And God Bless Voluteers!

These blocks were made originally for a very old, long ago fund raising project that didn't get finished. I don't remember the details anymore, but remember that they were brought back to me as the intiator of the project.



The job of squaring each block up with as much 'centering' I could do with the wonkyness. But moving right along, I then pre-quilted each blocks, sandwiched and squared again. 

This is how the rows lined up on this quilt after having further challenges too. I realized once all the vertical rows of blocks sewn together, were not going to line up straight, so the I went for a continued off kilter look. The sections were sewn together with this peach colored sashing.

So, I, in my typical way of "free form flying by the seat of my pants style" I plunged in with both feet.

Now, Jenny and John, if you read this, it was a labour of love for me. We've all been through so much in the last 50 years, there seemed no better thing to do than help. We wanted you to know that we admire your spirit to rebuild again 40 years later, that takes tenacity!

Back to the quilting. So once I got through all the messy parts of the beginning, I carried on with creating squared up, pre-quilted blocks.

So finally I am onto the borders. I can breathe again.

I planned on a simple setting with corner stones and border fabric that will match this quilt. But because of the rustic folks who will sleep under this quilt I felt it needed more of a rugged look. I chose two certified organic fabrics from my stash of rugged colors.

My official quilt holder in person! We managed to get a quick couple of photos outside before it rained again.

"Retro Beauty" by Caroline Heinrichs
81 x 98

This quilt named "Retro Beauty" is doing its "quilty love" thing as it morph's into my blood. The more I handled it sewing on the sashing, it began to grow on me. 

 Now, about the FMQASYG method is what I used for this quilt. For those of you who are a beginner quilter, this is short for Free Motion Quilt As You Go.

 This #retrobeauty, is pieced together in pre-quilted chunks. I don't know if you-all understand this? 

This quilt was pre-quilted blocks of 15 1/2 inches.
Assembled together by sewing sashing in strips and sewing right through all three layers of the sandwiched pre-quilted blocks.

If you are not familiar with this technique, leave me a comment and I'll make up another quilt tutorial on QAYGA

Happy Quilting!