Sewing like

..there's no tomorrow...

Happy Christmas everyone!

I keep forgetting to link the hosts of this qal:( So here it is : http://fabricsandflowers.blogspot.com.au/

Twinkle twinkle...

 

 More Midnight progress. I was determined to add stars and the five pointed star didn't make it to the quiltcenter; it looked like a Converse Allstar billboard, so I ripped it of.
After the applique border the pattern said to make churndashes. Unlike other participants in the Quilt Along, I don't like churndashes that much, so.... I cut, sliced, trimmed STARS!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 As you can see,the applique is not yet on in this pic, but I made progress there too!

 So far, the project has been fun to sew although accuracy is down the drain, challenging

 Not one point from the orange peels match. I checked pattern and background measurements and I decided they were not competable! Even in the original pic of the quilt, points mismatched. They look like giant flowers now, and you know what? Fine by me!

 One more applique border left, but I'm saving that. I need a portable project for my next patch-appointment with C... That's why the small innner borders can't be sewn on yet.

 Next border: tiny squares. Quiltmania says to cut a gazillion and sew them together one by one. Uhhhh, NO! There are better, quicker and more accurate ways in my humble opinion.

The QuiltAlong is hosted here. Ofcourse I'll never make the deadline; I "discovered" this project when the group was at border 4 or 5, but it's not a race and it's fun to see hoe others do.  I really really like sewing this!

Sewingroom OCD

 As today is my day of, I decided to spent some time sewing. First i had to de-clutter; I simply cannot sew a gazillion stars when there's stuff all over the place. I searched for sewingroom ideas the other day and came across these...

,,a dream for many, a nightmare to me. Wááááy too much going on. I would go mad if I had to sew there!
About a year ago I tossed my old and worn wooden cabinets out and replace them with white ones. This was in the midst of the make-over :)

  I DO have too much stuff (or a too small room...)

 Now I sew here. Painted the mini drawers blocks white..

I have a constant struggle between the need to display things and the need to keep it as clutterfree as I possibly can. The fabric on the table is what I'm currently sewing. When i'm done, it has to go again.

It's much better now, but still I would prefer everything behind doors or in drawers and just a very few things out in the open.
I'm thinking about a way to organise my threads. i constantly mix up cones and bobbins. A pegboard? Oh shudder....

5pointed star any size you want!

Thinking about progress on the MidnightATO quilt, I couldn't get "stars" out of my mind. A quilt with such a pretentious title SHOULD have stars! Maybe in the middle block? Anyhow, I started playing and decided on a five point star. How to draw that with no circleruler thing in da house?

 

Ha, my triangle ruler had circle degrees!

First I put a tapeline from 72 degrees towards the ruler edge..so there won't be any mistakes.

 

 Then, draw a circle (any size you want) on a piece of paper (like cardstock)

 and put a line from the circle edge towards the middle

 Align the triangle 0 (zero) to the middle point , and put the edge of the ruler on the starting line. Mark the 72 degree (where the Arrow is!)

 Draw the second line

Again: 0 in the middle, ruler edge against the second line and mark the 72 degree point

 

 Repeat untill you have the circle in 5 parts

 Connect the points (dotted lines)

 Cut out and you have a 5 pointed star!

 If you cut the coloured area and add seam allowances ,you have a template for a pieced star.

My math teacher would be so proud...

Now, how will I use this in my quilt? Could use it for Xmas purposes too....

Orange peel block applique

After watching loads of YouTubes and some trial and error, this is how I do my Orange Peel blocks for the Midnight...quilt: the freezer paper way!I thought it best to write it down for my own future reference:)

-First trace the template onto freezerpaper and cut them out (loads of them) and iron on the RIGHT side of the fabric. Cut it out with a small seamallowance.

Peel the paper of, put it on the WRONG side of the fabric piece, shiny side up and iron the seam-allowance on the shiny side of the freezerpaper. It sticks! (if the iron is hot enough!) It can be done with a regular iron, but since I have this nifty thing, I might as well use it!
Note: ironing the points down and then the sides, did NOT work for me: I got blunt points :(


 All done!

 Dab a bit of fabricglue on the inside of the dog ear

...and on the outside.

 

 and fold the dog ear back.

 Tadáá, sharp point...
I found the glue pen from Sewline VERY helpfull. I didn't remember that I had it, but came across it while searching for suitable fabric scraps...

 Draw a diagonal line on the background fabric.

 and put glue on a quarter of the lines. Sewline glue pen is blue, but white after it dries

 put the prepared fabric on the line, you don't even have to pin it. I stitched it in place with a small ladderstitch.

 Repeat 3 times and the orange peel block is done :)
Turnover, clipp away excess fabric and remove the freezerpaper

I always proclaimed applique is not for me, but now I'm at it I find it VERY addictive!!!

DH

Me: I told you I needed a portable project, remember?
DH: Mmm
Me: how about this one? It''s called Midnight at the Oasis. Come have a look
DH: (staring at my pc screen) Isn''t that a bit busy?
Me: busy? what y mean ""busy""? Look at the HappyJoy you''re leaning against. Y think that'' one is busy too then??
DH: uhh, no
Me: well it''s a lot "" busier"" than this MATO pic!
what kind of quilt do you actually like?
DH: you want me to choose one of your quilts?
Me: no, just want to no what style you prefer..
my Debbie Mumm/Thimbleberries phase or what i sew now. What you call busy
DH:I will not choose a particular quilt (fearing this conversation can turn against him)
Me: I asked what style, not what quilt
DH: oh no, I will NOT go there!I can''t say..I don''t know. I would say if I think it''s ugly though.
Me: Would you really?
DH: yes
Me: but you don''t like "" busy"" and I''m doing ""busy""
DH: uhh...Look! a new episode of ""the Closer"" Let''s watch!

I guess I went a little overboard (according to some..)with the Midnight so far...

Must say that I''m really enjoying the process so far. I''m sewing the orangepeel applique blocks now. Had to watch lot's of how-to youtube video''s but I think I found a way that suits me and makes sharp points too.

Busy.....TSK!

Back to the future

Every 3 weeks or so, C and I plan an evening of sewing/patching/quilting. We work on whatever project we have on hand and chatter the hours away. Over the years fellowbloggers/quilters told me a was a quilting dinosaur, doing everything by hand and the opinion was that I needed to be kicked into the 21th century. Meaning tossing the old sandpaper templates out, get used to rotarycutting and start using that sewingmachine. Well, with the help of Harriet Hargrave's "Quilter's Academy", I did....

So last time I went to C's , I dragged my Husq along, a small ironingboard, a tiny iron, mat, cutter...the works. And ofcourse I was to be found in my sewingroom at home, sewing franticly to get the Hello Handsome quilt done, instead sitting in the livingroom with DH, watching tv or something.
When C and I got together with a third quilter at her house, I knew I was in trouble: I desparatly needed something to handquilt OR/AND something portable!

Back to the roots! Get a piece of sandpaper to make templates! Find a pattern that's suitable (oh and no hexies that everyone but me is addicted on)

So now i have this

 Piecing tiny parts together and , new to me, doing applique! The pattern is called "Midnight at the Oasis" and should look like this when all done

I know, it'll take forever, but that's okay. I'll see how it goes!

Meanwhile, someone came by boat to the Netherlands (and Belgium)

It's the season of St Nicolaas aka Sinterklaas again! The quilt is up, now let's go shopping for presents:)