Back in time to String Me Along

 

 Going back to  an early project.......String Me Along .
  I love this quilt.   I have it hanging in the sunroom and so enjoy all the details and fun things I learned and used in it.  

Here's the link to the post from 2011, when I finished it.










   I was looking at it yesterday and saw the hummingbird on it.   And that reminded me to check on the hummingbird feeder......it needed cleaning and refilling.    I enjoy their garden antics....swooping in, darting among the branches, hovering nearby, and then all out war to claim the territory.
  What you see on the quilt is what you can find in my gardens...... or could when things were in good shape :)

And one more critter on the quilt that we watch hopping around and nibbling our weeds, etc.  You might have to look close to find him as I sort of camouflaged him under the flower.

  Another post with a few details about the blocks, stitching, and such.   Most of the information on this quilt is scattered over about 6 posts and sort of jumbled.  It was early blogging days....I did not know what I was doing really:)  Second, some of the post have lost photos, need a fix, and such due I think to the blogger switch/change up format from a few years back.

  Would I do this again?  You bet.....only better and probably not as large.  I recently ran across the templates for the appliques I used.  Most of them were original, so I think that is why I kept them.   And there would be lots more floral fabrics.....instead of leftover bits and strings.

  But right now.....I am working on lots of small items for gifts, and guild boutique items.....more mug rugs:)  I have a couple of wall hangings to pin for quilting and that will be my time eater for the week.     So until I get some things done......happy stitching.

String Me Along ...in the garden

   It is a beautiful morning, after  the stormy week of rain and hail and winds.  We have shade sails off the back porch and we have rushed to take them down at least 4 times this week.   Anyway, this morning seemed  just perfect to try a few outdoor photos.  I'm trying to improve, so bear with me.  

   How great is this shot?  The day lily on the quilt and the one in the garden....together. 

 

And detail shots...one of the lady bug on the leaf,  a hummingbird, and the turtle who has made a home in our garden. 

Then a look at the back......with some of the left over string strips.  I had to piece together the backing anyway, so it was easy to insert the left over strings. 

I need to add a sleeve because this one is going up on the wall  for a while in the sun room.

Hope you enjoyed my garden quilt.
 Happy stitching.

String Me Along---almost the end

Trailing vines of leaves for the border quilting from the back side of the quilt......I really liked this pattern for border quilting.  It was so easy to connect to the next leaf and change direction.
 

Here's a partial shot from the front, but you can get an idea of the border quilting.   One leaf leads to another.  Some have  short "veins" stitched  in and others have a long middle veins----the trick that I used to move in another direction with a new leaf.  And unusual for me----no loops or swirls in the border. 


I have to stitch down the binding.   So it may be a couple days before I get to take a finished  photo.   And I want to make a table runner in this style, too.  I do believe I have enough scraps to do that.

Happy first day of Summer.....and happy stitching.

FMQ on String Me Along

I got a good start  on the quilting.  I did an outline stitch around each flower, stem and leaves.  Then the background in filled in with meandering loops because I love the puckered look you get when it is washed.  The flowers will stand out from the background just enough, I think. 

  But what to do on the borders?  I get questions about how I plan the quilting.  So here's my thought process........I plan on just a straight stitch along and around the  string pieced sections, but then there is the outer border to quilt.   So I did a couple of pages of pencil practice.  The first is a braid of pointed leaves.   By the third row I had the spacing about right and pretty even.    I like this design a lot...yet I think it is just a bit angular  and dense for what I want on this quilt.

  Second practice was a chain of  trailing leaves.....this design is more open and it will be easy to turn a corner using this pattern.  I can create a clump of leaves and curve the  line very easily, also.  Yep,  this is the design I am in favor of using right now.   
  Final decision will be made when I get to that point.  I will draw out a section of quilting onto a clear acrylic sheet to overlay the border.  It helps me visualize what the stitching will look like. 


OH, wow.... I just checked the newsletter from 3creative studios and I won the pack of fat quarters for the month of June for the journal quilts!!!   And Vicki Welch has included a tutorial on her thread sketching in the newsletter.  Can't wait to try her technique. 
Ok, off to Charlotte tomorrow.
   Happy stitching.

Making progress

I'm making some progress on all the flower blocks for String Me Along.   I ran out of stitch and tear stabilizer, so I resorted to using blank  newsprint  from an old doodle pad.  Works fine when appliqueing, just dulls the needle faster.   I pinned up a few blocks on the design wall  of the blocks I completed.

Each one seems to have its own personality....I love that.   Sassy, silent, bold, and gentle.  Anyway, this won't be the final layout, but it gives me an idea of the general look.   I am really enjoying working on this one a lot.
   Answer to a question I got  about the applique.  It is by machine using a zig-zag stitch for the leaves and flowers.  I set the width of the stitch to about 1.6 and length to 1.3 --generally.  In certain spots where the flowers are small, I will reduce the length to 1.2 or so and the length down to .9 or so.   All this is technical and really just trial and error to see what works and look best to me.   I am not using a true satin stitch setting because  I didn't want the "ridge" from that close stitch.  On a few of the leaves, I did use a decorative feather stitch.  Veins on the leaves were done using either a tiny zig-zag or a stem stitch.  Experiment with the decorative stitches on your machine to see what you like.   
  Thread-----lots of different ones.  Some Isacord, Sulky, Mettler Polysheen, and YLI soft touch.  It really just depends on what color I have  that matched.  Most of the thread I used on this applique does have a sheen to them, and I like how it looks. 
  I have a couple more blocks to finish up and then I get to re-arrange and layout the final design.  Wow, this really went faster than I thought.  And I still have 3 boxes of scrap strips in 2 " and 2 1/2".......and I think I am tired of them.  So if anyone is interested in an envelope stuffed with my leftovers, send me an email with your address.
Happy stitching.
 

Still making blocks

  I had a question from Wanda about curving the bias stems with the fused paper on the stem.  So to clarify that,  here's a photo of how I begin.  I remove a couple inches of the paper backing on the fusible.  I usually draw the basic curve  line in chalk before I begin.....otherwise all my stems will curve the same general direction.  I guess it is just the way my hand and mind work.    I pin the end in place and gently stretch the bias in a curve and press with the tip of my iron as I go.  The fusible holds just enough to keep the shape in place, and if I want to change it (or add a second stem), I can easily peel it off the background. 

I love this one...very sassy attitude.  Wish I had those kind of curves!   To finish off the small curved stem, I added a small circle like a "bud" at the end of the stem---rather than try to tuck it under.

This is one where  I added a second stem.  And added a bit of whimsy to it.  The blooms and leaves are fused also and stitched around the edge with a  zig-zag stitch.   I used a stem stitch to create the vein on the leaves on this one. 

    And, yes, I know I have different types of flowers growing on the same stem----my husband pointed out my error.  Big Smile from me ;).

That is what makes it fun.

Happy stitching.

First blocks for String Me Along

 Here are the first two block sections with different bias methods used.  The one on the left is with the folded bias tape maker---it is about 3/8" wide.  The one on the left is made using the sewn tube method and is only 1/4" wide.   I did manage to get  a small curl  on one end that I liked. 

  I used a tear away  stabilizer when stitching the bias down (that's why I folded back the edge on the left one, for you to see).  It is pinned in place, not fused.   Why use a stabilizer.....with this much twisting and turning when stitching, I wanted to make sure I did not stretch anything out of shape.

 There is a wide variety of stabilizers on the market...I just used what I had on hand.  Once all the applique is done, I will remove it before joining the sections. 

This is just a close up of the smaller tube bias.

Maybe you can tell that it is more raised than the folded bias. 

Blogger comment hasn't been working, but I have had emails about making the bias, and the look of it.  So hopefully, these  photos will help those who are afraid of trying it. 
Any other questions, please ask.
  I am off to get the tomato plants planted and then finish up quilting on the batiks....so excited because it looks great I think. 

Happy stitching.

String Me Along--part 1

From my prior post on a new scrap quilt you can see the layout from EQ7 that only shows stems and leaves in the blocks.   I needed to remedy that....by sketching out a plan of some sort.  
   I used yellow pattern paper to establish the approximate size of  3 of the blocks in a vertical strip.  Then  I added a curving stem  that will be bias strips, (not sure if  I csn get the bias to curl like that)  and the general placement of leaves for the stems.  This gives me some reference for the size of the flowers I will use.  On a separate piece of paper I sketched a few flowers in various sizes to see what I want to use.     Now I have a master type pattern for the leaf size and the the flower size.   I can easily trace off the leaves and flower parts onto fusible paper for the applique. 
    Next I will be making some bias stems.....I'll show a couple of methods and how I make them fusible too.
This morning  I am packing up a small scrap quilt to send off to Joplin victims.  As A Mom has organized donations for quilts and blankets for the kids. My heart goes out to all the families.   I am so blessed.  Have a wonderful Memorial Day, y'all.

  Happy stitching. 

Starting a new scrap quilt

   While cleaning up the sewing room, I ran across a magazine  on scrap quilts from McCall's Quilting from 2010.   I had tagged a page with a simple but great layout for using up strips---remember I have boxes of them.  Here's the link to view  Plenty_of_Pomegranates---  that is my inspiration.  I plan on using the general layout, but not the pomegranates for the applique.      Sew ;), I am beginning a very easy project for the summer to use some more of those pesky strips that seem to multiply like bunnies! 

    One of the boxes of strips is full of pieces that are 3" to 8" long---too much to throw away with today's price of fabric, but hard to use.  So this box will be the first up.  I have been joining small bits to get a length of 15" to 18".  This strip is ready to be trimmed to 3" wide.   I need  at least 15  of these,  so lots more to put together.  And I also need 4 or 5  sections that are 8 1/2" wide.





 The quilt  is a vertical strip layout with  applique. 
You can see the photo of the magazine inspiration in the lower corner.
 I did a quick pencil sketch too, but decided I needed to play around with it in EQ7.  By doing a layout and figuring out the size I wanted for the vertical rows, I understood the over all design better. 
  I set up a vertical quilt with 5 vertical rows of 8".  I put 3 vertical blocks in the first and 4 in the second.  That created a dropped block effect in the second row---with 1/2 block at the top and 1/2 at the bottom.     I made the rows 48 " long, so with the borders added the quilt would end up about 56" by 60", a good lap size.     This layout would be very easy to size up or down by making the vertical row longer or wider, inserting more or less cross strips between the applique,  and/or changing the size of the rectangle for applique.  Wow, that is a lot of options.
   The other major change I am making is using a lighter background fabric.  The blue or black in the original is striking, but since it  is summer, lighter fits this better for me. 
   As for the applique...... I plan on using bias for the stems, using different greens, and adding blooms, birds and such.  I will be doing machine applique, but this would be a great hand work project.   And maybe a bit of applique on the border would be good, too.  Think I will wait till I get there to decide. 
   I think that covers the beginning of the plan and design.  Now to the fun part.......Happy stitching.