Hello every one I hope life is been kind to you like it is to us all here. Days are all to short to do all the things we want to do so we are never bored. For some reason the minutes even seem to go faster now!!!!!
Dear dear Annabelle and her Cat
Oh my gosh I had forgotten how long it takes to unpick paper piecing it would have to be the only part I hate about patchwork. I wanted to sandwich my This Goes With That quilt and then remembered I first had to remove all those tiny pieces of freezer paper, how I wish I knew about wash away freezer paper back nearly 5 years ago when I started this quilt !!!!!!
Removing all those pesty pieces of paper LOL. I have only done around a 20th of them so far but that has taken me several hours I guess I put in a lot more stitches than I really need too? You can see my pile of threads and freezer templates a real pile just from this small area!!!! I will not be sandwiching this top as quickly as I hoped LOL. At least I can use the old hexagon papers for making the hexagons for the final border
I even found time to work on my LE over the week, I made enough red dutch clogs (as I call them) to make up two more sides to Part 8 and 9. These two are for Part 7. the top panel all parts showing are appliquéd on, bottom panel nothings sewn down yet but I hope to work on them this week.
Top panel almost completed with Pixies and Zig Zag, 2nd panel I’m appliquéing now, 3rd Panel has all the cones pined on 4th panel far from having an appliqué added. Bottom panel you can see all the tiny pieces I need to make up? I need to make 24 cones out of the lime green and navvy silk fabric. My red silk is very very fine so I have used a fine iron on stabiliser to stop the wear ; the lime is just the opposite it is a very heavy silk and I have to cut the cones slightly smaller to end up the right size. Pink and navy fabric is just right LOL.
I must work on these panels till I have appliquéd all these pieces on or I will end up with rusty spots on the fabric from the pins even the best pins rust here in the tropics, I’m all ways sad to see my fine fine pins from Japan rust, thank goodness Tomoko is able to buy them for me some times when she flies home.
I have pinned all the cones on this panel and as I appliqué them down I add the clogs. It is slow but I enjoy these kind of appliqué I find it relaxing. I’m appliquéing these down with bottom line thread and using a number 11 needle. I use the same colour thread as the fabric. If you zoom in you will see I baste the fabric around the Iron on wash away freezer paper I do not use glue. I also use bottom line thread for this and a number 11 needle.
This week has been a one of finding WIP’s some I had even forgotten about. I went looking for my 1930’s string 41/2inch blocks I rescued from the dump many years ago I bought these online form USA. I have spent many hours getting them all to the same size Plus finishing some off; but I never joined them in to 9 1/2 inch blocks to make in to a quilt top.
41/2 inch string blocks on red background. I like the red but it makes all the wee blocks look blue to me.
I think I will go with the yellow and red cornerstones???? Yellow does not seem to take a way from all those colours in the wee blocks.
While looking for my string blocks I found these darling Annabel blocks I made several years ago.
Annabelle blocks in felt and cotton on silk. These are the creation of Michele’s from A Simple Thread I fell in love with Annabelle and made these darling blocks around 2013 Annabelle is around 7inchs high. I’m looking at making these in to a wall hanging for my new niece . I was going to make up Esther’s new quilt Little Lamb but may be I will add the little lambs or some like them to this wall hanging I’m planning.
Michele’s blog http://xstitchalley.blogspot.com
Since these patterns were released Michele has released many more adorable patterns of annabelle latest was just this week Sunday 22nd on her blog.
I loved the hearts Esther used in her HEART IT http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/free-quilt-heart-it-is-launched.html quilt released a week ago
I’m making some hearts to go with Annabelle using Esther’s heart template from Heart It. In stead of using red and white I’m using pink and green fabric.
I cut 2 1/2 inch strips and sewed these together then iron the seams open, pink to pink and green to green this made the hearts lie nice and flat for cutting out and appliquéing them. I used a full heart rather than 1/2 hearts shapes making them this way.Heart template is made from 3 pieces of freezer paper ironed together.
I have used wash away freezer paper so I can leave it in after appliquéing my finished heart to the square
I have gone to the next step here, I have made a template heart 1/4inch smaller than the original heart and cut out hearts of iron on wash away freezer paper using this template then ironed this to the back of my heart, next I basted the fabric around the heart shape, it is the last heart on the bright fabric ready to be appliquéd down by hand. You could use glue to turn the seam under or you could machine appliqué them down doing a raw edge appliqué on to the squares.
11.57pm Tuesday night A rough draft of what I’m thinking for my Annabelle quilt
Well I made hearts all day and found some more WIP’s that I think will look nice on the side of my nieces quilt with the hearts along the bottom and top. I just laid them all out roughly on the table it is 11.52pm still a few minutes till tomorrow LOL. I added 4 hearts to the centre off the quilt also. Annabelle’s outer circles need to be needle turned they will end up much smaller circles than showing here.
No beach today, I’m down with a virus plus two other members of the family so staying home close to my bed.
Off to link up with Esther on her WOW or WIP’s today at http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com
Cheers Glenda
glenda_jean@bigpond.com.
Looks like you have been a busy bee this week. Love your little rabbits and the hearts are great.
Hugs Bunny
Hi Bunny, i have been home all week with a virus, bad enough that I can not move far from a chair or bed but not bad enough to stop me from been able to sew while sitting down so for the first time in about a year I have had a week of sewing, what luxury it has been and sew sew much fun LOL especially finding the wee Annabelle blocks. Hugs Glenda
sorry you are sick – I have managed to stay the whole winter (so far) without even a cold – I am amazed that is two winters in a row without a cold = but I don’t count myself out of the woods yet, I fly to my daughter in Wisconsin in the middle of March – two school age grandchildren plus flying – I just might get sick yet! lets hope not
You have so many pretty projects shown – I have not worked on LE in ages but do plan to get back to it one day. Hopefully this spring as I finish up other projects in the next weeks
Hi Karen thanks for the kind thoughts but with sickness comes a silver lining this time I can still sew LOL I’m all ways astonished at how much quilting you achieve, my mind boggles at the quilt tops you make and then quilt by hand?????? After I visit you I always try and put a side more quilting time but things keep happening to stop me. I have to be sick to get any thing productive down LOL. It’s funny to see photo’s of you surrounded in snow while I’m sweltering in humidity and heat. I do not work constantly on my beautiful design of Love Entwine of Esther’s but all ways so enjoy it when I do. Hugs Glenda
Such adorable projects! Those bunnies are the cutest! Hoping you feel better soon! xx
Hi Sue thanks for dropping in and yes those wee Bunnies are so so cute but she is a little hare LOL. I would love to still be making different patterns of Annabelle but time can only go so far. I have a couple more I will use in another quilt one day may be. I spent the day basting more hearts and appliquéing 1/2 of the hearts on to the wee squares this quilt has come together rather quickly some times a quilt just jells doesn’t? I hope to sew some of the side blocks tomorrow. Cheers Glenda
Glenda — Thank you so much for your suggestions about how to make the hearts. I’ve started on mine, and they’re absolutely beautiful, thanks to you! Sorry to hear you’re ill, but happy to hear it hasn’t stopped your fingers from stitching! Love your hare blocks!
Hi Ursula so glad your hearts worked out OK doing it this way, it is just a little quicker and more accurate when making so many 2 colour way pieces. My hare blocks were designed by Michelle from A Simple Thread. I fell in love with Annabelle many years ago when Michelle first gave birth to this delightful Hare. Cheers Glenda