Block from hearts Desire by Esther Aliu her designs are incredible. All ways challenging, different, and beautiful.
My week has been more of buying fabrics, fixing sewing machines, buying sewing machine parts, hunting down good fine sewing machine needles for my machine appliqué than any physical sewing!!!! But I have made slow progress on my wee triangle blocks for part 7 of The Secret Garden quilt by Esther.
My first attempt, I felt the bias stems were to wide making them look heavy and I don’t have enough of this fabric for all 16 blocks.
I found a fabric that I had enough of for all 14 blocks and thought if I machine appliqué them it would be so much quicker and just hand the petals!!!!! so I did one but was disappointed with the look it was to flat and harsh it needs a much much finer edging and as I’m very new to machine appliqué it is back to hand appliquéing those stems down for now. I have to learn how to adjust my machine stiches so will spend some time looking at internet videos.
These stems are appliquéd down by hand a much soft look.
I also don’t have enough fabric of the two purples for all 14 blocks so decided to use two different other purples as well then played around and decided tow add two more shades of a different colour but in the same tones and lots more fun!!!!
these two blocks have different fabrics but are very close in value
Happy with the new colour I’m adding.
Plus my other purple block colours.
Slowlyyyyy getting there.
Where I’m up to this morning One little triangle on the right with its pieces almost all appliquéd on, just 6 wee yellow drops to do.
Love how the pieces of fabric pop and roll like real shapes when I pull the basting threads out after Iv’e appliquéd the shapes on.
My DGD and I made up a wee quilt for her to cuddle under while watching a movie or TV but she loves it so much she was trying to sleep under it at night time but her feet stuck out the other end but still she wanted to sleep under it right or wrong so last week she went home with one of my bed quilts she really likes now her feet dont stick out LOL
Quilt that went home with my DGD 4 1/2 last week. I’m so so happy she has it as it was one SHE wanted not one I just gave her.This friendship quilt swap was made with 32 other quilters in PNG
Centre of friendship quilt.
UP Date 12 midday
Iv’e been side tracked this morning!!!!!! machine appliquéing one of my Secret Garden blocks, a little frustrated as I can not shorten the bite in so not as happy with my appliqué as I would like to be.
This fern grows all around me it is a native fern and it influenced me when I made my leaves for block 3 of SG
Close up of the leaves
Here you can see those leaves in my SG block I’m machine appliquéing those leaves down today
Update 4pm
Just finished machine appliquéing all the leaves down, now need to finish the stems and the cat, will do the cats eyes and the flower heads by hand applique.
In the garden today it is wet and miserable.
Wet and miserable day! Glad I can stay inside and sew. 16C out side.
This is what it was like yesterday a picture perfect day 22C !
cuttings my DGD and I planted out two months ago!
Scraggly poinsettias we have jus thad to much rain for them this year.
I counted 7 different ferns on this stump all local self seeded ferns.
My quiet budda
How red is that?
Shhhhhh
Those bare branches belong to the fig tree in 2 days it will be covered in soft new leaves.
My fish pond but it is becoming the frog pond LOL Have spent the last week raking up leaves every day around it from the fig tree. Leaves can make the water sick for the fish if to many fall in to it.
Off to link up with others on Esther’s blog to day. Thanks for dropping in to say hello.
Cheers Glenda
10 Responses to WOW or WIP’s with Esther 9th Aug 2017