Friday, March 9, 2012

Random thoughts


I have been trying to finish a lot of little projects around here before I go away on that 
Disney _ _ _ _ _ _.

Tying up loose ends, so I can disconnect next weekend and just relax. My hubby asked me last night, if I was going to be posting while on vacation, and I had to think about it... Then said, "Well, no, perhaps I will stick up a GONE fishing sign." He suggested a Mickey Mouse image with a fishing pole. ;-)  Glad he's looking out for me!

Thought I'd show some progress on my King Size Hawaiian quilt.  In the evening time, usually while watching a two hour American Idol show, I sit and work on this quilt.  I had taken it to Minnesota with me and only put about 5 hours into it, but I am bound and determined to finish it. I'm really excited to quilt it.  So, one stitch at a time, I am working my way around it. It's taken me about 6-7 hours to finish one quadrant.

I'm doing needle turn, and at one point, I took my hand out from underneath the quilt, my left hand pointer finger, gave me quite a surprise and nearly made my daughter faint... Do you know how when needle turning you often poke your other finger just a tiny bit when you looking for the tip of the needle?  (well I do anyway) I had SEWN straight through the top layers of my pointer finger. I had sewn myself to the quilt, thread right through my finger, and I had no idea.  
It didn't hurt,  it wasn't deep or anything... I laughed and Boo turned around and went completely white! I should have taken a picture... But I couldn't manage it since I had a king size quilt attached to my hand... LOL!


I want to share with you TWO sewing goodies that I LOVE.
I'm using the No. 10's.  I find them FABULOUS for getting those tiny tiny stitches I need, and it glides through the fabric. The needle EYE is SOOOO tiny it;s a bit hard to thread, so I need to buy a needle threader.  Adding that to my list to buy this weekend. The needles are very very sharp, and I guess that's why I didn't notice it going through my finger tip!



The SECOND "LOVE" is, Superior Threads, "The Bottom Line" thread by Libby Lehman. The super fine, slippery thread completely disappears in the applique. It makes my slightly inexperienced applique look really good! ;-)  Although I notice that the thread divides (separates) , which makes it even harder to get it threaded in those tiny clover eyes.  Overall?  It's worth it. Definitely!


So far it's going really well, Although I have only done ONE of the 8 small star thing-ies... ack! That ONE was not fun.  Having never had a proper applique lesson, I'm sure I could learn some tricks to make those easier... Note to self: Add to my list of things to do.


Why am I making this quilt? 

I received two new books on paper cutting for Christmas which inspired me to play. So this quilt is not technically Hawaiian, but a version inspired by the idea of it and my play in paper cutting. It's not nearly as complicated as these amazing paper cuts though. I made a little paper piece I thought was pretty, so I made it into a quilt. simple. pure.



Any tips or tools you can share with us that you LOVE?

Have a lovely weekend.

15 comments:

  1. Really, you've got to come this way and I'll introduce you to my mother, an award winning applique-r. she's done several quilts with 12 inch paper cut blocks and she taught me to applique. her stitches are amazing, and invisible.
    have fun on the c-----. keep you eye on the horizon!

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  2. First comment that comes to mind is "Dang you're amazing!" I find your productivity very inspiring. And I love your approach here--not fussing over the details, diving into a new technique with a unique pattern. I'm so glad I know you, VFW.

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  3. I love working with paper cuts, but haven't done it in awhile. I just finished a two week sewing marathon to get my sister's quilt done and my fingers still hurt, lol. I not only use my finger to know where to stop my needle, I tend to push the eye through the other finger on occasion, so now I wear a bandaid on the pushing finger since I can't work with a thimble.

    Have a wonderful time on your trip and enjoy some time with your family.

    Debbie

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  4. I LOVE your choice of black and white for this quilt. So striking. Take an extra stitch at the point of each star as you go around. You have Tonye Philips' book, don't you? She keeps it simple.

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  5. There are so many good applique books out there V.,my favorite is "Applique 12 Easy Ways!" by Elly Sienkiewicz ( I bet you can find it in the library)

    And put a thimble on that poor finger:0).
    This quilt is looking fantastic!
    (How can you sew black at night?)

    Happy Sewing

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  6. You're making me want to pull my Hawaiian quilt outand work on it. I'm at the quilting stage. I took a local lesson from Nancy Lee Chong years ago. She's an amazing appliqué quilter. You can take an online course here: http://www.quiltuniversity.com/classlist.htm#MYOHQ

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  7. buy the dvd from Nancy Chong, it's the best "workshop in a box" on applique. Worth every penny. As for the needle threader, I'll email you a picture of the BEST threader. Janet from Quiltsalott showed it, and I bought it and my LQS ordered it and has sold tons of it!

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  8. Have a great time on your trip. Sounds like your finger needs a break. I will be quilting while I watch basketball!

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  9. Have fun on the cruise. Definitely put up a "Gone Fishing" sign and enjoy the time away. You'll come back fresh and invigorated, all sunshiny and smiling.....not green. LOL! I don't have any tips or notions to offer today. Your project, though, makes me think I need to find the paper cut-out I did sometime last year after reading an article on Hawaiin quilts. It's in my batch of sketches so one day, I'll get to it. :-)

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  10. Fun with paper-cutting AND fabric... looks like such fun, and now thanks to your post and reader comments applique books/DVD/class (and have been added to my sewing wish list! Have fun "fishing".

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  11. Wow, I love your Hawaiian applique, you are doing a fantastic job.
    Needle turn applique is my favorite method of all quilting projects. I also am crazy about black and white.

    : )

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  12. I second your needle recommendation. Those Clover Black Gold needles are wonderful! I found a packet of them in my needle drawer recently...have no idea where they came from or how long I've had them...but they were the first thing I put my hands on one day and I couldn't believe the difference.

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  13. OMG, I've sewn myself to my work before too. You're right...it doesn't really hurt, it's just freaky when you figure out what you did. Have a good Disney ------!

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  14. WOW!! Loving this black and white appliqué quilt! Oooohh, can't wait to see more!

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