NOVEMBER 15, 2012
Oh that I could identify exactly what brand of needle this one is!
It became my favourite as I stitched the wool applique on my piece from Sue Spargo’s class.
You see I picked the needle out of this collection here:
And clearly there is no organization to this “collection”! I picked it because it was on the finer side, had some length and a serviceable eye for the thread I was using. I expected the wool applique to be smooth and easy with the needle, but it was also sooooo smooth with the cotton. I have some hunting and comparison to do with the little packages in my needle box in the hope of identifying it’s origins.
Something I have long wondered about is how to know when to change my hand sewing needles. Okay, so when it snaps in half during enthusiastic stitching sessions, that is obvious, but generally it is a little more obvious when to change machine needles. With machine needles there is the rule of thumb that you change your needle every 8 to 24 hours of sewing, depending on the fibres you are sewing through. And of course there is the telltale tick-tick-tick or click-click-click when the needle is dull or has a small burr. After all the hard work put into quilts, changing out the needle is important so that holes or snags are not created in the fabric. Poor stitch quality despite tension adjustments is another indication to examine the machine needle.
With hand sewing needles, when to change needles can be more subtle. Here is what I have come up with for “harmonious”stitching!
1. Hand sewing needles are either plated with nickel, gold or platinum. This plating wears off over time and perspiration can erode the plating as well. When your needle is sluggish and dragging as you go through the fabric, change it out.
2. Sometimes needles can get a bit grimy with sweat from our hands. Give it a wash, dry well and see if that improves things.
3. Good quality needles will bend instead of break. When you are investing time into hand sewing, give yourself a treat and invest in good needles (Richard Hemmings, Roxanne, Jeanna Kimball, John James).
4. Blunt needles are hard to push and you will feel resistance as you are going through the fabric. You might not realize this extra effort as you are stitching, but aching in your fingers and wrists will tell you! A new needle is in order!
5. If you see that the needle is catching or snagging the yarn of the fabric when you enter and exit the stitch, replace it!
You can see that I am still having tons of fun working on my project from the class with Sue. I did mention it is addictive, didn’t I!
Have a great week
&
Happy Stitching!
NOVEMBER 8, 2012
Creative juices were flowing as I was surrounded by imagination and inspiration, at the recent Sue Spargo workshop at Stitch. As I have posted before Stitch is truly a sanctuary for quilters and knitters. Jocelyn has curated a magnificent collection of fabrics and yarns. And beyond the goods for sale, she provides visitors to her shop with displays to entice and dream about once you have left.
You have too look carefully or you may miss something delightful!
While admiring this wooden bowl displaying indian fabric printing blocks, I looked up to find among the leaves of the wreath under the protective gaze of the animals, the sweetest little Noah’s Ark scene … in a matchbox!
Looking around it is clear Jocelyn has a fondness for Ark scenes.
Joceyln carries the pattern that she made this sweet set from.
Stitch is in the delightful historic small town of Jordan in the Niagara Wine Region.
The main street has some wonderful shops. The OnTheTwenty Restaurant overlooks the beautiful, forested Twenty Valley.
And it has some beautiful Old Ontario Homes.
This is a little bit of what I was up to in Sue’s class! She was teaching from her new book Creative Stitches. It is very addictive.
I will be back next week with more!
Have a great week
&
Happy Stitching!
OCTOBER 30, 2012
When I was at Beaver Island, Carol V. arrived with a box of goodies for us from her father. The really neat part about the gifts that he sent was that I did not know I needed one until I had one!
It sits on my sewing table, or beside my sewing chair and I love that my thread is not falling over or rolling off the table and that it has a magnet to hold my needle when I take a break or stop to cut another piece of thread. Varnished and smooth on the flat surface, he left the bark on with bits of moss attached.
I don’t know my woods well enough to tell what kind it is but I appreciate it for all of it’s organic loveliness.
There is a story behind this spool keeper (I am sure there is some other name for it) that I want to share. A tree had fallen on his car and he decided to make something from the all the wood. Apparently he made oodles and oodles of them. A silver lining from an unfortunate accident. Thank you Peter V.
I have been doing a bit of hand stitching lately …
Yes the pieces are very tiny!
Have a great week
&
Happy Stitching!
OCTOBER 24, 2012
It is easy to miss the event it seems to happen so rapidly! Beside the front door at my parent’s house is an exquisite “Arnold’s Promise” witch hazel bush. After a showy display of intriguing flowers in the spring, rich green leaves grace it’s branches all summer long. Then, it seems, one day in the fall the green is pushed to the edges as red and orange rush into the centre of the leaves.
I never fail to stop in my tracks each fall to admire them. These leaves remind me of one of my favourite quilting colour combinations … red, green and cheddar!
This gift of nature could not have been the colour inspiration for these antique quilts, as this plant was only developed in 1929 by William Judd at the Arnold Arboretum, now part of Harvard University. But it is a lovely reminder to put a quilt in this colour combination on my quilt bucket list!
Treasury of American Quilts, Nelson and Houck, page 162.
The four block design of this circa 1850 quilt from New England “explodes” with energy!
Crib Quilts and Other Small Wonders, Woodward and Greenstein, page 51.
The rich green fabric used for the leaves in this circa 1865 Pennsylvania quilt looks black in this photo.
What’s on your quilt bucket list?
Have a great week
&
Happy Stitching!
OCTOBER 17, 2012
Some exciting news first! We have a quilt in the latest special issue of Quiltmania!
Dutch Oude II
Check at your local quilt store or newsstand, or find copies here.
I promised more about Beaver Island. Each year I attend, I find it amazing as I look around the room at the end of the week at all of the quilts up on the walls for show and tell. The scope and variety reflects each of their unique makers. I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by such talented women! I shared table space with my cohorts in quilting crime: Beth, Lucy and Kathy S. It became very apparent mid-retreat that you could not work at our table unless you were working in red and white! Beth and Lucy had been to see the red and white “Infinite Variety” exhibit in New York in 2011 and were clearly inspired by what they saw. Lucy started off with this wonderful piece:
Then after Beth finished this amazing quilt:
She started working on this stunning piece:
Kathy, inspired by Lucy’s quilt, started working on this cheery top, using some “floor scraps” (a twist on a BIQR tradition) and liberated squares. I love the stripes! Jan nicknamed it “Lucy in Disguise”!
The retreat was so much fun it should be illegal!
I stayed on an extra few days to visit with Joes and Isabeau who were arriving to attend week 5. Here is the quilt that Isabeau brought for show and tell … all hand pieced!
Joes had brought a quilt with her (unfortunately my photo did not work out) that she made with fabrics from the Windham line “Josephine”. The fabrics in that line are reproductions of fabrics from a family quilt that Joes’ mother has that dates back to the 1800’s. I wish the picture had turned out! We went travelling on the Monday to different quilt shops in the area. It was a beautiful day to spend time with friends, with brilliant sun and vibrant leaves!
After days of wonderful visits with friends, amazing dinners, a great yoga class and another birthday celebrated, it was time to head home. I had heard about the Sleeping Bear Dunes and decided to stop there on my way. Later I learned that they have been named “The Most Beautiful Place In America” by Good Morning American. And deservedly so. As I came to the end of the path through the forest and reached the crest of the hill, this is what I saw … breathtaking.
The dunes rise 450 feet above the shore of Lake Michigan. There is a sign here that warns visitors to watch their footing at the edge, not to descend and that there will be a charge for any rescues! A local resident that I met there told me that the climb back up is next to impossible. I decided at this point, that watching my footing of course, this was the only way to explore the area!
The Dunes stretch for 60 plus miles along the shore.
And somehow trees are managing to cling to the earth in this fragile and shifting environment.
It was magnificent and I definitely want to go back next year and explore more.
As I headed home, I couldn’t resist a few barn pictures!
Have a wonderful week
&
Happy Stitching!
