Wednesday 27 April 2016

WIPW - A New Green Project

Work In Progress Wednesday features my new green project,

Trinity Green


I need a new bedcover. 
I want to make a quilt.
I like green.
I have a lot of green fabric in my stash. 
I want to make a dent in that green stash. 
I will make a green quilt.
I like triangles.
I will make a quilt with green triangles.

I dragged out my green scraps and fat quarters.
I armed myself with graph paper, a green pencil, a ruler, a green cutting mat, a rotary cutter, a quilt ruler, fabric markers, scissors....
I drew a paper foundation pattern of triangles.
I made a lot of xerox copies.
I cut the green fabric into triangles. I cut some more, and more, and more...
I sorted the green cuttings into boxes.
I sewed the green triangles onto the paper.




I have to make a lot of these pieced paper slips...
I am facing a long and boring project....
Why did I give myself the green light?
After all, I am green, a beginner of paper foundation quilting.
I will soon be sick and tired of machine piecing, of green, and become green in the face.
My hair will not turn white, but green.
My home will be full of green fluff, when it should be full of green food stuff, like green salads and greengage from the greengrocer.
Machine piecing isn't a very green way of sewing, will it contribute to the greenhouse effect and emit greenhouse gas?
Should I propose a Green Paper on the Promotion of Hand Piecing and Hand Quilting alfresco, somewhere in the green belt around the Metropolis?
I could stitch by the golfcourse while watching the greenkeeper take care of the green?
Or I could sit on the village green and quilt while watching the green grass grow?
Or move into Granpa's old greenhouse and quilt there, as I haven't got any green fingers and can't grow green peppers, green beans or green onions ; they would soon be attacked by greenflies.
Wherever I quilt, I must take care not to stab myself in the fingers or they'll get infected and full of green pus and gangreen will set in. Oh, no it's spelled gangren...
It's time for me to take a break and drink a cup of green tea, before my brain grows green with mould. 
Then I need to gear up the sewing machine and get on with Trinity Green.
Whatever you do, don't be green with envy of my new green project!


Wednesday 20 April 2016

WIPW - From the waist or shoulder

Just in time for the Work In Progress Wednesday report, I've completed the

Kjolsäck
I used purple yarn, instead of the thin black knitting yarn I showed last week, to make two long cords.

I then used some of this wool to make two felted balls. Later I added a few decorative stitches
and attached the cords to the purse frame.
Here is the completed kjolsäck. 
Until I have made a belt from which it can hang, I will either use this kjolsäck as a shoulder bag or tie it around my waist.
It was fun to make and unbelievable fast to complete. 

.............

Next project is already brewing..., the ingredients are on the chopping board. I still need to find a name for it, something with green in the title...
Happy stitching, happy piecing, happy quilting to you all!



Wednesday 13 April 2016

WIPW - A Giant Step

For this week's Work In Progress Wednesday post I think I have taken a giant step forward.

Kjolsäck
Inserting the bag's body and lining into the groove of the purse frame was not as difficult as I had thought. The piece of white plastic (see last week's post) I started out using was helpful, but a dining knife was even better.
After fixing the fabric to the metal with black thread I added a row of decorative aqua Cross stitches.
The frame is held in place firmly.

Next I made the 'kavelfrans' or napped edging. I have made this 'wooly worm' differently in the past,  this time I wanted to speed things up by using the sewing machine.
First I made holes in two pieces of stiff cardboard, inserted two bamboo skewers and wrapped them with wool.
I placed the 'ladder' on top of a bias tape and slid it under the presser foot of the sewing machine,

stitched down the middle until I had a loopy worm.
Each loop was cut open.
With a comb and brush, I separated the strands of wool, then held the napped edging over the steaming spout of a boiling kettle, until the fibres had felted together.

It was then time to stitch the sides and bottom of the bag together with the edging in between.
Construction was easier and quicker than I had thought, and I am rather pleased with the result.

Next step will be to make a cord with the 'slynggaffel', or lucet in English. This black yarn is a bit too fine, I might have to make the cord in a different colour...


Wednesday 6 April 2016

WIPW - Embroidery completed

Work In Progress Wednesday, shows the completed embroidery of the Swedish wool embroidered

Kjolsäck

I am now in the process of attaching the purse frame.
First I turned in, gathered, pressed and basted the top of the pouch, here the back and the lining:
Next step was to stitch these together at the top.
 I cut a piece of stiff plastic (white) to fit exactly in the grove of the frame, inserted it in between the back and the lining and pressed that curve into the grove of the frame..
While keeping the fabric in place with the white plastic it is now my intention to stitch the frame to the black back. it will be tricky, so please wish me good luck!


Sunday 3 April 2016

Two cards

I made two more birthday cards. One is embroidered and made without a plan, but I used Sharon B's crazy quilting templates (well worth investing in, and enjoyable to use):

The other card was another stumpwork portrait:
I haven't made a stumpwork portrait in a long time and it was, as always, so interesting to see it grow. 
The veil is made of a stretchy fabric, and if the pin is removed the lady's face, and hair, will be revealed