It's been such a long time since I had time to write a post! I'm still here, still working on quilts and trying to do my best to manage this growing little business. Though I'm not blogging quite as much, I am finding time to post quickly on Face Book and Instagram and once in a while Pinterest. Be sure to find me there if you are interested, but any big news will be posted here as well.
Speaking of big news, while at Quilt Market in May I was grateful to meet many wonderful people! One group of ladies were the women from Quiltmania publications. I am thrilled to say that I will have a few of my designs in their magazine titled Simply Vintage this Autumn. It should be available any time now! This magazine can be found at Barnes and Noble, but Quiltmania now has an office in the U.S. so ordering your subscription should be much easier now. You can look into subscriptions HERE if you are interested.
My heart just skipped a beat as I went to the page that is linked in the word "here" in that last sentence, for when I clicked on the Simply Vintage page in Quiltmania's website, the Autumn issue was shown...look at the bottom right photo! My projects made the cover!! What a nice surprise! My method for Starch Basting English Paper Piecing will be presented with these projects. I don't think I can wait to see the issue in person! I am also thrilled to say they will be publishing a few more of my designs next year as well.
Whew! That was pretty exciting for an early morning wake up!
I'll be vending At the Gems Of The Prairie Quilt Show in Peoria, IL this coming weekend and I'd love to meet some of you if you are able to come over that way! Click on the name of the show for more info. Looks like a fun time!!
Have a wonderful day!
Take care,
Missie
Just a little stitchin' going on out on the deck tonight! I'm about done with the Wool Applique on these blocks and it will be time to put this baby together very soon. It will be fun to see how it will look! Working with my favorite wools and reproduction cottons layered and stitched with a blanket stitch. Yum yummy!
I'm using a stitching technique that's new for me. I'm not really sure I've seen it done before by anyone else, but I'm liking it for this type of sewing. The seam allowance is on the wide side of 1/4" and I'm doing needle turn Applique, but with a big blanket stitch. First I've drawn the shape onto the front side of the cotton fabric with a chalk pencil.
Then I'm turning the seam under with the needle as if I were going to do needleturn Applique. I'm only worried about turning that white line under as far as my next stitch for now.
And then I'm taking the next stitch right at the point I'm holding with my fingernail. Easy peasy! Gives a rustic look to the cotton Applique. The wool is sewn with the same blanket stitches but of course no seam is turned under. This is what I refer to as layered wool and cotton Applique.
We have great temps tonight before the next heatwave hits tomorrow. Hubs and I are enjoying the breeze and mild temps tonight! Some of you may have met Jeff at a show here and there. He's a good helper for me when I'm working at shows!
Have a great weekend and Take care,
Missie
PS...there's a great floss giveaway going on at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe if you want to enter!
Hey Everyone! I've been missing in action again with a super busy schedule of vending at quilt shows and family stuff. I just finished up my last show for a little while and I'm glad to be home to get some work done for a few weeks! The last show was right here near home and it was nice to be able to sleep in my own bed and have a friend help one day and my middle daughter home the next day. Unfortunately I didn't think to get a picture this time! And I even set up the booth a little bit differently. Oh well, I'll be sure to add TAKE PHOTOS to my to do list next time! I would have loved to have a picture of Melanie since she won't get to help again for a while as she is moving away shortly. We'll miss her being nearby.
Since having a few days at home, I've been able to do a little stitching on my next design. This quilt will be similar to Pennies In My Garden, but the "pennies" will be diamond shaped this time around.
As I'm stitching the cotton and wool layers together, I've figured out a better way to make sharp points when using the blanket stitch. I've prepared my cotton shapes using the starch method I use for EPP basting. Usually I prefer Needleturn for Applique, but I am learning to love the crisp sewing edges that come with basting with starch. It makes sewing the Applique down effortless for the most part! These pre set points also help make a better point, but the stitching is also important. I'm sure I will still use Needleturn Applique in the future, but for this quilt, I'm enjoying using my Starch Brush to prepare the seam allowances. Now back to the sharp points...
After reaching the point and pulling the last blanket stitch tight, I'm taking another very tiny blanket stitch right at the point. The thread I prefer using for wool Applique is Genziana so it is very thin compared to floss or pearl cotton. This may too bulky of a stitch to take at the end of a point if you use floss or pearl cotton, but it's worth a try to make a sharp point.
Next I'm using the needle to tuck under any seam allowance poking out from behind the Applique shape.
Then I'm holding the tip with the hidden seam allowance very firm so that seam allowance won't poke out again!
Then proceed with a few more stitches. New topic for a moment... Notice the blue wool point above the one I'm discussing and how it is a bit bulging out of the stitches? I'm going to trim that excess away very carefully. Notice in the next picture how much better it looks compared the the picture above.
In this pic you can see how nice the red cotton fabric point looks with this locking blanket stitch after its stitched. You can also compare this point to the yello point with no locking stitch. (Yes, I'll go back and lock that one!). And finally you can compare the blue wool point in this picture to the previous picture to compare points before and after a trim.
Just a little tid bit of info I've learned lately. Hope it helps you also!
Take care,
Missie
Well, it seems lots of time has passed since I've last posted. I've been vending at another 2 shows...first Minnesota and then the new Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival. The booth looks about the same, but a little bit different each time I set it up.
The KC show was especially fun because two of my college girlfriends were my helpers. They are non sewers and I'll say they did a great job. By the end of the weekend they knew how to answer a few questions! It's fun to let them see what I do for my "job" and I was proud to show them! I've been a stay at home mom for so many years, I finally feel like a working woman like many of my college friends! That's Chris on the left and Julie on the right...thanks girls!
I made a little FB post on the way down as I sang "Kansas City here I come, right back where I started from..." Explaining that once upon a time I started my adult life in KC. I met my husband there and after we were married we lived in Lawrence, KS. We worked and played and started our family, had a bad babysitter experience and I became a stay at home mom. It didn't take too long until I needed something to keep me busy with the baby sleeping much of the time and my mom suggested I take a lesson of some sort. Well, that lesson was quilting! I took my first quilting lesson at stitch On Needlework Shop. A few years ago I became reacquainted with the owner, Leslie, who taught me to quilt. It's fun to bump into her at shows now and then and of course, she was vending at the KC Show since it is so close to Lawrence. Be sure to stop by her store if you are in the area! She is still spreading the joy of quilting with others!
Next stop will be at the Ankeny Qyult show near Des Moines on July 10 & 11. Hope to see some of you there!
Take care and happy stitching,
Missie
Posted with Blogsy