When I shared the start of my brimfield blocks project a while back, someone pointed out that my all green blocks kind of look like Christmas wreaths. Hmmm... maybe it's true, or perhaps at this time of year, everything seems to remind you that there are only so many shopping days left before the big day of peace and love is upon us. In any case, I thought it would be fun to share the progress of my holiday boughs and let you decide.
As I had shared before, I've had it in my head for a long time to make an all green quilt. As usual, I really don't know how large I'll make this, but it would seem that I simply can't do small. The background is actually quite large, with an unfinished size of 16.5". I suppose I can trim them down later if needed, but it seemed like a good starting size.
This sweet daisy fabric has been in my stash for so long... waiting to be used before it landed in the "never-use-it... put it in the destash pile". I'm so glad I didn't give up on her, because I think she's finally found her project to really shine.
So, just think of these green wreaths as my way of wishing you the brightest, warmest, and merriest Christmas ever!
Over the last weeks, I've been sharing blocks from my upcoming Home Sweet Home applique sampler that I will be releasing in May. These Home Sweet Home Kitchen blocks are the last that I will be sharing until the final reveal... just think there are still 16 blocks that you've not seen yet!?!
I would say that in most homes, the kitchen is the heart of things... it's where families gather and spend a good potion of time together. Even when entertaining, it's as if it is almost mandatory for everyone to crowd into the kitchen. So with these food blocks, it's a nod to the center of the home. A healthy home is a happy home, and what better way to keep the doctor away than an apple a day...
This peas-in-a-pod block really
holds a special place in my heart... when I became a mother, for some
reason, I started calling my new little addition "sweet pea". While he
is no longer that tiny little bundle that he once was, my now 8 year old is,
and always will be, my sweet pea.
When growing
up, much to our displeasure at the time, my parents would always make us
eat our vegetables. We tried every trick in the book to get out of
eating them, but threats of double portions quickly cured our "upset
tummies". I often hear my mom telling me, as if she's sitting on my
shoulder... "a meal is not complete until there is green on the plate."
When my oldest
was little, and his food came out of a jar, I could always tell the foods that her really liked with
this sweet little "hh..ummm" sound that he would make. Pears were one of his favorite foods, so I think it's more than appropriate, that
it lands in a quilt that is all things home.
Are you going to Nadelwelt in Karlsruhe in May? I will be teaching a starch applique class and will exclusively introduce this pattern to you first! Would love you see you there!
For a few weeks now, I've been hinting at that I have some really exciting news coming... especially for those living in Germany. This year I will be teaching two classes in May at the Nadelwelt convention in Karlsruhe, Germany! This international needlecraft event would almost be the equivalent of a Quilt Market for Germany. For the show, I will be officially introducing my Home Sweet Home applique sampler, which I've been sharing a couple sneak peek blocks already... but would you like to see more?
I find that over and over again, I tend towards curves and organic shapes and forms, whether in my fabric choices, or my designs... flowers are a big part of that, especially for my own personal home sweet home. Every year, my mother-in-law has two huge flower pots in front of her house that are full with the most beautiful Agapantus blooms. It's not only the fact that these slender yet elegant flowers are the perfect shade of purple, but I love the mighty ball of concentrated blooms.
My brother has a theory that a person's favorite season is the same season that they were born in... hmmm? Perhaps that might explain why spring blooms are my favorites. Those first tulips and daffodils make my heart sing with excitement that winter is soon over, and warmer and longer days are on the horizon.
Even as a little girl, dandelions were always my favorite... I simply couldn't understand why my dad was so eager to mow them down?!? With their bright yellow tuft of sunshine, I will still argue to this day that they are one of the prettiest weeds you'll find.
What some consider weeds, are something that I consider as beautiful... and I have always been drawn to thistles. Despite the fact they are often lacking in color, there is a certain elegance in their prickly, yet interestingly delicate form.
I think it goes without saying that connections with other quilters is something special in itself, and I have to say that I am especially
excited about the Nadelwelt show because I have made connections with so many quilters in Germany over the years,
either through blogging or Instagram. Finally getting to put names and faces to actual people!?!... let me know if you are planning to go to Nadelwelt in May too!
Every quilter has that one sewing technique that is avoided like the plague... for some it's paper piecing, for others it's applique, Y-seams and partial piecing always make a list, and I'm sure that curved piecing has to be on someones don't-go-near-it list. For me that one thing is EPP - English Paper Piecing!
Aside from the fact that I can't do much hand sewing because of numbness in my fingers, somehow EPP just feels like mending sewing to me... it would be like asking a Picasso to paint your garage. Not that I'm comparing myself to Picasso, but I am a quilter who simply wants to sew and not mend things, despite how portable the technique is.
Well, with all that being said, I suppose it might be slightly confusing why you are seeing snap shots of EPP blocks in my feed.... hmmm. When @brimfieldawakening first shared their new #brimfieldblock, I instantly feel in love. Even though it was EPP, I kept coming back to study and examine it.... I kept thinking to myself that there had to be another approach to this block, and that my ever beloved starch applique method was just the thing!
I asked a friend, who had traveled to the States recently, if she could pick up a single block set for me, knowing that it would be light enough to fit into a purse without being noticed. I then traced the shapes onto freezer paper, and decided to triple layer them. Because of the sturdiness due to the extra layer, I should be able to finish a whole quilt with my one set of freezer paper shapes! It was critical to cut them with a ruler and my paper rotary cutter to make sure that the shapes fit when finished.
I've since added a couple more blocks and will join in on the sew-along that Brimfield Awakening is hosting. An all green quilt has been on my to-do list for quite a while, and I'm enjoying digging into my favorite color stacks in my stash.
One of the beauties of working on such a block is that there is plenty of room for fussy cutting. I've been saving this Heather Ross fabric for something special, and I love these Daisy Chain fabrics from Annabell Wrigley.
Do you have any "back door" approaches to quilting when you didn't want to go through the front door?
I love sewing notions, don't you? I suppose most avid sewers and quilters do, and they seem to come up in my work over and over again. For my Home Sweet Home applique sampler, that is releasing in May, I wanted to include things that are near and dear in my home... what are the things that surround you that make you feel like home? My sewing room is a big part of my everyday space, so it's quite fitting that a few notions found their way into my sampler...
Already at five and seven, both of my boys always ask ahead of time which are my paper scissors and which are my fabric scissors *smile* It's never too early to train them right.
Ahhh, "basting"... that dirty word in the quilting world, (well, not for me) but safety pins are kind of a necessary evil in the notions drawer. Such a practical and little notion also deserves a space with the rest of the beloved notions.
My mom, who taught me to sew, probably felt like she wanted to pull her hair out when I wanted to leave the ironing step out when she was teaching me to sew. At the time, it just felt like it took to long to get to the end result anyway... "why waste even more time ironing?" was my thought. Nevertheless, I now realize the value of a hot iron and perfectly pressed seams.
Do you have any sewing notions that are near and dear to your heart?
