April Miniature

Quilting

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

7″ x 13″

It was challenging but after a day and a half I finally have my April postcard finished – flower baskets. I’m not happy with the contrast between the background and the baskets but I wasn’t about to spend another day on the project.

Just when I thought I had it, Stacia and Deloise noticed my mistake.

The quilting is a very simple straight line cross hatch; I eyeballed it rather than marked it.

By the time I got to the binding I was more than ready to be done so I used my machine to stitch down the binding. It is a technique I’ve wanted to use but I’ve never felt I did a very good job on it. Since this piece isn’t going to win any ribbons it seemed like a good spot to try it.

In hindsight I think a double-fold binding would have been easier to work with, not to mention a space that wasn’t so short from corner to corner.

Another challenging day

Journal

Monday, April 12, 2021

If Stacia and Deloise weren’t also challenged with the pattern we’re doing I’d probably have given up by now.

I was working slowly doing the same step in each of the six blocks at the same time. When they were all done I lined them up three of the six were done wrong. I have found all sorts of reasons why I’m having the problems and Stacia has come up with one as well.

I should have been able to spot the errors much earlier than when the blocks were finished. Can you see the problem with these baskets?

I’ve got them corrected now so I’m back in the game.

Sewing was so bad …

Journal

Sunday, April 11, 2021

How bad was it? I spent the entire morning trying to get the bonnet and face done for Gretel. I wanted her facing the gingerbread house and no matter how I sewed or cut the three pieces for her face I could not get it right. I finally got one together (the wrong way) and decided that rather than have Hansel looking at the gingerbread house he would be looking at his sister. I had the same problem when I did Red Riding Hood and I actually had the row together and than took it all apart to “fix” her.

And just when I thought I had everything going the right way I managed to lose one of the pieces. In my scrounge around to find it (I did) I ended up tipping over a container of empty bobbins.

Is it any wonder that I quit and went outside to work in the yard?

Once my back gave out I came upstairs and tidied my sewing room so I’ll be ready to sew with Stacia and Deloise starting tomorrow. I’m using the precision piecing method and I have my container of leaders and enders ready to go. They say this method isn’t slower but there is a lot more prep work involved.

I’ll drag out the vacuum but then I’m quitting to relax in my chair with some cross stitching until supper.

Happy Birthday Madison

Cards

April 10, 2021

Split Hexie Flower (from Splendid Sampler 2)

How did Miss Madison get to be 20 years old!

I didn’t strictly follow the pattern provided for this card. I had some hexies already prepared and it didn’t make sense to make more. This made the card somewhat larger than it was supposed to be; I used a larger background square but in the end it was barely big enough.

I’m not sure I should cross the original pattern off my list but, for now, I’m saying that particular pattern is done. By the time I get to the end of the list of 100 blocks I’ll likely have forgotten one wasn’t quite “right”.

It seems fitting that these extra hexies should end up in the Burton household as the quilt I made is also at their place.