Fabric folding

Last year, I posted about some little fabric folding projects I was doing here.  I made a little pincushion from tiny folded units

I love this little pincushion, I think it looks like a hydrangea flower and is very textural.

Today, I have been doing a little more of this, but putting the units together in a flat manner.

Above you can see all my units in process.  I won't repost the steps as they are shown  here

Here is a close up of the units being put together.  I have covered the sewing in the centre of the squares with a bead and hand stitched them together.  My idea for this is to make a table runner with these making hydrangeas in it.

Another project that is very similar that I have been working on is a folded hexagon table runner, which will go onto our fundraising stall for the quilting group.

Here are some folded hexagon in a gorgeous gilded red fabric I was given for christmas.  (And elizabeth, you can see I really meant it when I said my workspace was messy!)  As you can see these hexagons are created from circles and are two sided.  The back in this picture (which you can't see) is simply plain, like a normal hexagon, whilst the front which you see is folded and has lovely texture.

I love this technique, as there is none of the tedious papers and basting.  Circles are much easier to cut and the folding is really easy.

On the left is a finished hexagon.  On the right I have folded a circle into quarters to find the centre.  this is where I start my thread.

Once you have attached your thread in the centre, you don't need to be concerned about the folds you made.  The first step is to bring on side to the centre, attach with a stich and finger fold.  There are two folds, or ears created at each end of the fold.  I will be working clockwise, but it doesn't matter, so long as you keep going the same direction.

Here I have taken the right hand fold or ear to the centre and attached it with a stitch.  This has created a new fold or ear on the right.

As you can see I have taken the new fold to the centre and attached it, creating a new ear to the right.

Here I have taken the next ear to the centre as before.  The important thing here is that the two sides left are parallel. If they aren't parallel or close to it, then you haven't been stitching into the exact centre and might need to do some adjusting.

With the second to last fold you will get this shape.  What you are aiming for is a good point on this last ear.

And when you bring this last point to the centre you will have a two sided hexagon!  I have used different methods to hide my stitching on the folded side.  If you are putting them upside down, with the normal hexagon side, you don't really need to, so long as you used matching thread, but I like the folded part to be on top, so I have used sequins, beads, or french knots or even a button to hide the stitching.  Of course it is an opportunity for bling, and don't we all love that?

Happy creating!

patchwork?

I was actually inspired to do a tiny little bit of patchwork!  I was watching just hands on TV, which is an english online quilting site. the video was japanese folded patchwork by Lesley Brankin (which is a subscription video, but you can see a preview of it on the site).
We have done a lot of this patchwork at our quilting group, in fact I made a lovely bag out of it a few years ago, but the difference here is that Lesley pieced the fabric for the circles first.

See how this design is a simple sort of butterfly.
However, on the back....

You get a cute little kimono shape!
I enjoyed this immensely and I might even create a quilt!  But don't expect any results very quickly.  I think this might be a project to do when I don't want to do anything in particular.

Happy creating!

The Quilt and craft group

Today I was at our local monthly quilting group.  I was working on charity quilts.  One is finished, the second is nearly pieced.
I thought I might give you a peek at what the others were up to.

This is a Nancy Halvorsen pattern, done by one of the girls for her daughter.  She is very patient with applique and embroidery and I know this will be a quilt to treasure.

This is a glorious red and white needleturn quilt that is being hand quilted.  There are so many different reds and the embroidery is  beautiful.  It is gorgeous to look at.

This is one of my charity quilts.  It is a very simple design, but uses some of a collection of teapot and tea cup fabric I had been collecting for years.  I love it, but I thought it would be better served in home that will appreciate it.

This is a very large black and cream/pink courthouse steps  quilt being quilted by one of our ladies.  It looks very complicated and is rather dramatic.

This is a rather complicated and interesting star block which is being hand pieced.  Many of the contrast fabrics have gold on them and really caught my eye.

This is a really bright orange and white strip quilt, with interesting snowball type rectangles that I am told are all pieces from the scrap bag.  This lady always does interesting patterns and has beautiful taste in fabric.

And this last one is a stitch and slash sashed nine patch that we did a workshop on a few years ago.  This is the second one done by this lady and as you can see it is all going very well.  It will be good to see this one together next time.

So that was my day, stitch, press and cut, then stitch some more - with lots of chatter in between of course!

Create every day!

The dreaded lurgy

Ah, well, all things come to those who wait, don't they?  I have been offline for a few weeks with a very bad dose of the 'flu.  We Aussies call it the dreaded lurgy.  I am on the mend now and getting back into my rhythm.  It is Spring here and the gartden is blooming, but with it comes hay fever - Yuck!  But you have to take the good with the bad.

In my last post I told you of my new toy - a silhouette cameo!  Before I got sick, I did a little work in my journal with some stencils I made.

I layered two stencils, the flower one and the butterfly one on top of each other, so the flower pattern filled the butterflies.

Then I went around the outlines with a very sketchy fineliner to define it.  The page needs more work, but has been sitting for a bit.

We had our monthly quilting day a week or two ago and here are some of the regular ladies in our new community house.  On that day I was working on one of the UFOs in my cupboards.

Obviously still not finished, but getting close.
Since then, I have really only been doing bits and pieces, between lots of resting.

I crochetted this  beanie for my hubby, who has also been very sick (and sooky, as they are)

I started this table mat, I used my Silhouette to cut the applique pieces.  It will be for our fund raising stall at christmas.  It is an adaptation of a free pattern from martingale.

I worked on a bobbin lace bookmark, that had been sitting around for a while.

I did a little piecing practice with my huge stash of charms.

And I did a little quilting practice on the longarm.  (no closeups neccesary).  If you have been following me for a while, you will know that my hubby created my machine for me.  He is very good at that sort of thing.  He is a fitter and turner by trade.  I used to have it set up on rails, but find this sit down arrangement much easier.
And since it's spring, I thought I'd finish with some gorgeous gum blossoms I picked the other day.

Thanks for the comments on the last post. I will get back to you, just haven't been well enough.

a bit of an update

I have been very quiet on the blogging front, and perhaps even the creating front.
I have hit the mid winter doldrums, I think.  It is so cold, especially here out in the bush with only a wood fire.  Mornings are are bit of a struggle, until the house warms up.  I have been working, on my Tangled Textiles piece, and two swaps, which I am extremely late finishing.  But of course I can't show those, so here are some other bits and pieces.

Here is the foundation for a quick collage.  I have used lots of blue scraps, cotton, stamped organza, and rovings.

Here I have free motioned a seahorse and shell from one of my sketchbooks.

Then I did some free motion on the background, pebbles and waves in variegated blues.

and a few close ups of my messy free motion.

Here I have started beading and some hand stitching.  I like this one, but the beading and hand stitching will take a while.  I have had to put it aside for a few other more urgent pieces at present.
I have been working in my sketchbook-

The first one is a sketch for a collage piece that was in my head for a while.  The last two are sketches from old masters' sculptures.

And I have been working on this new york beauty - a la eleanor burns, which has been sitting in my ufo collection for a bout a year.

I also made a little sketchbook after seeing one a friend had made

I used some painted paper for the cover and some scrap paper from a failed experiment for the endpages.

And that's enough for one week, don't you think?