Going, Going, Gone Round the Bend in 12 Sqaures

Round the Bend in 12 Squares in now finished and its way to the South West Quilt Show - this is my 'local' show in the south west of the UK .

This photo makes me think I need to improve my photographic skills - which might mean getting some decent lights! It doesn't do justice to the colours, but you do get an idea of the flow of one square into the next and the shading given by the variation in quilting density. This is entered into the large wallhanging category - but you know secretly I am after the free motion quilting prize!!

I went a bit crazy taking photos for the transition from one square to the next - sit back and enjoy!

Thanks for visiting...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @  http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Lizzie Lenard @  http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk   

Finish Friday @ http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.co.uk/

...and then 3 came at once!

It is a known fact in British folk lore that you have to wait hours for a bus to come - and then 3 come at once. So it is with my FMQ Cameos. I have been very lax about posting them in the past few week - literally sidetracked! So here are 3 at once.

That is the Question - fmq Cameo 35

The first one, based on a question mark is aptly named 'That is the Question'. I know I keep saying 'I really enjoy quilting this motif' but the curls on this one are fun to do. It took a bit of practice to get the thicks and the thins as I wanted, but I am pleased with them now. Putting the motif in a box allows me to also include the motif inverted. This is an idea that I use with quite a few of my motifs.

Ripped Ribbon - fmq Cameo 36

This is one of those motifs that looks different depending on whether you look at the positive or the negative. I conceived it as a ribbon with random rips in it and I think it may be more effective as a single row. There are 4 rows here, so that you can also see a very odd what? - tree trunk with short, stubby branches? Definitely go with the ribbon - it's prettier!

Fmq Cameo 37

I haven't come up with a name for number 37 yet (all suggestions welcome). I hope you can see what I have done because it is easier than describing it! The idea was that the little vertical lines joining the S shapes, themselves create  a curving vertical shape and also alter the balance between the two bowls of the S. I told you it was easier to look!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Lizzie Lenard @ http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk/

Sidetracked - the tracks

Progress - such as it is or isn't - on my show quilt has still come to a halt as I can't find my cotton backed gold material. I am awaiting one more delivery of my last internet find. If that isn't right, I'll just have to do with what I've got. And what I have got is a lot of various types of gold lame and foil material, so gold will have to feature somewhere in my future quilts!

So on to my tracks for Sidetracked.

I've pieced together irregular strips of various cottons and silks in neutral colours. I've put in random slivers of gold just to give a bit of a highlight. This is a technique I have used in quite a few quilts, such as Ugly Duckling see here. The gold lame just frays too much for this.

As you can see, I got a little bit carried away with my strips - this is a long piece - about twice as long as I need. Never mind, more to play with. I tried quilting with white but that was very insipid, so I switched to gold thread. You can't really tell in the photo, but that had a lot more kick.

It was a beautiful day, so quilting out in the garden again. Please don't think it is always beautifully sunny. It is because we don't get that many sunny days that I can't bear to be inside sewing when it is dry and warm.

Here are a couple of close ups. Each strip is quilted with a different motif, many of them you will recognise by now. I think I counted 59 in total. This is my absolute favorite part of the making a quilt, so I had great fun doing this. Some of the beige silks I picked up cheaply at a market and they are in reality furnishing fabric. They are a bit tough to quilt and you can see it bubbling a bit. A good bit of steam should fix that.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Lizzie Lenard @http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk/

Side-tracked

When I am working on plain white fabric as a background  one of my concerns is that it is - well just that - plain white. It doesn't have colour or the texture of dyed fabric to add interest. So I have been experimenting with adding texture, using scrunched up very find cotton.

It was also a lovely day, so I took the sewing machine into the garden.

Here is a close up of the final effect. The cotton is rushed and then stuck down to a backing fabric. I tried using both bondaweb and temporary glue spray and both work well, but for this larger piece I used bondaweb. I did quite a few trials of patterns to see which worked. Some are too fine and just get lost in the folds, but line, particularly across the fold work well. For a background, I always like to mix and match the patterns a bit, so I've used 3 here. The quilting has to also be quilt large.

The patterns are more obvious from the back. I also had to quilt this from the back, to avoid getting the quilting foot caught up in the folds.

Here is back and front together to see the contrast. I really like this. From a distance what you get is a much stronger, more vibrant texture than quilting alone will provide. As you come closer, variations in pattern become clearer and draw you in.

I have in mind some pieced neutrals to applique onto this. I'm going to call it 'Sidetracked' because the piecing will look a bit like tracks - but also I am of course getting sidetracked from my show quilt for the Birmingham Festival of Quilts. Some ideas won't wait to come out!

And talking of show quilts, the two quilts I sent of to the Malvern Quilt Show have returned. As well as 'White on Black, Black on White' that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, I had also entered 'Fracture' into the small wall hanging category

There were no judges comments, but 'Fracture' came back with a 'judge's merit' rosette. I am really thrilled as I was afraid my ribbon for 'Square Spiral' might be a one off. So now I should get back to the FOQ quilt (to be named Cosmic Split) - or maybe I'll just get sidetracked again!!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/
Lizzie Lenard @http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/where-has-free-motion-friday-gone.html

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

...and not only late with this post. I have had the 14.4.14 (or if you are  U.S. side, 4.14.14) in my head for weeks as the day I need to send off my 'Spiral' quilt to the British Quilt & Stitch competition, giving a week's transport time.

Spiral - Detail

 I am really bad at finishing the boring bits like binding and hanging sleeve, but got it done this weekend - got all the cat hairs off - got it all safely packed and ready for the post and then...A quick glance at the entry form and my eye falls on the sentence

The quilts MUST arrive by Monday 14 April (their capitals!!)

So, there I am, on the morning of Monday 14 April, sitting on the floor (good place to be when you are feeling stupid and a bit desperate at the same time) with quilt that has not yet departed let alone arrived. I ring the exhibition HQ prepared to eat humble pie, beg, grovel, prostrate myself....The delightful Angela informs me that the system has been designed for people like me, no problem, I have in fact got another 10 days before the quilt has to be there.

Spiral - Detail 2

I am no longer sitting on the floor, quilt is on its way and I am breathing again! I haven't included a full picture of the quilt, but a few to give you an idea. The rules don't forbid it, but is somehow doesn't feel polite to do a full reveal until after the event. Or, go along to the exhibition on 25-27 April at Uttoxeter Racecourse to have a look yourself.

Spiral - Detail 3

Thank you so much to all of you who came up with names for the two designs I posted last week. It was so interesting to see what the patterns evoked for everybody, where you all agreed and where you saw quite different things. I've been a bit side-tracked by the drama above, but next week I will let you know which names I have picked (hopefully also done Cameos of the designs). I have now decided to call the complete piece 'Learning Curves in 9 Squares'.  You've seen 4 squares, numbers 5 and 6 will be in the next post.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Learning Curves

When I posted a piece of black free motion quilting on white fabric, I got a lot of interest (thank you very much!). When I announced that I was going to cut it up, one or two visitors were shocked, but mostly, people were very curious to see what I would do with it. Well, me too, because I really wasn't sure what I was doing. So, here is my first trial.

Learning curves - trial 1

 I started with an old practice piece on which I had tried out some new designs. I edged each piece with a zig-zag stitch before attaching them to the quilted background with a button whole stitch. I think using black thread for this was a mistake.

So, on to the next piece. First the background - a piece of hand-dyed black fabric quilted with an all over pebble stitch.

I took this out in the garden on a sunny day. It is a bit darker than this in reality. I tried an experiment with this. I quilted the circles in undulating rows, which makes it look a bit like a crocodile skin I think. When quilting from top to bottom, this then raised the question of either stopping and starting again at the top (tedious) or turning the piece around so that the bottom becomes the top (not always possible if there is too much bulk) or quilting backwards, from bottom to top. Do you ever do this? It wasn't strictly necessary with the size of this piece, but I thought it would be good practice. Doing pebbles is good practice anyway. Touching the adjacent circle without going into it and travelling around the pebble to the start of the next requires quite a bit of precision. 

Fracture 1

So now here is the first piece that I made from the quilting that I have posted previously. And yes, it doesn't use any of the designs that I made from black and white paper. I haven't abandoned them, but I didn't have enough black dyed fabric for them - and I have run out of material and need to order more  - all of which was going to take time, so in the meantime... here is Fracture 1. Rather than zig-zag the edges here, I  bonderwebed the pieces to stop the cut stitching from unravelling. I then blanket stitched it using white thread.

Close up, this wasn't as neat as I had hoped. What do you think? Would you find this acceptable and any ideas what else I could do?

Here are a couple more shots taken from an angle - just because I think they are fun!

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk
Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Crossing over - free motion Cameo 28

The gentle meander becomes an increasingly sweeping curve with each echo. You can echo as many times as you want but keep the cross over at the same point. Just 3 can make an effective ribbon, or you can keep going until you have a broad band as here.

For more information about the free - motion quilted Cameos, go to the 'fmq Cameos so far' page.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence
Please find below a list of linky parties. I may not link with all of the every week, but with some of them most weeks. Please go and have a look at some of the other wonderful quilts and quilters there.

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

What is in a name?

The last few posts have been all about black and white  so I thought it was time for an injection of colour.

Here is some printing done with another stencil made with a fabric soldering iron. See my post 'stencils, soldering irons and inattentive mothers' for the story  here. 

I decided to use the letters of my name for the design. All the letters are right - but not necessarily in the right order! I needed to overlap the letters to make a good design, and since 'Hilary' is shorter than 'Florence' - which went on the 2nd line - there was a bit of jiggery pokery to fit all the letters in.

Of course, making your stencil this way, means you actually end up with two stencils - the positive and the negative of your design. Here, I have started with a yellow negative stencil, overlaid with a positive in red.

In the next example I have added some dark blue to the mix and inverted the stencil so some of the letters are upside down.

This time I've only used the negative stencil, but turning it through 90 degrees to give both horizontal and vertical text.

Here, I have first used the positive stencil - again overlaying horizontally and vertically - then gone over with a sponge roller.

I really like this last one. I've used both positive and negative versions in a kind of checkerboard pattern.

All the prints are done with procion dyes thickened with manutex.

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence

P.S.

I have become a convert to linky parties. They are a great way to see and be seen. Please find below a list. I may not link to all every week, but I do link with some most weeks. Please go and have a look at all the lovely work there.

Anything goes Mondays @ http://marelize-ries.blogspot.co.uk/

Linky Tuesday at Free motion by  the river­­­­ @ http://www.conniekresin.com/

Fabric Tuesday @http://quiltstory.blogspot.co.uk/    

Sew cute Tuesday @ http://www.blossomheartquilts.com/ 

Show and tell Tuesday @ http://ihavetosay.typepad.com/randi/

Let’s Bee Social @ http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.co.uk

WIP Wednesday at freshly pieced   @   http://www.freshlypieced.com/

WOW = WIPs on Wednesdays  @ http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.co.uk/  

WIP Wednesday at TN + TN  @ http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca

We did it Wednesday @ http://www.sewmuchado.com/

­­­­I Quilt Thursdays @ http://prettybobbins.com/

Really Random Thursdays @ http://www.liveacolorfullife.net/

Needle and Thread Thursday @ http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.co.uk/

Off the wall Fridays @ http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.co.uk/

Fabric Frenzy Friday @ http://fortworthfabricstudio.blogspot.co.uk

Friday linky party @ http://www.confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.co.uk/

Funky Spider Web - free motion quilting cameo 23

There is nothing original about parallel lines and spiral, but I'm rather fond of this funky spider web. I always like playing around with the dimensions of a motive - making it bigger or smaller. I find these 3 motifs work well together and giving the web nine arms lends a nice symmetry. I haven't yet tried the idea with other motifs - but I'm filing the idea. I have a quilt top of 6" squares that I made in my very early days of dyeing (idea was to see how many colours you could make using just 3 dyes). I have never got around to quilting it. This might must be the job. Watch this space!

Thanks for dropping by...
Hilary Florence

Stamping: funky foam, rolling pins and scrim = more procion paper play

More procion paper play, using a variety of home-made stamps. All but one use the turquoise/ rust colour scheme. These 2 days mix well to give a verity of greeny sludges.

This is just one overlapped and layered narrow stamp that I cut out of funky foam. I experimented using the soldering iron for this, as the design was quite fiddly. I wouldn't recommend it as the foam tends to bead. Also, I health and safety notice, I have no idea what fumes might be released burning through foam and I did this outside.

Another paper, featuring the same stamp. It also shows a line stamp that I made by cutting out uneven stripes to stick onto a cheap rolling pin.

Add caption

 More layering of various stamps. I've also added a bit of pseudo writing with a needle-noose bottle.

In these last 2 I've also used some hessian scrim as a printing tool.

Enjoy. 

Thanks for dropping by...

Hilary Florence