New Patterns and more OPAM finishing

 

Designing quilts and wot nots can be really frustrating at times, especially if you are writing the pattern to go with it.  I’m not sure how others work but I end up making two of what ever project I am working on.  Usually the first one is accompanied by just a few notes that include basic measurements, then I start writing the pattern and creating the second sample so that photo’s and refining can be done.

Over the last year I’ve put together a number of samples for patterns and copious amounts of notes and photos but due to goodness knows what I’ve only got three of them published.  The first this year was ‘Oh, My Stars’, she’s a pretty little quilt, just 25” square and a great little number to use up scraps and learn about the use of colour values.  While it uses a simple basic nine patch and a snowball block it is a great pattern for honing ones skills when matching seams.

Following ‘Oh, My Stars’ I put together a “Quarter Quilts’ version of my original ‘Stepping Stones’ pattern.  Again like the previous quilt, this one is 25” square and again it’s great for using up all  of  the scraps we stash, plus it’s a really nice little quilt for teaching  machine ‘raw edge’ applique – and… you quilt it as you applique it.  Now how easy is that?

The third of the three I’ve published this year is a little folly.  ‘A Little Boot for Mrs Claus’ is made from felt, is stuffed halfway and made as a tree ornie. It’s one of those little things you can have fun embellishing and is just as easy to make by hand or machine.  With each pattern comes a piece of red felt large enough to make one boot just in time for Christmas.

Recently, as many of you know Christchurch suffered a huge earthquake.  On the day of the earthquake friends of ours were getting married in Darfield. A place close by  Christchurch that I believe was the epicentre of the earthquake.  Well, our poor friends wedding went ahead, sort of.  I mean they did get married but the after function was restricted.   Anyway, last night we attended a delayed ‘after match function’ for the now long married couple.  They had a lovely party that they held in their old villa.  I wanted to make them something original and oldish looking. So I tea dyed some old bridal satin and then stem stitched a small saying and design on it.  Quilting was done with very tiny pearls and I then pressed it ‘face down’ on a towel to give it a wrinkled appearance.  Anyway, this is what it ended up like and just quietly I’m quite pleased with it, plus, it’s another OPAM finish – yeah!

I hope you are all having as much fun  stitching, as I am stitching at the moment.

hugs