Thursday 10 July 2014

Finish Along Q3: proposed finishes.

Once again I'm participating in the Finish Along hosted by Katy at The Littlest Thistle.

Finish Along 2014

If you need help setting targets for finishing your handwork projects maybe this is for you too.

I have six projects for this quarter, including two left from last quarter:

1. Cardigan

I haven't touched it since I put it away after taking a photo of it three months ago.



2. Toadstool house
Toadstool House in July

I have done some work on it,

Toadstool house in April






 




 but hit a problem with the reverse appliqué for the windows.

fabric prepared for
the reverse appliqué
I can't see how I'm going to do it because the window panes are so small. My solution is not to do reverse appliqué at all but to tack the curtains in place on the outside of the house, and then appliqué them using a wide satin stitch which will serve as window frame. Only that's not the pattern, and not my reason for doing this: I want to improve my appliqué, and learn to use the appliquick tools. Can anyone point me to a tutorial on reverse appliqué that will solve this issue - the small space, and the right angles I have to work with?



I have added two more projects:

Cushion cover no. 1: centre
3. Three 16" square cushions
for the living room. I started one last weekend, but I need to buy dark blue solid for a narrow border, and white solid for the outer border and the back of the cushion. I also need to find a fabric suitable for backing the quilting. Does anyone have any ideas what I can use for this?

Cushion covers 2 and 3 are at the sketch stage.



4. Tulip mini
This is a kit for a doll's quilt I bought at a quilt show a few months ago. I haven't started it yet, but I don't think it will take long. It's part of the  Cat or Dolly Quilt Club from Birdblocks Quilt Shop in Amsterdam. (In the link scroll down past all the dolls and cats story and you'll see photos of some of the quilts). I'm just doing the one, even though I love them all, but I didn't want to commit to one a month. I shall use it as a wall hanging.

Further I have to do some serious practice on FMQ, and continue with my EPP and appliquéd medallion quilt, but that will certainly not be finished this quarter (or this year!).

Happy sewing

Marly.

6 comments:

Gina said...

Great list of projects. I adore the toadstool houses xxx

SarahZ said...

What a fun variety of projects in your lineup! I cannot help you with the reverse applique, but have you considered using muslin for the backing for your cushion block? I made my first cushion just recently and used (bleached) muslin for both the pillow form and the backing for the quilted front. (or are you talking about a backing for the whole cushion? (I've now confused myself, lol!) I love your zigzag...it is beautiful!

verpa said...

The cushion top looks nice and I´m looking forward to your Tulip Mini - nice combo of crazy blocks and aplique.

Lisa in Port Hope said...

I recently made a cushion cover using a thrifted sheet to back the quilting, so I recommend that rather than buying new fabric.

Vireya said...

When I've made quilted cushion covers, I've used calico as the backing. That's the English meaning of calico, which is what Americans call muslin. You can also just use any fabric you have that you're not fond of! (Maybe you don't have this issue?)

Don't know about the reverse appliqué, as I've never tried it. It does look like it is going to be very tiny. I guess you need to use very fine needle and thread for such small pieces. I hope you can sort it out to your satisfaction.

Jo Ferguson said...

These are all great projects. I can't knit so anything you knit will impress me. The Toadstool is adorable and the cushions are gorgeous. I'm very interested in seeing how your Tulip mini, turns out.