"Colour Block" Baby Quilt

A reminder again that "life happens when you're making other plans" and, as my yoga teacher keeps reminding us in class, "Don't become too rigid and unbendable in your routines that you can't let the moment carry you to new places." So, with that in mind, when a new baby arrives in the family, it takes priority and all else will just patiently wait it's turn. I started this baby quilt this week, and am hoping for completion next week.

These four finished rows of blocks will be placed in the upper half of the quilt.

When I made the "Flights of Fancy" baby quilt (see post of Jan.11/12), I had hoped to make several quilts at the same time. Now, 2 years later, I am finally getting to quilt #2. Still committed to using mostly fabrics from my stash, I am able to make this entire quilt without a trip to the quilt shop. (Once I quit patting myself on the back, I'll get back to work!)

Pulled from the stash.

These blocks had been cut at 3 1/4" square for the previous quilt, so I needed to trim them down to 3" squares.

Using Sally Collin's book "Mastering Precision Piecing" as inspiration, I was reminded that precision should never be sacrificed for speed. Accuracy and consistency in cutting and stitching are the two major contributing factors in a quality product, and in her book she outlines a number of ways to achieve these every time. And slowing down and using the proper tools and aids is a great place to start.

Sewing the white sashing to the coloured block.
The 1/4" seam allowance is much easier to keep precise with a piece of tape on the machine as a guide. The patchwork foot helps as well, however, I have found that even a minute difference in the placement of the presser foot onto the fabric can effect the measurement after an entire row is stitched together. The masking tape helps keep this placement accurate.

The finished blocks were not perfect, but pretty good.

Another tool to improve accuracy and to help keep the quilt square, is the walking foot.

The bottom row was stitched using the 1/4" presser foot. Not happy with the result, I switched to my walking foot for the other rows (see top row). What a difference it made! I love my walking foot.

The top is now completely pieced and the quilting lines are marked. I hope to sandwich it today and machine quilt next week. (It's got to be in the mail by the end of next week.) Yikes!

Boutis: Traditional French Needlework

" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t...

Amish Hand Quilting in France with Esther Miller

Esther Miller, was born into an Amish family in the U.S., and now lives in Germany where she has for many years taught the techniques and methods of Amish hand quilting to anyone interested in learning these skills. As a child, she would closely watch as the women of her community worked together on a quilt, and eventually she was rewarded with a needle of her own and encouraged to join the group. Through the years, she has mastered these skills and techniques and now generously shares them with anyone who has a genuine desire to learn. Esther Miller in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France. An example of her own work, Esther brings this intricately and perfectly hand stitched wall quilt to class as inspiration for her students. Last week, at the "European Meeting of Patchwork" in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace France, www.patchwork-europe.com , I had the privilege of taking a 2 day workshop with Esther. The Amish...

Blocking and Squaring Boutis

The door of her cage has been opened. She is free to fly off and find her destiny. After many months of hand stitching and then many more months of cording, my little "colibri" is ready to set off on her own. As this was my first attempt at designing so large a boutis piece, it was a learning curve. All of the tight swirls, curls and circles are a great deal more difficult and time consuming to cord then are the longer more gentle channels. Maintaining an even tension is absolutely necessary throughout the process, so patience comes in very handy when doing the cording. The process of stitching and cording a work of boutis subjects the fabric to a lot of handling and manipulation that can distort the design. For this reason, once all of the stitching and cording is complete, the boutis must be washed, blocked and squared. The first step of washing is to remove all traces of the marking pencil as well as any soil that may have collected over the many months of working w...

Seams French

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