Start Me up and Let me Sew

Scrap III: Flower Garden

Having taken Scrap II, "Winging It", as far as I could with that particular set of scraps, it was time to decide on the next stash buster quilt.

Knowing that I would have very limited time for actual sewing throughout the spring and summer, I looked for something quick and easy to stitch together. Although technically Flower Garden is in the category of "unfinished project" as opposed to being from the official scrap stash, it still helps achieve my goal of stash reduction.

Flower Garden: A sampling of the 4 patch blocks, roughly laid out and set on point.

Back in the winter of 2005, as we were already preparing for our move to France, I decided to participate in one last class with my small quilting group. The pattern for this quilt top is a simple 4 patch block separated by sashing and set on point.

At the time, the 35 - 40 calicoes and small floral prints that I chose for this quilt were all cut into 4" squares. There were hundreds of 4" squares. The 1" beige sashing had also been cut to the different lengths required. And that's as far as I got this quilt in 2005.

In the meantime, my daughter used some of these squares to hand piece a baby quilt when she was pregnant, adding her own creativity and more fabric into the mix.

Choosing to keep to the original intent, I stayed with small florals and pastels, and divided them into darks, mediums and lights.

Darks

Mediums

Lights

Assembly has been very quick. (Thank goodness). Each block consists of four - 4" squares separated by the beige sashing.

4 patch block with sashing

These blocks are then set on point and stitched to each other. It really doesn't get much easier than that.

4 blocks set on point

To date, I have 101 completed Flower Garden blocks, with another 24 that will be stitched by next week Monday. With 61 blocks from "The Scrappler" and 105 blocks from "Winging It", it takes my total stash buster blocks to 291 blocks this year. Next week Monday happens to be the 291st day of the year, (according to my count). So, much to my surprise, I'm still on track to complete 366 blocks this year.

That leaves 75 more blocks to stitch for 2016. Time to choose the next stash buster project.

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 quilting method requires a free-standing simple

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

AnonymousOctober 12, 2016 at 5:42 AM
I LOVE scrap quilts...this one will be lovely! You are sure getting a lot accomplished. By the way, Happy Thanksgiving!
KajaOctober 15, 2016 at 12:51 AM
This group of fabrics is very pretty - I like the faded vintage sort of look: it manages to be calming and restful without being dull.
AlicjaOctober 18, 2016 at 10:24 PM
Hello Seams French.Ich seche schön scrap quilts.Gestern Du war bei mir in meinen Blogger und hast du eine Frage gestelt.Ich antworte; szchreibst du zu mir of Deutsch, ich kenne die Sprache genug gut zum komunizieren, aber Englisch kenne ich auch und polnische und ruschische sprache sind mir gut bekannt.Schöne Grüße aus Wien.)

Seams French

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