Tuesday 16 December 2014

Hardanger runner

Finally I have completed the hardanger runner,   it did not take long as much of it had been done well over 2 years ago.
The runner is 24" x 16" and not sure where it will be used.  It is on 25ct evenweave and I used perle 8 & 12,   green being my favourite colour I had to use some, it is a rather nice varigated green and I think it works well.   Can see me starting another project with this technique before too long as I so enjoy doing it.  Usually I just start in the middle and the design gradually emerges.

I bought a new hardanger book last month and highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn this technique,  it is by Frederique Marfaing and called Hardanger embroidery,  to me this is one of the best instructions book I have amongst all my hardanger books and also has projects in it but there are hardanger cut out designs I have never come across before so will be trying some of those too



I gather bloglovin is up to its old tricks and has started putting verification back on the comments,  someone kindly let me know it has appeared here,  I think I have removed it correctly but if not please let me know if you leave a comment.
Here is the link to sort the problem out if you need it to
http://nanato4ts.blogspot.ca/2014/12/we-interrupt-this-program.html

Thursday 11 December 2014

crazy quilt, hardanger runner

Well the december block is done so now all I have to do is put the 12 together to make a wall hanging.   The dark pink stitching on the top right hand side is Anundsjo stitch that Queenie shared on her blog Queenie`s needlework,  I have done it a bit different to fill the spacce but so good to have used one of her Swedish stitches in my piece.



Here are all 12 blocks on the kitchen floor.




Helen has requested grey sashing between the blocks,  not sure where I went wrong but they are not all the same size varying from 7 to 7.5",  hoping I can square them up okay,  still need to add some extra colour to the first 3 blocks as there is no yellow or orange on those which we started using later in the year.   I will try and start working on this today if I can pluck up courage to.

This last week I also rescued a hardanger runner I started before I got the quilting bug and have done a little more on it,  plan to have this completed before Christmas. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed this technique,  not fully decided what I am going to do in the parts not cut back yet, but as this is my own design I am working on I just  "go with the flow" and do what I like,  not looking forward to cutting around the blanket stitch edge  have to be so careful not to cut into the stitches so that will be done in daylight



a close up of some of the areas, the top right will be cut out or have some fancy stittching in too as will the bottom left bit


Saturday 6 December 2014

tula quilt finish,

I am today uploading the final quilt form the Tula Pink challenge.   This one I did for Catherine my older daughter,  I used 49 of the 100 blocks to make it and she asked for red binding on it.   I machine quilted each block on my very  old new home machine  (35 years)  which I have recently had serviced and found it much easier than the bernina to quilt with.  A cold day but I braved it to put it on the line to photo it  This measures 56" square.



I am sharing photos of the first 2 as well for those who might not have seen them when I blogged them earlier. This is the first one I did using 24 of the blocks all of which had some batik fabric in.



This is the second one I did using 24 blocks again  these 2 smaller ones are on the back of my 2  two seater sofas.   I  have 3 not used   not sure where they have gone somewhere amongst the mountainous stash of  all sorts that I am sure we are all guilty of having
.

. I might make some of these blocks again as I do love them and as these were done soon after I started quilting think I can improve on them,   would like to have one big quilt but that is on the back burner for now.

I also have done the last of the hexie BOM   a wreath which is very appropriate for December.

 
Here are all 12 spread out on the kitchen floor.   Have now to decide what to do with them,  not sure if I will applique them straight onto one large piece of fabric or make 12 blocks and join them together and if I make the blocks whether to make them with assorted fabrics,   will ponder awhile before I decide although I would like to complete the quilt this year    any suggestions will be welcomed.



  I do not seem to have done much this month,  in my previous blog I wrote about the crazy challenge I did with Kathy Shaw,  well it is complete but cannot say I enjoyed doing it,   seem to have a mental block when it came to the silk ribbon work,  nearly backed out from the challenge as could not understand her instructions but utube saved the day and I was able to sort of do the ribbon work.  It is not for me and do not think I will ever do anymore but love the rest of the crazy work, have still to finish my last block for the BOM one and then get it made into a wall hanging for Helen hopefully before Christmas.  Here is the class piece.