Bird on a bee hive patchwork garden

I think I have already told you guys a gazillion times how much I love Janet Bolton's applique style in A Patchwork Garden. Well, I'll tell you one  more time. I soooo dig her innocent, folksy, hippy, child-like, loosey goosey way of making applique. But much as I try, I can't do it like her. I so want to. But I have finally admitted it to myself. I am much too anal.

This is the book that I wish I own.

This was the unfinished quilt I started possibly 8 years ago.

And Janet's Beehive and Wild Cherries was what I was trying to make.

I honestly was going to leave the quilt unfinished FOREVER because I felt it wasn't me. I couldn't feel the love.

This week I was feeling a bit traumatized by my Nikon DSLR camera. After a few months of struggling with images getting corrupted, I finally sent it to the service center. Based on the conversation with the customer service staff, I'm not confident they will even be able to do anything to fix the issue because data corruption happens now and then. Short of them giving me a brand new camera (which they won't), I may end up having to buy a new camera. When I was taking photos for my last pattern, once I shot a few hundred images only to find them all corrupted. I nearly had a mental breakdown. I had to resort to taking a few photos at a time just to be safe. Hubs and I don't have any luck with cameras. We are defintely going back to a Canon for my next camera. I wonder what's a good, solid model to buy?

Anyhoos, where was I? Without my Nikon, I dug out my old Canon S100 to see if the camera still worked. Well, it still sort of don't work. The Auto mode is totally shat now. With the manual mode, I could still take images but not all the setting work. So I was taking some test pics and I used the 8 year old unfinished quilt as my test object. The more I looked at the unfinished quilt with the stray threads hanging loose the more irritated I got. I can't believe I let this thing sit around for 8 years. What's wrong with me?

So I started working on it. The first thing I did was to finish the beehive. But the quilt still looked empty. So I added a blue bird.

The blue bird is done in needle turn applique and finally I feel like this is my quilt. It was missing a bird all these while!

For the backing, I vaguely followed Janet Bolton's method which is very simple. Fold in the raw edges and topstitch. I don't like that I can see the stitches on the backing!

My applique aesthetic is clean and simple. That's my style so I think I'll stick to that from now on.

I can't believe it myself. Finally got this UFO done and done. I want to tell Janet!

A giant zip pouch and others

On Sunday I woke up late as I usually do and I had no plans to sew. No plans at all even though it is my last week to sew anything for my path market at Vivocity this coming weekend. I already know I don't have much stock for my market (story of my life) and I didn't feel ashamed at all. You could say I'm quite good at letting myself off.

I don't even remember what happened but suddenly I found myself sewing away. It's like my hands took over my brains and said, "we're in charge." Before I knew it, I had finished this clutch.

I used a walnut hill farm fabric which I like a lot. Just look at the illustration. You can tell it's just my thing. I showed it to my family and got a round of applause. No, they don't always applaud. Sometimes it's a slow clap. Sometimes it's a so-so.

My adrenaline was really pumping and I dived into the next project. Nothing too complicated or big. I used the remaining large polka dots blue print. But there was a hitch. You know how you may have all the zippers in every colour and size but the one you need you're bound to run out of. So I had to go to a neighbourhood shop to buy a zipper and I had to pay more than double the price compared to the shops at Chinatown. Grrr...

Here's the completed zip pouch with the right size/colour zipper. So sad I don't have any more of this polka dot fabric left. At the same time, this linen cotton fabric is quite unyielding unlike cotton so it's also a relief.

You know how I often overdo stuff? Like get too into something and then get really sick and tired of it? I remembered that. So I stopped myself from making another item. I mean, two items in a day is pretty good. Plus, Sunday should be a non-working day!

Today I had to go out for a few hours to run some errands and I didn't really want to do it because I was still having a sewing high and I wanted to work on my next project. But the errands had to be run and then I rushed home to sew! Amazing. When was the last time this happened? It was late afternoon when I started and by the time I finished, the sun had died. But never mind, I still took photos of my three projects anyway.

I had been working on bits of patchwork on and off for a while and finally I decided I would turn it into a GIANT ZIP POUCH. The hand embroidery took a long time. I used batting instead of fusible interfacing as I wanted the embroidery to have a little quilted effect. I didn't really plan it out but let my fingers do the sewing. I used mainly running stitches and straight stitches.

Front.

Back.

 Hung.

This zip pouch can be used as a clutch or as a wristlet. It's so big I think my head could go in. Or maybe part of my head. No I didn't try. I love, love this giant zip pouch. I will put it up for sale at path market at Vivocity. I've not made a zip pouch this size before. I wonder if anyone will buy it?

Partay: Sew many ways

English Paper Piecing and Hexi Flower

Friends,

Thank you all for reading my previous posts totally unrelated to crafting. And thanks for all the thoughtful comments. I appreciate it.

Over the past week the weather in Singapore has become very humid. When it gets too humid, the rain comes. But the rain does nothing to cool the temperature. Is it summer elsewhere? I totally splurged last week on enjoying myself. Today I decided I should stop fooling around and get some creative juices flowing. Um...did I say that right?

Do you have loads of patience? Do you enjoy hand sewing? If you do, English paper piecing is the thing for you.

Oh, one little thought just came into my head.

Did the English really invent English Paper Piecing? 

I love knowing the history of techniques. Maybe one day I'll go to the reference section of the library and find books on Paper Piecing.

English paper piecing uses paper templates to stabilise the fabric as well as ensure accuracy when sewing together complex angles. Different shapes can be used.

This is my English Paper Piecing UFO. I'll take it to my grave. It was my first attempt at paper piecing and I did this in either 2004 or 2005. In this UFO, I used hexagons and a 4-sided pointy shape. I was not clever in the use of the fabric and you can barely make out the stars.

It's good to use clips to hold on to the fabric while you baste the shape. For the paper hexagon, some people use regular printing paper. Some use freezer paper. I like to use a paper stiffer than regular paper and I cut a hole in the center of the template so it's easier to fish it out.

This is what I made today. Just 7 hexagons with 6 consisting of the same fabric surrounding a checked center. The hexagon flower looked fine without the embroidered flower in the center but I can never resist sewing a flower whenever I get the chance.

Like to try English paper piecing? Check out Katie's Quilting Corner. She has a video on sewing the hexagons together. If you're ambitious and keen to try a pillow made of hexagons, check out Kandipandi's 2 tutes: 1" Little Hexie Cushion Tutorial Part 1 and Part 2.

Now time to make a few bags - maybe with hexagon flowers?

Link Partay:
Skip to my lou
Sew can do
Craft o maniac
Making the world cuter