Someday, I will write my paean to Jinny Beyer's Quiltmaking by Hand, the book that taught me how to hand-piece and convinced me to dive in and not be afraid to just start sewing. For now, I'll share her excellent video on inset seams, since they show up so frequently in the Nana McIntyre top I'm working on.
Another blog goal I have is to refrain from attaching any epithets to the inset seam. No fomenting of anticipatory fear for any technique!
Friday, August 21, 2015
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Almost Primary
I stated in my introduction that I'm daring myself to get involved in some link-ups, so here's one I've always wanted to do - one of the Stitched in Color mosaic contests.
This time, the mandate from Rachel was "Almost Primary" - just a bit "off" from the classic red, yellow, and blue you might find in those Crayola eight-packs everyone's picking up this time of year. I tried to go for a "dusty" palette: For reds, I chose two from Fig Tree, the queen of dusty reds, and a mid-volume blender from Bonnie and Camille's Miss Kate line. For yellows, I tried to find some with a mustard tone and picked one from Heather Bailey, one from Carolyn Friedlander, and one from Jeni Baker. For the blues, I thought a hint (or more than a hint, in the case of the Hadley print) of green would satisfy the "almost," and went for three vintage-inspired lines from American Jane, Denyse Schmidt, and Kim Kight. I like the way the grids in the Botanics and Lucky Strike prints balance with the more floral choices in some of the other fabrics. And I think the mix of different eras of inspiration for the different designers gives the bundle a funky, thrift-store feel.
This time, the mandate from Rachel was "Almost Primary" - just a bit "off" from the classic red, yellow, and blue you might find in those Crayola eight-packs everyone's picking up this time of year. I tried to go for a "dusty" palette: For reds, I chose two from Fig Tree, the queen of dusty reds, and a mid-volume blender from Bonnie and Camille's Miss Kate line. For yellows, I tried to find some with a mustard tone and picked one from Heather Bailey, one from Carolyn Friedlander, and one from Jeni Baker. For the blues, I thought a hint (or more than a hint, in the case of the Hadley print) of green would satisfy the "almost," and went for three vintage-inspired lines from American Jane, Denyse Schmidt, and Kim Kight. I like the way the grids in the Botanics and Lucky Strike prints balance with the more floral choices in some of the other fabrics. And I think the mix of different eras of inspiration for the different designers gives the bundle a funky, thrift-store feel.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Nana M in Progress
I'm about halfway through adding the next ring on my Nana McIntyre.
After I set in one of the bigger hexie "flowers" - the six-jewel "flower" with hexagons set in around the edges - I noticed I'd somehow placed it wrong. Stitched around sixteen different hexie edges without noticing until the whole thing was in. It's the one with the orange center at the bottom left. The pinks are supposed to alternate, mimicking the pattern in the original-original, as shared by Jodi.
I think I'm going to set in all twelve, then decide if I want to change it back to the way I originally wanted it or leave it in like one of the "humility blocks" of yore. I'm leaning toward the former, I think I like the flow better that way. And those pink Riley Blake dots right next to the Kona Valentine are playing a little too dominant to my eye. I don't want the pink to be overwhelming. Maybe once the ring is complete, I'll share a pic and take an informal poll before I pick the stitches out.
I think I've also figured out how and at what stage I want to finish this top, so I hope to post some about that, since it'll involve some jury-rigging of different shapes with the Jaybird rulers.
After I set in one of the bigger hexie "flowers" - the six-jewel "flower" with hexagons set in around the edges - I noticed I'd somehow placed it wrong. Stitched around sixteen different hexie edges without noticing until the whole thing was in. It's the one with the orange center at the bottom left. The pinks are supposed to alternate, mimicking the pattern in the original-original, as shared by Jodi.
I think I'm going to set in all twelve, then decide if I want to change it back to the way I originally wanted it or leave it in like one of the "humility blocks" of yore. I'm leaning toward the former, I think I like the flow better that way. And those pink Riley Blake dots right next to the Kona Valentine are playing a little too dominant to my eye. I don't want the pink to be overwhelming. Maybe once the ring is complete, I'll share a pic and take an informal poll before I pick the stitches out.
I think I've also figured out how and at what stage I want to finish this top, so I hope to post some about that, since it'll involve some jury-rigging of different shapes with the Jaybird rulers.
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