Samettisilmä

The Last SBS BOW of This Year

I need now few moments to relax
in the middle of sewing a traditional teddy bear ...
I hope I'll manage to finish it tomorrow:)
I have sewed a body, two hands, one leg and a head...

So let me show you the latest block of the SBS.

M-7 New Mexico

... And it's also the last BOW of this year.

I have made now 48 blocks!!!
With this pace all blocks will be sewed in 2011...
...yet a long way ahead...

I'll return back with pictures of the teddy,
but now I'll wish

Learning Something New

This week I have concentrated to learn something new...

I visited last weekend on the Finnish Craft Skills - exhibition in Tampere. And I couldn't resist this Bernina Aurora 440QE anymore. So it arrived to me on Wednesday... It opened a totally new sewing world to me. My previous Bernina is very simple model of sewing machine compared to Aurora. I'm looking forward those shared moments with it;)) Unfortunately also Fenix is really interested in it... especially the spool is spinning much more nicer!

And what else new in my quilting life...

SBS - BOW of the week number 46 was E-4 Indiana Rose... With it I learned a totally new applique method - back basting. Here you'll find a good tutorial of back basting.


It was so good experience, that I'll use it in following applique projects too. Especially the direction of the pieces is easier than it is with the freezer paper, when you do needle-turn applique. But that's only my opinion... and you have to remember, I'm not a master of applique... not at all...


Next weekend I'm going to learn more new things... Between Friday and Sunday I'll take part in the course, which we'll make a Teddy Bear. A real one from mohair, with the glass eyes, mobile joints, and so on... Exciting!!!!

So don't worry,
if you don't here me for a while...
...probably I'm sewing teddy bear and some Christmas gifts...
hopefully;)

Spinning and Knotting

November 18, 1862 Mary Austin Adelia Wallace wrote in her diary

I drew three loads of wood, went to mother Kyes and borrowed her wheel and reel. I came home and spun over three knots of yarns and gathered some cabbage.

Nov. 18, 2009 I choosed my fabrics for the next CWD block. Brown is one of the Judie Rothermel's Sturbridge Village Browns collection. Blue is Renee Nanneman's Itsy Bits fabric. The range of the white fabric is unknown to me. Orange fabric is... I'm not sure, but I think it might be Judie Rothermel's too. Atleast it's some of the reproduction fabrics. And I thought of using it very long time... Should I pick up some other fabric...???? But those coils fascinates me...

Nov. 19, 1862 Mary wrote

I went over Mr. Rowes to find out the reason my cow didn't come home. He said he turned her in with Mr. Holmes lot and told them to turned her out morning. He said he was afraid they had not and he would go and get her. --- I spun over three knots of yarn and doubled and twisted over six.
On Thursday evening (Nov. 19, 2009) I cut fabrics this way
- out of brown and orange two 7,5*7,5 cm squares, which I cut diagonally once. I had four brown and four orange triangles

- out of blue and orange six 5*5 cm squares. Those squares I cut also diagonally once, so I got 12 blue and orange triangles

- out of white four 6* 4 cm rectangles

Nov. 20, 1862 Mary dug potatoes and picked them up. And she washed her yarn. (all quotes of diarynotes are from the Civil War Diary quilt book written by R. Youngs)
Today I sewed the block 111. Spinning and Knotting

It's one of my favorites so far. And I'm not unsure anymore of that orange fabric. It matches quite well with the other...

I'm planning to sew two block in December, 4th and 8th of Dec. Although I have some other craftprojects and it's busy time at work too, but I'll try to sew atleast one;)))

SEE YOU and creative weekend to you!!!

PS. Helen has revealed her NEW QUILT: Life is Beautiful. And she has a giveaway on her blog, visit there and spread her beautiful message... Her newest is AMAZING!!! Must have...

And if you are searching some mystery for your weekend you'll find it here;)))

Foragers

It's November 12, 2009

I opened my Civil War Diary Quilt book and wondered how I'm going to sew this Foragers block...

I decided to cut my fabrics this way:

out of green and red (green = R. Nannemann's Itsy Bits, red =one of the J. Rothermel's reproductions? - two 8,5 x 8,5 cm squares (I cut them diagonally twice, so I got 8 triangles) and four 6 x 6 cm squares, which I cut diagonally once

out of cream (I don't know the range or even manufacturer)
- two 7 x 7 cm squares, which I cut diagonally twice (I got 8 triangles)
By the way if you click on the picture, you can read the note from the CWD book written by R. Youngs and the note is written by Eldress Nancy Elly Moore.

After cutting those pieces there was a really exciting moments ahead. Is my block finally 6 1/2" x 6 1/2"?


So far it's looking quite good;))))

Let's piecing more...
I can't belive this, it's still looking good...




Here is Block 22. Foragers

I'm pleased that I didn't use paper piecing this time. After all it was quite easy and quick to make. And I was lucky that measurements were right...

After this kind of success it's more fun to wait the next CWD block...

THE day is or more exactly the days are Nov. 18-20. Oh, it's already on the next week...

See you ... not later than November 20

Just SBS blocks

I have sewn only Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks this week. If you remember I was planning to make one CWD block last Sunday. But I hadn't enough energy after work... it was a long and hard day... and Hands all around was a little bit challenging block... I was disappointed, but it's not reasonable to take a stress about your hobby;))) And I finished some extra SBS blocks in this week. I sewed two Card Trick blocks; one for me and the other for Pattie, who is planning to sew a bridal quilt to her daughter.

Yet in this year I'm planning to make four CWD blocks. They are blocks 22, 111, 15 and 16.
It might be a hard goal, because Christmas is coming and... but we'll see what happens.

Enjoy your week!
we will meet on Thursday evening;)
hopefully...

Time to Reveal Sweet Surprises

This morning it felt like Christmas Eve. My eyes were sparkling and heart was beating really hard, when I opened that huge letter from Wendy.

There was all these little parcels in it...

Oh my... I was SO touched...

The eyes filled with tears we (Fenix too) opened those little parcels and we found all these LOVELY gifts!!!! There was needlecase and so soft pincushion with beautiful rose stitchery on both of them. A big bundle of Fat Quarters. A pair of embroidery scissors with so beautiful trinket. A chocolate... nam. A notepad and so useful Quilt Journal to record each quilt's story. There was also that cute embroidered feltpouch with gorgeous bracelet in it. Those gem stones and rocks are just my favorite colours!!!
I don't know how Wendy might knew that I'm a little bit stone freak too;)))
It seems that also Fenix is quite interested in that bracelet. I have to hide it...
And there was two so tiny and cute silvery angels. I'll try to take a better photo of them some day.

Oh, WENDY you really are spoiling us now!!!

I don't know how can I ever thank you enough.
I have also been so happy that we have emailed to each other.
I hope this frienship will continue;)))

After that my own Stitcher's Angel gift to Kay gives a quite modest impression...

... although there is only my own creations in this picture. I put some extra gifts with them...
But these latest weeks with the Stitcher's Angel projects gave me a plenty of happiness and pleasure. And I think it was a worth of participating this swap... also this year ;)

Now it's time to Thank
Helen
who organized this all fun for us - again.
And of course all the other talented designers, who gave us so beautiful patterns for free.

so Thank you also

Natalie, May Britt, Tracy, Leonie, Cori and Sue

PS: If I'll have time tomorrow, I'll tell you what happened last Sunday with my goal of finishing two blocks... You may have noticed that I didn't post CWD block on the 1st November.