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Saturday, August 22, 2020

sewing Saturday Two finishes and two starts!

 


LOTS of pretty fabric work done this week... maybe the smoke from 4 wildfires kept me inside?
This is #6 in my pink flower series of 12" challenge quilts. The final stitches went on this week while listening to the audio book by Ellery Adams (secret book and scone society series)
When you see a finished quilt, you don't always realize all the hundreds of decisions made while constructing it... 

 
It started with my tiny 2" watercolor squares on the design wall...then sewing those together matching corners and keeping them oriented correctly

how to quilt it and finish the edges. This time I sewed a tiny strip all around and pulled the top to the back in a facing. But it needed more definition, so I got out a specialty thread that looks like beads when couched (appliqued) down 
To emphasize the flower idea, I used hand dyed thick embroidery thread from ArtFabric to do a large chain stitch on the surface in petal shapes...
when I put it on the wall and stood back I realized the stitching needed definition so I took a darker hand dyed thread, and, after breaking a needle trying to outline the stitching through the peltex, decided to do a half hitch knot around some areas of the chain stitch... 
and it worked! Of course I only did this to some of the stitching, to lead the viewer to notice the blossom but leave some of it less distinct where they could fill in the blanks themselves. I think this is one reason we like impressionism, because it encourages us to put ourselves into the artwork.

Please look back now at the finished piece at the top, and see what I mean...
I also finished the bonus HST piece started last week... if you look at last Sat's post you'll see I chose the off center design for this month's purple HST's that were cut off making the lozenge blocks
Again, lots of decisions... I sewed the tiny 1.5" squares into the bullseye first. It was 7" X 10" and needed more,
since the handpainted  fabric with flowers was on the design wall, I realized it would look fun with this... so the challenge was in letting myself cut it up! Better on a finished piece than in a drawer, right?
Here it is quilted in, with iron on rhinestone diamonds and baugettes! So cute showing the words Imagine and create!
It was a big decision about a border fabric too... but the gradated purple flower scrap in the drawer was nice along the edge
 fussy cut to match on both sides.              The quilting was pretty simple, with purple sulky bumpy metallic thread turquose halogram thread, and the sulky mostly behaved itself, I did have to rip out one section after seeing the weird tension on the back...but I used up the old sulky and that is very satisfying!
I couched a metallic purple braid along one line for definition and sparkle, bound it in a tiny black line and am quite satisfied with it! Here is a photo of four of the little bonus HST pieces done this year... a good design project for me
The design wall is wonderfully full at the moment. I decided to stop everything and try Joy's little 4" amazing star blocks, with some Halloween scraps, 
Which gets me working on this year's Halloween quilt!
In looking for borders for the purple piece, I pulled this lovely fabric and might make a simple applique piece with it. That painted heart is also calling my name to work on... 
 
 Like my purple piece says... remember to Play!

 Linking to
patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays 

 

28 comments:

  1. Gorgeous purple finish!! I love your sparkly touches!!!

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  2. SEW much fun on that design wall, LeeAnna! I'm loving your little HST quilt series. The PURPLE one ROCKS (and so does your Watercolor Flower!!)

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  3. The watercolor piece in your flower series is wonderful - I could see the flower shape even before you added the embroidery! And the purple hst piece is lovely, too. You have so many fun ideas! I think the mini magic stars will be fun in Halloween fabrics.

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  4. Lovely! Nice to see you sewing again. I felt like you lost your mojo for a long while.

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  5. You're so talented, we love the pretty #6 finished pink!

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  6. Pretty in pink! Congrats on completing both projects.

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  7. that are wonderful works! The projects are fantastic!
    Greetings Elke

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  8. I can't decide which one I like the most. They're all wonderfully creative.
    Pat

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  9. This week’s purple piece is stunning! I must have missed the post with the hand painted flowers. Did you stamp the words? Absolutely wonderful!

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  10. I absolutely love the purple finish. So cool!!

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  11. So much eye candy! That purple one is really special.

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  12. Nice finishes, overachiever! :)

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  13. I looked at your watercolour piece for ages, loving how things faded in & out! And yes, your design wall looks amazing, very inspiring.

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  14. Hi LeeAnna,
    What a fantasticly filled cheery design wall! Must be quite the buzz to stand in front of it! You made all that with what's in houe !
    Love the off center look ! en impressionism is always a winner !
    hugs,
    Joanne

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  15. The pink flower is great. I love how you finished it of with the stitching to accent your background design. The purple is so pretty. You have a winner in it!

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  16. So many amazingly beautiful and imaginative projects. I have loads of bonus HSTs too, of all sizes, and I'm trying to get them all in one place to do something with them. You've given me some ideas - as always!

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  17. Catching up on all the blogs today. I just love your quilts! I thought the pink was my favorite by the way you designe the purple is fantastic! Have a wonderful week and Scout sends hugs to Milo!

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  18. I really like how the purple piece turned out. The large scale flowers in the border add a lot.

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  19. Love your creative play with fabric, needle and thread. Your stash has many treasures to incorporate. Beautiful!

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  20. I love the chain stitching addition. These are both works of art but the purple quilt is my favorite. It’s very cool how you combined those pieces.

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  21. Always fun to see what you are dreaming up over in your studio. The pink flower is very fun, and I enjoy seeing your collection of little quilts growing! Definitely all good!

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  22. I really like how the stitched flower peeks out depending on the color of the background fabric. Your projects are so beautifully done with fabulous color selections!

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  23. Lovely! I so enjoyed reading about your creative process. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.

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  24. Love your purple piece. It has so much interest in it.

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  25. You are so fabulously prolific, LeeAnna! I click on your photos to zoom in and then my nose is right up against my monitor; I can't get enough of those thick, glorious threads!! YES about all of the decisions, every step of the way. Success is not usually about planning everything exactly up front. More often it is a result of being flexible enough to adapt and change your plans as the design takes shape before you and you see that it needs more of this, less of that, and a little something extra over here. I love it when you walk us through your creative process!

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  26. Wow! Such eye candy and that purple piece is fab. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF!

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  28. Wow, what an incredible Sewing Saturday you've had! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your two fantastic finishes and the beautiful projects you've completed. Your talent and passion for sewing shine through in every stitch.
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