BLOG 498

BLOG 498

 

What a hot week we have had! I just love the sun and the cheery brightness it brings but it was so hot this week that it wasn’t conducive to being ‘in the garden’ gardening as opposed to ‘in the garden’ relaxing! The soil is so dry and hard packed that it is unworkable. The plants are just doing their seasonal thing with the help of some judicious watering so we are largely leaving them to it and enjoying their bounty. Not being outside has meant that I am well employed inside, just keeping cool and enjoying my playroom. Below you can see the progress I have made on my turtle this past week. During the colouring process, all the fused bits were cut out and pinned onto the Master Pattern on the design wall. Displaying the pieces on the design wall in front of me is the only way I can judge the progress of colours and I get a good idea of how the turtle is going to look when it is complete and what sort of impact it is going to make.

 

             Pattern progress 1

 

            Pattern progress 2

 

The next stage was to use the Master Pattern to position all those fused pieces onto the background fabric. This involved removing them all and temporarily placing them back onto the Working Pattern which was the reverse image. (Note to self: draft both patterns onto tracing paper so both can be used on both sides!)

             Pattern pieces on working pattern

 

 

I then placed the Master Pattern onto the background fabric on the ironing board and I peeled back a small section to expose the fabric underneath. I took the backing paper off the individual pattern pieces and placed them where they were to go, always double checking their positon by re-covering them with the peeled back Master Pattern.

             Master pattern on background

 

             Placement detail

 

             Discarded paper backing

 

 

So far so good! Those with eagle eyes may notice that I have replaced the dark fabric under the chin with a medium tone which I much prefer.

 

               Completed image

 

 

And of course when I start to play with fabric, I start to create scraps. And so the cycle begins again…. Will it ever end???

 

             Scraps

 

 

At this stage I need to think where I am going next with this piece of work. I have often said that if I knew what a piece of work was going to look when it was finished, I wouldn’t ever get started! I need to feel my way instinctively as I proceed and work spontaneously. So while I ponder on this I have brought out two Linus quilt tops that needed quilting and finishing. One was done with free motion quilting, the other with straight lines sewn using a walking foot.

 

              Linus quilt layering

 

             Linus quilt quilting

 

 

 

            Linus quilt complete

 

 

                Another Linus quilt