Bloom Quilt Sew Simple Shapes - Paper Piece Applique Version

How sweet is this flower?

Lori Holts Bloom Quilt is full of sweet flowers, all appliqued. 

Applique is one of those techniques you love or hate and there are many methods to do it. I love it and usually use the paper piece method. 

How does Lori do it? Her method is quite easy, trace your acrylic sew simple shape onto lightweight interfacing, put that on top of your fabric and sew on the drawn lines. Cut the shape out about 1/8 away from the sew line, cut a small hole in the interfacing and turn right side out. It gives a really nice applique piece. Why don't I do that?

I personally never get curves and small bits to look right on the many times I tried and I can never quite get all the interfacing not to be seen when stitching down the shapes. I have used paper piece applique for a long time, first applique I did was a Tilda design using that method and its stuck. You need some card stock, cereal box, tissue box, any sturdy card stock will do.  

 

Trace the sew simple shapes you need for the block onto card, label and cut out. They can be reused :) 

Place your paper shape on the fabric you want to use. Draw around with a pencil making sure to draw about 1/4 inch away from the paper, this extra is the fold allowance. 

Cut them all out.

Using a glue pen or water soluble glue stick, fold over the edges.

 Iron well on both sides.

Remove papers carefully and iron again.

Tip: I use a double pointed knitting needle to help remove papers.

Place them on your background square to make your finished flower and secure in place. You can use a bit of applique glue, kids white craft glue (make sure its water soluble), a glue stick or tiny applique pins. 

You can now sew them on. Some like to use a fancy stitch on the sewing machine, I prefer to hand stitch them on. 

Enjoy your flower :D

Goings on in the studio

Well.. the house and studio. Here's a day

Welcome to beautiful New Brunswick in Winter. This was before the latest snow and we have a massive system on the way for tomorrow night. This will get interesting!

 This is Scouse, she is our lab/collie and quite the character. She loves all my sewing and likes to pose with my makes. Here she is modeling an apron I made last year, I took it out of a box and she insisted she ware it. Isn't she pretty! I finally took it off her 20 mins later. 

Meet Ella! or Elliebellie as she's also called. She's a beagle/jack Russel/who knows what. She's a sweetheart and rather chunky. Not her fault, she eats way less then scouse but has a very odd build. She loves everyone. 

Back to the studio.. I'm making a few quilts for the shop. I wasn't planning in it originally, however I have been asked if I was making some so here it goes! I quilt them myself usually with embroidery thread, hopefully it won't take me forever. I love this line, its called Darlene's Favorites, all 1930s prints. Almost done cutting!  Updates will be posted.

My forgotten knitting. I started this last year thinking it would help get me through some burnout, but no, it didn't lol 

Its based on a sweater pattern from Susan Crawford, I'm using the base and added some fair isle. Its currently in my bedside table. I get a few rows in before bed, its starting to grow :D

I am using Excelana by Susan Crawford, one of my favorite wools... its lovely :D

My Shroom quilt has a new home! 

The spare rooms coming along and is looking really nice. 

This is how I find them in the afternoons. Very comfie!

Back to my quilt now.. keep smiling!

 

How to sew a EPP dresden

Sewing EPP Dresdens

This is my method of sewing English paper pieced Dresdens, you can also sew them in a circle if you wish. 

Papers: 2 inch pointed Dresdens by Sue Daley Designs

This Dresden has 12 blades.

For each blade, you will need a 3 inch x 1.75 inch rectangle. 

Lay the paper down in the center and use a ruler or cut by sight 1/4 inch from the shape

Once you have the fabric trimmed, glue just inside the edge of the paper and fold all the sides over. You do not have do fold the very bottom. 

Lay the blades in a circle.

Start sewing.

Divide the circle into 4 groups of 3 blades. 

Starting with 1 group, sew with the arrows as a guide.

 Start at the top and sew to almost the bottom. bring your needle and thread across the bottom of the middle blade ready to sew the next blade on. 

This is what it looks like from the front.

Add the next blade.

Place on top of the center blade and sew from the bottom to the top. 

You will now have 1 set of 3 sewn. Repeat for the other sets.

Time to sew the circle together. 

Start with the blue like and sew together the two top pieces

Next sew on the bottom right.

Sew the last section in place

Finished Sewing!

Remove papers carefully, I like to use a knitting needle. 

Press with the iron.

Prepare the center circle.

Cut fabric making sure to leave 1/4 inch all the way around.

Glue and fold the edges over.

Press well with an iron and remove the paper. 

Press with the iron again. 

Place the Dresden on where you wish to applique it. 

You can pin it or use some water soluble glue to keep it in place.

Hand stitch in place or use a stitch on your sewing machine. 

Last place the circle in the center to cover up the messy center and sew in place.

Voila!!!  

 

2022.. A new beginning! & mini bio

Welcome 2022, a fresh new year, with new goals, new house, new province and a new lifestyle.. entrepreneurship. I'm putting some life back into my poor neglected blog that will I will be posting about my shop, Victory Stitches & sewing projects, but also about life around here. 

                                                 Our House in Hillsborough New Brunswick

To start here is a little about me. I grew up in Milton Ontario, a small farming town close to Toronto.. until the water supply came in from lake Ontario.. the farming town exploded and it was not the small town I grew up in. I love cities, but would rather visit one then live in one.. (exception is London.. I could live in London!) We raised our daughters there, who both decided they had enough and moved when they became adults.

I have always been crafty. I knit, crochet, sew & embroider. I used to do a lot of beading too. My influences are Cath Kidston & Tilda with anything 1930s -1950s tossed in. I love history (1920-1940s political, wartime, Homefront, military and aviation) Im a huge airplane nerd, we have a voodoo here in the village as a static display and its awesome :D

Me in the bomb bay of a B29 Liberator. I will miss the Warplane museum dearly. 

This is a slab of the Berlin wall outside the Imperial war museum in London taken in 2018. It is my phone background, it spoke to me then, glad it did. 

 Through out the pandemic hubby and I both worked in our offices in essential jobs. He at a car dealership me in what I like to call the underworld.. the world that keeps us fed, delivers our goods, makes all of our products and gets no credit what-so-ever. I worked in industrial automation specializing in sensors that are in more machinery then you can count, machinery that has to be up and running in all sectors of the supply chain across North America. In those sectors we went to work every day like ghosts. I loved it. But like many others throughout the last 2 years, a lot of realization hit hard and you wake up to realized your under appreciated, under paid, and no hope for any promotions  .. its time to make a change. So we did. We packed up and moved to the East coast. Its beautiful here and we are very glad we did it. We can breath again.  

   I started my little shop online in 2018 after finding getting EPP supplies rather hard in Canada. I tried a few brands but Sue Daley papers won out, they last, they are sturdy, I have used some well over 100 times and they keep going. Its also supporting another creative entrepreneur. Sue Daley invented the glue pen, put out many different shapes and really brought the craft forward. From her papers and templates my shop was born. The shop now carries Riley Blake, Liberty of London, Linen, Embroidery Kits, Lori Holts Chunky Thread (cotton yarn), tones of notions & more. There is an old shack outside that we are hoping to turn into a shop, Im really hoping for spring, but we will have to see when the quote comes in. For now Im shipping and doing curbside pickup.  

                                              

                                                              Time to get sewing! 

                                 I wish you all the best for this year.. lets make it a good one :)

                                                                 Cheers! Vall

  

4 Granny Pillow

Does anything beat the classic granny square? They are simple and versatile.

This pillow is the same front and back, 4 large granny's joined in a large square. 

I used 8 colours of Lori Holts Chunky Thread.

3.5 mm hook

Make or by a pillow insert the same size as your finished pieces. This one is 14 x 14 inch

Im not going to explain how to make a granny square as there are are thousands of tutorials already out there, hopefully you know how to make one, if not please have a look on youtube :)

These are as follows:

First row:

Chain 5, join. 3 dc, ch 2. repeat three more times. 

Second row and following rows:

Three double crochet (dc), 1 chain (ch) for the sides, three dc, ch 2 , 3 dc for the corners. 

 

Once you have 7 rows finished of each of the 4 front squares, use the join as you go method and white to join the 4 squares together. 

Make the back the same way

Join the sides:

With good sides facing out, start anywhere and stitch the following into both sides to "sew" them together:

1sc, 1hdc, 1 dc, 1hdc, 1sc in a chain space, chain 1 and repeat. 

For the center joins add one extra dc

For the corners add 2 extra dcs

When you have 3 sides crocheted together, insert the pillow and continue, trapping the pillow inside. 

Use colours that make you happy :D

Join as you go to connect the squares for the front and back

 

Scrappy Table Mat

I love making these, they use up scraps and make the table pretty. 

I make them in all kinds of sizes, really what fits the scrap blocks or pieces I'm using 

I used them for small serving mats (under chip bowls etc) I put plants on them, picture, basically I used them where I want to protect a table, shelf etc. 

I don't use batting in mine unless its something I want to use to put a hot pot on. 

You need scrap blocks and a binding an inch larger on all sides 

Make your patchy top piece. 

Place in the center of the backing (backing wrong side up)

Pin and quilt. I usually follow grid lines, but do what you like. Leave the corners unsewn and only sew on the top piece. 

Trim the sides if you need to. Make sure there is 1 inch on each side.

Tuck the corners of the backing under the front like shown below

Fold the backing in half until it meets the edge of the front. You can use clips or iron if you want.

Fold the backing in half again, this time onto the front. The corners should be nicely mitered. 

Hand or machine stich. 

 Enjoy!

Cutting into a Fat Quarter Bundle

These are lovely colorful 1930s print fat quarters called Darlene's Favorites. (Designer: Darlene Zimmerman, Manufacture: Robert Kaufmann)

You can make a quilt from a fat quarter bungle (FQB) or just have an amazing selection of prints from a collection in a convenient size for patchwork, English Paper Piecing, sewing small projects etc. 

The question is.. how to cut into it.. its so pretty, one almost feels bad cutting it... I do strips

I do a lot of patchwork and EPP, I usually end up using 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 wide pieces the most. So I take my lovely FQB and cut a 2.5 and 3.5 strip of each one, iron it and put the rest of the bundle away. if I need a 1.5 inch wide piece I cut from the 3.5 strip.. that leaves a still use able 2 inch piece.. I have a thing about making as much use from fabric as possible lol!. 

Some EPP shapes that fit these.. 3 inch Triangles and Diamond and smaller can be cut from a 2.5 inch wide strip, 1.5 inch Hexagons can be made with 3.5 inch squares, lots of uses and variety. Especially when you are using small amounts but want lots of print selection. 

Happy Sewing!