Category Archives: hand piecing

Butterflies and Snow

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Last night I started on the little butterfly hexagons for the stars. These are 2″ hexagons from the very first Inklingo collection. I’ve used an inexpensive white muslin behind the white on white on which the hexagons are printed and love the fact that that will successfully stop any shadowing through of the threads.

Hopefully, tonight I’ll get at least one or two hexagons joined with the stars.

What did we wake up to? Snow. Lots and lots of snow. It’ still snowing. It started snowing around 10:00 last night and it is still coming down. It’s pretty but I think it’s more than we were expecting. Right now, the snowflakes that are falling are huge! True winter wonderland. The trees now have that dipped in icing sugar look.



Lester on the windowsill.

Smudge, in one of his endless poses.


Stars, Stars and a Christmas Frog

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These little stars are multiplying at a rapid pace! I love how quickly they go together thanks to the perfect stitching lines of Inklingo! The Christmas Frog, who will feature in a teddy bear story soon, just had to get in the picture.

While I’m stitching the little stars, plans for at least one large quilt this year are swimming through my mind. I’m definitely going to make the Jane Austen quilt and am debating now whether to do it in shabby chic with a faded mint green dot on white fabric for the sashing or in Orientals.

I have a piece of an absolutely gorgeous Oriental print that would be perfect for the centre medallion and oodles of this fabric that I would be tempted to use for the sashing with all sorts of other Oriental prints.


This fabric has the most glorious feel and is an absolute joy to hand piece. I would like to make the JA quilt by hand so that is an important consideration as many of the Oriental prints have a metallic element to them which can make them a bit more difficult to stitch.

This is a picture of the sashing fabric with a couple of pieces of Oriental prints that were on my sewing table. I really love the richness of this. It will be busy, no question, but there’s something about it that really appeals to me.

We had a lovely quiet New Year’s at home. What did the cats do? Snooze! Smudge snoozing:

Lester snoozing:


Not Being Stitched

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These stacks of diamonds are waiting to be turned into Snow Crystals. And waiting. And waiting. Maybe Boxing Day I can get a start on a new one! I have 13 left to make to have 25 blocks done — whether I make more or not is undecided. But I want to make one now!!


However, I’m still working on gift one — one of three!! The unexpected increase in work this week has definitely thrown me a bit of a curve on timing. I have a feeling this weekend I’ll be glued to the couch, stitching!

It began to snow last night at around 9:00 or so and within an hour we had quite a blanket of snow on the roof garden. It really came down fast and furious. And they say that Friday we’re going to get BIG snow. It’s starting to look like we’ll have a White Christmas!

Lester — going for more of his windblown look.

Not sure about this look, but it’s just one of the many faces of Smudge.


Madly Stitching Christmas Gifts!

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As these are going to be Christmas gifts, I can’t show the completed items — but these are the beginnings of 3 little gifts. One of them is almost finished and I hope to have the remaining 2 finished by the end of next weekend. Is this cutting it close or what?

Smudge doesn’t get stressed about Christmas — just enjoys hanging out by the window.


Lester does the same.


Snow Crystals 10 & 11

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It’s getting close — having 12 of these blocks done, that is. I’m not sure but think when there are 16 of them done I’ll start playing with layouts. The current plan is to make 2 lap quilts of pink and white Snow Crystal blocks, but that plan may well change.

This is block 10 done, front and back:


And this is block 11. I love this pink fabric but it is unbelievably difficult to needle. Went through 3 needles just piecing this. Don’t think I’ll use this fabric for hand piecing again — at least, not with this many pieces of it in a block.


It was a cold weekend and we had a bit of snow. Smudge doesn’t care — he just sprawls somewhere and has a nap.

Lester posing on the windowsill.


Partial Snow Crystal

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As we watched the Wednesday night news coverage of what’s going on in Ottawa, I began yet another Snow Crystal. I love this pink print!! It’s wonderfully easy to needle and presses beautifully — although you wouldn’t know it from this picture. I’m hoping to finish this one Thursday.

Although Lester is in this shot, it’s really more about the way the light plays on the office building across the roof garden in the late afternoon. It was really remarkably pretty this afternoon — there was a real pink glow to it. Hmm — seems to be a theme here. Pink, pink and more pink.


Smudge, watching who knows what through the lace sheers.



Yet Another Snow Crystal

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After getting the SSCS packages on their way, I decided to work on a snow crystal block a couple of nights ago. This block goes together so nicely and quickly once the centre star is made. Thanks to Inklingo, everything fits perfectly.

Now that it’s finally pressed, I can share a photo.

I’m still fascinated by the backs of these blocks after pressing them. The blocks lie so flat when pressed like this.


Lester, shortly after we had combed his ruff. Right after combing, he looks quite majestic. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last long as he is insistent on licking and chewing it.


Another Snow Crystal and …

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… snow. Real snow. It’s too early!! This was the roof garden around 2:30 yesterday afternoon. Just a little snow.

Around midnight last night. A little more snow.

This morning. Lots more snow.

I love the look of the snow on the tree limbs — almost like they’ve been dipped in icing sugar. But that wears off real fast. I’d much rather the snow left now and didn’t come back!

This is my kind of snow crystal. One doesn’t need boots and a coat and gloves, scarf and a hat to appreciate this snow crystal.

The kitties before the snow began to fall. I don’t think they like it all that much either — they have not been in the window watching the snow at all!


The Finally Finished Label

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The label is finally done and is ready to applique on to the back of the quilt when it arrives. Writing the names on was almost comical – I kept making errors and had to start fresh each time. It was fun to put this together and I’m thinking that a few done with Oriental fabrics and a really rich centre might be quite striking for place mats — but for show only!

This is the roof garden now — very few leaves left and the one bush has partially changed colour.


Smudge watching — squirrels, birds, who knows?

Lester doing the same.


Snow Crystals, Butterflies and Kitties

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Another Snow Crystal block is almost complete. The white on white is the same one I had used in the blue and white Texas Star quilt. I had forgotten just how difficult that is to needle. I’m putting a note on what’s left of it so that I won’t be tempted to use it again for hand piecing anything! Actually, I wonder if there’s a way to get some of that paint off — maybe soak it in turpentine or something!

In a comment left yesterday, Rosaline noticed the corners of the pieces are sort of rounded off. That’s another one of the benefits of the newer Inklingo collections — the shapes are printed like that which makes it so so easy to line pieces up when stitching.

Peg has been encouraging me to take up embroidery again. I wanted to experiment a bit before committing to tracing a lot, so I printed out a few of the 2-inch hexagons with butterflies from the first Inklingo collection and did them. I’m hooked! First I’m going to do about a dozen of these hexagons with butterflies and surround them with batiks and/or hand dyes.

These are my first two butterflies. My knots need a little work for the knobs on their antennae but, all in all, I’m pretty happy with the results.


This has to be one of the best pictures of Lester yet. I love the reflection of him in the window!

Smudge, resting a paw on one leg and then resting his head on that paw. Too cute!