Inside you will find designs suitable for quilting and appliqué and designed to fit within a 9" square. You will be able to enlarge or reduce the designs as required and the pages slip out of the binder easily for ease of use. The pages are A4 sized.
Stitching has been a very slow progress this week due to a painful back. I often have aches and pains but this has been something else and I was told to cut back on the sewing to give things a rest. Feeling much better this morning I attempted to stitch the last small component of the Lotus Blossom block. I had to rest after each tiny seam as the pain is also bad in my hand. I did it and that is my lot for the day. Maybe tomorrow I can add another seam. Progress is progress no matter how small. During this week all those carefully arranged pieces stayed in one place and neither husband or budgie came to any harm.
Often when we stitch we just show off the front of the work. It is after all the bit we want to see. What I always want to know though is how do you press the seams and which way do they lie and what does it all look like at the back. Starting from now I will make the effort to show you what the back of my work looks like and I hope you won't be shy in showing me what yours looks like. This is the small section from the back. Nothing has been pressed other than the sections in the middle and only with pressure from my fingers. A word of warning here, those pieces are very stretchy and may not fit the next section if you are too eager to flatten it all out. Hand piecing also allows those seams to move freely too. I am no expert on this matter and any hints or tips or advice are always welcome.
All you have to do to win the patterns is leave me a comment, blogger or no blogger so long as I can contact you if you are the winner. First name out of a suitable receptacle will win on the 22nd July. You can leave me a comment even if you don't wish to take part, I do like to hear from you.
Good luck.
Happy Stitching.
Shirley.
Sorry to hear you've been having back problems - me too!! But I find machine sewing makes it worse so I handstitch when it's especially bad!
ReplyDeletePlease enter me in your lovely giveaway.
I was hoping the rest would help your back, hopefully it will gradually get better. Your handstitching is lovely - the colours in your block are very scrummy.Sometimes I have found I have flattened my seams out too much and I then have trouble nesting my seams - so you are right, care (and thought) is needed! How generous of Barbara to donate a giveaway prize - I would love to be entered in the draw :-)
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to enter the giveaway please.
Margaret
I hope your back is soon better. Mine is iffy at the moment. It's amazing how using our hands affects our backs. It is an amazing give away.
ReplyDeleteI took a hand piecing class from Jinny Beyer a couple of years ago. Over a day and a half I diligently worked on my block with her encouragement. I don't remember her saying why but we didn't press our blocks. Only a little finger pressing. Even though Jinny kept saying I was doing a good job I was sure I had flunked when I turned the completed block to the right side. It wasn't until I went home and pressed it with the iron that I was happy! You make a very good point, though, about why you shouldn't press. I do remember Jinny saying hand piecing is very forgiving. I'm hand piecing spool blocks and now I'm sorry that I've been pressing the blocks. Maybe, since it is such a simple block it won't matter as much.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to win a giveaway!
Hope you are feeling better soon!
I have been talking to a former colleague today from college who is an embroiderer, and we were discussing how sometimes the back can look as good as the back. In fact we both quite like the seams brought to the front as part of the design. Sorry to hear about your back Shirley, hope it gets better soon. Love Joan x
ReplyDeleteI always wonder about the reverse of pieced work too. If there are different ways of pressing that make the block sit neatly or more neatly.
ReplyDeleteIn my minis there are specific instructions as to whether to press seams open or to the side. I have been following diligently and it has made it sit evenly and easier to match seams.
Hope your pain subsides soon..
Look after your self my friend. I am impressed with your back view LOL.
ReplyDeleteI hope your on the mend Shirley and the pain is gone soon.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know which way to press seams...sometimes they just sit they way they want to be pressed, finger pressing is a good to do as you go, then you can see which way they need /want to go and iron press later.
take care.
Julia ♥
I broke my collarbone a few years ago and it was 2-3 months before I could do ANY kind of sewing, so I have a small idea of how miserable you are when you can't do what you love - hang in there!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you have been having back problems - and anything that slows down quilting is extra annoying. I am a terrible coward with such tricky hand piecing and would have foundation paper pieced by machine, so can't give much help there. I know what you mean about them stretching out of shape with pressing - had some shockers in my time! Wonderful giveaway - Barbara's designs are beautiful. Get better soon :)
ReplyDeleteHilda
That sounds like a great give away! Thank you Shirley and Barbara! I hope you feel better soon. I know how you feel, as I often have those aches and pains too, especially in my back. Look after yourself and don't over do the stitching (which looks great btw).
ReplyDeleteOh, back pain is ghastly. You have my sympathy - I hope it goes away very quickly (and stays away). I'd love to win Barbara's patterns, so please enter me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon, Shirley XXX
ReplyDeleteThanks to you & Barbara for this beautiful giveaway.
Sometimes it is very difficult to make the back of our work look "as good as the front." Then I thought about this: who's going to see the inside of a quilted quilt?
ReplyDeleteHope your back feels better soon, Shirley. Nothing worse than having an exciting project and having to go slowly on it. I'm impressed with your hand piecing--so complex! And your back looks great to me!
ReplyDeleteOh dear must be the week for sore backs....2 trips to the Chiro for me and I am feeling a lot better...hope your on the mend too.As always your work looks great,happy stitching ..
ReplyDeleteStumbled onto your blog from Max and Louise.......amazing tiny pieces of sewing. Hope you're feeling better soon......we're lost without our sewing.
ReplyDeleteHope your back is stronger now, but take it easy and let it heal. They can take some time.
ReplyDeleteI often seek and read the advice of professionals about placement of seams etc. Jo Morton's work is very neat on the back and she clips her seams. I love steaming and pressing my blocks but if hand piecing, I won't do it until the block is finished. If machining, I press along the way.
Just had to say thanks for showing off your backside.... very pretty it is too! I'm always curious about how seams are pressed.... hope your show and tell trends catches on. Just read about your class... would love to have been there. Looks like great fun.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you're on the sick list too. Hope your back is on the mend and your hands too... spooky that.. both of us with hand pain at the same time. Do your best to rest your sore bits.... it really sucks dosen't it! Hugs... Josie
So sorry to hear your back has been bad, hope you feel better soon :) Lucky you attending all these lovely classes, such intricate hand piecing, looking forward to following your progress. What a generous give away, I have to admit, the chance of winning some quilting patterns would be fantastic. Thank you Shirley :)
ReplyDeleteI work for an amazing chiropractor... she can actually feel when I have sewn too much!! Hope you're feeling better soon.
ReplyDeleteNot sure how I missed this post but fortunately I have the books already! I love the colours you are using. I hope that your back is recovering.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry I missed this post.. I'm so far behind in blog reading! I noticed Barbara will be at the nec so I'll have to see what she has on offer there :-) haven't been to festival for so many years.. Looking forward to it :-)
ReplyDelete