31 Saturday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
Tags
applique, back basting, handwork, quilting blog, sewing blog, sewjournal blog, Southern Gentleman Quilt
Here is my second block. As you can see I haven’t made my mind up on colour just yet but I’m contemplating using lots of it and making multicoloured sashings, but we’ll see.
Block 2
Thank you for all the kind feedback I’ve had on my first block.
30 Friday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
Tags
applique, Art Gallery Fabrics, back basting, Pat Bravo, quilt blog, sewing blog, sewjournal blog
Since posting the Southern Gentleman block I have had lots of enquiries about what it is and how to do it. To go into detail would necessitate a tutorial which would require quite a bit of prep work. I might do one when my visitors leave but for now here is a quick explanation of what it is and how to do it.
Back-basting is a method of transferring an applique pattern to the background fabric.
You draw the design, or trace it using a light box or window, onto the wrong side of the background fabric. Then you take a piece of the fabric you are appliquéing and pin it on top of the right side of the background fabric. Using the design you have drawn on the back you baste along the lines using a basting thread (you can use any slightly thicker thread but YLI make a very nice and cheap white basting thread) and a thickish needle. Then you trim the top fabric within 1/4″ . To sew, you snip a couple of the basting stitches and turn the 1/4″ under and stitch using invisible stitches. Then you remove the basting stitches one at a time as you needle-turn the rest of the shape. You will be able to see where to turn the upper fabric because the holes of the basting stitches will be visible and you can see where to stitch to the background fabric for the same reason.
This is very difficult to understand without pictures so I’ll see what I can come up with in the next week or two, God Willing.
A few weeks ago we had a wonderful give-away where Pat Bravo kindly offered a fat quarter bundle to one of my readers. Everyone who visited her site really adored her fabric designs and I had many enquiries as to where we can get these fabrics in Australia. Well Pat has sent me a list of places you can buy Art Gallery fabrics here. Click here to download the list.
29 Thursday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
Tags
applique, back basting, Fat Cat Patterns, handwork, quilting blog, sewing, sewing blog, sewjournal blog, Southern Gentleman Quilt
I have been collecting the patterns for the Southern Gentleman Quilt from Fat Cat Patterns and have done three of the blocks. The BOM patterns are released on the first of the month and are free until the next one is released. I missed a couple and bought them but have downloaded the others. I have hand appliquéd them using the back-basting technique. Here is the first one:
1st block
28 Wednesday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
No sewing again but we had a pleasant, if rainy, trip up the Nepean River on the Paddle wheeler Nepean Belle.
Nepean Belle
After a yummy Devonshire morning tea we all got to steer the boat which went down well with our junior family member.
If you look closely you can see me having my turn through the windscreen. 
A capable pair of hands
The Nepean Gorge is stunning even in the rain. Here are some of my photos. By the way they aren’t hazy because they’re out of focus it was actually like sailing through clouds.
 Sandstone cliffs |
 Nepean Gorge |
 Nice weather for ducks |
 Misty mountains |
27 Tuesday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
There’s not much sewing happening at the moment while my family visitors are here but we are putting the sewing tools to good use. My large cutting board makes an excellent Jigsaw puzzle board.
Dual purpose cutting board
26 Monday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
Last night we had smoked chicken and leek quiche and I thought you might like the recipe so you can try it for yourself. It really was tasty.
Smoked chicken and leek quiche
260g plain flour
40g self-raising flour
60g butter
8-9 tbsp water (depends on the flour as some are drier than others)
pinch of salt
1/2tsp oregano
1/2tsp paprika
Mix the flours, salt and herbs in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour and then rub in until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Add the water and mix in with a round-bladed knife. Knead the pastry gently until it forms a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl clear. The less kneading the better as the more you work the dough, the more you will develop the gluten and the pastry will become tough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured board and roll out to fit your quiche dish. Grease the dish lightly and line with the pastry. Don’t cut to size until the filling is ready. Set aside and leave it to rest while you make the filling. Turn your oven on to preheat it to 200C.
1 small pack of smoked chicken (you won’t use all of it so some will be left over for sandwiches)
2 medium leeks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small carton of sour cream
4 large eggs
Cut the dark green tops and the roots off the leeks, remove the outer layer and then split lengthwise. Wash under running water to remove any grit that is between the leaves. Slice the leeks and sauté in the olive oil until the leeks are slightly caramellised then remove from the heat. Remove the skin and any fat from the smoked chicken breast and slice. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly then pour in the sour cream and whisk gently until homogenous. Don’t be too vigorous here you just want the sour cream mixed in thoroughly.
Place the leeks in the bottom of the pastry case and then trim the pastry. Layer the smoked chicken on top of the leeks. You need enough chicken to cover the leeks. Pour the sour cream/ egg mix over the chicken. Sprinkle either a little paprika or a little oregano on the top. Place the quiche in the middle of the oven for around 40 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve with fresh salad.
Note about seasoning: I don’t add salt to this recipe because the smoked chicken is fairly salty and I think if people want it saltier then they can add it themselves.
25 Sunday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
Tags
baby quilt, Janome 3160QDC, machine piecing, patchwork, quilt, quilting blog, sewing blog, sewjournal blog
Well although I’ve been busy doing other things these past few days I still managed to fit in a little sewing after a frustrating afternoon with my new Janome which appears to be sick. In fact it became sick during my free motion quilting class. I thought we had fixed it but it appears not, so it will have to take the long and winding road back to the dealer’s to see what’s wrong. 
I have a feeling that this time it’s not operator error but time will tell. Sigh…
Anyway my trusty old (36 years old) Bernina came through for me and I managed to sew the stripey strips for my baby quilt. Want to see? Here they are.
Strips for the baby quilt
24 Saturday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
I’ll ‘fess up now and tell you I’m writing this on Friday and then scheduling it for Saturday because that’s when - God Willing – some members of my family will arrive in Sydney. It’s been three and half years since we’ve been together so I’m really looking forward to it. That’s why today I have been baking – bread, cookies and savoury scones.
That reminded me that a generation or so ago women had specific days for doing certain jobs. I remember Monday was “Washing Day” in England when all the beds would be changed and all the laundry done. And I think Friday was “Baking Day” when all the bread, scones and biscuits were made.
Today I’ve combined both days into one - changing beds, doing laundry and baking! So, after I’ve polished my halo, I’m hoping to spend a few hours sewing this afternoon and make a start on the baby quilt I was planning.
The fruits of my labours
23 Friday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
I don’t know about you but I find paisleys fascinating. I guess they have a fractal element to them somehow. I’d really like to use the paisley element in an appliqué quilt one day.
The picture below is of a shawl someone kindly gave me. The colours aren’t my favourites but I really love the pattern and it is lovely and warm. Great for this cold season. It’s so intricate. I wonder if it could be simplified and enlarged enough to make it possible to render in applique. What do you reckon?
Paisley shawl
22 Thursday Jul 2010
Posted in Sew journal
Tags
baby quilt, Brandon Mably, Jinny Beyer, KOna solids, Me & My Sisters, Moda, RJR, Rowan, Westminster Fabrics
I was looking through my pink and purple fabrics and I’ve come up with four that I might use in the coloured strips of the baby quilt and for the binding. I’m planning on using Kona Snow for the background and I haven’t yet decided whether to do a pieced or a plain backing.
Here are my four fabrics. What do you think?
Fabrics for the stripe
These are, from left to right, Kona Lilac by Moda, Ravello by Jinny Beyer for RJR and Burlesque Brocade by Brandon Mably for Rowan/Westminster fabrics.
Binding fabric
I’m not 100% sure about using this fabric for the binding but if I do, I will probably use it on the bias. It’s called Rick Rack by Me and My Sister for Moda.
