Welcome! This is the blog of Wendy Whellum and Legend and Lace Designs

Welcome to the Blog of Wendy Whellum and Legend and Lace

To find out more about Legend and Lace please visit the website http://www.legendandlace.com/



Quilt Gallery

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Finally....

I got a half day free, and could start on my new project, Calico Paradise, from Collector with a Needle, Dawn.
 My preferred method of applique is needle-turn, backing basting.  the centre of the quilt is done in one piece and when I tried to trace onto the wrong side of the fabric, it was just plain hard work.  You can see from the photo above the detail of the design on the pattern.  It is complex, and a really high class pattern.

So, what I decided to do was to trace half the centre onto freezer paper, then iron it onto the back of the background fabric and then draw around it.  Remove, then draw the other half.  Great plan?  Well I stuffed it!  I decided it was easier just to trace 1/4 of the design, fold the paper in half and then cut out the two layers.  I expect the original maker would have done 4 folds and cut out this way.

Well, the freezer paper kept slipping, so I ironed them together - dah!  and then of course I could not seperate them.  So, I ended up with quite a stiff piece of paper, with a 1/4 of the design.
 I then had the pin it to the back of the background fabric, draw around it and move it 3 times to do the whole centre.  BTW - this centre is about 30" so it is really quite hard to handle.
 At the same time I got the centre circle drawn on freezer paper, so at least I know where that is, and marked that, plus  the 4 leaves within the centre.
 The next part took me 2 evenings to day.  I had to back-bast the madder print fabric onto the right side of the background.  This is done with a large-ish needle - I use a 8 straw needle, and a quilting thread that contrast with with top fabric.  In this case I used aGutemann mustard colour.
 Once it is all basted, you can then give it a press, and trim about 1/4" around the tacking line. I just remove the main part of the outside fabric, and leave the little cut out pieces until I get to them.  You can see (just) on this photo the tacking lines, and then I draw over the stitches with a Clover wash out white pen.  This makes it easier to spot the tacking stitches if the fabric is a bit busy, or I am getting tired :-)
The Clover pen comes off easily with the iron.  I use it all the time on dark fabrics.  When you draw with it, it does not show up straight away, but appears slowly.  People using the pen for the first time, think it is not working, but just wait a bit and the lines appear

So, this is what I have now.  Not really a kind of "carry along" project is it?  But at least it is all tacked in place, I do not have to worry about getting stabbed with pins during the applique process, and it will not move about.  I know the back-basting takes time to start, but the process gives a great result, and is ideal for large pieces of work like this one.

 In case you think I have run out of things to do, you are wrong!  I am still trying to get my "Past Reflections" completed for the Adelaide Quilt show in November, and I have just about finished all the background quilting.
I have also quilted about all the shapes, and just need to go back and do some extra quilting within some of the motifs.  I am pretty much on track with this, and find a deadline pretty motivational.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

A Fine Romance

 I am in Homespun magazine this month!  My first for this magazine, and I hope not the last.  It is a very pretty craft magazine, with lots of different types of projects - quilting, embroidery, bags, dolls etc.
I talked about making the quilt here, back in November.  It is all scrappy, as usual, including the background, all the pinks and greens as well.  The borders were fabrics I had in my stash, and were just perfect for the project without even trying.

Have a look for it in the magazine racks at the newsagents.  It is out now.


Sunday, September 16, 2012

15 days of Spring

Spring is only 15 days old, but I am feeling the benefits already.  I do not do very well in Winter.  I tend to get down in the dumps, but the sun-shiney days make me feel better.  Today I took some photos of my garden.

Jasmine  
 I know that Jasmine causes lots of people to suffer from Hay fever.  Me - I don't care!  As soon as I see the little pink buds I know spring is on the way.
Pink Sweet peas

Purple Sweet peas
 The sweet peas started to flower the first week on August.  They are a little slow this year, but there are lots of buds to open
Salvia




A Fairy hiding  in my garden
 Grand-daughter Skylar, who is now a big girl of 6, can hardly hide in the garden now.
Snap Dragon

Stocks  

The only real bunch of wisteria I can see



Wisteria about to flower

 The rest are all wrapped up in the trees.  Give them a week, and they will be all over the place.
Bougainvillia  
Skylar has a new "tree house" in the back garden.  It is not really a tree house, more like a fort, but it is high enough for her the touch the Bougainvillea, and the trees over head.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Georgetown Circle

Pieces of the Past - Georgetown Circle
I can't believe how quickly the days are flying by!  I am sure it was just the other day that I put up the block 2 of the Pieces of the Past, and now it is time for the next one already.

This block is Georgetown Circle.  As you can see, I made it with lots of different fabrics.  I started with the centre fabric, and worked out from there.  When I was teaching this class, some of the girls did it in just two colours, like blue and white.  Others did it with the background fabric as some of the spokes of the wheel, so that it looks like an open cart type wheel.  Lots of opportunities to play with fabrics and colours.

The block is now on the Legend and Lace website as a digital pattern.  All 3 patterns will stay there until all 9 blocks are completed.

Tomorrow I am off to my sewing group, Stitching Matters.  I hardly ever get to go these days, as much as I would love to.  Fridays are just turning into bad days for me, but I really need some R&R and I hope that will be tomorrow.  I am working on the hand quilting of my sampler quilt Past Reflections.  This is the quilt that started out as blocks from the Circuit Rider's quilt and I added another 20 or so other blocks.  I have entered it into the South Australian Quilters guild exhibition in November, so really have to get it done.  A whole day of quilting would make a bit hole in it. You can see a picture of it here before I started the quilting.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Baskets are ready to go

Within the next week or so I will be sending out the first month's pack for the new BOM - Baskets for You.  I have made 10 blocks for myself so far.  Lots of different red fabrics and shirtings.  This is the perfect project for me as I have a great collection of reds, and those of you who join in the programme, will get some from the "private collection" as I like to call it.  You can choose to have lots of different coloured basket fabrics if you like.  Some people prefer the scrappy look.  Just let me know when you join in what your preference is.


Each month, for 12 months, you will get background and applique fabrics enough to make 12 blocks a month.  In the 6th month you will receive fabrics for the centre appliqued floral basket.
 



Also included, are the Sue Daley Pattern, sandpaper board, glue and needles, plus thread and Sewline trio marker.  These will be sent with the first month's fabric pack.

The cost is $25 per month, plus postage.  Go to the Legend and Lace website to join in, or you can email me for further information.

Monday, September 3, 2012

Cabbage Rose Wreath

Cabbage Rose Wreath

It was a big weekend for me, with a class on Friday, one on Saturday, as well as my husbands birthday, and then Father's Day on Sunday.  This is suppose to be my day of rest - believe me, I can use it!  However, more work to do.  I needed to have the next block in the Rose Garden series up and running by the 5th, and it is done today.

If you are planning on collecting this set of blocks, it is now up and running on the Legend and Lace website.  All the blocks will stay there for the duration, so if you miss one, you can always go back and catch up.  Remember, the first one is free, with a small charge of $2.50 for each of the others.

You get full size drawings, plus detailed instructions on how to complete the block.  When you are printing out the blocks be sure to set your printer so that it does not scale the drawings.  It should fit the page exactly.  The blocks are 8" finished, but you can print them off, and increase the size if you want to make larger blocks.

I have another plan brewing, and that is to create "complimentary" pieced blocks to go with the appliqued ones.  I think that might have to wait for another day.

Any questions?  Please email me

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Don't you just love starting something new?

 I have not actually started yet, but I have started choosing my fabrics, and I am busting to get started.  Have had a few things get in the way of progress.  One being I had to wait for the pattern to arrive, then I had to find the "right yellow" and then I had to teach two classes, and then two family birthdays, and tomorrow is Father's Day.  I think I might get some free time in the afternoon.....fingers crossed.
This is my first collection of fabrics for the project.  Not really sure about the stripe on the RHS

I saw the quilt on Dawn's blog, Collector with a Needle.  Dawn and her daughter Nora, have created the pattern from an original antique quilt.  The colours and designs are simply spectacular!
I took a photo of the pattern envelope, but it does not do it justice.  The design and colours have really spoken to me, and I just "had to have" that pattern!  I scraped through my red boxes of fabrics, but Dawn told me there really is very little red in the original, mainly madder.  Well, dumb I might be, but I still think of madder as red.  What really tipped me over the edge though, was the bit of pink and blue.  That, to me, is just delightful.

Can you please find another 2 or 3 hours in the day for me?  I just entered 2 of my unfinished quilts into the Adelaide quilt show, and they have to be done by the end of October.  Looks like I will be back to rotating things for a while.  This way I get to work on the things I want to do as well as those I need to do.  At least I have no class samples or magazine work due for a while.  Means I can play with Calico Paradise..