Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Autumn Jewel Box

Recently I posted about this quilt pattern which was published in Quilter's Connection magazine's Fall issue. The quilt has just made it's way back to me, and is gone again!

Autumn jewel box for QC Mag by Poppyprint

That's right, I've given it away. I promised all of the people who supported me on the Weekend to End Women's Cancers 60 km walk in August that I would have a draw for some 'as yet determined something" made by me. A whopping 46 friends and family members donated a total of $2700 to my campaign - I was thrilled and really wanted to say thanks in a concrete way. I would have loved to make them all something, but I probably wouldn't be finished before next year's walk! Speaking of which, I've already got a team of 9 women (and counting!) who will join me next year. It's going to be fun to participate with so many friends, all raising money for an amazing cause. Would you like to join team "Kickin' Cancer with Creativity"? Email me!

Back to the quilt. If you've been visiting Poppyprint for a while you will recognize this quilt as a replica of one I designed last fall for a swap (click on the link to see the process post). This time, I blanket stitched around each wool leaf applique (using my machine). I like the look much better than the straight stitch I did on the first quilt.

wool leaf applique detail by Poppyprint

I really like the leaf stems. I've used this technique on a few projects, including this one. It is a trick I learned many years ago in a workshop with Jane Sassaman, but I didn't have a machine that could do it until recently. First, I drew a gently curving line with a Clover wax pen to represent the stem. Then, with my zigzag set to 0.5 stitch width and 0.5 stitch length (which creates a satin stitch), I begin sewing over my drawn line. Every 5 or 6 zigs, I would press the stitch width increase button (while continuously stitching). You just have to go for it! If you keep stitching and press the button at 5 or 6 stitch intervals, you should end up with a smooth stem that gradually widens with length. If you have a digital sewing machine that can adjust stitch width on the fly, then you can do this. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

In other news, I wanted to say Hello! to two of my far away readers in Siberia and New Zealand who commented on my last post. You have no idea how exciting it is for me to realize you read my blog and enjoy my work. Welcome! Thanks to everyone to stops by to check my little page of quilting...I've almost been at this for a whole year and lots of exciting opportunities have arisen from this place. You know what that means....an anniversary giveaway isn't far away! Plus, I am getting dangerously close to 200 followers, another milestone worthy of celebration, I believe.

Hugs,
Krista

4 comments:

Jodi said...

That's beautiful! The other one from last fall is, too, but this one is even better, if that's possible! I also love your pear mini! Thanks for sharing!

Krista said...

It's such a pretty quilt! Thank you for sharing how you did the stem-- I was curious, but never thought you could change the stitch width while you were sewing. I'll have to give it a try.

So the cancer walk will be in August again? Maybe it would be a good time for me to wing it to the Pacific Northwest. I might be able to tie it into a trip to Seattle (although I still want to do a separate sewing weekend too!).

Tracey Jacobsen said...

Remember how I was mentioning batiks... you do know how to use them. :)

This quilt is so gorgeous. I love the mix of the wool on the jewel tones.

So pretty.
Good luck in your walk! Take care of those feetsies!

Tiffany said...

Totally beautiful quilt! I love your quilting and the stitching on the leaves in the centers. This is a great way to say thanks to those family & friends that offered their support.