Sunday, September 17, 2006

A R&R weekend

A quiet weekend, with time to breath both in and out is soon over.

I have made these 6 Dear Jane blocks, enjoyed applique, cuddled the cat and done some notion organizing, and that is about it.

I have tried the Clover glue stick I bought on Thursday, and no, glue is not my thing !
Starch and press has been tried, on the turquoise blocks, and it was a method I can do more.
I have yet to try more needle turn, both with and without freezer paper on top.

The 2 other pairs of blocks have been made with foundation paper piecing without piecing through the paper. I am working on a paper for my Dear Jane class on the method. I taught it on Thursday and will hand out a paper with photos next Thursday.
I have already a written paper, with no photos, but most people are better at visual learning.
Using this method, foundation paper piecing can be done by hand too - without any extra trouble. No paper to tear off after finishing. Just lift the freezer paper off and the block is done. The freezer paper can be reused :-)

The extra set of all the three blocks will be sent to my swap friend, and now I am on schedule again :-)
We usually swap 2 every month, or that is the plan anyway.
Suddenly I saw that turquoise-ish hearts has been made before, by my friend. I will still send her mine but added an extra block for the balance.
I have not taken the freezer paper off mine, as they will double as class examples on Thursday.

I am contemplating doing Dear Jane blocks in more than 1 colour, some other day !
It is not that easy to see from here, but the middle block has another fabric in the HST than in the middle, on both. The HST matches the mid square, so it is not that obvious.
The mid squares are cut from the same batik. By supporting the colour most dominant in the mid square by the colour choice in the HST I got 2 blocks that are both similar and different at the same time.
If I had some olive green for the upper block instead of orange the difference would have been more obvious, but I did not have any olive green to try out.

First I think I will like to do some red and green Christmas blocks - maybe 4, just to see the effect. Would make a nice pillow cover without to much work. It is a point not to add to the Ufo pile either, right ? ;-)

The evening still has a couple of unused hours, so first I will tidy my sewing area, and who knows what can happen next :-)

12 comments:

  1. It's nice to have a quiet weekend - the blocks are lovely. I do very little applique and when I do - it's large fused pieces that are blanket stitched by hand.

    I had a busy day yesterday starting my Autumn quilt but today has been a quiet day with my knitting. Keith and I just did a short walk around the neighborhood and are going to watch a movie on TV and I'll knit some more!

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  2. its geat to have a quiet weekend to get some sewing done... Your blocks are look great, whatever method you use :-)

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  3. I love the new DJ blocks and look forward to seeing more.

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  4. An R&R weekend sounds just like what the doctor ordered! You made some very nice blocks too!

    Cheers!

    Evelyn

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  5. Your DJ blocks look lovely Hanne, the colours are really great. Inspires me to take out my DJ and work on some more blocks.
    Have a great day
    *hugs*
    Tazzie
    :-)

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  6. Anonymous5:09 am

    Your DJ blocks look wonderful (as always!)

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  7. Your DJ blocks are so colorful, I like them that way. I've got a few Quilted Diamond blocks done with that freezer paper technique you described. It does make things easier.

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  8. Good for you for getting more Jane blocks done!

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  9. No wonder your blocks look so good--you are teaching them! I wish I could come to your classes. I still have my Civil War Diary blocks awaiting my return. Yours are lots more intricate, I think. Very nice!

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  10. You are so talented, Hanne. Thanks for your help with my project today--I'll let you know if it works out once I get the measuring tape out and do some EQ'ing

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  11. A most productive time for you.....
    I know you enjoyed having the Grancat for a visit.

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  12. Dagen er ikke helt den samme uten en tur innom bloggen din! Synes du lager utrolig mye flott!! Og så super effektiv du er :)

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