The Joy of Small Hand Sewing Projects

 

Kismet Kiss Quilt

Fresh Cut

Groove is in the Heart

Most winter evenings after I've finished dinner, the housework and various other domestic duties, I like to sit down in a comfy chair with either a book or a handsewing project. I have a few in progress at present: ( Fresh Cut - a wool felt and embroidery project, Kismet Kiss - my new epp project, Groove is in the Heart Quilt )  but have been thinking about why I prefer to work on some and others not so much.

I've decided that I'm not enamored with my Fresh Cut applique/embroidery project.  While I love the look of the finished ones I've seen, and using wool felt, the beautiful threads and making fancy stitches,  I am not enjoying making mine.  Perhaps it's because I'm doing it on fabric rather than a  felt background, and I don't like the fluff from the parlan fusible batting attached to it coming through the fabric.  It could also be because the blocks are large, my last couple of felt applique projects have had small blocks, which make it much easier to have a portable easy to work on handsewn project. Also sewing on black is hard, even more so if your eyesight is not great.  

I think this is why I really enjoy English Paper piecing.  Yes it takes me forever to select the fabric combinations for the blocks, but the pieces are small and easy to sew, and they don't take up as much room if I'm taking them somewhere as a portable project.  It's an easy project to stop and start, I can baste a lot of pieces ready to stitch, and I know that it will be a long term project anyway.

My Groove is in the Hearts quilt is also an easy to sew small hand sewing project, each heart half fits into a magazine, or manila folder which keeps it flat.  I've taken tis project away on holiday, a few times and  They are quite quick and simple to make and I see results quickly.

Unfortunately I think my Fresh Cut Quilt may be packed away for a while (read forseeable future) while I continue to enjoy smaller and more manageable projects.

Fresh Cut - a new project

Last year some time I bought myself Sue Spargo's Fresh Cut quilt pattern, a mix of wool and fabric applique embellished with beautiful embroidery.  Then it sat unused while I deliberated over background colours.  Much as I love how the black felt background made the blocks POP, I thought it would attract too much dust and be impractical.

Fast forward to June this year, when I spent a day in Rotorua with my Mum, and we visited Cottage Flair quilt shop. They had a fabulous sample made up with different black fabrics as the background, and ironically this really appealed to me. I bought some of the patterned black fabrics but have had to wait three months till solid black fabric arrived in New Zealand, before I could actually start this project.

 A week ago I received a call from my local quilt shop to say they had it in stock, and it was subsequently sent out to me.  I have started my first block, which is block 5, and am slowly rediscovering how to make all the fancy stitches required. 

I can see this will be somewhat of a long term slow stitching project.