Wool applique process - step by step - part 2

 

For all the talk about an early spring, it's not feeling so at the moment. I took this picture early last week after our first new snow of about 2-3". Saturday we had another storm that dropped 18" of new snow. I take solace in knowing the first of April is Monday and if years past are any measure, once the snow starts to melt, it'll be gone over the span of a few weeks. Pretty though, isn't it?

I potted my Hippeastrum (you may know it as Amaryllis) late this year. I bought the bulb in November intending to grow it for the festive season, but it didn't get potted up until February. At any rate, it is in full bloom now and I've never seen one with so many blossoms: 7! It's a spectacle.

I want to share this piece of music, appropriate to the season. Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ. I don't think it's as well known as Handel's Messiah, which was written as an Easter Oratorio, even though it's very popular at Christmas, but it should be. It is sublime.

Here is the continuation of my step-by-step process of wool applique. The quilt I am working on is called "Everything's Blooming" designed by Erica Kaprow.

After the stem lines were transferred to my cotton square, I embroidered them using a bright green pearl cotton in stem stitch. Then I added the top pair of leaves and the first flower. This flower could have been sewn with individual petals, or as I have done, grouped petals. I wanted to see how the grouped petals would look and I like it so the other two flowers will be done the same way.

I like to work on my knee! It sound odd, but the curvature is perfect. I'm sure my previous Alexander Technique teacher would gawk to see me hunched over working this way, but I sit up frequently and stretch. At my desk--if I want to watch a video while sewing--I use an ironing ham. It works pretty well also.

You can see I've pinned two more leaves in place. You'll also notice the pointy points at the base of the leaves have been snipped off because they don't always look great in blanket stitch. In my opinion. The next step is choosing a thread for blanket stitching these leaves. Do I want something contrasting?bright? subdued? matching? Decisions to make. I first turn to my "tangle": A tangle of threads left over from other projects. This tangle is always in use and always being fed new left overs. I thought I was the only person to have a 'tangle' so imagine my surprise when I saw Marion of Marion's World (on YouTube) take out her tangle in her videos. If I don't find some thread in the tangle, I'll use new thread.

I found a color that is close to the wool leaves so it won't stand out too much.

And now we sew. I use blanket stitch for these appliques using two strands of embroidery thread. It's possible to use slip stitches as well. I am right handed and work my stitches around the wool in a clockwise direction. To begin, bring the thread up from below the cotton, right next to the wool piece.

Apologies for the less than clear photos. Here you can see the thread coming up from the left side of the leaf, right at it's edge.

Take the needle down through the wool and cotton just a small stitch in from the edge of the wool (depending how big you want your stitches) and bring the needle back up through the cotton at the edge of the wool and over the hanging thread on the left.

Here is the completed stitch.

Sewing the next stitch:

Continue around the wool piece until the starting point is reached, then take the needle to the back near where the thread was originally brought up and secure it on the back. To secure, I like to take 3 small stitches behind the wool piece.

A word about stitch consistency: Don't sweat it. I've heard of people who draw marks on their fingers to gauge stitch size. I don't do that. Trust your eyes and try to ease into a zen state. You'll be surprised that your hands will almost automatically go to the next stitch without you having to think much about it. Your stitches won't all be perfect and they shouldn't be, this is hand work. Hand stitching reveals a beautiful humanity, something the perfection of a machine can never achieve.

It can be difficult to gauge where the edge of the wool is when you are coming back up through the cotton. This is especially so when taking very small stiches because that requires folding the fabric back a little bit. What I do is place my left thumb (my left hand is holding the fabric) right next to the edge of the wool and make a note of it's placement in relation to the wool piece. Then when the edge of the wool lifts up (as it does when you fold the fabric) and obscures the line where it rests on the cotton, you can use your thumb as a visual reference for where to come up.

Points. If I'm working with a piece of wool that is not prone to raveling, I leave the points alone, generally. But blanket stitch around points can end up getting a little bit wonky, no matter how carefully the stitches are laid down. To solve the problem of the point stitch from slipping around, after I've made the stitch I immediately take the needle down through the cotton over the last stitch and that tacks it down.

Here's the finished square:

Happy Easter!

Wool applique process - step by step

 

The first row of blocks for the new quilt is appliqued. So far so good.

Moving on to the next block, I thought I would go through the steps of how wool applique is done--at least how I do it.

Step 1. Get out the box of wool and pick colors for the new block. This is one of the most fun parts of the project.

Step 2. Trace the pattern pieces onto the dull side of freezer paper (not the waxed side). I use a light table that I found at the thrift store.

Step 3. Cut out the individual pieces, leaving a margin.

Step 4. Place the pieces waxed side down on their respective wool pieces and press them with an iron, without steam, for about 5 seconds. The wax will melt and adhere the patterns to the wool.

Step 5. Cut out each piece following the drawn pattern lines.

Step 6. I like to do a color check at this point just to make sure I haven't created something awful. The placement is rough, this is just to check the overall look. On this block, I've only cut out the pieces for one of the flowers because I'm not sure if I want each petal to be an individual piece, or, as I've done here, group some of the petals together. I think it's going to look better with grouped pieces, but I want to sew one before deciding on the others.

Step 7. Trace the bones of the design onto tracing paper. Only the lines for embroidery and perhaps some other placement points--which I may or may not use. I will definitely use the embroidery lines.

Step 8. Fold the blank square and finger press both vertical and horizontal centers to get the center point. Since I work with oversized blocks, it doesn't have to be exact.

Step 9. Rub the back of the tracing paper with chalk--only the parts I want marked on the fabric at this stage. Blow across the chalked back to remove excess chalk. Then I place the tracing paper, chalked side down on the fabric and trace the lines needed for embroidered stems or other parts that will be worked on at this stage.

Step 10. The chalk lines will not be rigorous enough to withstand much embroidering and/or applique so I go over the lines with a fine point Bohn chalk pen. The square is now ready for embroidery.

In my next post, I'll go over the steps involved in appliqueing the wool pieces on the square.

Needle and thread

 

I think we're having an early spring. The temperatures last week were mild, reaching the mid-50s one day. The stove sat un-stoked 2 or 3 days until evening time.  A lot of snow melted, so much so that great swathes of bare ground were uncovered. Then, last night, we got over 6" of new snow. But we had highs in the 40s today and a great deal has already melted. This week's weather looks similar to last week's, so yeah, I think we're having an early spring. Fine by me.

When so much of the yard lay bare this week, the scope of my spring cleanup became apparent. I will have my work cut out for me, for a good month.

Most of my fiber activity this week centered around needle and thread. I have 3 more blocks completed for my new quilt. They are all roughly sized at the moment and need to be trimmed down to 10.75" square before the final construction happens.

I went upstairs to look for my special block ruler last week and couldn't find it. I know I came across it in the not too distant past; seems like it was in one of the boxes of fabric scraps because I remember my reaction when I saw it there. One possibility is that I left it where it was thinking I'll know where it is when I want it. The other possibility is I moved it to the bin that contains sewing related objects. But I'm not even sure that the box of fabric scraps is where I actually saw it. I checked all my fabric boxes and the sewing bin to no avail.

This happens all too often. I put something "away" for safe keeping but subsequently forget where that place is! It might be that my 'filing' system is faulty. Or it might be that I have so many supplies. Or it might be that I don't have enough space. Or it might be all of the above. At any rate, it's still missing. I've looked everywhere it "should" be and it ain't there.

The three newly finished blocks:

I also had a bit of time with the knitting needles. The scarf is longer. I will need to spin some more in order to finish it. I'm thinking 70" would be a good length. Getting close. I really do love this yarn, it's one of my favorite yarns I've ever spun. With the weather being what it is, this scarf will be for next winter.

I have another YouTube channel recommendation. Marion's channel is absolutely fantastic. She's so delightful and utterly creative. She continually astounds me.

Applique blocks and a new scarf

 

My great wheel spinning is turning into a scarf. A very simple stockinette and garter stitch country scarf. I'll call it my "homesteader." I like the way the color bands are interplaying with the bands of garter stitch and stockinette. It's all random, none of the color was planned and I let the plying add even more randomness. I am being predictable with the stockinette/garter bands though, 12 rows of stockinette, 4 garter bumps (8 rows).

The first square of the new quilt is done, finished it this morning. Looks great. Twenty-nine more blocks to make, each one different.

Promptly got started on block number 2. Experimenting with different embroidery stitches, expanding my horizons. For these curly stems I tried whipped backstitch. Cool.

Picking colors is always great fun. Now I can add the fun of picking embroidery stitches. Up until now I've used only a handful of different stitches.

I'm altering the patterns slightly by getting rid of sharp pointed ends (like leaf tips) and making them rounded. This is because I don't use glue or sticky products when I sew and/or quilt. It just goes against my aesthetic I guess. If Fray Check is used then the points won't ravel so that works. But I don't want to do that so I round the points off. Unless the wool is resistant to fraying, then I'll leave the points be. Still looks good to my eyes and I feel better about not using glues.

I also don't use glue for positioning. Pins and/or basting are my preference.

Project progress, spinning, sewing

 

I was awakened at 3 a.m. late last week by the frightful yips, howls, and eery glissandos of coyotes. They were right under my 2nd floor bedroom window. It was a sudden outburst and shocked my nerves so that it took several minutes to get the chill out.

I heard them the following night close by in the woods behind the woodshed. They started their chorus when I turned the shed light on to go get the mail, 90ft away. It motivated me to go right back in the house to get the pepper spray out of my other jacket. They continued to haunt the air with their howling  while I fetched the mail and brought some wood in.

The following evening was almost an exact repeat. I haven't heard them since.

They do make a frightful disturbance.

I have finished working on the Howe sewing machine irons and must now set the project aside until the weather warms up so that I can work on the wood finish and the head. Both tasks require some strong smelling chemicals (acetone, denatured alcohol, boiled linseed oil, etc...) which fumes would be a problem so close to the wood stove, I fear. The fumes would be no good for me either, nor for the birds.

I am continuing to make progress at the great wheel. I made some important discoveries this weekend and that's boosting my confidence. Just finished plying up some more of the spinning today. 240 yards of the same wool blends. I'm going to start a scarf to go with the gloves I made a few weeks ago.

I am really enjoying spinning on this wheel.

It's time to start a new quilt. This one will be wool applique on cotton, from a pattern I purchased a few years ago, only I'll be enlarging the pattern to get a bigger quilt. Exciting! Finished cutting out the wool pieces for the first block last evening. The background cloth just came out of the wash a little while ago so tomorrow I'll iron it and hopefully get started with the sewing. The background is dark green.

The following is an excellent recipe I found in a 1979 cookbook. It's fabulous Italian recipe. A real keeper.

Orange Glazed Cake

1.5 cups flour
1.5 tsp double acting baking powder
.25 tsp salt
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 Tblsp grated orange rind (the rind of one orange)
.5 cup milk

The glaze:
1-2 Tblsp rum (I used 3-4)
3 Tblsp orange juice
1 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp sugar

[I changed the order of the instructions and beat the butter and sugar first, followed by the eggs, vanilla, and rind. Then I added the dry ingredients, and finally the milk.]

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Add butter and sugar. Beat in 2 eggs, vanilla and orange rind. Pour milk in slowly and beat vigorously until well mixed. (I used stand mixer to do all.) Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. [The recipe doesn't specify a pan size. I used a small bunt pan and it was just right, but took a bit longer to cook.] Cool. On stovetop, heat 3 the orange juice with the rum, butter, and sugar for about 2 minutes. Pour glaze over the cake.

Yum!!

Sewing machine base and Potpourri update

 

An update on the potpourri I made last November. The Christmas one came out very nicely, with a very festive, balsam scent. I still have it out on the center table in the 'grand salon'. It's nice to walk by and refresh the olfactory senses with seasonal delight.

The Rose one also came out beautifully. The Arabian rose oil is such a treat. This one is in the downstairs 'loo'.

Sadly--or not--the flowery one was not a success. It lost all it's scent. A bit of a surprise when I opened that one and found that it was a dud. I think it is due to the quality of the oils I used. I had some that were found at the thrift store, so who knows how old they were. But that's OK because I was not entirely happy with the formula I came up with. I'll try again.

The Howe sewing machine irons. I turned my attention to them these past few weeks. As you may recall, they were in need of treatment, what with being absolutely filthy and rusted. A reminder of what it was like when I bought it home:

I went at it with some Gojo (without pumice!) and followed that with Rustoleum's Rust Reformer. The treatment uncovered some gold paint still visible in some of the letters, albeit quite worn. I don't think I will repaint the gold because I'm 'conserving' this machine, not 'restoring' it. I do like these old antiques to show their age and history. Here's how the irons are are looking tonight:

Much improved in my opinion. I will now focus on the wood top and drawers. My plan is to try a 50/50 mixture of denatured alcohol and lacquer thinner to even out the finish that remains after all these years. If that isn't successful enough, I will consider other possibilities. I'm also toying with the idea of doing a French polish on it once it's evened out.

I find my mind wandering towards garden things lately.

Mittens, a wheel, and moths

 

Here are the fingerless mittens from my spinning practices on the great wheel. I am very happy with them. Just love the way the color came out, and they have that wonderful woolen feel. Inspiration to continue my practices.

The yarn finally gets a relaxing bath. It didn't need it to settle the twist, just to get them clean.

After drying on the top of the wood stove overnight:

So happy about these.

If my big wheel had not had so many issues with wobbliness, which often resulted in it throwing it's drive band, what happened last week might not have happened. But alas, it did happen, almost accidently. I got a new wheel! Well, new as in new-to-me, but in fact it's over 200 years old, having been built sometime before 1804--the year it's builder died. Yes, I know the name of the builder of my new wheel: Zadock Wright, and I know this because his initials 'ZW' are etched into the base of the wheel.

Through the Ravelry group, "Spindle Wheels", I found out the initials are his and was a Shaker from the Canterbury Village, just a little south of here. But that's not all . . .

I did a little research of my own and discovered that he also spent time at the Enfield Shaker Village. Enfield is where I grew up.

One person who played an important role in the early development of the New Hampshire Shakers was Zadock Wright. It is unclear where he may have originated, but in the 1760s he became an early settler of Hartland, Vt., located on the Connecticut River about nine miles north of Windsor. (Manchester Union Leader)

 . . .

In 1790 Wright was listed in the census as the “head of household” of a group of 31 men, women, and children living together in Enfield. This was the beginning of the new Shaker community. Wright later moved to the Shaker village at Canterbury. (Manchester Union Leader)

And that's not all! From a history of Enfield, NH:

We have the fact from a record made at the time, that on the 6th of September, 1782, these two men [Cooley and Chuancy] came to Joseph Flint's Canaan, South road, and there preached; but gaining no adherents in that town, they went into the adjoining one, Enfield, and there succeeded in making converts of some of the staid and respectable farmers and mechanics and their families--among whom were James Jewett, Ezekiel Stevens, Asa Pattee, Benjamin Merrill and Zadock Wright, living on Jones hill, and the hill afterwards called after them, Shaker Hill, on the northerly side of Mascoma lake. They remained on these hills, gaining some new believers, about ten years, till about 1792, when, effecting an exchange of land, they removed to the more fertile spot they have ever since occupied, with large additions on the southerly side of the same lake. (nh.searchroots.com)

I grew up on Jones Hill! I can't believe the history behind this wheel comes so close to home; I love it! The 'more fertile spot' which became the Enfield Shaker's Village was known as Chosen Vale and it is now a museum. I've visited it a number of times since moving back to NH. In fact, some years back, one of the docents of the museum took me up to the attic of the great stone dwelling where there were dozens of wheels.

This wheel does not throw it's drive band, thankfully. I don't think the spindle it came with is original and it was causing problems with take up so I swapped in the spindle from my old wheel and it works beautifully.

The man I bought this from lives down the road from me and he spent time cleaning it all up.

A moth problem. Not the first time, won't be the last time. Comes with the territory. When I went upstairs to get the sweater I knit two years ago to keep me warm during our cold spell a few weeks ago, I discovered a hole. Ugh.

Here's the hole after I'd outlined in white yarn where to make the patch.

I used a long length of yarn (I still had some left over from the original knitting) and wove it across the area with a large eye needle, up on one side, down on the other leaving a good length of yarn going across so that I could pick up stitches. . .

Then using a crochet hook, started climbing the ladder going up from bottom to top, one column at a time, right to left. . .

Until all 8 columns had been zipped up!