December 3, 2018 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #33

I’ve managed only one block this month, but it’s better than nothing, isn’t it?

I love this fabric, it’s a beautiful soft design combined with brilliant colours, and although it’s a latecomer to the collection, it’s one of my favourites. Just 4 blocks left to quilt… I can’t quite believe the end is in sight; this quilt has been a bit of a dream for so long that being so close to a landmark is a strange feeling. Next will be trimming all the blocks out, cutting the joining strips and then starting assembly. That last stage may have to wait a while, as I’ll need to finish Go Teal it on the Mountain first and get my F²F³ blocks done for the month, but I’ll be making a start in the first quarter of next year.

Bee, Myself and I is a forum for ‘selfish sewing’; any stitchery which is purely for pleasure and not to a deadline or for anyone else. The original concept belongs to Carla of Granny Maud’s Girl. To find out more, you can click through on either her blog link, or using the button a fair way down in the left hand column of this blog.

Till next time.

October 2, 2018 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #31

I managed another two blocks again in September.

The first one (No. 23), the hydrangea print, was a little harder to quilt than usual, as the fabric is a polished cotton and the glazed surface is hard to get the needle through, but I think it was worth it!

The other one (No. 24) is the one I’m calling my Bonwit Teller hatbox. For those not of the correct age or nationality, Bonwit Teller was a high-end US department store which featured a stylised posy of violets scattered on its packaging, branded merchandise, and of course, hat boxes. It is sadly no more, but is fondly remembered, and with good reason from what I’ve read.

Six more to go. At this rate, I might actually have them all done by the end of the year!

Till next time.

September 1, 2018 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #30

You know I said I’d try to get more than one done each month?

I finally made it happen… Here’s blocks 21 and 22. Eight more to go and I can start to think about putting this lovely thing together 🙂 It will be my longest-running quilt ever, not because I put it away and didn’t work on it, but because I’ve given myself the benefit of a long, leisurely creative process. Luxury…

Sorry about the difference in background and colour; one was shot at home, at night under artificial light, and the other was shot on holiday in sunshine 🙂 My holiday sewing project!

Till next time.

May 31, 2018 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #27

Just squeaking in by the skin of my teeth, I have block 18 quilted.

I like this one, it’s a fun psychedelic fabric design and colourway. In a quilt which is fundamentally 30 different variations on a theme, I needed a bit of a bit of a break from elegant florals! I’m afraid it was all quilted at very much the eleventh hour, as I have been hard at work on event organising, and I’m a bit weary, preferring to veg out vacantly in the evenings instead of working on my hand quilting. It’s done, now, though, and I’ve kept myself up to the end of month deadline (just!).

Till next time.

March 1, 2018 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #24a: I couldn’t resist it!

Yes, I know, I know, I’ve already done my BM&I post for this month, and have slightly missed the boat.

My excuse is that I finished quilting Block 15 just before it stopped being the last day of the month somewhere… I didn’t manage to get this post up in time, but hey, I’m not expecting any knocks on the door from the quilt police!

So, here we are. Block 15, and I’m officially halfway through the quilting for the Hatbox Quilt 🙂 I love this one too, a modern graphic design which is a bit different from most of the other slightly more formal fabrics. I had fun going around those little yellow birdies! It was sitting there all ready to go, and giving me reproachful looks because I hadn’t done any work on it while we were away. It was the usual problem: Failure to Say No.

For details about Bee, Myself and I, see yesterday’s post. Currently, Sue is also participating in this selfish sewing idea, so go and see what she’s up to as well.

Right, tomorrow I have to start machine quilting ST&D. Exciting! 🙂

November 30, 2017 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #21

It feels like an age since I last worked on the hatbox blocks.

Time, then, for a spot of concentrated work. I got three done this month 🙂

I think this quilt will end up being one of my all-time favourites. It’s come into being slowly and quietly, over a long period and with fabrics I’ve greatly enjoyed gathering and using. They’re all different, but each one appeals to my taste in a different way, whether it’s a formal, traditional design or something splashy, modern and bright.

But the chief thing I’m enjoying while I hand quilt the blocks is the backing. I hesitated briefly over using the voile fabric for the back, but it’s so deliciously soft that I now think it’s been one of my better decisions. It’s going to make using the quilt so cuddly, like an old favourite that has been washed a thousand times. And I’ll certainly consider using voile for backing again if I’m hand quilting, not only because it’s soft, but because the fineness of the fabric makes it easy to quilt through.

And now, back to Bonnard, and hundreds of 2 inch squares…

September 30, 2017 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #19

And the quilt goes on…

The first two blocks of the second line down are quilted. I’ve had some other things on the go (a rather larger hand quilting job, you’ll recall!), so I didn’t manage the same number of blocks this time as I did last time, but I’m still doing OK. Here are the completed blocks 6 and 7.

The only tricky part is ensuring that the quilting on the body of the hatbox is roughly the same on all the blocks. The two blocks shown here have very different patterns, so I’ve had to be selective about which bits I pick out with quilting.

The easiest way to see if you’re getting it right is to look at the back; without the distraction of the block design, you can tell if the quilting is evenly distributed and not too dense.

Bee, Myself and I is a forum for ‘selfish sewing’; any stitchery which is purely for pleasure and not for anyone else. The original concept belongs to Carla of Granny Maud’s Girl. To find out more, you can click through on either her blog link, or using the button a fair way down in the left hand column.

Hopefully next time I’ll have a few more to show.

August 31, 2017 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #18

The hand quilting continues…

Here’s the latest progress. As you can see, I have the next four hatbox blocks hand quilted as well, and the top row done.

I have not been too idle. I can get a block sandwiched, basted and quilted in an evening if I work on it all evening.

Mostly I don’t manage that (especially with other projects going on), and get it done over two evenings.

I outline the hatbox and its lid first. Then I echo quilt around it.

Lastly I pick out the fabric design in selected areas, trying to make sure I cover the area evenly but not too densely.

Unpick the basting, and she’s done. I really like how these are turning out. The backs are pretty, too.

Lynn at Tialys is also making a Hatbox Quilt wall hanging. She’s machine quilting hers, so for a completely different effect, click through the link to take a look at where she’s up to. If her post isn’t up yet, try again later. She’s using Liberty fabrics, so the effect is gorgeous!

May 31, 2017 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I #15

In the home stretch now…

Originally, my plan was for 36 of these lovely hatbox blocks, but I’ve discovered the dratted moths have been at my ‘side and floor’ fabric pieces in a big way, and I have no more fabric to replace them. The quilt will now finish at 30 blocks, 5 across and 6 down. It’s not a bad size, 50 x 60 inches, a good lap quilt or something lovely to hang on the wall. I’ll still have two more to show, next month. Without further ado, then, here are Hatbox blocks 28, 29 and 30.

Before you wonder why I still have two to do, I’ve edited two of them out because I’m not much in love with them any more, at least as part of this series. They were fairly early ones, hatboxes 11 and 12. I’m not sure what I want to do with them, so if anyone out there would like them, let me know – it’s first come, first served. I’ll mail them internationally if necessary. If I get no takers they may evolve into a cushion cover, or perhaps I’ll donate them to someone else’s charity quilt work.

Lynn at Tialys is also making a hatbox quilt wall hanging, but started later and has fewer to make, so she’s finished her blocks and is on to the quilting part. Click through to her blog to have a look at hers, they’re all gorgeous, being made from Liberty fabrics. She’s in a later timezone than I am, so maybe wait a little before you go over there to give her time to get her post up.

One more month of block making to go, and then it’ll be time to start quilting and assembling. I’m thinking this’ll be at least partially hand quilted throughout, so it’s going to be a fair while before I’m done 🙂

April 30, 2017 by katechiconi

Bee, Myself and I # 14

We’re back to situation normal this month, and three hatbox blocks.

As you read this, the Husband and I will be tootling along the Queensland back roads towing Miz Lizzie behind us, on our long holiday journey south. But knowing this, I got my blocks and post prepared and scheduled in advance. Lynn at Tialys is also making a hatbox quilt wall hanging, but started later and has fewer to make, so we’re hoping to finish at the same time. Click through to her blog to have a look at hers, they’re all gorgeous, being made from Liberty fabrics. She’s in a later timezone than I am, so maybe wait a little before you go over there to give her time to get her post up.

Here are this month’s offering, blocks 25, 26 and 27. Which means that I have only nine blocks left to make! Hurrah!

My favourite of these is the duck egg blue with large cream flowers, followed by the lilac paisley. No surprise there, then….

Sorry about the slightly strange curved shadow across the top of the second and third image; it’s the edge of my daylight lamp, and I accidentally let the flash create a shadow which of course didn’t show in the viewfinder. By the time I saw it when I was editing, it was too late to re-shoot.

Bee, Myself and I is a forum for ‘selfish sewing’; any stitchery which is purely for pleasure and not for anyone else. The original concept belongs to Carla of Granny Maud’s Girl. To find out more, you can click through on either her blog link, or using the button a fair way down in the left hand column.

I think I need to do a bit of an edit of my hatbox fabric selection. I seem to have a strong tendency to prioritise the brighter ones over the more traditional and muted designs and colour-ways. Must introduce some of those…