To embellish or not to embellish..........that is the question!!

Well.....in my case 'tis a rhetorical question as there was never any doubt that I would embellish.....even if only a little!!

And besides.......Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue is clamoring that she has a little bling sewn to her frock. Her French lace-cuffed hands are on her hips, ever so impatiently stamping her shiny, bright blue, satin slippers, petulantly demanding that her gorgeous, blue-hued frock be embellished with a little razzamataz!!

And....what do I need to add an ounce of sparkle, a shimmer of glitz to Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue?

Well......I must, must, MUST have a plethora of beautiful blue ribbons, of various widths to fashion ribbon flowers into a gorgeous arrangement of floral beauty.

And, of course I must have a receptacle in which to hold these flowers.

  

I happened upon a gorgeous vintage Indian sari in one of my favourite vintage shops in Sydney (Frou Frou Old and New) which had four of these wonderful jewel encrusted embroideries sewn on to it. I, of course, snapped it up for a song, having no idea at the time of what I was going to use it for; but I had an inkling that it just might come in handy some day as I strolled down my colourful, quilting path. And come in handy it did!

This exquisite embroidery reminds me of the beautiful French jardinieres from a century or so ago, that were filled with masses of floral extravagance with the odd cherub smiling amongst the flowers, with scrolls and cartouches dancing everywhere. So.....I decided to carefully stitch it on the quilt and fill it with a bouquet of flowers and leaves representing every shade of blue as a feature of Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue.

This jewel encrusted embroidered fancy is a beauty. The beads and jewels are sewn on duck egg blue tulle and has  a gorgeous aged patina where the jewels shine with a wonderfully muted brilliance. It is truly stunning......... and how serendipitous that I should find such a treasure!

 So....after ruching length after length of ribbon into zinnia-like flowers, folding and stitching french wired ribbon into blousey roses, stitching dancing ballerina-like fuchsias,  manipulating ribbon into pansies and fashioning ribbon into 'boat' leaves; with the addition of the odd smidgen of French lace here and there; I then stitched these efflorescent blooms where they now sit for evermore in the vintage 'vase'.

An overspilling abundance of floral extravagance.

  

 And....my signature vintage glove holding two or three long stemmed flowers.

And to finish the embellishing, swirls and swirls of ruched ribbon, buttons, buckles, beads and a few pieces of vintage ornamentation meandering it's way across Little Miss Blue.

 

 

I have covered the back seams with a 50mm width satin ribbon to cover any messy seams (as the backing is satin and just would not behave; there are a few seams that, let's just say, are a little less than perfect.....AND I am a bit of a  fusspot). Besides, by doing this the seams will have added strength.

Now......drum roll please................after stitching what seems like millions of tiny stitches, numb needle picked fingers and the bearing of Quasimodo after being hunched over and stitching for what seems an eternity......here she is....................

Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue.......... posing in all her glory complete with a pert little 'Alfreda' concoction (a present from my daughter whilst she was in France) sitting atop her pretty little head!

  

A blue-hued, embellished hexie which I hope will give many hours of delight to my very special friend Michelle!! Ours is a friendship of thousands of fibres connected to each other; threads which have lasted the gamut of life experiences....oft times hilarious, sometimes sad, shared interests, companionship, bottomless cups of tea AND always......Cadbury's chocolate!!

 

So Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue is all neatly folded, tied with a shiny blue satin bow waiting to make an appearance at her new home......where I hope she will give many years of pleasure as her new owner gazes upon her, bringing to mind special thoughts of a special friendship.

 It has been said that the road to a friend's home is never far......mmmmm.....well in this case my journey with Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue will involve a flight on a giant silver bird, flying over a very big pond, crossing a state till we arrive in Ole Sydney Town. Not to worry......I am looking forward to enjoying a lovely long weekend celebrating with my dear friend. I do hope that Little Miss Rhapsody in Blue behaves herself in the cargo hull of the big silver bird......she is not one for being couped up for too long.......and let's hope that she doesn't go missing in transit!!

 

Begin at the begin....how to make a hexagon quilt

 

 

Let's start at the very beginning........'tis a very good place to start......

 

...........which is a pity really, as I always find the beginning of a 'quilt-as-you-go' hexagon quilt a wee bit tedious. All that cutting......hexagon after hexagon......the batting, the backing and the top fabric.......plus the myriad of laces required to prettify my quilt, are required at the start. But all that ho-hum preparation in the beginning is well worth it when you get to the fun part....the part when you embellish and needless to say; the end, where with the final stitch stitched, you have in your pin-pricked and calloused fingers, one very original and spectacularly sumptuous, embellished hexagon quilt.....quite unlike any other that has gone before!!

 

The beauty of this quilt is that you can take each individual hexagon with you wherever you go and work on it and as each hexagon is finished, you sew them together until it grows to the required size. Then, when the quilt is all together you embellish it as little or as much as you desire or, perish the thought, you may not want to embellish your quilt at all. Me being me, whose philosophy is 'more is never enough' and who has a soft spot for those gorgeous crazy quilts of yesteryear; I rather go to town with the embellishing stage!

 

Though I have stitched many different sized hexagon quilts, this quilt is going to be made up of 14 inch hexagons as I only have four weeks  to present my 'piece-de-resistance' to my friend in honour of her 50th birthday. I'll probably be living on a wing and a prayer for the next little while but I am determined to deliver one gorgeous (well I hope it will be) lavishly embellished, 'Rhapsody in Blue' hexagon quilt.

AND I must stress that this is one of many methods in making one of many hexagon quilts. You might read this and find another easier way to make your "quilt-as-you-go" hexie. Good for you! To all those quilting purists out there, I apologise in advance if I offend your traditional quilting sensibilities. Though there are many quilting techniques that should be regarded, I am a gal who likes to play and experiment with quilting boundaries and have fun and see what eventuates. Sometimes my playing works and sometimes it doesn't. Quilting first and foremost should be enjoyable, playful and fun (though mind you.......there are those moments when it is downright frustrating..........and come to think of it I am having a few of those 'I am never going to make another hexie' moments in the stitching of my 'Rhapsody in Blue').

I am afraid that I have horrible memories of sewing classes taught by a horrible sewing teacher, with a horrible shrill voice; where it was her way or the highway. Where, if you so much as had a different idea that was just a tad 'too out there' then she would look at you menacingly with her rather large ruler in hand, as if you had committed an unpardonable sin and aboard that rattling old school bus, banish you to sewing hell forevermore! Needless to say, I gave sewing class the flick and didn't give sewing another thought until my husband bought me my first sewing machine when we were newlyweds beginning down the avenue of marital bliss!!!

Find out what works for you, and run with it. To me it is not  always about following the traditional techniques that are set in all those quilting tomes for time immemorial. It is about experimenting and seeing where that yellow brick road of creativity and discovery leads you. More often than not I veer from the acceptable scenic route and meander along the pot-holed, bendy stitching road, wearing my pretty pink and green coloured flower gumboots, splish-sploshing in the potholes that come along my path. Yes indeedy.....I am that gal who walks in the rain......whilst others just get wet!
 

So first things first.........
 

 

In this quilt there will be 5 rows of 6, 5, 6, 5, 6 hexagons with 1/2 hexagons either side of the 5 hexagon row. (As stated above, each of my hexagons are 14 inches across. I made my hexagon template out of thick cardboard as my plastic hexagons only go up to size 12 inches.)

 

 

Cut 28 hexagons and 4 half hexagons of batting.......(or indeed whatever number of hexagons you require).

  

Cut the same number of hexagons and half hexagons of the top fabric.

Cut the same number of hexagons and half hexagons of the backing fabric. This needs to be larger. For this quilt I have made my backing hexagons 17 inches across.

Place the top fabric hexagon on top of the batting and then place the lace or doily on top of the fabric. I suppose I should point out that you place the fabric with the straight grain on the batting.........but sometimes I break this rule. 'Tis very naughty of me, I know.....but I did warn you that I sometimes break the sewing tenets! Pin rather extensively as the fabric and the lace need to be flat. You could of course spray quilting adhesive on the batting and then place the fabric on top instead of using pins...this would make the hexagon completely flat and easier to sew. Zig zag (serge) around the edge of the hexagon. Trim and neaten excess fabric/lace.

Of course if the size of each hexagon for the quilt that you make is a lot smaller and is made from 100% cotton fabric, then, you can bypass the zig zagging around the edge of the hexagon step.

At this point hand stitch tiny invisible stitches randomly all over to secure lace/fabric to the batting.

 

Place the wrong side of the hexagon (top fabric and batting) on top of the wrong side of the backing fabric.

 

Bring the excess backing fabric to the top folding under raw edges forming a border all around the hexagon.

 

 

Pin around the border securing the backing fabric to the hexagon.

 

 

 

At this stage you can either stitch round the hexagon with a tiny, almost invisible blind stitch or if you prefer you could stitch small quilting stitches. I also stitch the mitred corners down. Previously, in other quilts which I have made from 100% cotton fabric, I have carefully machine stitched the border....but.....as my backing fabric in this quilt is satin, and satin has an inbuilt DNA of not wanting to behave; slipping and sliding everywhere.......I have stitched by hand.

 

 

If you are going to quilt the hexagon, then this is the time that you would quilt. Though I have quilted previous 'hexies'......with meandering butterflies and stippling......and also singular motifs/patterns.....I am not going to quilt this beauty. In this quilt I have used fabrics that do not lend favourably to quilting. Besides, each hexagon has lace/doilies that have been stitched to the batting and I will be embellishing with ribbons and other techniques that will anchor the top to the batting. It is really up to you. Perhaps if you feel the need to quilt then individual motifs on each hexagon might be the go. I envisage a puffed, soft eiderdown-ish look to this quilt not an overly quilted and flat look.

 

When you have completed sewing the backing fabric all around each hexagon you can now start to join them. Or.....of course you can start joining them together when you have completed only a few. It is really up to you. This is done by whip stitching the hexagons very closely together at the back. Smooth the fabric down and pin close to the edge ensuring that the batting is  right at the edge inside the hexagon. Make sure that you catch the edge of your batting with the fabric when whip stitching.......this will help the hexagons fit better together and lie flat at the front. Sometimes the hexagons don't align exactly.....easing and tweaking the hexagons whilst stitching them together will fix this problem. Join the first two hexagons and then the next one until you have completed your first row across. Then add the other hexagons one by one until you have reached your final row.

 

Below is the back seam of two hexagons which have been whip stitched together.

 

When I have finished putting the hexagons together I will stitch wide satin ribbon over every whip stitched seam on the back which gives a finished look. This also gives added strength to the seams. Mmmm............more work I know......but I am a bit of a fuss pot.......some would say a tad persnickety!! But I will show you that process in the next post...Part Two.

 

So for those of you who have asked for the 'how to' of my 'quilt-as-you-go hexagon quilts in my previous post.........there you have it. The begins of  a 'quilt-as-you-go' hexagon quilt. I truly hope that this is not 'as clear as mud'.......it can be a bit tricky articulating the why and wherefores of making my hexagon quilts.  

 

Stay tuned for Part Two of the making of my 'Rhapsody in Blue' hexagon quilt......which is really, I think, the fun part.......because this is when I will start to embellish and play with all those ribbons, beads, vintage jewellery, gloves and bits and bobs. I envisage many an hour or two over the next couple of weeks stitching  in front of the fire, transforming 28 hexagons into a splendiforous 'Rhapsody in Blue' tomorrow's heirloom!! 

 

Now before I slip into a mini breakdown....I am going to indulge in a cup of tea in a pretty fine bone china tea cup; and some of Mr Cadbury's chocolate taste sensation..... to bolster my strength for the next stroll down that yellow brick road of embellishing!

 

So until the next time.......Happy Stitching!

 

 

So.......tell me......were there.........

.........really 604,800 seconds......10,080 minutes........168 hours that passed into oblivion this past week?? Surely not. It just seems that my week was short-changed....just a tad!

I mean, it only seems like yesterday that I celebrated Mother's Day with my husband and daughter; blissfully unaware of the ticking clock, strolling around Evandale Markets on a lovely, sun-filled Autumnal day, acquiring a few 'must have' treasures and coffeeing my way through the day.

 

 And what treasures they are.......well at least they are to me. I added to my 'dowry of cloth' (I am always in need of an embroidered pretty or two or three.......). I found an old sewing basket which is a little worse for wear, but not to worry, with a little fixer-uppering by li'l olde me it will be as good as new. I also added to my coloured knitting needle collection......I have been making fabric flowers of late and they make beautiful flower stems, besides they look ever so colourful bunched en masse in a glass receptacle. And....of course....I couldn't let the day pass by without buying a book. The book in question is called 'Home' and if I ever get a free moment, I might just sit in front of the fire, and take an armchair voyeuristic journey into the homes of the 50 famous people's interiors.

 

Then........I happened upon three beautiful mirrors. I have a penchant for collecting mirrors. Indeed, there are mirrors everywhere in our li'l ole abode. I think at last count there are 25 or so. No, I am not some Greek mythological, narcissistic being, always tempted to look at my reflection....quite the contrary.....the less I look at my reflection in these reflective looking glasses the better! I love how mirrors reflect wonderful light, giving an optical illusion of making a room visually appear so much more spacious and lighter. 

 

 

I particularly love the quirky wooden mirror that I unearthed. I lurve the detail at the top of the mirror and the lovely flowing curvaceous side. Of course this needs a bit of repair but with a little fixing, a good sanding and a coat of Antique White USA paint.........shhhhh.......sorry...... I have to whisper the fact that I am painting wood, because around these parts the very mention of applying a coat of paint to any wood surface is akin to heresy and one's safety could be in danger!! Indeed one must be vigilant as there are eyes and ears everywhere! Tasmanians LOVE their wood!! Their homes have  stained wood floors, wood-lined walls, wood ceilings and everything in between pays homage to the 'wood god'! Don't get me wrong, I love wood, indeed for a time I was surrounded by various hues of stained wood but these days I prefer a lighter and brighter ambience for our home.

 

 

So that was Sunday.....which was a wonderfully relaxed day......the calm before the storm!

 

The rest of the week was filled with a creative whirlwind which included preparations for kids' craft in readiness for the school bus, which each school afternoon braked to a screeching halt, ejected the excited little earthlings at my front gate, who then got lost in a plethora of fabric, zippers, buttons, embroidery thread and all manner of stitching.

 

I happened upon this fabulous fabric in IKEA a couple of months ago whilst visiting my daughter in Adelaide.. Now Tassie is a bit light on in the modish and funky fabric department, so when I spotted this fun fabric, I am afraid that I went into a hypo-ventilated state and I snapped it up. I could visualise the kids making a cushion with a word or two in a speech bubble.....in the Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein 'Pop Art' vein.

 

 

These are just a few of the cushions that were stitched by my child prodigies this week. I think they are so cool and funky!

 

 

And then there were some who made some Scotty dogs from an old woollen blanket.

 

 

Other kids' projects included house cushions, Babushka Doll cushions, a life-like stuffed guitar (yes really) and one or two magoozalums (don't ask)!!

 

Also, this coming week is Chaplaincy Week' here in Tassie, so 'My Pete' (my  husband) who is a chaplain at our local district high school wanted to say thank you to all the staff for their support. Now what better way to say thank you than with a beautiful bunch of flowers. Right? Well............there is just one problem with this well intentioned sentiment.......our beautiful garden has been obliterated by early morning frosts. All the flowers have dived deep down into the earth to flee Jack Frost's icy, wintry grasp and have refused to show their pretty faces until next Spring! What to do? What to do?

 

So, of course, li'l ole me suggested that perhaps I could fashion a flower or two from some pretty fabric (what was I thinking)!!!

 

So li'l ole me cut out, folded, stitched, hot glued (both fabric and fingers) 180 or so circles and after many, many seconds, minutes, hours.......

 

 

fashioned oodles of  bright and breezy and cheerful fabric flowers........

 

 

and artfully arranged them (this took an age) in pretty 'vases' (yep all from op shops)........

 

 

and......VOILA......here they all are.......sitting ever so perky in joyful abundance in front of one or two or three of my mirrors, with individual cards each expressing a thankyou sentiment.......ready to be delivered to each teacher and staff member; hopefully putting a smile on their faces and a spring in their step as they walk through the hallowed halls of learning!!

 

So this is just a little peek into my 'week that was'!!

 

NOW............this week...... I must, must, MUST begin my friend's birthday hexagon quilt!! Let's just hope that no-one knocks on my pink front door (yes really....we have a bright pink front door.....doesn't everyone??) with some urgent stitching that needs to be attended to and ask "are you the lady who sews?"

 

 

 Perhaps Father Time will be kind to me this week and grant me a few extra seconds, minutes, hours.....perhaps.....perhaps??

 

Oh no......not another hexagon quilt!!

Alas....yes another hexagon quilt!! I thought that I had put my hexagon templates away for a while but it seems I am in need of them once more. This time though, it is not to 'whip' up a fabulous 'quilt-as-you-go' hexagon quilt  for me,  but for a dear friend's 50th birthday.

I love hexagon quilts. I love how the shape is repeated over and over again, the juxtaposition of each shape forming a beautiful  tessellated pattern which fits neatly into each other without any overlapping. I love the myriad of mosaic pattern combinations that quilters dream up when making a hexagon quilt. I am particularly fond of Grandmother's Garden hexagon quilts of yesteryear.

Though I have always wanted to fashion a hexagon quilt using the traditional English paper piecing method, and  to all intents and purposes I will one day; I happened upon a wonderful method for sewing hexagon quilts a few years ago. Individual hexagons are sewn with the top fabric, the batting and the backing fabric all at once and then a little of the backing fabric is brought to the front to form a narrow border. Then the finished hexagons are whipped stitched together at the back to form the quilt.

My first 'hexie' was made from hundreds of scraps of fabric and I must admit it is one of my favourites. It is an oft used quilt and I love how it has faded with age and has become wonderfully squashy.

I have fashioned a few scrappy hexagon quilts both for sale and for presents. I have always loved the look of scrappy quilts. I love playing with and using all those little scraps of fabric that are remnants from past projects.

The seams on the back of this quilt are covered by lengths of fabric binding which adds to the scrappy look and gives a more visually pleasing finish.

But.........as is always the case when skipping down the yellow brick road of quilting, I decided to try something more creative and adventurous. My next hexagon quilt was made with the intention of using some of my pastel vintage fabrics and laces that I have been collecting over the years. So I stitched a hexagon quilt for our queen size bed, incorporating my vintage Italian coverlets, satins, silks, brocades and velvets. I designed and stitched this hexie pretty well over ten years ago.

Then......and this is the part that I really lurve; I embellish to my li'l heart's content! I love to embellish with ribbon work, vintage buttons, gloves, beads, ribbons, buckles, vintage jewellery, doilies and whatever other treasures that I can unearth in my 'Aladdin's Cave'.

These were two basket doilies to which I added oodles of flowers and leaves that I snipped from crocheted doilies to make a beautiful bouquet of floral extravagance.

I love crinoline ladies and Southern belles!

  

After fashioning my pastel hexagon quilt, ideas were swirling around my head to make a sumptuous, vibrantly coloured, hexagon quilt celebrating a bohemian spirit. I wanted this quilt to be awash with glorious colour, breaking a few 'so called' colour rules along the way.

I absolutely love to fashion flowers and leaves from ribbon....ruched flowers, pansies, roses, fuchsias, daffodils...the list is endless. But of course, flowers demand to be thrown together in a beautiful ribboned basket with butterflies hovering close by!

And...of course there must be a vintage glove clasping a few trailing stems of flowers.

I love the random craziness of the hexagon quilts that I make. There is never a grand plan. I just love to see what exciting journey the fabric takes me on experimenting with colour and texture; and playing with design. I love to twirl all the gloriously vibrant colours round and round in a merry dance!

These quilts are, except for zig zagging (serging) the top fabric to the batting around the edge of each hexagon; all completely fashioned by hand. So they can take an age to finish. My purple 'piece de resistance' took eight months of my life to complete.

So.........what are the chances of transforming this mass of glorious blue-hued fabrics, laces, ribbons, brooches, beads and buckles into a glorious hexagon quilt within 6 weeks!! Am I positively, stark raving mad!! Me thinks that I most certainly am!!

Well I had best be off.....and 'begin at the begin'......wish me luck!!

Behold I stand at the door and knock!!

No....it's wasn't the Good Lord knocking on the door of my li'l olde abode, that afternoon....(that door was opened in what seems a lifetime ago; in my youth)....but a dear friend in the guise of an angel, standing on the threshold of my humble abode with a beaming smile. Margaret came bearing wonderful gifts. And what were these gifts? They were swatch after swatch of the most beautiful Tricia Guild (of Designers' Guild fame) fabrics!

 

Now Margaret, who is rather blase about all things pertaining to textiles and design, (she shakes her head in complete befuddlement as to my state of asphyxiation each time I see a "must have" fabric) was  nonchalant as to why I should be so incredulous at the sight of her present. "It's just fabric" she declared!!! Margaret had never heard of Tricia Guild, nor indeed was she aware that Tricia Guild is one of the most influential and creative forces in the world of interior design. She just simply did not understand as to why I would oooooh and aaaaaah at the sight of each splendorous swatch! Apparently, a designer friend of hers was getting rid of these treasures and asked if she knew of anyone who could make use of them. Margaret, of course, instantly thought of me; her quirky, head in a textile cloud, friend!

I might add that these are not itty bitty swatches...no, no....BUT 1/2 metre lengths of gorgeous 100% linen, silk and cotton fabrics. Every colour of the rainbow is represented. The colour palette is a gradation of colour; from mellow hues to bright, dancing hues. Colour upon colour of pure and unadulterated  prismatic delight!

 

 

So.......after sipping many a cup of tea in my parlour that afternoon, Margaret and I chatted about all things Tricia Guild and poured over many of the sumptuous photos in 'one or two' of my Tricia Guild books! It's safe to say that when Margaret left my home she was well versed in all things Tricia Guild, seeing the Designers' Guild textile world of pattern, colour, texture and innovative design with new eyes. She had seen the light and had stepped over to the other side, into the redemptive, bold and colourful land of Designer's Guild!

Yes indeedy......it was one of those "I think I have died and gone to heaven" kind of afternoons.