Monday 9 July 2012

CRAZY QUILT WITH CIRCLES

At last (again) I've finished this top, bar embroidering a label. I made it at least a couple of years ago when Kath told me how to make crazy patchwork squares. Each square has four small squares stitched together so it was easy to find the 'centre of the circle'.

 I'm still using up yardage given to me by a friend and although it looks blue in the sunlight it's really a black background. I like small prints like this, it hides a multitude of errors! The bowl at the bottom is the badger's bowl where I put 'sloppy' oddments, like baked bean leftovers and last night, a couple of spoonsful of rice pud and pear peelings.
 I wanted to quilt it quickly because this Saturday coming is Cuddington Fete and I want to take it there. Lots of tiny handquilting wasn't going to be feasible so tried something I haven't done before - large running stitches. When I used to patchwork 'all day, every day' I kept anything that looked like a source of usefulness and by scratching through the drawer of Useful Things, I found the circular card insert of a tub of Wall's Cream of Cornish Ice Cream. I have no idea how many years ago I collected it but it was just the right size - 5 1/2". I found the centre by trial and error (Sorry, Bernard...) so could use the junction of the four small crazy squares to place it.  

 This is how the quilting turned out - I used a sashiko needle for the first time and cotton perle No.5.
My quilting stitches are a bit variable these days - That'll Do... I was quite pleased with the result and would do this size of running stitch again, especially for speed.

5 comments:

Marigold Jam said...

Love it Sylvie.

Kath said...

that looks fab Silve. I've never tried "big quilting" although I've thought about it often. I shall definitely have a go now, with the perle thread. I like the way it turned out.
That black fabric was a perfect choice.

Bernard said...

I thought 'perle' was a type of stitch used in knitting?
"Knit 1, perle 1, slip !"
You did well with the circle centre. If it was paper you would fold it in half, make crease, make another fold and where the creases cross, is the centre. Of course, as you might guess, us engineers have special gadgets for finding the centre of circular bars.
Would you believe - they are called 'Centre finders'?

Sylve said...

Thanks, ladies - do have a go with the large running stitch (which is not what you get after running, Bernard!) as it's easy and quick.
I'll remember your advice next time - I'll make a paper template and use it to make a hole in the card.

Bernard said...

I'm glad you explained that Sylve, as I used to get 'stitch' in my side, on school cross-country runs. :D