Now that I've come upwardly up with some awesome alliteration for the championship of this post, I tin teach on with my day. You'll never know how long it took for me to come upwardly up with that $5 word. So anyway...I had inwards hear to produce some McTavishing for the backgrounds of the embroidered blocks for Hocuspocusville, as well as I flora a rattling skilful video on YouTube that helped me teach off to a skilful start. If yous similar what I'm most to exhibit you, yous tin find the video correct here.
McTavishing appealed to me because I sentiment it would give the blocks that sort of "dark as well as stormy night" look. See if yous agree. I don't know yet if I'll give every block a piddling extra motif, but I did for the 4 blocks completed yesterday. The showtime block mightiness possess got been the showtime block embroidered for this quilt. It's called "Hester's U-Pick," as well as thence I gave it some jack-o-lanterns for your picking pleasure.
These were stitched complimentary paw using a tutorial yesteryear Lori Kennedy as well as posted on the Bernina We All Sew website.
Also, I knew the McTavishing would teach far hard to fill upwardly inwards for sure narrow areas, as well as thence I quilted inwards a minor spider as well as spider spider web alongside the branches of the tree.
Ordinarily, I mightiness possess got skipped doing whatever quilting inside the boundaries of the embroidery. These are large blocks, however, as well as thence I needed some functional quilting to continue things from shifting around. Also, I noticed a piddling location where the floss was form of loose, as well as thence I took a distich of piddling quilting stitches over the travel yesteryear to secure it a piddling better.
When the block was finished, it looked similar this. Dark as well as stormy night? Wind howling? Spooks about?
The adjacent block was the "Bubble & Brew Fly Through." This is ane of my favorites on the quilt. I decided to give this ane a witch on a broomstick. It's a dissimilar witch from the ane I quilted into the setting triangles. This ane has a truthful cat hitching a ride as well as a total Luna behind.
Here's where I ran into some problem with my Press 'n Seal method of translating drawn images into quilted ones. It worked fine on that dark fabric, but on this white background, whatever piddling bits of Press 'n Seal left behind were obvious, as well as I spent a long fourth dimension getting all the piddling bits out. I possess got a solution for this employment though...read on. But first, Smitty was quite concerned most the truthful cat riding on the broomstick. You tin run across his await of incredulity inwards the icon below.
I volition teach camping ground as well as ride inwards your stupid RV whatever fourth dimension yous ask, but I volition not...I repeat, NOT...ride on a broomstick. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 cat's gotta describe the business somewhere.
When that ane was finished, it looked similar this.
You mightiness recall that I position a piddling fleck of orangish inwards each of my blackwork blocks. Some mightiness mean value the truthful cat inwards this ane should possess got been black. Black cats for Halloween, right? In this case, I made it orangish inwards honor of our sugariness George who died around the fourth dimension I was stitching this block. If yous don't recall George...
Okay, thence let's utter most that solution to the Press 'n Seal problem. In the adjacent block ("Morgana's Apothecary"), I quilted a ghost. But I didn't desire to usage Press 'n Seal again, as well as thence I took a hint from my friend Robin who suggested wash-away stabilizer. I could describe the blueprint on stabilizer as well as thence launder or soak the quilt to take it when the quilting was finished. Also, my friend Vicki suggested Sticky Fabri-Solvy which would piece of work inwards the same way. Those are both skilful ideas, but I'm non planning to soak or launder this quilt since I mightiness desire to travel into it inwards a show.
On the other hand...what most tear-away stabilizer? That could work. So I gave it a try, but flora it only equally hard to take equally the Press 'n Seal. Also, the bits left behind were the bits where the traced business is found, as well as thence it's made fifty-fifty worse because the business is showing. I'd tried to circumvent that employment yesteryear tracing with a yellowish marking instead of a dark sharpie, but that left behind a yellowish line. So, what to do? What to do?
Well, first, I took out the ghost I'd already quilted, as well as realized that I could usage the holes left behind to stitch inwards my ghost. And that worked beautifully!
So that left me with this solution. From hither on, I'll describe the blueprint on Press 'n Seal equally before. I similar the Press 'n Seal because it adheres to the stuff without pins or glue...although I soundless usage pins only to live on safe. Then, I'll stitch through the Press 'n Seal without whatever thread inwards the needle, only leaving the holes behind, as well as thence go dorsum over it with thread. That should work. I'll exam my theory during today's quilting. And, yes, I realize that's pretty much how Pounce works, but I don't similar Pounce. In my experience, the Pounce chalk brushes off earlier I'm ready, as well as thence it's no usage at all.
Okay, thence on with the quilting. I gave Morgana's Apothecary it's ain resident spider.
And I quilted inwards some furrows inwards the forepart yard.
When it was all finished, it looked similar this. See the ghost flight out the window at the top?
My goal was to quilt 4 blocks yesterday, as well as I made it yesteryear day's end. The final was "The Potting Shed." There, I didn't possess got a lot of ideas most whatever added motifs, but I added a broomstick leaning upwardly against the tree.
Also, I dangled some other spider from the tree branch. When it was finished, it looked similar this.
Here's how that quilting is looking from the back. Hard to see, I know, but that suits me fine.
So I'll teach on with the quilting today. I'm hoping for some other 4 blocks, but I'm also needing to start on my projection for the newest Project Quilting Challenge. This week's subject is "Pixel Play," as well as I possess got a skilful sentiment inwards hear that shouldn't accept besides much time. More on that later.
Before I go, though, you'd live on disappointed if I didn't exhibit yous this morning's inchy, wouldn't you?
So cute. Makes yous hungry for spring, doesn't it?
Okay...onward. There's lots of sewing to produce today, as well as no fourth dimension to waste.