Friday, July 5, 2019

Scrappy Vintage Kitchen block 1 and a new pinnie tutorial...



Let the stitch-along begin!

Are you ready? Have you got that tub of fabric scraps by your cutting table ready to reduce it's volume? 
Scrappy quilts of any size are a great way to move all those small cuts leftover from larger projects.
My Scrappy Vintage Kitchen will finish as a small wall quilt so I've chosen my favourite scraps for each block.

Our first block is "Milk & Cookies" and you can see I've used a variety of embroidery stitches to add depth and interest to the small designs. Chain stitch, stem stitch, backstitch, lazy daisy, satin stitch, cross stitch and a colonial knot...all in a wee design which we'll trim to 3½" before adding borders to complete a 6½" Bright Hopes quilt block. 




I love the Bright Hopes block because each side border overlaps the one before.
You might want to use four different fabrics for the borders, or do matching sides, but I chose to do mine with an almost diagonal finish.

The complete pattern for My Scrappy Vintage Kitchen is HERE in my Etsy Shop

Would you like to make a practice Bright Hopes block first?
And then you can finish it as a pincushion because every new project needs a new pincushion, right?
Hey, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.








For our practice Bright Hopes block I chose to fussy cut the centre square instead of using another stitchery and I've chosen four different fabrics for the border. You can really see how each one overlaps the other now, can't you.



You'll need one 3½" square for the centre and four 2" x 5" border fabrics.



Perhaps you've got a sweet little print that's just busting to offer up a fussy cut for that centre square? The gorgeous pixelated roses in mine are from an old Bonnie & Camille line, Vintage Picnic, and it fit perfectly into the measurement I required.



Choose two prints for the borders as I've done with "Milk & Cookies" or four different ones for an effect like my pincushion.








I've used ¼" seams when sewing this block and the pincushion. 



To begin the overlapping borders you'll need to sew one of the 2" x 5" fabric pieces down one side of the 3½" square - BUT you must leave an inch unstitched. (photo below) 
You'll see why later.








Press the stitched part of the border away from the centre square.








Sew the next three borders across the bottom, side and top of the centre square. 








Now we'll finish sewing the first border in place...




...and press our completed Bright Hopes block.




To make my pincushion I first fused a piece of Parlan behind the block but you could use thin Pellon or quilt wadding if you prefer. 




I've hand quilted a ¼" outside the seams in Perle 12 cottons, matching the thread with the gingham fabric colours.




In the ditch between centre square and borders I stem stitched in cream Perle 12 thread.




I love the effect of hand quilting don't you?

At this point I decided to add a little red gingham tag at the bottom left corner to balance out the red gingham border opposite. After trimming away the excess Parlan I stitched the tag in place with a scant seam, less than ¼".




Lay your pincushion face down onto the right side of your backing.

NOTE: I use crushed walnut shells inside my pincushions as they help keep pins and needles sharp and free from rust, so my pincushion backing is made of two separate pieces with reinforced seams along the join and just a 1½" opening to fill the pincushion with the crushed shells through a funnel.




Sew the backing to the pincushion front around all four sides if you're using my technique, or if you're using just one square of fabric leave an opening of 2" along one side for turning out.

Pull the pincushion right side out (either backing method, do the same) and push out the corners with a rounded tool such as a large knitting needle.




Slip stich the opening closed after you fill the pincushion.
When using crushed walnut shells do lots of tiny stitches so they don't fall out. 



And now you have a Bright Hopes pincushion.





Like the vintage button I stitched to the red tag?




Have to say, this was a big week and I've just spent three full days at my computer, in the sewing room, processing photos, formatting patterns and now writing this blog post - but I've enjoyed every minute!

There was a time when I did a lot of tutorials because I genuinely enjoy teaching things, mostly simple things, and that's because when I discovered hand embroidery and quilting in late 2005, living in a one room cabin near a waterfall with my husband and homeschooling our two youngest kids, I had no choice but to teach myself so Blossom and I could make what we saw in the craft magazines a friend had loaned us.

Sharing stuff with you, be it a stitchery or a tutorial, brings me great joy.
And I hope it brings you joy too.


Just in case you didn't know...

 Crushed walnut shells are bought from pet stores in the reptile section.

I've added more patterns HERE to my Etsy Shop if you have a hankering to stitch other pretty things.

Have a blessed and fruitful weekend, friends!
I'll leave you with a photo taken just after dawn yesterday of a honeyeater enjoying the sweet nectar from one of our many native Grevilleas.



hugs


29 comments:

Joanne said...

Hi Jenny,
Milk and Cookies! Thanks so much ! What a beautiful idea to share!
I really appreciate all the hours and creative work you do put into each project..,photo's, instructions and lay out! Thank you!
And! The rewind Stitchery Club July issue is in! What a great start to the weekend!
Enjoy your weekend!
hugs,
Joanne

Nanna Chel said...

Jenny, what a fantastic tutorial. It has almost tempted me to do some sewing :-) I am a bit obsessed with loom knitting now though and am on my third beanie. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the last week of the school holidays with your hubby being at home.

Nanna Ray said...

Jenny. What a lovely project. Wonderful tutorial thank you. I hope to join in with this lovely sew along.

Chin said...

Hi Jenny, what a sweet block! I enjoy your blog and tutorials, not sure if I'll be able to do it now though, have 3 quilts on the go at the moment.... Have a blessed day!

Little Quiltsong said...

Love your Bright Hopes Block with the Vintage Kitchen design. Beautiful colourway in there.

Kay said...

Thank you for the pincushion tutorial, I couldn't work out how to do it without your instructions. x

daisydilly (vicki) said...

Thank you so much for the Vintage Kitchen block and the pincushion.

GeneGribouille03 said...

Merci Jenny belle journée Amitiés Geneviève de France

Gramma Weber said...

Your creativity and faith is so inspiring. I followed you from 2012-2016 then life became tougher. I think God popped your design in front of me on Pinterest to remind me to balance my life with Needlework. I'm taking this project to the hospital waiting room in my sewing tote. I also have prepared blocks from Promises, Scriptures and Postcards. Thank you so much!!!

Deb said...

Love this first block Milk and Cookies, thank you for the tutorial for the Bright Hopes block and making it a pincushion. I am looking forward to this Stitch Along.

QuiltE said...

mmmmmmmMilk and Cookies .... I can't think of a better start for this stitch-along!
Quick Question ... is your design plans to use the same border strips for each of the Bright Hopes blocks?
or potentially to go totally scrappy, with 4 different fabrics for each block? Or does it matter at all?
Looking forward to the surprises to come each time. Thank you for sharing so generously with us!

rosemaryschild said...

Thank you, Jenny! So sweet & generous of you to share! Love both projects, Susan

Dots said...

So many things about your blog I love. I love the pictures of your birds in your yard. So cool to look at those. I can't imagine living in a one room cabin by a waterfall. That had to be interesting. Your tutorials are always nice. Fun to learn and make. I am sure you are a blessing to so many.

Julie said...

Thank you, Jenny, for leaving the patterns up for downloading until November. I was a little concerned because I am going to the family property in Montana and thought I might miss the next pattern while I was gone. When we are there in Pray, Montana, there is no television/cable reception, no phone and no Internet--just 30 acres of pasture and deer. We have a DVD player and bring DVD's to watch if we begin to miss the television, but to get Internet I have to drive 21 miles into Livingston to go to McDonald's where I can get free WiFi. I have a Kindle with s many books so I can read. I get a lot of stitching done when I am there. I sit and stitch on the deck where I can watch the Yellowstone River flow by. It is very relaxing and lovely there. It takes us 20 hours to drive straight through from our home in California, but we are getting older and it is too hard to do that anymore. We stop in Jackpot, Nevada or in Twin Falls, Idaho. Again, thank you for giving us so much time! I am tracing 'milk and cookies' this afternoon to add to my stash of projects!

KingsailK said...

Thank you Jennyxx💖♥

Michelle said...

I love this Cookies and Milk design and your new color palette. I'm still working on my Vintage Kitchen quilt. I'm doing my in blue. I stitched one for my sister in redwork. I think I'd love to do the new designs and colors too. It's going to be a great stitch-a-long.

Susan said...

Thank you Jenny for this BOM and forthe beautiful patterns and instructions. I won't be able to get started on it right away, but I am looking forward to trying this block. I have not done partial seams yet.

Linda said...

Thankyou for sharing these patterns. You have used such pretty colours.

Ondrea said...

Your block is beautiful as always and so is the tutorial pincushion. Love the honey eater pic.

Susan said...

Thanks so much, Jenny. This is the perfect little stitchery, and the pincushion is wonderful. I must have something somewhere that needs a fussy cut, don't you think? I got my background for stitching today, I have some WhisperWeft left from my last project, a few scraps that will be used up on this, no doubt, and then I'll have to search for it again. LOL I haven't found anything here in the states that I like as well. My on-sale layer cake arrived today, and I have now downloaded this pattern, so I'll be set to start next week!

hafza said...

Thank you Jenny for the Vintage Kitchen free pattern and the pincushion tutorial. Your instructions are easy to follow...I will try to find time to try both:-)

Elizabeth Bailey-Mitchell said...

I love your Scrappy Vintage Kitchen Stitchalong. Thank you so much for offering it. My main computer died, and my son, bless his heart, resurrected it, but I lost all of the files, including my embroidery files. So I'm grateful to see your creative work once again (nothing is ever lost in God's Kingdom, yes?!) which I can stitch for my kitchen. I lost my mother over the winter and am still working thru the grief. So, in addition to participating in Phyllis May's Kitchen, I wanted to do the Vintage Kitchen, with each block placed in shadowbox frames, including an item related to the stitchery tucked into the frame. For instance, for the milk and cookies block, I'll include one of the cookie cutters my mom used to use, to make cookies for our family. As I finish each one, I'll try to take a pic and share, if I may. And please know, Blossom, and family are surrounded with prayer.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

What a beautiful, thoughtful, and incredibly 'healing' project you're making. xxx

Sylvie de Toulouse said...

Thanks for this lovely pattern

Beth in NEPA said...

Thank you for sharing this. I collected up some of my stash and cut up the pieces,for the twelve squares. Then collected up my floss. I plan to take the first one on a trip I am taking soon. Along with some other hand work. Now have to wait "patiently" for next one. LOL

KayTX said...

I can't find anywhere a link to printing off instructions for finishing the My Scrappy Kitchen 9-week project. I mean, I see the instructions on your blog, but I need to be able to print out the instructions and a photo of the finished quilt to go with the instructions for each square that I've printed off. I would also like a link to the Bright Hope pincushion instructions, for the same reason. It's hard to print pages and pages from a blog ... wastes so much paper and so much ink. Everytime I click on "Scrappy Vintage Kitchen Quilt Assembly" it just takes me right back to that page on your blog ... nothing opens up for printing. I think there's a link missing. Please advise. I want to get this printed before the NOV 15 deadline. Your work is lovely and as a fellow sister in Christ, I love that all of your work is to His Glory! Thank you, Kay

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Kay, this pincushion is a tutorial so there's no pattern to download. That's very time consuming for me (especially doing it for one person)...sorry. I'll be listing this tutorial on my Tutorials blog page so you can refer to it anytime. have you thought of just writing down the measurements or taking screen shots with your phone or tablet?
The same with the finishing instructions. It's only two fabric borders. No need for a pattern. xx

kamiafive said...

I love the block Milk and Cookies from Scrappy Vintage Kitchen. I can not find the pattern for the Milk and Cookies, just the tutorial for the pincushion. Can you please help me find the pattern'

Thank you
Diane

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Kamiafive, the full pattern is only available now in my Etsy Shop. :-)
This project was my free BOM of 2019 and the following year was purchase only.
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/754772523/my-scrappy-vintage-kitchen-9-stitcheries