These are three things I love to play with in my designs and in the projects I make for my home.
I shared a few odd snippets of the design below a couple of months ago. It was just randomly placed beside what I was really photographing that day, but a few people noticed it and asked "hey Jenny, show me more of that pretty pastel project, will you please?"
The reason it's been kept hidden for the last six or seven weeks is simply that I wanted to use it in today's blog post. So ta da! The big reveal...
"Jenny's Favourite Table Topper"
Now some of you might think 'no big deal' and that's okay, but this is my favourite quilted project of 2014 (so far) and that's due to three things I'm going to share throughout this post.
Number 1 -
The colours. Pastels.
A very simple palette of blue and pink and green; soft and welcoming...melts my little girl heart actually.
Number 2 -
Fabric that begged to be fussy cut.
The inside of every little block was carefully chosen and cut to allow that section of fabric to become a diva...and the tonal pink, blue and green fabrics that border the fussy cut squares help them to take centre stage, kind of like supporting cast members...
Number 3 -
Hand quilting with magic Perle #12 threads. Okay, the thread is not magical but it does make my design look way nicer than machine quilting would have.
I like how the quilted running stitches create a little pillow popping effect across the top...and I love the sensation of this texture as I hold it close.
Three simple things that created something beautiful for my home.
I might share the pattern next week...Might.
Now let's look at these three design aspects individually in other projects.
Colour...
Recently I purchased this gorgeous frame because I fell in love with the bright colour combination and could envision myself designing a small stitchery specifically for it...
I paired some fabric and threads that may work with what I have in mind...
...and played around with co-ordinating buttons as they could add impact. Gathering complimentary things around the focal point (in this case that's the frame) helps build a 'bigger picture' in the eventual project even though I probably won't use them all.
Fussy cutting...
Choosing fabrics as the star of a design is fun! Most fabric has a repeat, and whilst some prints don't lend themselves to being fussy cut, others do.
Recently Helen Stubbings sent me a few pieces of her latest fabric range to design with. I made a couple of projects that featured them, but as I was designing the final project I took a good look at the remaining two fabrics before me and realised one was perfect for some fussy piecing...
I've used sections of the floral print for the centre of the squares that run the length of the table topper...
...but I also made use of the small daisies featured in the fabric as the focal point in my appliqued hearts!
When you really look at fabric you find so many possibilities, don't you?
Fussy Cutting & Hand Quilting...
Now we'll look at one of my very first designs from early 2009 because it featured both fussy cutting and hand quilting. I was still quite new to quilting at the time but already I liked the idea of using small focal pieces of fabric to bring impact to my applique, plus the effect of outline quilting with simple running stitch...
In this flower it is the outer circle which featured the fussy cut fabric, rather than the centre circle...
And notice how effective the use of hand quilting is around all the applique aspects of the design?
When I look back on this little wall quilt from my fledgling attempts at design over five years ago I feel so immensely grateful for this gift the Lord blessed me with...
I was just turning 50 at the time, and a new career was but a spark of an idea only just about to be realised.
Be encouraged, and remember you're never too old to try something new! Adventures are like that...they open your eyes to so much more than you ever imagined...
As I was packing up the above projects after their photo shoot, I chanced upon a fabric that seemed to whisper as I walked by, "What about me? What can you do with me?"....
And so I played a while and a plan began to form...how could I ignore that sweet request.
I wonder where it will lead?
Has this blog post inspired you today?
Tell me the things you love most about creating your projects. I'd love to know...
hugs
