What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia sent out the last package for the Wendy Williams Licorice Allsorts Block of the Month last week.  

I love that this quilt ...

 I have been playing around more with my "Kanwandiko" stitching. I am leaning toward the name "stitched meditations" now or "mindful stitching" instead of a weird, made-up word. I have finally perfected my technique to one that is more my own rather than following someone else's ideas. Here are the few I have made so far.

The one above I made using only solids. I thought I would like it more than I do. Maybe ...

 I took this photo a few months ago when I taught at Monarch Quilters in Poncha Springs, CO.

Laurie purchased the pattern, Family Tradition, and the fabrics from my shop. You can view the pattern and the fabrics we have left from this collection by clicking the following link: Home Sweet Holidays.

The next one is also a photo I took a while ago, but it is just too awesome not to share. This was made by one of my customers, Michele S.

Michele stopped into the shop for advise on this project. She had the wools she planned to ...

 I finished up my "kanwandiko" sample and have turned it into a Chunky Wee Zippy Pouch. Unfortunately, I am currently out of the patterns, but more have been ordered. It was more popular than I expected!

This is the last photo I took of my piece before turning it into a bag.

Here it is finished. It measures about 5" by 5" by 5". This is the "storage cube" size from the pattern.

For the inside I used a scrap of backing fabric from a previous quilt.

 I made this notebook cover several months ago. I thought I had shared it with you but I can't find the post so I guess I forgot!

The notebook cover above is my first attempt. For it I used some Essex Linen Denim color, scraps and size 8 pearl cotton in four variegated colors. I just laid the scraps on the linen and left the edges raw. A running stitch holds everything in place. The scraps are not fused or appliqued to the linen, just sewn on with the running stitches. I like working with the pearl cotton but ...

 I might be done with the embroidery and ready to baste it together for quilting.

But I'm not sure yet. I just hung this up on my design wall and I will think about it for a few days. If I get a great idea for more embroidery I could do in the border then I will do it. If nothing occurs to me within a week or so I will just baste it together with backing and batting and start quilting.

 Both of my Sue Spargo pin cushions are now actual, useable pin cushions!

Top: Canna Blossom Pin Cushion Kit or Canna Blossom Pattern

Bottom: Circle Play Pin Cushion Kit or Circle Play Pattern

Both of these were kits. They came with all of the required fabrics, even the fabric for the crushed walnut shell inner "pillows" and a piece of wool for the back. I opted to put the wool pieces for the backs into my stash and use a cotton fabric instead for the backs.

Of course, I have these kits and patterns in my shop, Alamosa Quilt Company ...

 I'm making progress on my Canna Blossom pin cushion. I have finished the hand embroidery.

I just need to turn it into a pin cushion. My Circle Play pin cushion is also waiting to become an actual pin cushion. Hopefully I will get some time to get both of these finished up soon.

If you want to see what it looked like before the embroidery click the following link: Canna Blossom before embroidery.

For some years crafters and quilters have extolled the virtues of slow hand stitching. They say it’s a soothing meditative process that will relax you, make you appreciate the process, and be mentally restorative. The implication is it will make … Continue reading →

 I am still slowly making progress on my Crimson Tweed quilt.

 A few days off with no where to go and nothing specific scheduled to do has been wonderful! I am making good progress on the borders of Crimson Tweed.

Everything in the top and right side borders is sewn down now. I still need to add some stems to the berry sprays in the right side border. I got inpatient and sewed a couple berries on one of the berry sprays along the top border. I cut a bunch of circles from all four different red wools in my kit. I plan to mix them up. I have been thinking ...

 With my shop closed this week and inventory done I have a little bit of time for myself. I am working on Crimson Tweed - making progress at finishing the borders.

The long green vine is just basted on for now. I want to be able to tuck the ends of the holly leaves and stems underneath it so I will applique the vine down last. The holly leaves are sewn down now. The two narrow stems are just set in place for the moment. These will be the next things I sew down. They will be stems with small red ...

A little humor first thing in the morning is like a little gift of joy.  So I was thrilled when my friend sent me this video.  Too funny and exactly the sort of thing my mother used to send to me.  She would have loved this.  This one's for you Mom.  Please know this is silly and meant to be funny.  If you don't find it so, move right along. [video width="848" height="480" mp4="https://arianezurcher.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMG_0500.mp4"][/video] In other news, my new workshop line up for 2022 is up ...

There are diversions and then there are DIVERSIONS!  Organizing can be one of those.  I finished the BIG piece I’ve been working on and instead of leaping into something new, I got sidetracked with organizing.  Organizing my work space, it’s pretty small so it takes some doing to spend more than a few hours on […]

I’m not feeling great.  I should probably just end this post right here.  But, no, I’ll soldier on. Not because this post is important, it’s not, but because it represents all the things on my to do list and so much that is just life. No one needs to hear my laundry list of “woes”, […]

 I have had this little pin cushion cut out for months! I finally decided to pull it out and get her done.

I have everything appliqued down now and have started on the embroidery. Hopefully I will be able to use it as a pin cushion soon!

I’m just about finished with my big improvisational stitching piece that I’ve been working on for the last 7 months or so, and it’s bittersweet.  It always feels like a tiny death.  There’s sadness and a kind of grieving that happens.  Sometimes I just leave it up on my design wall and look at it […]

 I am making progress again on my Crimson Tweed project.

Yesterday I released a new Youtube Video with the same title. Go check it out! There are a few other key factors to interpretive hand stitching, improvisational hand stitching, expressionist hand stitching or whatever else you might want to call it.  I think all of these are good descriptors of my process when taking a […]