hand pieced

It's Winter from Wendy's Quilts and More

Yes, it's winter here, and the raindrops certainly are falling on my head.

A lot of people marvel at how green New Zealand is. That's because it rains a lot here. So it seems appropriate that I'm back working on my "Raindrops are Falling on my Head" quilt by Willyne Hammerstein.

Strangely enough though, my quilt is full of hot colours, so I might have to think of a new name for it before I finish it.

I'm hand piecing this quilt. I used to do a lot of English Paper Piecing, but I found it ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 4 years, 9 months ago. under bollywood quilt , fussy cutting , hand pieced , millefiori quilts 4 , raindrops are falling on my head quilt , willyne hammerstein

Trans-Tasman Bubbles from Wendy's Quilts and More

Here's my latest finish, Trans-Tasman Bubbles.

This quilt is all hand pieced and hand quilted by me. The pattern is by Willyne Hammerstein from her book Millefiori Quilts 4. In the book it's called "Dancing Cheek to Cheek", but I called my quilt trans-Tasman Bubbles, because the circles keep disappearing and re-emerging as you look at it.

The trans-Tasman bubble is an agreement between the New Zealand and Australian governments that lets citizens of those countries travel between the two countries without having to stay 14 days in managed isolation/hotel quarantine on arrival.

However, as soon as ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 4 years, 9 months ago. under blue and white quilt , blue quilt , dancing cheek to cheek , hand pieced , hand quilted , millefiori quilts 4 , quiltmania , rotorua , the great new zealand quilt show , trans-tasman bubble quilt , willyne hammerstein

Not Your Grandmother's Garden from Wendy's Quilts and More

The Great New Zealand Quilt Show opened today in Rotorua, and I can finally show you my entries in the Aotearoa Quilters Lime Challenge.

First up is "Not Your Grandmother's Garden".

12" wide x 16" high

At first glance you might think these are hexagons, but they're not! Hence the name, and the fact I'd just bought some new jeans from Not Your Daughter's Jeans.

I love experimenting with geometric shapes, and I wanted to try the Fiesta Gitana pattern in Millefiori Quilts 4 by Willyne Hammerstein.

I hand pieced this mini quilt, and then I ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 4 years, 10 months ago. under aotearoa quilters , colour challenge , fiesta gitana , hand pieced , hand piecing , lime challenge , millefiori quilts , millefiori quilts 4 , mini quilts , willyne hammerstein

Progress on Raindrops are Falling on My Head from Wendy's Quilts and More

My hand pieced Raindrops quilt is coming along nicely. I've been experimenting with other fabric combinations because I don't want all of the blocks to be the feature fabric.

I'm not sure if all of these rosettes will make it into the final quilt, but I need to see all the options before I start joining the blocks.

The plainer blocks are good because they give our eyes a resting place. However, I can see that the dark green in the centre rosette might be too dark.

Last week someone asked me how I calculate how much ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 4 years, 12 months ago. under bollywood quilt , fussy cutting , hand pieced , hand piecing , millefiori quilts , millefiori quilts 4 , raindrops are falling on my head quilt , willyne hammerstein

Everybody Wants to Rules the World from Wendy's Quilts and More

My quilt is finished and I've called it "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", after a favourite song by Tears for Fears. Click here for a trip down memory lane - or to hear something new.

The colours and stars in this quilt remind me of flags; the Union Jack from the UK, the Star-Spangled banner from the USA, and our own New Zealand Ensign.

The USA and NZ both held elections last year, and the UK left the European Union, so "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" seems appropriate at this time.

I machine quilted this quilt with both ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 5 years ago. under bont en blauw , everybody wants to rule the world , hand pieced , hand piecing , millefiori quilts , millefiori quilts 4 , willyne hammerstein

Raindrops are Falling on my Head from Wendy's Quilts and More

Firstly - You may have heard about some strong earthquakes off New Zealand, and associated tsunami risks. Fortunately I didn't even feel the earthquakes, and I don't live in the risk area for the possible tsunamis. Many people have spent the morning on high ground, but the risk of tsunami has now passed thankfully. I don't think any buildings have been damaged.

Back to quilting.

I've made a small start on Raindrops are Falling on my Head from Millefiori Quilts Book 4 by Willyne Hammerstein.

I bought this beautiful Art Gallery fabric from Material Obsession in Sydney ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 5 years ago. under bollywood quilt , hand pieced , hand piecing , hand piecing templates , millefiori quilts 4 , raindrops are falling on my head quilt , willyne hammerstein

Lost in Translation from Wendy's Quilts and More

Apologies to all the Dutch quilters out there.

"Bont en Blauw" does not mean "Black and Blue", but rather multicoloured, which sounds so much nicer. Google translate put me wrong on that one! But a number of you messaged me to let me know, so thank you.

As my quilt is only going to be three colours (red, white and blue), I'm going to have to think of another name anyway.

Some of you asked for more details about this sweet quilt. I'm hand piecing it using the method shown in my hand piecing videos here. But, there ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 5 years ago. under hand pieced , hand piecing , millefiori quilts , millefiori quilts 4 , willyne hammerstein

Something new! from Wendy's Quilts and More

Yes, finally I have something new to report.

I've made a start on a pattern from Willyne Hammerstein's Millefiori Quilts Book 4.

The pattern is called "Bont en Blauw", which translates to English as "Black and Blue" - which is a bit unfortunate because that brings up disturbing images in most peoples minds. So I'm going to come up with a different name for my happy little quilt.

There are only 2 shapes in the pattern, but there are lots of opportunities to play with colour and pattern.

When I want to plan a quilt, I just use ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 5 years, 1 month ago. under cotton + steel , hand pieced , hand piecing , millefiori quilts , millefiori quilts 4 , willyne hammerstein

Big Flower Quilt.....Progress from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

Remember this Big Hexy Flower?

I chose these 4 lime green fabrics

for the background hexies...

I put the light green background hexies

up on the design wall with the BIG Flowers:

they look NEON green......eeek!

After looking at this on the design wall

for the last 2 months, I took them all down.

I found a richer, calmer green fabric

and wrapped it around the hexy papers:

Ahhh....much better.

There is a bed sheet under the hexagons.

They will be pinned onto the sheet.

Then I can keep them in order as I

hand piece the hexagons ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 2 months ago. under english paper piecing , hand pieced , take-a-long quilt

2020......Highlights from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

A look back at 2020...

January 2020

I needed a fresh start for 2020.

My sewing area went from this:

to this:

February 2020

Calving Season begins @ the Kessi Ranch

Playing with Rayon Threads

March 2020

The Turkey Vultures are BACK

Calving Season....continues:

Fertilizing the Hay Fields

Playing with Improv

April 2020

Improv Technique 2

Improv Technique 3

Improv Technique 4

Improv Technique 5

Improv Technique 6

Improv Technique 7

Improv Technique 8

Sunflower Quilt Finished

May 2020

Zipper Pulls

Working Cattle.....Spring Round Up

June 2020

Improv Quilt Top

Messy Painted Canvas

July 2020

Tassel Necklaces

Haying Season ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 3 months ago. under bags , beads , birds , cattle cows farm , english paper piecing , face masks , free motion quilting , hand pieced , horses , improv , orange peel , painted canvas , pumpkin seed quilt , quilt retreat , stil , thread shed , travel

Neptune and the Mermaid from Wendy's Quilts and More

This week I've been hand quilting my Neptune and the Mermaid quilt. I usually use a hera marker to mark my quilting lines, but this time I've used a blue washout pen because it was hard to see the marked lines on the highly patterned fabrics.

I always use a hoop when I hand quilt, but I must have taken it off before I took the photo above. Here it is on another section of the quilt.

Aurifil 12wt is my favourite thread for hand quilting

I like to experiment with my quilting, so I'm going to ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 5 years, 4 months ago. under auckland quilt symposium , aurifil , hand pieced , hand piecing , hand quilted , hand quilting , neptune and the mermaid , tokyo milk fabric

English Paper Piecing....BIG Flowers from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

Remember these JUMBO fabric flowers ?

The flowers were created with some

leftover hexagons from the quilt below...

I pieced two of these quilt tops three years ago.

I had orphan fabric covered hexagons

in the bottom of my sewing box.

Here it is three years later

and I am stitching on those hexagons again.

I have 30 hexy flowers finished so far...

I decided on lime green hexagons for the background...

Four different shades of lime green...

I cleaned off the design wall and started

pinning up hexagons...

I think the lime green is working

in the background...

A few ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 5 months ago. under english paper piecing , hand pieced , take-a-long quilt

Glitter in Green from Wendy's Quilts and More

My Glitter quilt is finished! And it won a prize in our guild's exhibition.

Yes, I won Best Hand Pieced and I was thrilled. Glitter is designed by Jen Kingwell from Australia. I started my Glitter quilt in a hand piecing class with Jen Kingwell at the Christchurch Symposium in October 2017. I did promise Jen that it would be finished by October 2019, and the top was finished by then, but I didn't start hand quilting it until January 2020.

Now it's finished, and it will look just right on our bed. I chose the greens ...

added by Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore 5 years, 5 months ago. under aurifil , aurifil thread , capital quilters , capital quilters exhibition , glitter , glitter in green , glitter quilt , hand pieced , hand piecing , hand quilted , hand quilting , jen kingwell , jen kingwell designs

English Paper Piecing and Tractor Work... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

In the evenings I have been doing

some hand stitching...

English Paper Piecing.....Hexagons

Batik Fabrics

These are jumbo sized Hexagons:

They are very large and

the stitching goes quickly !

I spread them all out on the floor tonight

to see what colors I need...

The chair helps you realize

just how BIG these flowers are !

8:00 this morning:

The Cowboy is hooking implements up

to the John Deere tractor...

The ground has already been plowed and harrowed.

The roller packers are hooked up today.

They compact and press the soil down and

prepare it for seeding...

This is ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 5 months ago. under cattle , english paper piecing , farm , hand pieced , take-a-long quilt

English Paper Piecing and Plowing... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

On Mondays I spend the day with the

Harlan Valley Quilters

@ the Quilt Palace

I brought along the Horse Panel

and put it up on the design wall...

This is my little corner of the sewing room...

I also brought along the border/frame

for the Horse Panel...

The hexagon papers need to stay in the

outer edge of the borders.....for now.

The borders are pinned up around the panel.

I need to do some measuring and tweeking

before I can begin the applique' work...

It is good to see it up on the wall.

Then I had to ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 5 months ago. under english paper piecing , farm , hand pieced , horses , take-a-long quilt

Hand Piecing and Covering Hay Bales... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

I am making progress on the

Horse Quilt Panel

English Paper Pieced.....Borders

I finished the 4th border last week...

Last evening I pieced the 4 borders together

which creates a frame around the horse panel...

I put a chair in the photo so you can see

the actual size of the piece.

My next opportunity, I will applique' this frame

to the horse quilt panel.

Most of the hay bales we made last summer

have been stored in all the barns...

The rest of them are stored outdoors...

It is time to get them covered:

We use large sheets ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 5 months ago. under english paper piecing , farm , hand pieced , take-a-long quilt

Hand Piecing, Pears and Wild Fires... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

The English Paper Piecing continues

on this Horse Quilt Panel...

Three of the four border sections are

hand pieced together...

This is the fourth and final border

I am piecing now...

I have been toting the borders around

in this Messy Painted Canvas tote bag...

When a hand piecing moment arises,

I pull a border section out of the tote bag and stitch for awhile.

Our pear tree in the yard

has been fruitful...

Pears....almost too pretty to eat !

Pear Freezer Jam

We pick a few pears each day,

some are shared with our little goat herd,

the rest ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 6 months ago. under cattle , cows , english paper piecing , flowers , hand pieced

Hand Piecing and Peaches... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

Our power has been out for several days so...

I have been english paper piecing

the borders on this horse panel quilt...

There are 4 borders...

I have this bottom border left to hand piece,

then I can put this baby together

and get on with the machine quilting.

The power came back on today...

I got busy canning these peaches...

We are enjoying the last of the summer flowers...

Thread Shed petunias, hollyhocks and dahlias

The deer have begun to come in the yard at night

and munch away on the petunias and hollyhocks.

Now that the power has ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 6 months ago. under english paper piecing , flowers , hand pieced

Friends at the Fence... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

Look what's up on the Design Wall...

I have had this panel for close to a year now...

I put it up on the design wall...

then waited for inspiration to set in.

English Paper Pieced Hexagons...

on the table

Now, I am inspired !

Here goes...

The sky has a very soft pink

running through it...

I pinned up the light blue and pink hexagons

along the sky.

At this point, the sky is blocked in

with blue hexagons.

I have started on the lower portion...

blacks, browns, rusts

to go with the horse colors.

I am getting goose ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 5 years, 11 months ago. under design wall , english paper piecing , hand pieced , hexagon quilts , take-a-long quilt

Go BIG.........or Go HOME from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

I haven't had much time with my

sewing machine out in the Thread Shed

since calving season began

in February...

I have been hand piecing in the evenings...

English Paper Piecing

Just so you can get an idea of the size of these

paper pieced flowers:

Each hexagon petal is

nearly the size of my hand !

Go BIG.....or Go HOME !

These piece together fairly quickly...

I can stitch together 5 or 6 in an evening.

I have 13 done so far...

Not sure what I will do with them?

For now, I just enjoy looking at these BIG ...

added by LuAnn Kessi 6 years ago. under english paper piecing , hand pieced , hexagon quilts , take-a-long quilt

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