Sylvi, Houston, Texas
I placed a few circle blocks around to fill the photo. They will be placed differently later.
Showing posts with label Pandemonium Quilt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pandemonium Quilt. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
PANDEMONIUM
Here are my finished Pandemonium blocks (in no particular order). All are stitched, except the Horse Yard which I just finished prepping this week. I still have a few smaller pieced and appliqued blocks to make before I can put it all together, but the majority of the work is done. My goal is to have it finished by the end of April. I am anxious to start Trees of The Four Seasons! My husband says he will confiscate the pattern for it until I have Pandemonium all sewn together. Ha! ; )
Sylvi, Houston, Texas
Sylvi, Houston, Texas
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Pandemonium animals
A guest post by quilter 501
I finished these blocks about a month ago and now am "gloriously" working on some of the geometric blocks and the house block. What a journey!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Pandemonium Quilt tutorial # 6, pieced blocks & four animals
Hello Everyone,
We're on the last tutorial on this quilt!
We'll cover the areas that are left over.
In case you haven't noticed, Janet has kindly grouped the tutorials together, it is under the Glorious Applique banner, on top of the photograph.
The four animals:
I think this part is pretty easy, choose the log cabin fabric strips for the 4 blocks first, then the frames that go with them, and then the animals. These 4 blocks are fun to do!
The Disc block:
Choose the shot cotton background first - now - at this stage you're going to have to take notice of all the other blocks you have done. Might be a good idea to spread all on the floor or on your design wall or pin to a big flat bedsheet, see what shot cotton colours you're going to need. Some of these blocks are interchangeable because they are all 12" x 12", the only one that is a stand alone is the Wheel block which is 15" x 15".
Having the shot cotton background, choose the big focal circle and then the ring around it. Next, choose the scallop flaps. When appliqueing the flaps, keep the first one partially open as you'll have to slip in the last one. I've used PJ Miami for the centre - brilliant isn't it? I think the PJ Shell Montage or PJ Feathers might be great too, or the PJ Floral Burst. Here is a chance to showcase that favourite fabric!
The Four Stars Block:
Not my best, I think the top right hand star is not great, too much same aqua as the shot cotton background, should have used a stripe fabric I think. Overall, I think the block is too pale! The applique ovals, circles and bird in the middle square were sewn first on oversized squares, pressed and then trimmed to size + seam allowance.
If I were to do this block again, I would have chosen stronger colour stars using stripe fabrics or fabrics that you can fussy cut. So, I'll wait and see what you come up with, please post the photos, love to see it!
Hint, make a cutting template from see through plastic, draw the sewing line in and then move this template around the fabric. When you've decided which area you're going to use, use your pen to draw the motif or the stripe of the fabric on the template - this way you're going to get the same patch , its amazing what sort of stars you can come up with! If you're using those laundry pens, you can use the nail polish remover to clean the ink from the template.
There is this mirror made by Marty Mitchell " Magic Mirrors" - if you angle the mirrors around the 45 degrees diamond on the fabric, you can preview what your star will look like. Great gadget!
I've used a 60 degree diamond template to illustrate as to how to use the Magic Mirror, can't find the 45 degree one! I've used the 2 mirrors around the template & you can see what the star would look like. You can also use it for hexagons.
The Flower Petal Block:
You've chosen the shot cotton background, now, find the fabric, again as above, make the plastic template and audition the fabrics in your stash for the petals. I've used KF Kirman and the fabric did have lots of holes after I've finished cutting. I love this fabric and have used it a lot in other quilts. I'm sure you'll find your favourite too. Next choose the star points , pick a colour from the petal print, then choose the focal centre fabric and the ring around it. I think PJ Feathers might be cool here, there is a section of the Feathers where there is the peacock's tail with it's eye - look at it, it kind of screams Me, Me, you might need a bit of yardage though.
In the pattern pack, I did put this CAUTION paragraph in regards to cutting the background fabric.
The 4 corners of the block tapered to a line in the centres, and there is absolutely no way you can make a plastic template cut to this line. So, make the template as far as you can, and instead of cutting the background fabric and then marking the sewing line, this time you'll need to mark the sewing line first. Extend that line 6" from the corners and mark the point, you'll be sewing to this point. If you don't do this, you are going to be a bit short!
Six Pointed Star Block:
Again, watch out re cutting the background fabric, the 4 corners of the block tapered into a line in the middle, proceed as the above block - please read, it is important ( it is mentioned in the pattern pack also).
You have the shot cotton background, now choose the fabric for the large segments, make the plastic template first and use it to audition the parts of the fabric, see above as per 4 stars block. Then match the star points fabric to the large segments and then the circles in the centre. I love this block. One day, I'm going to make a quilt using this block.
The Wheel block:
You'll need to choose the blades for the centre circle, something that will go with the shot cotton background. Stripes always add a lot of movement to the block, I've used KF Serape and the Spots. Try others, KF Mirage for example. Again make that see through plastic template as per 4 Stars Block above so that you can audition the area of your chosen fabric.
For the applique in the corners, you are asked to cut 2 squares, draw the applique design on the 2 opposite corners, applique the patches, press then use the template to mark the sewing lines, then cut after adding seam allowance. If you cut first, then applique, the fabric will stretch and it will be harder to manage.
If you need to see how to hand piece a curved edge, please refer to previous tutorial on handpiecing. ( see link for tutorials under the banner)
Oops, almost forgot, the Ninepatch and Flower Spray Blocks up above the Folly:
They are pretty simple, you need to do the applique first on the oversized patches, then press, mark with templates, add seam allowance and cut. Then proceed with the piecing.
Choose the 5 shotcottons for the backgrounds and then the prints that go with the shot cottons.
Also, if you have EQ 7 or previous EQ software, you can use their block library to change the blocks, just make sure they are the right size.
If you don't want to do the whole Pandemonium Quilt, you can use the applique blocks to make a baby quilt or a wall hanging, or a floor cushion. Do what you like and make it your own, I love to see it, so please post pictures!
Hope these tutorials have been of some interest to you, do let me know if you need something clarified.
Many thanks for reading, and please post you work, Love to see it. Kim McL
We're on the last tutorial on this quilt!
We'll cover the areas that are left over.
In case you haven't noticed, Janet has kindly grouped the tutorials together, it is under the Glorious Applique banner, on top of the photograph.
The four animals:
I think this part is pretty easy, choose the log cabin fabric strips for the 4 blocks first, then the frames that go with them, and then the animals. These 4 blocks are fun to do!
The Disc block:
Choose the shot cotton background first - now - at this stage you're going to have to take notice of all the other blocks you have done. Might be a good idea to spread all on the floor or on your design wall or pin to a big flat bedsheet, see what shot cotton colours you're going to need. Some of these blocks are interchangeable because they are all 12" x 12", the only one that is a stand alone is the Wheel block which is 15" x 15".
Having the shot cotton background, choose the big focal circle and then the ring around it. Next, choose the scallop flaps. When appliqueing the flaps, keep the first one partially open as you'll have to slip in the last one. I've used PJ Miami for the centre - brilliant isn't it? I think the PJ Shell Montage or PJ Feathers might be great too, or the PJ Floral Burst. Here is a chance to showcase that favourite fabric!
The Four Stars Block:
Not my best, I think the top right hand star is not great, too much same aqua as the shot cotton background, should have used a stripe fabric I think. Overall, I think the block is too pale! The applique ovals, circles and bird in the middle square were sewn first on oversized squares, pressed and then trimmed to size + seam allowance.
If I were to do this block again, I would have chosen stronger colour stars using stripe fabrics or fabrics that you can fussy cut. So, I'll wait and see what you come up with, please post the photos, love to see it!
Hint, make a cutting template from see through plastic, draw the sewing line in and then move this template around the fabric. When you've decided which area you're going to use, use your pen to draw the motif or the stripe of the fabric on the template - this way you're going to get the same patch , its amazing what sort of stars you can come up with! If you're using those laundry pens, you can use the nail polish remover to clean the ink from the template.
There is this mirror made by Marty Mitchell " Magic Mirrors" - if you angle the mirrors around the 45 degrees diamond on the fabric, you can preview what your star will look like. Great gadget!
I've used a 60 degree diamond template to illustrate as to how to use the Magic Mirror, can't find the 45 degree one! I've used the 2 mirrors around the template & you can see what the star would look like. You can also use it for hexagons.
The Flower Petal Block:
You've chosen the shot cotton background, now, find the fabric, again as above, make the plastic template and audition the fabrics in your stash for the petals. I've used KF Kirman and the fabric did have lots of holes after I've finished cutting. I love this fabric and have used it a lot in other quilts. I'm sure you'll find your favourite too. Next choose the star points , pick a colour from the petal print, then choose the focal centre fabric and the ring around it. I think PJ Feathers might be cool here, there is a section of the Feathers where there is the peacock's tail with it's eye - look at it, it kind of screams Me, Me, you might need a bit of yardage though.
In the pattern pack, I did put this CAUTION paragraph in regards to cutting the background fabric.
The 4 corners of the block tapered to a line in the centres, and there is absolutely no way you can make a plastic template cut to this line. So, make the template as far as you can, and instead of cutting the background fabric and then marking the sewing line, this time you'll need to mark the sewing line first. Extend that line 6" from the corners and mark the point, you'll be sewing to this point. If you don't do this, you are going to be a bit short!
Six Pointed Star Block:
Again, watch out re cutting the background fabric, the 4 corners of the block tapered into a line in the middle, proceed as the above block - please read, it is important ( it is mentioned in the pattern pack also).
You have the shot cotton background, now choose the fabric for the large segments, make the plastic template first and use it to audition the parts of the fabric, see above as per 4 stars block. Then match the star points fabric to the large segments and then the circles in the centre. I love this block. One day, I'm going to make a quilt using this block.
The Wheel block:
You'll need to choose the blades for the centre circle, something that will go with the shot cotton background. Stripes always add a lot of movement to the block, I've used KF Serape and the Spots. Try others, KF Mirage for example. Again make that see through plastic template as per 4 Stars Block above so that you can audition the area of your chosen fabric.
For the applique in the corners, you are asked to cut 2 squares, draw the applique design on the 2 opposite corners, applique the patches, press then use the template to mark the sewing lines, then cut after adding seam allowance. If you cut first, then applique, the fabric will stretch and it will be harder to manage.
If you need to see how to hand piece a curved edge, please refer to previous tutorial on handpiecing. ( see link for tutorials under the banner)
Oops, almost forgot, the Ninepatch and Flower Spray Blocks up above the Folly:
They are pretty simple, you need to do the applique first on the oversized patches, then press, mark with templates, add seam allowance and cut. Then proceed with the piecing.
Choose the 5 shotcottons for the backgrounds and then the prints that go with the shot cottons.
Also, if you have EQ 7 or previous EQ software, you can use their block library to change the blocks, just make sure they are the right size.
If you don't want to do the whole Pandemonium Quilt, you can use the applique blocks to make a baby quilt or a wall hanging, or a floor cushion. Do what you like and make it your own, I love to see it, so please post pictures!
Hope these tutorials have been of some interest to you, do let me know if you need something clarified.
Many thanks for reading, and please post you work, Love to see it. Kim McL
Monday, June 11, 2012
Pandemonium Quilt Tutorials # 5, House & Horse yard blocks, 8" pieced flower baskets and 4" circle in diamond blocks
Hello everyone,
Hope you're all happily stitching at something,
We'll go through the House block first,
With this one, choose the roofing first, then the middle section where the the flower box is and then the upper part of the roof where the circular window is. Line up these three fabrics and see if they are working or not, they are very noticeable parts of the block. I've used KF Diagonal Stripes. Why? because I love the fabric! This is the first fabric I chose, then the other two. A fabric like BM Rings or KF Plink might be worth auditioning for a different effect. The house bricks - I used Shingles in grey but I think it looks too pale, try the green one - it is more grey than green and it is a darker grey. Choose the curtains - BM Straws, Wrinkle, Waves or Plaid come to mind, or something in small florals? It can a be a chintzy one then! Mine was BM Bones, long gone now. The " sheer curtain" was KF Lotus Leaf in the pastel. The door will have to balance the roof, mine is the BM Herringbone, but try other geometrics.
The next thing you need to choose is the big tree and then, once chosen, the smaller tree. I like using the big florals in Phillip Jacob's or Kaffe's for trees, the big florals give the tree different colours and that makes it interesting. Examples of these big florals: KF August Rose, Cabbage Patch, Cabbage and Rose, Lotus Leaf and Bekah. And PJ Floral Burst, Brassica, Luscious in pink to name a few.
Now, having made decisions for the big pieces, lay out the ironed out shapes on the the background fabric ( see tutorial # 1) you can use the smaller shapes to fill out with the needed colours. Lay them all out on the background as you iron and cut. It is really fun to see the block come alive with the addition of the smaller pieces. Remember that you can still add more colours in the circles.
The Horse Yard:
I love this block, but then I love horses, they are gorgeous animals, skittish and elegant at the same time. Choose the fabrics for the 5 trees first, I've chosen to do them all in different green fabrics, but you can do these in different colours if you like, just keep an eye out for the colours of the horses nearby, you might not want 2 trees and horses all in red for example. You can choose the left tree now if you like or later after the horses. There are 8 horses, so gather your fabric combinations for these. I would choose the bodies first, then match the tails and faces. Spread the colours evenly, if you have a darkish horse at one end, try and have a similar one at the opposite side, it is a matter of balancing the block. After this, choose the other fabrics for the rest of the smaller pieces. I've found that using all red and pink hues for the circles are beneficial for adding colours, I guess it is like putting on a pink or red lipstick!
Whilst we are on the photograph, we might as well look at the 4 pieced/ applique blocks under the Horse Yard.
Decide the 4 colour groupings - whether you'd like these to be in blues, browns or whatever. Now, choose the 4 different shot cottons colours. For each shot cotton, choose 4 different prints that go with the shot cotton. I also used different solids as well as the same prints for the little triangles. Regarding the appliqued flowers, I would do the applique first in the oversized square as per pattern instruction, then when applique is done, mark with template the correct size, add seam allowance and trim, then go on with the piecing.
The Vertical Pot Block and the Circle in Diamond blocks:
The applique pot is not really that hard, choose the flower combinations and lay them out and see.
The Circle in Diamond blocks:
I would choose the fabrics for the focal circles first, then find shot cotton that goes with it, then find fabric for the triangles.
Applique the circles to the oversized squares first, press then mark with the square template ( see tutorial # 2) and proceed with piecing.
Till next time, happy stitching and please ask if anything is not clear, Kim McL
PS, if you're in Sydney, the Sydney Quilt Show is on from tomorrow ( Wednesday) till Sunday, you'll find the Pandemonium Quilt hanging there for display only, it is not in a competition. Also hanging for display only is the Mariner's Compass, this one is in the reproduction fabrics, the last quilt I did in repros before I moved on to the Kaffe Collective. This poor quilt has been shoved in the corner of my sewing room for a good 10 yrs, it needed some hand quilting to get it done. So, last Christmas holiday period, I actually sat down and finished the hand quilting. I don't have a professional photograph yet, if I manage to take a photo at some stage during the quilt show, I'll post it. K
Monday, June 4, 2012
Pandemonium animals
The second animal block is Hetty the pink pig.
Quilter501
Pandemonium Quilt tutorial # 4, hand piecing, kitchen garden and the folly.
In this tutorial, I'll cover the handpiecing, the way I do it anyway, perhaps others have other methods? I'm going to copy sections of Basic Quilt Making in the book " The Fabrics of Society" which I co-authored with Annette Gero:
Mark patches with the template, on the concave curve, clip the seam allowance.
Pin the right sides of patches together, then sew with tiny running stitch, and backstitch every 3 to 4 stitches. Check the other side also, to make sure the stitches are on the line.
Done!
If you are going to do lots of these Variable Stars and Pinwheels, gather your fabrics. I've used the shot cottons and prints.
For the stars, choose fabric for square D first as this is the focal fabric, then choose the star points - perhaps in a colour that is in the square D and then choose a contrast or coordinating colour in the shot cottons for the background of the star.
For the Pinwheel, choose the print and then the shot cotton in something that will go with the print.
The Kitchen Garden:
I love this block! Those bias strips are meant to be the hedges. I've used BM "Shingles" - the green colour is probably better than the grey one I used, it's too light and used the Clover Bias Maker gadget to make the bias strips. Some stripey fabric would be great here too.
When stitching the bias strips onto the background fabric, make sure that they extend all the way to the edge of the background fabric. The last thing you need is for the hedges to be too short when you are at the stage of measuring the final block to cut off the excess seam allowance! ( I've done this, and I was not a happy camper!)
Decide on the fabrics for the garden benches aka the cats' sleeping areas. Something that read solid like the "shell scape". ( Refer to last tutorial - see up the top under the banner for a link to previous tutorials) For the cats and dog, look at the "feathers", "scallops" or "shell montage"- there are lots of furry textures there.
The vegetable plots - these are fun, choose the middle part of the vegie bits first and centre the motif of the fabric and then choose the leaves parts. The animals in the middle, choose the bigger ones first and then use the smaller ones to balance out the colours. The applique pieces here are quite small, so you can use up the scraps. I don't think there is much of a problem here, lots of colours is the general idea. It's amazing how reds and pinks lift up the other colours.
Below this block is the panel " Rooster & Hen Vine". Choose the rooster & hen first and then gather the fabrics for the leaves and berries, line them up and look at the array first before you iron the templates. I used the "ombre" for the rooster and his tail is the PJ "Miami" - this fabric is really great - I also used it in the "Disc" block. Have a look at it and see what you can find! I've used BM " rings" for the hen, this fabric line is really useful, lots of rings for circles and it is also lovely for the larger animals.
The Folly:
With this block, you'll need to decide on the roofing, choose 2 fabrics that coordinate together, I used the KF yarn dyed stripe fabric, but this particular colouring may have been discontinued. Look up the Glorious Color site for stripes that are currently available. Really, not too worry, there are other stripes you can choose from, the BM lines have a few, or you can use something with dots like the hen fabric above, then pair it with a shot cotton, the contrast will be lovely. Then choose the fabric for the building structure, something that read solid ( see previous tutorial), I used the BM "shingle" in grey, again I think its a bit too pale, try the green one which is slightly darker. After this, choose the fabric for the dome thing up the top and the awning, the "ombre" is good for this as there are a lot of colours in each width. Next, choose the 2 trees on either side of the folly, and then decide on the pots. Something that will balance out the roofing. After this, choose the steps and the cats and dogs. For the birds on the lower section, try and choose colours that will balance the roof so you'll get an even distribution of colour density. Also do the birds above at the same time to make sure they are roughly at the same colour depth. I love the " coleous" fabric for the birds! Lastly, do the berries, use these to add more colours to the block, or to add colours that are still missing. I did some stem stitch embroidery for the hanging basket. It's not hard is it?
OK, let me know if you want me to clarify something, I'm only too happy to do so, if I know the answer that is! Hope this tutorial have been useful. We'll go and do the Horse Yard and the House next time. Have a lovely time stitching, and don't forget to post your photos! K
HAND PIECING:
The following photographs illustrate basic hand piecing. The important points to remember are: sew small stitches, back stitch every three or four stitches, check that the seam lines on both patches match and do not sew over seam lines as you would in machine sewing. In hand piecing, leave seam allowances free, trim seam allowances when the quilt is completed. Use matching thread or medium grey if there are a lot of patches in different colours. With hand piecing, it is perhaps best not to press seams as you go, the less it is handled, the less likely it is for the quilt to be stretched out of shape. I suggest press once before the quilt is basted with batting and backing fabric.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWN BELOW ARE FOR LEFT HANDED PEOPLE, FOR RIGHT HANDED PERSONS, SEW RIGHT TO LEFT. (I’m a left hander)
Mark patches, add seam allowance and cut pieces.
Arrange the pieces.
Place right sides of patches together, pin and sew. Backstitch every 3 to 4 stitches.
Look at the second patch at the back of work, check that the stitching is still on the sewing line.
Pin the patches at the intersection and at the last pinning point ( and in between if you wish)
And sew towards the intersection.
Slip the needle at the intersection, don't sew over it as you would with machine piecing.
Finish sewing to the end, double stitch to knot.
For curved piecing:
Mark patches with the template, on the concave curve, clip the seam allowance.
Pin the right sides of patches together, then sew with tiny running stitch, and backstitch every 3 to 4 stitches. Check the other side also, to make sure the stitches are on the line.
Done!
If you are going to do lots of these Variable Stars and Pinwheels, gather your fabrics. I've used the shot cottons and prints.
For the stars, choose fabric for square D first as this is the focal fabric, then choose the star points - perhaps in a colour that is in the square D and then choose a contrast or coordinating colour in the shot cottons for the background of the star.
For the Pinwheel, choose the print and then the shot cotton in something that will go with the print.
The Kitchen Garden:
When stitching the bias strips onto the background fabric, make sure that they extend all the way to the edge of the background fabric. The last thing you need is for the hedges to be too short when you are at the stage of measuring the final block to cut off the excess seam allowance! ( I've done this, and I was not a happy camper!)
Decide on the fabrics for the garden benches aka the cats' sleeping areas. Something that read solid like the "shell scape". ( Refer to last tutorial - see up the top under the banner for a link to previous tutorials) For the cats and dog, look at the "feathers", "scallops" or "shell montage"- there are lots of furry textures there.
The vegetable plots - these are fun, choose the middle part of the vegie bits first and centre the motif of the fabric and then choose the leaves parts. The animals in the middle, choose the bigger ones first and then use the smaller ones to balance out the colours. The applique pieces here are quite small, so you can use up the scraps. I don't think there is much of a problem here, lots of colours is the general idea. It's amazing how reds and pinks lift up the other colours.
Below this block is the panel " Rooster & Hen Vine". Choose the rooster & hen first and then gather the fabrics for the leaves and berries, line them up and look at the array first before you iron the templates. I used the "ombre" for the rooster and his tail is the PJ "Miami" - this fabric is really great - I also used it in the "Disc" block. Have a look at it and see what you can find! I've used BM " rings" for the hen, this fabric line is really useful, lots of rings for circles and it is also lovely for the larger animals.
The Folly:
OK, let me know if you want me to clarify something, I'm only too happy to do so, if I know the answer that is! Hope this tutorial have been useful. We'll go and do the Horse Yard and the House next time. Have a lovely time stitching, and don't forget to post your photos! K
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Pandemonium Quilt Tutorial # 3 - The Pond & The Fountain
Hello Everyone,
Thank you for doing the comments on the last post, I also learnt a few things!
I was going to do a longer tutorial today but I'm on another computer and this one is really, really really slow, I'm hoping it will upload itself because there is a photo below.
Have you noticed there is now a link to the tutorials? It is above the banner picture up the top. Thank you Janet!
I thought I'd go over the The Pond block first then the Fountain later.
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When I start a new quilt, I need to "get into it" first, because usually it would have been some months since I've touched the fabrics in the baskets and I can't remember what each fabric offers in terms of components for the different bits of the applique.
I would usually choose a block that has a lot of little shapes in it with no major parts that I need to watch out for. The Pond fills this bill really well, it has many small shapes which will make me rummage my tidied baskets mercilessly.
The first thing I did was to do the actual pond itself. Trace the design onto the pond background fabric, number the shapes ( see tutorial # 1) and choose the fabrics, iron the freezer paper templates on to the prints and cut and place them on the pond fabric so that you can see how your colours are going. Choose the fabrics for the swans first - need body and wings and the head plume. I would use a textured fabric that reads solid and a contrasting print for the wing and something solid for the head plume that goes with the body. if you go to the GloriousColor website, look at the following fabrics for what I call "textured fabrics that read solid":
KF " Rosette" - there are a lot of colours here but if you look at the flowers individually, I can see a bird's body there, when you iron the template for the body, you're going to see only that colour and it looks solid but has texture in it. I hope I'm describing this right, really hard to put into words, wish this is a real class!
PJ "Shell Montage", " Scallops" and "Feathers" have areas that read solid & textured.
BM " Shell Scapes", " Aurora", "Babble" & " Shingles" - these are more geometric but there are areas where the effect is solid. It all depends on how big the shape of the applique is.
The next things you'll be choosing are the ducks, fish and frogs combinations of fabrics. Work from the swans outwards and you'll be watching the colours develop. When the animals are done, use the plants to increase the colours, see if you need more greens or reds or yellows or whatever. I did some minor embroidery for the water lilies stalks.
Go back to the background of the block, you'll see that you need to applique the reeds first along the top edge of the pond. These are made using the Clover bias strips maker 1/4". Now, applique the pond onto the background. This will make it easier or you to decide on the colours for the other shapes.
Next, I would choose the fabrics for the trees, I used the PJ " Floralburst" and "Lacy" ( I think this is the name for it), other suggestions for the trees:
KF " Cabbage Patch", Diagonal Stripe"
BM " Petra" , " Plaids", "Pythons", " Sand Dollar", "Dancing Paisley" in green & pink - these are my fave colours and "Rings". I also love " Gone Fishing", there are large fish area that might be interesting to use as trees. I don't think it would matter if you go out to the other area of the fabric if your tree is bigger than the fish! I bet by now you've found lots of fabrics with useful parts.
The cats are next - I love the PJ "shell" and "scallop" fabrics for these but check out the new "feathers" - some beauties there.
Now that you can see a lot more colours sitting on the background fabric, choose fabrics for the 5 standard tree pots. I find these to be quite fun. Choose the lollypop tree, then the centres of the pots, then a coordinating print to go with centre and then the round things for the planter feet and the circles up the top. To name a few, look at the following fabrics for the trees: " Big Blooms", " Radiation" , " Parasols", " Shell", " Scallops", " Feathers", " Petunias", " Suzani", " Iris & Peony". If you examine the big florals, you'll find a lot of things that might be suitable for the pot's centres - things like the centre of flowers or the smaller secondary motifs in the fabrics. Look at "ombres", "aboriginal dots" for the contrast outside area of the pots. Use a solid for the round things - in a colour that is in the pot.
Choose the fabrics for the birds feeding on the trees. Choose colours that might be missing from the whole picture or something that coordinate with the trees. I would pick a colour that appears in the standard tree and then choose something that is a contrast to it.
Below the pond, choose fabrics for the turtles, find a feature area in a fabric, might be centre of flower in the fabric, its not a big area, but it needs to be quite distinctive, also look in the " feather" fabric. Choose the lower bird's fabric, look at the Coleous, Feathers, Shells, I'm sure by now you've found lots of things for the birds.
Now that you've got most of the fabrics chosen sitting on the background fabric, fill up the missing colours in the flowers/ leaves around the pond.
Lastly, fill up the berries on the trees using a mixture of strong reds, pinks and a sprinkling of other strong colours, these berries are used to add colours. Not hard is it? I did some outline embroidery around the pond, I think it is called " stem" stitch.
The Fountain.
The first item you need to choose is the arbour tree, I've used the "ombre" because you can make the tree go from one colour to another from the bottom to the top. " Ombre" comes in many colourways, choose one that you love, then choose the fabric for the fountain. This block is really easy as far as for choosing the fabrics. The hard part is the very many circles to sew ( what was I thinking?)
When I cut out the little circles for the fountain, I numbered it according to the "squirt" - so, "squirt" # 1 has 5 circles and this would be numbered 1/1,1/2, 1/3 etc and I would put these in a separate little ziplock. I then gathered a collection of blue/turquoise shot cottons and use these for the water droplets. Iron the circles to the different blues and re - bag these before they get lost. Later,I would applique these circles with the freezer paper templates still on top ( save myself from marking them)
I love fountains, real ones as well as the applique variety. I did mine in " shell scapes" but I could have easily done in other fabrics, " Shingles" came into mind, also some stripe fabric like the "Serape" or "Python" might be interesting.Choose a fabric that will go with your rose arbour.
Choose the fabrics for the 4 birds, I should have chosen something with a bit more contrast to the trees I think, mine kind of "merged" a bit! The pots shouldn't be problem, put whatever takes your fancy. Don't forget the star in the middle of the fountain. If you've chosen a fabric with a feature motif that you can centre where the star is, you'll save yourself from having to do the star - or you can skip the star!
Now, the " roses" circles. As the tree have changed colour from the bottom up, you might like to keep an eye for the colours of the circles. In mine, some of the red circles are too close in colour to the tree branches, I think I should have put some green or strong yellows next to the orangey part of tree.
Till next time, happy stitching! I'll go over the Kitchen Garden and the Folly and perhaps some basic handpiecing ( I do mostly hand piecing). I'm not good at machine piecing but I think I can do some step by step tutorial for the easy blocks like the star and pinwheels. Or is this going to be too simple for most of you? Cheers, Kim McL
Thank you for doing the comments on the last post, I also learnt a few things!
I was going to do a longer tutorial today but I'm on another computer and this one is really, really really slow, I'm hoping it will upload itself because there is a photo below.
Have you noticed there is now a link to the tutorials? It is above the banner picture up the top. Thank you Janet!
I thought I'd go over the The Pond block first then the Fountain later.
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When I start a new quilt, I need to "get into it" first, because usually it would have been some months since I've touched the fabrics in the baskets and I can't remember what each fabric offers in terms of components for the different bits of the applique.
I would usually choose a block that has a lot of little shapes in it with no major parts that I need to watch out for. The Pond fills this bill really well, it has many small shapes which will make me rummage my tidied baskets mercilessly.
The first thing I did was to do the actual pond itself. Trace the design onto the pond background fabric, number the shapes ( see tutorial # 1) and choose the fabrics, iron the freezer paper templates on to the prints and cut and place them on the pond fabric so that you can see how your colours are going. Choose the fabrics for the swans first - need body and wings and the head plume. I would use a textured fabric that reads solid and a contrasting print for the wing and something solid for the head plume that goes with the body. if you go to the GloriousColor website, look at the following fabrics for what I call "textured fabrics that read solid":
KF " Rosette" - there are a lot of colours here but if you look at the flowers individually, I can see a bird's body there, when you iron the template for the body, you're going to see only that colour and it looks solid but has texture in it. I hope I'm describing this right, really hard to put into words, wish this is a real class!
PJ "Shell Montage", " Scallops" and "Feathers" have areas that read solid & textured.
BM " Shell Scapes", " Aurora", "Babble" & " Shingles" - these are more geometric but there are areas where the effect is solid. It all depends on how big the shape of the applique is.
The next things you'll be choosing are the ducks, fish and frogs combinations of fabrics. Work from the swans outwards and you'll be watching the colours develop. When the animals are done, use the plants to increase the colours, see if you need more greens or reds or yellows or whatever. I did some minor embroidery for the water lilies stalks.
Go back to the background of the block, you'll see that you need to applique the reeds first along the top edge of the pond. These are made using the Clover bias strips maker 1/4". Now, applique the pond onto the background. This will make it easier or you to decide on the colours for the other shapes.
Next, I would choose the fabrics for the trees, I used the PJ " Floralburst" and "Lacy" ( I think this is the name for it), other suggestions for the trees:
KF " Cabbage Patch", Diagonal Stripe"
BM " Petra" , " Plaids", "Pythons", " Sand Dollar", "Dancing Paisley" in green & pink - these are my fave colours and "Rings". I also love " Gone Fishing", there are large fish area that might be interesting to use as trees. I don't think it would matter if you go out to the other area of the fabric if your tree is bigger than the fish! I bet by now you've found lots of fabrics with useful parts.
The cats are next - I love the PJ "shell" and "scallop" fabrics for these but check out the new "feathers" - some beauties there.
Now that you can see a lot more colours sitting on the background fabric, choose fabrics for the 5 standard tree pots. I find these to be quite fun. Choose the lollypop tree, then the centres of the pots, then a coordinating print to go with centre and then the round things for the planter feet and the circles up the top. To name a few, look at the following fabrics for the trees: " Big Blooms", " Radiation" , " Parasols", " Shell", " Scallops", " Feathers", " Petunias", " Suzani", " Iris & Peony". If you examine the big florals, you'll find a lot of things that might be suitable for the pot's centres - things like the centre of flowers or the smaller secondary motifs in the fabrics. Look at "ombres", "aboriginal dots" for the contrast outside area of the pots. Use a solid for the round things - in a colour that is in the pot.
Choose the fabrics for the birds feeding on the trees. Choose colours that might be missing from the whole picture or something that coordinate with the trees. I would pick a colour that appears in the standard tree and then choose something that is a contrast to it.
Below the pond, choose fabrics for the turtles, find a feature area in a fabric, might be centre of flower in the fabric, its not a big area, but it needs to be quite distinctive, also look in the " feather" fabric. Choose the lower bird's fabric, look at the Coleous, Feathers, Shells, I'm sure by now you've found lots of things for the birds.
Now that you've got most of the fabrics chosen sitting on the background fabric, fill up the missing colours in the flowers/ leaves around the pond.
Lastly, fill up the berries on the trees using a mixture of strong reds, pinks and a sprinkling of other strong colours, these berries are used to add colours. Not hard is it? I did some outline embroidery around the pond, I think it is called " stem" stitch.
The Fountain.
The first item you need to choose is the arbour tree, I've used the "ombre" because you can make the tree go from one colour to another from the bottom to the top. " Ombre" comes in many colourways, choose one that you love, then choose the fabric for the fountain. This block is really easy as far as for choosing the fabrics. The hard part is the very many circles to sew ( what was I thinking?)
When I cut out the little circles for the fountain, I numbered it according to the "squirt" - so, "squirt" # 1 has 5 circles and this would be numbered 1/1,1/2, 1/3 etc and I would put these in a separate little ziplock. I then gathered a collection of blue/turquoise shot cottons and use these for the water droplets. Iron the circles to the different blues and re - bag these before they get lost. Later,I would applique these circles with the freezer paper templates still on top ( save myself from marking them)
I love fountains, real ones as well as the applique variety. I did mine in " shell scapes" but I could have easily done in other fabrics, " Shingles" came into mind, also some stripe fabric like the "Serape" or "Python" might be interesting.Choose a fabric that will go with your rose arbour.
Choose the fabrics for the 4 birds, I should have chosen something with a bit more contrast to the trees I think, mine kind of "merged" a bit! The pots shouldn't be problem, put whatever takes your fancy. Don't forget the star in the middle of the fountain. If you've chosen a fabric with a feature motif that you can centre where the star is, you'll save yourself from having to do the star - or you can skip the star!
Now, the " roses" circles. As the tree have changed colour from the bottom up, you might like to keep an eye for the colours of the circles. In mine, some of the red circles are too close in colour to the tree branches, I think I should have put some green or strong yellows next to the orangey part of tree.
Till next time, happy stitching! I'll go over the Kitchen Garden and the Folly and perhaps some basic handpiecing ( I do mostly hand piecing). I'm not good at machine piecing but I think I can do some step by step tutorial for the easy blocks like the star and pinwheels. Or is this going to be too simple for most of you? Cheers, Kim McL
Monday, May 21, 2012
My first Pandemonium block
I am not a photographer and only have my phone to take pix which don't do anything for the truly awesome colors on this quilt.
Well, I finally finished the first block of Pandemonium and one of my first total applique pieces.
I usually have done much smaller, less complex pieces. But what a joy!!!! I learned a lot Some of what I learned.
l. I had to zigzag around the block because it was beginning to ravel a lot on me.....and I still have enough to cut it off rather than have to rip it out.
2. I tried to use the "droplets" in one of Kaffe's fabrics for the fountain water instead of the smaller plain circles and discovered I really think I will re-do them at a later date to look more like the pattern. I kind of thought I would like the "folk art" look of the droplets, but as of yet, am undecided.........
3. Circles are really HARD for a beginner. I used Karen Buckley's perfect circles, a drafter's circle stencil ,and then scrapbooking punches on double freezer paper with starch etc. The last way worked best for me, but I haven't quite figured out the coordination to iron around little circles and use the stiletto at the same time........looks like I will have lots of opportunities to practice and can only hope I get better.
4. I reversed my transparent plastic and ended up inadvertently making the same planter on both sides of the fountain. But I like it so.........
But I am loving the pattern, and fabrics and am going to use this quilt as my GROWING project. The tutorials have been so helpful.
But I am loving the pattern, and fabrics and am going to use this quilt as my GROWING project. The tutorials have been so helpful.
Quilter501
posted by janet for a guest blogger
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Pandemonium Quilt tutorial #2 - fabrics, double circle blocks
Hello Everyone!
Thank you for the feed back on the tutorial # 1 - glad that you are getting something out of it.
I thought I'll rabbit on a bit about fabrics, the most important thing is to look at fabrics as a source of components for the various bits of the applique shapes. Quite a lot of fabrics in the Kaffe Collectives are rather busy and usually I can find lots of things in it to use for appplique. When I open my fabric package from GloriousColor, I pull each fabric to it's full width and look for the interesting areas to use.
take the " Coleus" fabric below, those leaf veins are great for bird's tails for example, or a little tree?
and the bit below might be good for the body of the bird or a fruit or a vase - with the lines going horizontal. The leaf shape next to it, is also interesting, for a flower perhaps? Move your freezer paper templates around the fabric and see! Don't look at the fabric as a whole, find the components, you'll be surprised how many useful portions there are in a fabric.
Here is another great fabric, " Scallops" - I used this for the dog's body in the quilt. I can see quite a few different animal bodies with this fabric. If you look at the other colourways you'll find even more useful items.
Still the " Scalops" fabric - can you see a tree?
Or with this one - you can use this for the cat's face if you include some of the lighter area below it. Or - if you position the tree template half on the 3rd layer and the other half on the lower layer, the tree will be more interesting than a plain green fabric, don't you agree?
This one would make a great tail or a vase?
This " Shell Montage" fabric is one of my favourite - in all colourways! I've used this for a lot of bird parts and flowers, again move your templates around and see what you can find.
I've used this portion as the standard tree in the " Pond" block.
This " Feathers" fabric is fantastic, can you see a lot of use for this one?
Or this bit?
This is the " Brassica" - it is all yummyness. Trees, flowers, bird wings, leaves?
I love this fabric " Mirage" , used it a lot in the " Roseville Album" - it would be great for one of the biggish tree, then you can put a lot of different colour circles for the fruits.
And this is the " Ombre", my favourite, it comes in 2 new colours. I used it in the " Fountain" block, I love the way the " arbour" changes colour.
I also love stripes, very useful for vases or planters or building structures. Also in pieced blocks, see the " Wheel" in the quilt.
This fabric is great for the big pieces as well as for the small animal parts. I've used it in the
" Disc" block. I can see bird wings here!
I've used this fabric a lot, not sure of the name but if you go to the GloriousColors website you'll find it there. Great for the larger trees, as the colour moves from red to pink with touches of greens.
And this one " Floral Burst" I think it is called. If you use this for the bigger trees, the tree will have quite a few colours in it.
In a real class, it is much easier to show useful fabrics. I hope you get the idea with the few examples above. The only thing is that I very rarely do classes these days as I have a day job!
I am due to teach in New Zealand though, in July 2013 at the Taupo Quilt Symposium for 3 days. Love to see you if you are in that part of the world!
The next item I'm going to move on to, is the " Double Circle" blocks that form the borders and sashings. For these blocks, I have these nifty gadgets which I purchased at quilt shows. These circle template stacks are made by a company called " Victorian Textiles " but they they are wholesalers. I've checked with Kathy at " Material Obsession" and she has these in stock if you think you might need them. They come in 3 different packs, one is in 1" - 5" diameter, the next is 5 1/2" to 8" and 8 1/2" - 10" and they come in 1/2" increments. They look like the photo below. Each circle has cross hairs on it so you can line them up.
If you read the instruction, for these double circle blocks, you are asked to cut 5" square for the background ( the green) and 4" square for the outer circle ( the yellow ) and an interesting 2" circle for the focal circle ( the purple) You can also buy the stack of squares!
Press the squares so that you can see their midlines.
I've lined up the 2" circle on top of the 3" one and drew the circle on it. I'm going to use this as a guide later.
I've used the 2" circle to mark the area, also mark with pencil the centres - I've put the pins there show you in case you can't see the pen marks.
Now, line up those marks on the purple fabric with the creased centre lines on the yellow fabric.
Applique.
When done, put the 3" circle with the drawn in 2" on top and line it up with the appliqued circle and the pressed midlines. You'll have below.
Place the marked yellow fabric on the green and line up the creased line and applique the circle.
When done, turn it and onto the wrong side, you need to mark the 4" square. I've also drawn in the 3" circle inside the 4" square. This is the sewing line of the block. If you are going sew using the machine later on, mark the 3" circle inside a 4 1/2" square.
And cut away the excess fabric using the 4 1/2" square, see below.
Finished block - easy, right!
Now, a little bit about which applique block to do first - you might like to think about this. I'll go through each applique block in more detail in the future tutorials.
I don't know about you, but the first block always seems to be the hardest to crack. I think it is because you need to " get into it". I know writers, painters who need to do a trial run first each time they sit down to do some work. I think you need to get the hang of the fabrics in your stash. So, I'll choose a block where you don't need to do a " major" decision - eg the Folly or the House blocks where you have to decide what the roof and building structures would need.
I did the Pond block first - the actual pond itself. I did all the applique of the pond's animals, press and would use the completed piece in the block. By using this as an entree, you'll break the ice. You'll loosen up.
The other block which would serve as an entree is the Fountain. Not too many decisions here.
I'll try to do another tutorial soon, depends if I can get through the day job faster! Cheers, Kim McL
Thank you for the feed back on the tutorial # 1 - glad that you are getting something out of it.
I thought I'll rabbit on a bit about fabrics, the most important thing is to look at fabrics as a source of components for the various bits of the applique shapes. Quite a lot of fabrics in the Kaffe Collectives are rather busy and usually I can find lots of things in it to use for appplique. When I open my fabric package from GloriousColor, I pull each fabric to it's full width and look for the interesting areas to use.
take the " Coleus" fabric below, those leaf veins are great for bird's tails for example, or a little tree?
and the bit below might be good for the body of the bird or a fruit or a vase - with the lines going horizontal. The leaf shape next to it, is also interesting, for a flower perhaps? Move your freezer paper templates around the fabric and see! Don't look at the fabric as a whole, find the components, you'll be surprised how many useful portions there are in a fabric.
Here is another great fabric, " Scallops" - I used this for the dog's body in the quilt. I can see quite a few different animal bodies with this fabric. If you look at the other colourways you'll find even more useful items.
Still the " Scalops" fabric - can you see a tree?
Or with this one - you can use this for the cat's face if you include some of the lighter area below it. Or - if you position the tree template half on the 3rd layer and the other half on the lower layer, the tree will be more interesting than a plain green fabric, don't you agree?
This one would make a great tail or a vase?
This " Shell Montage" fabric is one of my favourite - in all colourways! I've used this for a lot of bird parts and flowers, again move your templates around and see what you can find.
I've used this portion as the standard tree in the " Pond" block.
This " Feathers" fabric is fantastic, can you see a lot of use for this one?
Or this bit?
This is the " Brassica" - it is all yummyness. Trees, flowers, bird wings, leaves?
I love this fabric " Mirage" , used it a lot in the " Roseville Album" - it would be great for one of the biggish tree, then you can put a lot of different colour circles for the fruits.
And this is the " Ombre", my favourite, it comes in 2 new colours. I used it in the " Fountain" block, I love the way the " arbour" changes colour.
I also love stripes, very useful for vases or planters or building structures. Also in pieced blocks, see the " Wheel" in the quilt.
This fabric is great for the big pieces as well as for the small animal parts. I've used it in the
" Disc" block. I can see bird wings here!
I've used this fabric a lot, not sure of the name but if you go to the GloriousColors website you'll find it there. Great for the larger trees, as the colour moves from red to pink with touches of greens.
And this one " Floral Burst" I think it is called. If you use this for the bigger trees, the tree will have quite a few colours in it.
In a real class, it is much easier to show useful fabrics. I hope you get the idea with the few examples above. The only thing is that I very rarely do classes these days as I have a day job!
I am due to teach in New Zealand though, in July 2013 at the Taupo Quilt Symposium for 3 days. Love to see you if you are in that part of the world!
The next item I'm going to move on to, is the " Double Circle" blocks that form the borders and sashings. For these blocks, I have these nifty gadgets which I purchased at quilt shows. These circle template stacks are made by a company called " Victorian Textiles " but they they are wholesalers. I've checked with Kathy at " Material Obsession" and she has these in stock if you think you might need them. They come in 3 different packs, one is in 1" - 5" diameter, the next is 5 1/2" to 8" and 8 1/2" - 10" and they come in 1/2" increments. They look like the photo below. Each circle has cross hairs on it so you can line them up.
If you read the instruction, for these double circle blocks, you are asked to cut 5" square for the background ( the green) and 4" square for the outer circle ( the yellow ) and an interesting 2" circle for the focal circle ( the purple) You can also buy the stack of squares!
Press the squares so that you can see their midlines.
Now, line up those marks on the purple fabric with the creased centre lines on the yellow fabric.
Applique.
When done, put the 3" circle with the drawn in 2" on top and line it up with the appliqued circle and the pressed midlines. You'll have below.
Place the marked yellow fabric on the green and line up the creased line and applique the circle.
When done, turn it and onto the wrong side, you need to mark the 4" square. I've also drawn in the 3" circle inside the 4" square. This is the sewing line of the block. If you are going sew using the machine later on, mark the 3" circle inside a 4 1/2" square.
And cut away the excess fabric using the 4 1/2" square, see below.
Finished block - easy, right!
Now, a little bit about which applique block to do first - you might like to think about this. I'll go through each applique block in more detail in the future tutorials.
I don't know about you, but the first block always seems to be the hardest to crack. I think it is because you need to " get into it". I know writers, painters who need to do a trial run first each time they sit down to do some work. I think you need to get the hang of the fabrics in your stash. So, I'll choose a block where you don't need to do a " major" decision - eg the Folly or the House blocks where you have to decide what the roof and building structures would need.
I did the Pond block first - the actual pond itself. I did all the applique of the pond's animals, press and would use the completed piece in the block. By using this as an entree, you'll break the ice. You'll loosen up.
The other block which would serve as an entree is the Fountain. Not too many decisions here.
I'll try to do another tutorial soon, depends if I can get through the day job faster! Cheers, Kim McL
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