Quaranstitching: West of the Atlantic (With a Mask Tutorial!)

Last week, Kara shared what she's been working on east of the Atlantic during our Stay at Home time, both stitching and otherwise. Today, it is my turn to share the "quaranstitching" projects under my needles. At this point, I have several things going at once, so depending on how energetic I'm feeling, I can choose to be creative, or just stitch without much thought—enjoying the sheer process of the needle, thread, and fabric coming together.

My first project (after I did some organizing in my sewing studio) was to work on another block from our Woodland Reverie quilt. Before leaving for the Academy, I had stitched the blue frames and the stems; I was just beginning the process of fussy cutting the leaves while I was in Williamsburg. Color selection is always the most enjoyable—albeit occasionally daunting—part of the process. This block experienced many possible iterations before I settled on this palette. The whole personality of a block can change with different color choices, which makes this project so much fun, especially with the light and dark backgrounds.

My final block, with a limited number of colors

Kara's more colorful version: I love the way each flower has a subtle reference to the colors of another bloom, pulling out the orange and purples.

Next on my list of stitching to-dos was to prepare my Baltimore Fraktur quilt top for hand quilting. The center block of this wall hanging is one of our classes at Baltimore on the Prairie in September. Wool is a challenge to quilt, so I planned to use big stitches with pearl cotton. 

 

I used a wool batt and pin-basted the layers together. In the center, I used a neutral thread (Valdani pearl #12) and quilted around the appliquéd elements. For the pinwheel blocks, I am using a Painters Threads hand-dyed pearl #12 to echo the seam lines. I wasn't sure if I would like it, so it was a chance to take, but it I am enjoying the process. As I make more progress, I think I even like the result. A good thing, as I'm not sure with the thicker thread that I could turn back now!

Progress

Mask-making had been on my mind, as our local hospital requested that the local chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America make cotton masks for donation. They gave us a specific pattern to follow, which looked pretty simple to make. Click here for the pattern I used. I found a couple packages of elastic, so I spent a day going through my batik stash (a finely woven cotton) and making a bunch of masks. By the end of the day, my family members had claimed most of the ones I made, with special requests for the grandchildren, as well. A few Star Wars masks may have made the pile...

Not bad for a day's work!

 If you haven't found a pattern yet, here is a quick visual of my process:

Cut two pieces at 6"x9".

Sew around the edge, inserting elastic (per instructions),
leaving an opening for turning.

Turn and press. 

Make three pleats; pin.

Lock stitch, needle down. I started on a side and stitched 1/4-inch from the edge.

Stitch around the piece. On the top and bottom, I stitched about 1/8-inch from the edge to be sure I caught and closed the opening for turning the mask.

Stitch a second time around, reinforcing the 1/4" on the sides to be sure elastic is secure, . . .

. . . and continuing at 1/4-inch on the top and bottom.

Lock stitch and trim. 

Use different fabrics so there is an inside and outside, a revelation I had after I made the first 20 masks. These can be laundered, preferably in hot water. 

When I was in Williamsburg, I passed off my fairy tale redwork quilt top to longarm quilter Beth Filko. She worked some amazing magic on it! I received it this week and have already put on the hanging sleeve and binding. It is just waiting for me to hand stitch it down, and then you will see the big reveal. Can't wait!

 

And when I feel creatively energetic, I tackle this new wool appliqué project, which mixes a variety of fun textures. Inspiration? An old cupboard from Alsace! One advantage to our tiny company of two being separated by an ocean is the abundance of influences for our designs. 

I can honestly say that we have cooked more meals and washed more dishes this past month than we have in years. My husband typically is the cook in our household, but I have even had to step in and give him a break. We do miss being served our food, but I'm not going to lie: we have had few pizzas as good as this one my hubby made on the grill. When he gets creative in the kitchen, it is not a bad thing!

And it is springtime, so there's the garden!

What about you? What are you spending your quaranstitching time doing? New projects? Finishing old ones? Or project hopping, like I am? Please share in the comments on the blog!

Postscript: I may have just received an order of 600 yards of elastic cording which I am hoping will work for more masks. My son tells me his friends are coveting his Star Wars mask, so I suppose there will be a few more of those under my needle. I have thus far made 30 masks, which have all been claimed by family members and neighbors. I think I'll be making masks for a couple of days, so some can be passed on to the hospital. What a great way to help others and bust a bit of my stash.

A Winner and a Sale

We hope the title got your attention! We would like to thank all of you who shared your stitching projects with us, and for all the kind birthday wishes, as well. With such a strong community of stitching friends, it is easier to feel surrounded than to feel alone, though we may be miles apart. May we continue to create beauty during this time of isolation, being calmed by the needle and thread, and to feel the companionship of our fellow stitchers. And for your friends and family who aren't acquainted with the calming effects of hand stitching, call them and say hello! We do not need to be alone while we are in isolation.

Without further ado, we would like to announce the winner of our birthday giveaway. She shared what she is stitching during her "Stay Home" time:

Happy Anniversary! Similar to a previous comment, I find it difficult to stay focused on a chosen project each time I go to my craft room! My BOM quilt is ready to be trimmed, stitched & quilted but I dare not proceed without my BOM friends so I am working on some UFOs alternating between cross stitch, knitting, crewel and wool applique. What a fabulous collection of items in your giveaway! 

And the winner is...

Darlene Laboeuf

Congratulations, Darlene! Please email us to let us know if you would like the spring or autumn Woodland Reverie pattern. And I (Teri) would like to share that the BOM quilt she is referring to is our own In the Garden Block of the Month quilt, so I was pretty excited to see her response. I know that she and her "BOM friends" will find a way to stitch together, even if it is through a computer screen! And Kara and I can't wait to see their finished quilts!

Speaking of computer screens, I have spent a fair amount of hours looking at mine this past week. Our website (needleseyestories.com) got a much-needed update. Scheduling is pretty much on hold right now, but several new items have been listed in our online store! We have added several patterns and kits from classes we have previously taught at the Academy of Appliqué. All kits include any ribbon or special materials needed to complete the blocks. Availability is limited and they will not be restocked, so if you think you might want to create these blocks or quilts, don't ponder for too long!

 

Woodland Reverie Spring block

 

Woodland Reverie Autumn block

Botanical Beauties includes patterns for four small blocks, which can be combined as a four-block wall hanging or used as cornerstones in our Lovely Botanicals quilt design. 

The Lovely Vase block would be beautiful framed, or could be part of a larger quilt. We used it as the center medallion of our Lovely Botanicals quilt.

Lovely Botanicals complete quilt set includes patterns and kits for the entire quilt, with assembly instructions.

We have a few Secret Garden block kits left. A pattern for a complete quilt is coming in the future, so keep watching.

We have only a couple of our popular Zierblumen kits still available.

 To continue our birthday celebration:

...we decided to have a sale!

All of our digital downloaded patterns are on sale for 30% off for the next week. While our In the Garden blocks and quilt sets are available in hard copy which include ribbon, you can also download just the pattern with the convenience of hitting a button on your computer. Just use the code STAYHOME30 when you check out. Pictured below are the digital patterns that are available. 

 Complete In the Garden quilt pattern set, as well as each individual block.

Individual block patterns for the Cardinals and Holly, Acorns and Oak Leaves, Monarch and Butterfly Bush, and Hydrangeas, . . . 

 . . . Hummingbird and Fuchsia, Cornflowers, Rose, Robin and Forsythia, . . . 

. . .  Dragonfly and Fern, Violets, . . .

. . . Garden Gate, . . .

. . . and Wheelbarrow of Flowers.

Our Christmas Cottage Stocking and Crazy Mittens patterns will help you prepare for our next holiday season.

Our first pattern, Marcia's Flowers, and our newest, a Ribbon and Embroidery Sampler Booklet for your stitching practice work, round out our digital offerings.

So, if you think you might need to bolster your pattern supply to get you through your quarantine time, this is the week to order your digital patterns to receive a 30% discount. Remember to use the code STAYHOME30 at checkout. Enjoy!

On our end, Kara and I are busy writing patterns for our Houses, which have garnered a lot of interest. You will be seeing more about these fun abodes soon! In fact, they have been so popular that we are working on a second series. More fun to come!

What about you? Have you moved onto other projects? We would still love to hear about your creative endeavors. What are you stitching?

Stay home, if you can, and thank you to those who have to venture out to work. Stay safe, everyone! 💝