Back to Piecing Flowers

I was able to spend the biggest portion of the day behind my sewing machine yesterday.  I often get an hour here and there, but seldom a WHOLE week day.  I TRY to schedule time on my calendar to quilt to ensure long bits of time to sit and create, but I usually only plan those days on weekends.  

A whole Tuesday; behind my machine. Unheard of.

Where were the kids, you ask?  

Kalib started a new program called Wild Intelligence. He is out of the house for 4 hours and India was busy writing a story and playing with the puppy, so that left mom a BIG chunk of time just to sew.  

What did I do with that BIG chunk of time?

I finished Ashley's pillow (YEAH!!!!) and then I immediately got back to work on the blue and red woven piece, Yab Yum.  

When I last wrote about this piece I had finished up the stitching of the background and was moving onto piecing the foreground.

Here is where I left off before putting it down to work on Clara's belt and Ashley's Pillow.  I had started piecing the image that will sit on top of the background.  

Today I got back to work and made more flowers.

When I am ready to add a new piece, I check to make sure what I have already made fits where it is supposed to on the stencil.  This step is important because everything has to all fit together perfectly just like a puzzle.  If I mess up now, I will pay for it later. I take plenty of time to get it all right to begin with. I do it even though it often slows things down a little, but it is no where near as time consuming as having to take it all apart later - which I have had to do plenty of times - THIS lesson has been learned the hard way - slow and steady wins the race, right?

If it fits, then I cut the next piece of template out.

 And iron it to fabric.

When I cut it out, I leave about a 1/4" all the way around since I will be turning it under or attaching it under other pieces.

I check to make sure it fits and clip where it meets the pieces around it and I remove all the corners.  I also clip around any areas that will be turned under.

 Using a clover fabric glue stick (which washes out as well as doesn't gum up your machine) I then turn under the edges that need to be turned under.  (Quick note: I determine this based on the overall drawing and what looks more natural rather than just sewing one piece on top of the next.  I also turn under any edges that will be sewn directly to the background - it saves me a lot of work later on. - This part will make more sense when I show you the whole stencil.)

 I check it one more time, then glue the pieces together.

  

The next step is sewing, finally.  I turn it over, right side up, and zig zag stitch over the two pieces being sewn together.  (A little note here: I ALWAYS sew with the piece on top on my left and the piece I'm sewing to on my right.  This is because I can make sure the needle comes down right on the edge of the top piece. I also use YLI invisible thread in my needle and thread that matches the piece in my bobbin.)

I turn it back over to check it to make sure I hit the edges right and that it still all fits like it should.

And... I am ready to move on to the next piece.

This is what I managed to accomplish yesterday.

It's a color bomb.  Just like I like and I think it is coming along nicely.  

I think I better to get to work on what I'm going to be working on after I finish this. That way, I can go ahead and start gathering supplies!  I want no idle sewing time in my future.

I LOVE progress and who knows, maybe I will manage to get six pieces made this year since I set that as my goal.