Posted by dravon in Education & Instruction | Comments Off on Samples from the Workplace – various Embroidered things
Samples from the Workplace – various Embroidered things
There are times when I envy a man’s ability to focus on just one thing until that one thing is done. I certainly do not have it. Well, technically it’s definitely something I’m capable of but it does take a tremendous amount of energy. With that said, here’s the “I’m scattered enough to have 3 different work-intensive samples going on at the same time, and none of them are done…” story.
Last week I just finished up the samples for our April Anita Goodesign Project Workshop. The Quillow is a rather neat idea — a pillow when folded/tucked up, a blanket when turned inside out. I can imagine that being rather popular at outdoor sporting events! “Eee! Cold bench. I’ll sit on this nifty quillow. Now the wind’s picked up. I think I’ll unfurl the blanket part now.” Heh.
But there’s no rest for the wicked. The May workshop just came in and boy was it pretty! Because I keep getting interupted I keep forgetting to finish the placemat sample, so here is a picture of it before the final quilting and binding is done.
If you’re not familiar with Anita Goodesign, it’s a machine embroidery company which does an excellent job of in-the-hoop quilted projects. This one, for example, is a quilted placemat. All the stippling plus the embroidered design is done right there in the hoop and it’s done as a series of tiles. Once the tiles are complete, I got to assemble them into the finished top you see here. It’s really amazing how well these tiles fit together! Just speaks to the quality of the digitizers there. What I still need to do is stitch-in-the-ditch, trim, then fold the backing over the raw edges to form a binding, then stitch that down. Viola! The May project also has napkins, a truly gorgeous candle wrap (I’ll post images of that when I’m finished with it), and a utensil holder. I think this project workshop is so lovely I’m going to be attending in order to get all the designs and can make these in multiple colors.
And since I really can’t seem to focus too much and completely forget that I still have to finish the placemat, I went ahead and started doing the utensil holder today. I’ve got 2 of the 4 pieces done for that project.
But that’s not all! We’re going to be hosting the HoopSisters EmbroideraBlock of the Month 2014 series for the Jacobean Journey quilt. Hoooboy! This is gorgeous!! Here is their staggeringly beautiful sample:
The other store is just about finished with their sample, and we’re in the process of trying to decide on colors. I spent most of today making just one of the blocks within this thing, trying to find the right color combination.
While we like the background colors, the flower just really doesn’t pop. After some in-house collaboration, we’ve got some ideas on what to try next and those will be tried on Monday. We’ll see how it goes! I must say, this is a MASSIVE project. This quilt will probably be upwards of 150 individual blocks. Egad! I’m kinda thinking “If I’m going to put THAT much effort into making this sample, it’s MINE. MINE I SAY!” Which means I’ll have to buy everything and then loan the finished project to the store for a year or so. I think I can live with that….
As a completely separate train of thought… I figure that for this blog, if I talk about what I’m doing at work and try to share some of what I’m learning not only in terms of techniques but also products and companies, that’s a good thing. It continues to surprise me how many folks have no idea that they can quilt something as it’s being embroidered. Plus I get the skinny on new stuff being released. Besides, I find inspiration in being able to share this. I’ve never really let myself indulge in it too much, and certainly never gushed about how much fun it is. heh.
You should always gush about the things that you are passionate about!
Until we meet again, Happy Sewing!
– Dravon
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