Wool work Wednesday.....

......and Thursday and Friday and any other day that I can possibly get wool work fitted in!

By now you know I have quite the obsession with saltbox houses. It was only after I looked at my previous post, I realised that all the finished pieces, had houses on them, so to show just how predictable I am........we have more houses!

I just couldn't resist starting this one, after getting Jan Pateks new book I showed in a previous post and considering I have been on the lookout for something large to go on my stair wall, well, I just had to start it!

Here are the first two blocks. My daughter is holding them up, just to let you see the size of each block. I think they are 40x40 inches-finished quilt size will be 104x104 inches, so yes, I know, I am well and truly mad:)

Oh yes, I forgot to say, I used wool for the applique instead of cotton, but didn't I say I was predictable???






Here is a pic from the back of the book of the finished quilt



Whoops, I am seeing a little mistake-does anyone spy it?

In Jans quilt, she has birds on the top of each chimney and prim dogs/cats?? in the grass-I'm not too sure I want to include these; do you think it looks bare without?

I thought I would share how I do my wool applique. I was going to say tips, but maybe there are better ideas out there, but for now, this is what works for me, but I sure would love to hear what methods others use.

I use good old freezer paper for my templates and iron it to the wool. Then I use fabric spray adhesive (sprayed lightly on the wool) and that secures it for stitching. For small pieces of wool, such as flower stems etc that tend to fray easier or for wool that hasn't felted properly, I go around the edges with fray check, prior to stitching. This stuff works a treat.

Before this method, I used the fusible bondaweb stuff, but, more often than not, I singed my wool in an attempt to get it to stick or had to use the stronger fusible, which made the applique hard and I like mine to feel natural.

Stitching wise, I used to do blanket stitch quite a bit, but more recently I have been doing the primitive whip stitch. I suppose depends on what the piece dictates.

Well, that's what happens here-I would so love to hear of other methods out there,

Hope you get time to do what you enjoy best, this week,

Blessings,

Shazy x

A few finishes!

Haha! Did you think I had more blocks to show? Not this time; I was in my UFO 'pile' last week and had a few projects so near finished, that I spent an hour doing just that!

I know it isn't very primish to frame them with glass, but believe me, the thought of trying to remove dust from wool applique, for the next lot of years, didn't appeal, so after realising a few weeks ago about a neighbour who has a framing place, I took the plunge and got them framed properly.

What is it with cameras? Why can they not capture what I am seeing with my eye? Or maybe it's a case of 'a bad workman blames his tools'.......anyway, these frames are just beautiful, but I can't show how beautiful on these pics:(

This first one is an adaptation of 'Threads that bind'. I changed out the verse and did the 'Welcome' in wool.I thought the verse from Romans 10v13 suited this piece perfectly; 'Be given to hospitality' and my kids are hoping it will remind me to do a bit of entertaining, but just for the record cherubs....no visitors until you get those bedrooms sorted AND your laundry put away!
The frame is a grained/distressed cream colour, but that is difficult to see.



This is a Buttermilk Basin pattern and the frame is a distressed antique black.
Oh and the slanted roof in the first house is part of the pattern! NOT! In my defence, I think I am correct in saying, this was the first piece of wool applique I ever did, so when I look at it, the roof will remind me of that! Ha!



And finally, a Primitive Gathering pattern. There are two pics here, but I'm still not getting good pics, but you are going to have to trust me, they are much nicer in real life.





Thanks again for stopping by, I was so excited when I picked these up that I had to jump on here to share them with like-minded people. It's not everyone around here, that appreciates my hobby..... I really can't understand that, can you? Anyway, I'm so glad that some people do and I really appreciate the friend I have made through blogland.

Until next time, have a great week,

Blessings,

Shazy x