adventures of a quilting diva » hand quilting http://blog.laurawestkong.com Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:00:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 breezy http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2011/03/04/breezy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breezy http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2011/03/04/breezy/#comments Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:57:33 +0000 laura west kong http://blog.laurawestkong.com/?p=2310 Continue reading →]]> Here’s a quilt I started in 2006, Breezy. It was a challenge quilt for FFFC and was supposed to take a week to finish. This was one of those “my eyes are bigger than my stomach” situations. It actually took more like 4 years to complete, mostly because I was hand appliqueing the wool felt petals with a few too many strands of rayon embroidery floss … if 1 strand is good, 4 strands are better, right? ;-)

Breezy
by Laura West Kong

So last fall I took it out of the UFO hangar, finished up the remaining hand applique and proceeded on to a much more enjoyable step: hand sashiko quilting with topstitching thread. Now I’m sharing the photos with you. Hope that it brightens your day!

Breezy, detail

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]]> http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2011/03/04/breezy/feed/ 3 tip tuesday: a cuppa beads http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2010/09/07/a-cuppa-beads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-cuppa-beads http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2010/09/07/a-cuppa-beads/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:00:35 +0000 laura west kong http://blog.laurawestkong.com/?p=2095 Continue reading →]]> Here’s a simple (hopefully not too obvious) tip for today: When embellishing your quilt top with beads, it’s better to wait until after you quilt it before you sew the beads on. It’s impossible to machine quilt around the beading and not much fun to hand quilt either. Ask me how I figured this one out. ;-)

:-D happy beading!

A Cuppa Beads
©2010 by Laura West Kong

]]> http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2010/09/07/a-cuppa-beads/feed/ 0 tip tuesday: give blood … get thimbles http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/10/27/tip-tuesday-give-blood-get-thimbles/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tip-tuesday-give-blood-get-thimbles http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/10/27/tip-tuesday-give-blood-get-thimbles/#comments Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0000 laura west kong http://blog.laurawestkong.com/?p=565 Continue reading →]]> With the holidays as well as the flu season fast approaching, the Red Cross needs a steady supply of blood donations to meet the increased need. You probably know that blood donors get free juice and cookies, and that just one donation can save up to three lives, but you most likely did not know that you also get a free supply of great quilting thimbles.

Now I have tried many different kinds of thimbles in my quilting career: closed, open, metal, leather, … and the list goes on. But for me, none can beat a piece of the simple bandage that they wrap around your arm after you donate blood. Cut a piece several inches long, enough to wrap around your finger or thumb a few times and voila, you’ve got yourself a thimble that is thin enough to feel the needle but just thick enough that you don’t get pricked. It fits perfectly, the price is right, it’s a great way to recycle, and it comes in fun colors too!

When the needle starts to poke through, discard the bandage thimble and cut a new piece. Depending on how hard and often you hand quilt, by the time you run out of bandage thimbles, it might be time to donate blood again. You can donate once every 56 days, that’s 8 weeks. Or if you run out earlier than that, you can buy a roll at the drug store.

Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood. (American Red Cross) A gift of blood is a gift of life, so why not consider making a blood donation this holiday season? Wear your bandage with pride, then give your brand-new quilting thimbles a try and get started on a hand-quilted gift. Two gifts from the heart in one!

Visit Give Life: American Red Cross for more information about donating blood or to find a blood drive near you.

]]> http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/10/27/tip-tuesday-give-blood-get-thimbles/feed/ 5 wip wednesday: quilt-making at the speed of light http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/07/15/wip-wednesday-quilt-making-at-the-speed-of-light/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wip-wednesday-quilt-making-at-the-speed-of-light http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/07/15/wip-wednesday-quilt-making-at-the-speed-of-light/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:45:00 +0000 laura west kong http://blog.laurawestkong.com/?p=498 Continue reading →]]> I was hoping to finish the machine appliqué on this quilt by today and to then start on the hand quilting the following week. Actually the appliqué was done in about a day and a half, and I am about 90% done with the quilting as well. I astonished even myself at how fast this quilt is coming together. I’m not going to show you the full view until the binding is applied. I may even make a beaded fringe. I’ve got some lovely beads in this color palette.

]]> http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/07/15/wip-wednesday-quilt-making-at-the-speed-of-light/feed/ 6 tip tuesday: hand quilting without a hoop http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/07/14/tip-tuesday-hand-quilting-without-a-hoop/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tip-tuesday-hand-quilting-without-a-hoop http://blog.laurawestkong.com/2009/07/14/tip-tuesday-hand-quilting-without-a-hoop/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:41:00 +0000 laura west kong http://blog.laurawestkong.com/?p=497 Continue reading →]]> Today’s tip: If you don’t skimp on the basting for your small quilts, you should be able to easily hand quilt them without a hoop. Start with safety pins at each corner and the middle of each side near the edge. Thread baste an X across the entire quilt (stitch from the center to each corner), then make lines of basting stitches 3-4 inches apart both horizontally and vertically. You’re now ready to start quilting!

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