Vignette 11 Is Coming Soon...

Oh I know - where is it??? It's coming - I promise!!! As soon as I have it here in my hot little hands I will let everyone know - at once! Here are a few little sneak peeks from one of my favourite issues yet. There's Block Two of Mrs. Beasley's Sampler Quilt:

Block Two would look great just framed on it's own. I am completely addicted to butterflies (as you know) but am even more inspired by them after recent events both in my own garden and also after visiting Queen Lili'ukolani's quilt at the Iolani Palace in Hawaii. That quilt has inspired me beyond belief, but more about that soon:

There's plenty to keep you busy in this block:

There's a bit of applique for you once again:

Maybe you'd like to try a different quilt too? Next blog post I'll tell you about The Summer Gypsy Quilt...

Until then,

Leanne Beasley xxx

 

Vignette Issue 11

I have so much for you in Vignette Issue 11 I cannot wait to share it with you all. One of my favourite projects is the 'Summer Gypsy' Quilt. Not only is there full instruction to complete the quilt but I cover, in detail, my most used embroidery stitches.

As above, there are French Knots and as below, a few of my own invented stitches that I often get asked about:

Such as Back Stitch filled in with Back Stitch. This is a favourite of mine and I use it in a lot of my patterns. I love to recommend this one for the girls that don't enjoy Satin Stitch!

I also cover my Double Back Stitch, Satin Stitch, Normal Back Stitch plus a few other hints and tips on stitchery.

This is one of my all time favourite quilts and I hope you enjoy the three blocks of stitchery featured in the quilt (as pictured above). It's bright and happy and has a story to go with the quilt. As the Hawaiian Quilters say, "A quilt cannot help but tell the stitcher's story."

Back soon,

Leanne Beasley xxx

 

Tuesday's Tip...In The Studio

A little tip on Tuesday for those of you working on 'Mrs. Beasley's Sampler Quilt' in Vignette magazine.

There is one of these little flowers in each block (The photos here were in block 3). Start by doing the petals (Cosmo 504 - Dark Pink) in a Tiny Back Stitch. The smaller your stitches the better 'shape' your flower will be. Remember, for the perfect Back Stitch simply ensure that your needle goes back into the hole of the last stitch. If you miss a thread or two simply go back and 'fill it in'!

To complete the centre of the little flower outline the circle in Back Stitch first (Cosmo 630A - Very Light Green) and then cover in Satin Stitch. Begin your Satin Stitch in the centre of the circle, stitching right to left, and work from the centre to the top and then from the centre down. The Back Stitch will act like a little 'wall' and make it easy to get a nice straight Satin Stitch.

Enjoy your stitching!

Live with a creative heart,

Leanne Beasley xxx

 

Tuesday's Tip...In The Studio

A little tip on Tuesday for those of you working on 'Mrs. Beasley's Sampler Quilt' in Vignette magazine.

There is one of these little flowers in each block (The photos here were in block 3). Start by doing the petals (Cosmo 504 - Dark Pink) in a Tiny Back Stitch. The smaller your stitches the better 'shape' your flower will be. Remember, for the perfect Back Stitch simply ensure that your needle goes back into the hole of the last stitch. If you miss a thread or two simply go back and 'fill it in'!

To complete the centre of the little flower outline the circle in Back Stitch first and then cover in Satin Stitch. Begin your Satin Stitch in the centre of the circle and work from the centre to the top and then from the centre down. The Back Stitch will act like a little 'wall' and make it easy to get a nice straight Satin Stitch.

Enjoy your stitching!

Live with a creative heart,

Leanne Beasley xxx

 

Mrs. Beasley's Sampler Quilt - Hints and Tips...

Hope you are all enjoying 'Mrs. Beasley's Sampler Quilt', Block 1, in Vignette Issue 10. Actually, I hope you're enjoying the entire magazine! There are so many photos that I take that never make it into the magazine, hints that just can't be squeezed in and tips I wanted to share but ran out of pages. Here's a few of these bits for you.

In the below photo I just wanted to show you how I appliqued on the pink flower, then traced on the stitchery (in case my applique wasn't just right) then went back and appliqued the centre:

The Running Stitch around the centre of the flower I simply did by eye but you can trace on the stitch if you prefer:

In many places on this quilt, such as in Mini Block 4 shown below, it is best to complete your applique and then trace on the stitchery that meets with the applique.

Ensure that you have accurate 1/4" seam allowances on your sewing machine. I know that I'm always going on about this but because this design has lots of small seams, being accurate will make a big difference:

I hope that working in Mini Blocks makes your sewing easier:

A close up of Mini Block 2 to help with your stitchery and applique. I always like to put a few 'anchoring stitches' at the inward point of an applique heart, just to prevent fraying later on:

And maybe inbetween stitching take a break and whip up The Chocolate Caramel Nougat Slice on page 8!

Leanne Beasley xxx