T4T4 – Testing the Template and my patience ;-)

I’ve been busy making wine today, so with the couple of hours of the day left I decided to do some more experimenting with the Modern Twist teapot template…
Last weekend I took this template and appliqued it using the ‘stick and stitch’ method and two different colour schemes. I was trying to figure out whether the design would be effective as one solid piece, or look better with a bit more contrast. Have a look at the two blocks below and make up your own mind…



I’ve done a survey of the people who’ve visited this week, and the consensus is that the teapot with the contrast is much more effective than the plain one - the plain one loses the great shape of the teapot into one amorphous mass. I also quite like the effect of the contrast block despite the brown which generally isn’t a favourite colour of mine.

Having now decided that the contrast block worked better, I want to also experiment with different appliqué techniques. The stick and stitch examples from last week look fine, but they are still a bit flat, and I’m never entirely satisfied with the durability of this approach given that there are still raw edges ther. Set on experimenting further today, I’ve decided to try the ‘freezer paper’ method as well, to see what results I get.

So, I experimented with different scraps of fabric that I have and my crude-but-effective design wall to figure out what to combine. Next I ironed on and cut out the pieces but…when I went to stick the seam allowance I discovered that…my glue stick had turned into a dried out, rubbery useless thing. Doh! So, the rest of the experiment will have to wait until next weekend when I’ve been shopping and upgraded my glue stick. In the meantime I’ll write some notes for the bertcollections website on using a design wall and wait to see if any of you have comments on the two different versions of the modern twist block as well.

Happy creating for another week.
Bert

T4T3 - The First Teapot Template

Today’s achievement is I’ve made my first teapot template, and started to test it. Since my commitment last week to making one teapot template per month, I’ve done some thinking, and scribbling, reworking and testing and the result is the first template in the teapot collection – which you can now download from the template section of my website at: http://sites.google.com/site/bertcollections/templates/teapots. The first block is called modern twist because it’s inspired by a chrome and black teapot, and I like its largely traditional shape, but with a modern twist of being sleeker and shinier.

I’m going to do a couple of test pieces with this template before I decide the best method to make it with. The first option I’m trying is the ‘stick and stitch’ method using adhesive backing to attach the pieces to the background, and then sewing around the shapes. I think I’ll also try freezer paper to see how the results differ.

I’m also doing two variations of fabric on the first test pieces as well (as shown in the photos below). I want to figure out whether the teapots work better as one continuous piece of fabric or as a combination of fabrics.

From the cutting and pasting I’ve done this afternoon, I think I prefer the combination, but I’ll wait to see what it’s like once its been stitched.

That’s all for now, and happy stitching.

Bert

T4T2 - Applique Designs

Well I’ve just decided to set myself the challenge of designing and making one teapot block per month this year – call it a late new years resolution if you like. This will keep my Time for Tea quilt progressing, and leave me some time for other projects too.

As I’m designing this quilt from scratch, I’m starting with pictures of tea pots like those shown here, and then turning these into appliqué patterns. The idea is that I’ll end up with 12-15 designs as key components for this quilt, and I can work on refining the centre panel design as I go as well (further info on that to follow in an upcoming post). I’m also going to try designing the blocks with my basic computer software to see how I go, and so that I can share these blocks with you as well (and you’ll be able to download the patterns from my website http://sites.google.com/site/bertcollections/). We can see how many potty quilts we can make together, and maybe we’ll have another quilt designed by Christmas.

I’ve included some pictures of tea pots here for inspiration, and if you have pictures of great tea pots, please email them to me at bertcollections@gmail.com – your favourite pot may just become part of the design!

Happy stitching,
Bert