Piecing by hand seems a strange project in this mad computer driven machine age. Why would any person decide to piece by hand? Why start a project where you don’t need a machine? Is it possible to quilt entirely by hand?
This second block in the “Through the eyes of Cy” quilt introduces hand piecing as a technique. The block builds on the patterns of block one, reinforcing piecing HST.
Due to the Covid-19 lockdown and social distancing rules, it is very difficult to schedule classes for quilting. Although these quilting sessions will not be nearly as nice as the real thing, they may bring you closer to your quilting self by quilting along.
The series will take you through 15 different quilting styles and blocks, how to approach them and what to look out for. The design was based on the drawings and descriptions given by my (then) four year old grandson Cylus. Bold, colourful and not entirely according to scale. Cy’s quilt will liven up any happy space, but if you prefer, there is a bonus project included in every lesson for an alternative project to make, using the patterns and techniques of the day.
The patterns are instantly downloadable and include instructions and physical patterns where you need them.
I trust you will enjoy every moment. I am available on WhatsApp support right through the process.
We start the quilt under the deep, blue sea. The act of sewing two pieces of fabric together is called piecing in quilting terms. This pattern teaches you to accurately piece by machine. It looks at possible mishaps, how they happen and how to prevent them.
Happy quilting!
With hand stitching and boro making a comeback in the slow stitching movement, it is good to relook the tricks of the trade as they were used a couple of hundred years ago. One of these techniques is the Widow’s knot. The prime purpose of the widows knot is to keep the thread in the needle, once you start to work and therefore not worry about to keep the thread in the needle’s eye while you work.
To sew by hand can be one of the delights in our day. A simple frustration like to pull the thread from the needle while you sew, as a result can frustrate you and steal your peace.
The widow’s knot is used to when working with silk, as the thread can easily slip from the eye of the needle due to the jumpyness of the thread. I have for instance, taught it to children that learns to thread the needle, and to a couple of friends whose eyes have deteriorated where they too, battle to thread the needle. It also works beautifully with cotton thread as well.
Fold the thread over the needle to make a little loop.
Carefully place the needle eye over the loop to thread the needle.
Pull the thread to make a bigger loop.
Thread the needle back into the loop.
Pull the needle point through to make the knot.
Pull taute. The knot snuggles into the eye of the needle. It is so small that it doesn’t catch on the fabric when you push the needle through.
You now have needle with thread that won’t slip out. You can, as a result, fully concentrate to make beautiful stitches.
Contact me to book a class. I teach classes from beginner to advanced techniques.
This post is part of Lenad Quilting and was written by Danél Muller, Pretoria, South Africa
15 years ago, I didn’t think it possible but in 2006, I started my quilting journey. And what a journey! I jumped right into it! I didn’t know where to learn basic quilting skills.
In retrospect, I know that my quilting journey might have been a lot easier if I did a course in basic patchwork and quilt making to use as foundation for my artwork at that stage. This brings me a full circle since qualifying as an accredited quilt teacher of the South African Quilters Guild.
Since it is not always easy to find out where to learn quilting skills, I developed a quilting course that runs over 12 weeks, to explain, demonstrate and sew blocks in 15 different foundation patchwork and quilting techniques. Each lesson is four hours long giving enough time for me to show and demonstrate the technique and then for you to try out before going home. This is the 101/for dummies patchwork and quilting course. I cover topics like fabric, cutting methods, block and quilt construction and much more. I show techniques stitched by machine and also those done by hand.
This quilt finishes in a quaint pictorial sampler called : “Through the Eyes of Cy”. When I developed the pattern, I used my 4 year old grandson, Cylus, to imagine how he looks at the world around him. Since he loves to draw in bright colors, these are the colors I design with.
True to my background, I designed my sampler in pictorial style, row by row with each row specializing in another technique.
Is this quilting course also for advanced quilters, you may ask. I bet that you will be challenged at some or other stage during the construction. You might also find some of the techniques you avoided previously, surprisingly stimulating. I mostly find people attracted to the mesmerizing addiction of hand piecing and needle turn applique.
“Through the eyes of Cy” is a happy, content rich quilt that will look lovely hanging in your home or cuddled by a little boy. There are also patterns available in larger sizes to cover a single bed (for a lucky boy). You also learn the basic quilting skills as you go!
– Machine piecing
– Hand Piecing
– Machine Applique
– Hand Applique
– Paper Foundation Piecing
– English Paper Piecing
– Seminole braids
– Y insert seams
– Easy applications for Flying Geese
– Star Blocks
– Borders Bindings and Sleeves
– Finishing off with a pretty label
and many more…
Contact me for the starting date of the next course. I teach in the East of Pretoria.
Join me in making the “Through the eyes of Cy” pictorial quilt-techniques quilt-along sampler.
Every teacher needs a sampler quilt. Not strictly being a traditional quilter, I therefore vied away from the traditional sampler quilt and came up with this interesting pictorial version. This quilt finishes at 30″ x 42″ (67 cm x 102 cm) without borders.
The first block in “Through the eyes of Cy“ is Fishes in the deep blue sea. As you can see, I used the naive therefore bright drawings depicted in the artworks of my 4 year old grandson, Cylus, as design inspiration for this pattern.
This sampler is taught over 12 weeks.
Teacher: Danel-Marié Muller
Venue: 40 on Ilkey B&B, Lynnwood Glen Pretoria
Tel: 082-416-7690
Cost: R150 per lesson
Start date: 22 May 2019
Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month
Time: 9:00 – 13:00
Or
Start date 18 May 2019
Every first and third Saturday of the month
Time: 12:00 – 16:00
Beginners welcome
Tea and coffee is included in the class fee
In conclusion, you will need to bring the following to class:
Register here or contact me if you want me to teach in your area. I am willing to travel within Gauteng (minimum 5 students).
This pictorial quilt techniques quilt-along sampler is brought to you by Lenad Quilting.
Hope to see you here!
Danél
Use the Quarter Inch Corner Marker to accurately mark a quarter inch from the corner. This quilting tool is small in size and easy to carry around. As a result you can use it to measure while hand piecing small patches and tricky intersections. It works equally well on bigger quilts and pieces where a high level of accuracy is of importance. I use it in blocks like the Eight pointed star , Le Moyne Star and Tumbling blocks. It is indispensable in patchwork that requires inset- or Y seams.
The carefully calibrated corners measure accurately. Therefore you can mark inner 30 and 45 deg corners and outer 90, 120 and 135 degree corners as a result. This marker is also indispensable to make perfect mitered borders.
A 0.5 mm clutch pencil, graphite or chalk, perfectly fits into the marking holes. As a result, the mark is precise and therefore gives you the perfect stitching line. No more eyeballing the seam allowance.
Lenad Quilting operates from 40 on Ilkey B&B - Pretoria, South Africa
Thank you for the QICM. It saved so much time on the Le Moyne Star and it is accurate every time. I finished my project in record time. I’ll definitely recommend this in the classes I teach.
Buy it here or contact me to bring one to the next Jacaranda Quilters’ Guild meeting.
Lots of 
Cats is a happy quilt to share with a fellow cat lover—that is if you can bear to part with it! From a quilting point of view, it is a stash buster of note. With up to 50 cats on this pattern it makes a pretty cuddle on your bed or couch to snuggle into. The pattern is available here:
Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time
Quilting and patchwork is not a hobby, it’s a way of life. Over the last fifteen years, I have learnt many lessons and used many tools and gadgets. On this web site, I want to share the patterns, rulers and templates that have made my life a little easier.
