Lenad Quilting - Quilting patterns, rulers and templates

Posted on 23rd March 202130th March 2021 by Danél Muller

Appliqué stems and vines

In hand or machine appliqué, stems are one of the most consistent elements and make or break your design. Even and well placed stems and vines build a strong foundation for the rest of your design. Therefore it is important to give some attention to the skill.

Appliqué stems and vines

The teachers of JQG collaborated as part of the National Quilters Day 2021 by making a short demonstration video. I chose to show how to cut and make bias strips. We are busy with the Fireworks Mystery quilt with a multitude of stems.

In hand or machine appliqué, stems are one of the most consistent elements and make or break your design. Firstly, even and well placed stems and vines build a strong foundation for the rest of your design. It is therefore important to give some attention to the skill.

If the stems you need are straight, you can cut the strips length wise on the grain of the fabric. If you have bends, scrolls or waves, it is better to cut your fabric on the bias. This can be a daunting task if the stems are 1/4″ wide.

In this video I show how to fold the fabric and and cut the strips for appliqué stems and vines. In conclusion, I then demonstrated how to thread the bias maker and iron the strips to the fabric.

A bias maker is a very useful tool. Cut your strips double the size of the bias maker. These are normally colour coded, for instance the green one for 6mm or 1/4″ and yellow for 12mm or 1/2″. Pin one end of the strip to the ironing board and iron carefully, in even motion.

If you are interested to meet me for a face to face class please contact me.

Posted on 26th August 20207th March 2021 by Danél Muller

Quilt classes for beginner quilters

Quilt classes for beginner quilters teaching various quilt techniques and blocks. classes for beginners. Due to Covid-19, space is limited please book early.

The classes are taught at 40 on Ilkey Road, Lynnwood Glen Estate, Pretoria, 0081. By Danel Muller.

This introductory classes for beginner quilters are taught over 10 classes, one every second week . Contact to find the next available course.

Techniques include:

Machine piecing
Hand piecing techniques
Paper / paperless foundation piecing
Curved piecing
Machine appliqué
Hand appliqué
Sashing and borders
Quilting and binding

The price is R150 per class. Buying this product is for the first class and registration purposes. Classes start at 9:00 and ends at 12:30. Coffee and tea will be supplied.

The price doesn’t include fabric, thread or any sewing notions. All patterns will be supplied in downloadable files, in grey scale. The quilt can be made in any color scheme.

A list of quilt supplies will be send before every class.

Register here by paying R 150 for the first class!

Blue Flower table Runner Quilt classes for beginner quilters — Table Runner made by Elsa Zontagh

Posted on 15th August 202026th August 2020 by Danél Muller

Pattern review – Lots of Cats

As easy quilt patterns goes, the Lots of Cats pattern must be one of the easiest! The pattern uses a lot of different fabrics and is a stash buster of note. It can be made in bolds or soft pastels.

A long time ago I made this special quilt for my sister who is crazy about cats. So many quilters are crazy about cats.

The pattern is still for sale in the shop

Lots of Cats — Quilt donated to the rex and Sphynx breed group of South Africa

Get yours now!

Posted on 23rd February 202030th August 2020 by Danél Muller

How to make a widows knot

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.

How to make the widows’ knot

Fold the thread over the needle to make a little loop

Place the eye of the needle over the loop — Fold the thread over the needle to make a little loop

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, 2020

Posted on 27th January 20207th March 2021 by Danél Muller

Where to learn Basic Quilting Skills?

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.

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!

Techniques included in this course include:

– 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…

Through the eyes of Cy - Made by Judy Barnard — Through the eyes of Cy – Made by Judy Barnard

Contact me for the starting date of the next course. I teach in the East of Pretoria.

Other courses by Danél Muller

Posted on 6th May 20197th March 2021 by Danél Muller

A pictorial quilt-techniques quilt-along sampler.

Join me in making the “Through the eyes of Cy” pictorial quilt-techniques quilt-along sampler.

Fishes in the deep blue sea - the first block in the quilt along by Danel Muller - Lenad Quilting — Fishes in the deep blue sea – The first block in the
pictorial quilt-techniques quilt-along sampler by Danel Muller – Lenad Quilting

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: Contact me for the next date

Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month
Time: 9:00 – 13:00
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:

A working sewing machine.
A rotary cutter, as well as a 12″ square ruler and cutting board
Scissors, pins and number 10 sewing needles
However, don’t bring fabric, thread as it will be discussed in the class to prevent excess and wrong purchases.

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.

Other courses by Danél @ Lenad Quilting

Music and Design – 3 hour workshop

Hope to see you here!

Danél

Posted on 4th April 20197th May 2019 by Danél Muller

Accurately mark a quarter inch with the QICM

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.

How to use the Quarter inch corner marker:

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.

Buy it here!

Lenad Quilting operates from 40 on Ilkey B&B - Pretoria, South Africa

Cut the patches you want to join precisely.
Line up the sides of the patch exactly with the appropriate corner on the QICM
Check both sides
Make a mark on the fabric by inserting the pencil tip through the corner hole.
Keep the pencil perpendicular to the surface that you mark.
Line up the two patches by inserting a pin through both corners.
You will find no stretches or buckles.
Enjoy your perfect seams

Amanda Hartman commented:

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.

Posted on 26th December 201730th August 2020 by Danél Muller

Lots of Cats

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: