Picking the pattern for cq garment

I did have some criteria in mind looking for a pattern.  I wanted :

 

1. for it to be lightweight so silks would be great

2. for it to have a little shape or style

3. suitable for indoor wear.

But on the other hand it had  to be suited to CQ....the pattern has to be quite simple and that has been the problem... Every few years I would get the urge and search for the "perfect" pattern but to no avail.. They all needed major restyling so the project would be shelved again.

Finally I found the "nearly" perfect pattern, Butterick 5789.  It has some shape and still a  very simple construction...  The only problem I see is that it is too long in back and that can be fixed.. It's especially too long for someone as short as I am and also I don't want to be sitting on stitching.

 I am doing the pattern in a size larger than I need because I know things "shrink" with lots of stitching.

Now a couple very important tips for doing this type of project.... creating your "fabric" before construction

 First I made some modifications in the pattern (shortened the length of the back) and then traced it on muslin for the foundation...and am not cutting it out on the lines.....leaving plenty or room around the pattern.  It is much easier to cut something back then add extra later....  I almost goofed and drew 2 right sides...  Only the body of the jacket will be CQ

A antique quilt Allie posted on facebook recently inspired me.  I do want bright colors which are way out of my comfort zone but what I like the most is that it is all embroidery.... no charms, lace etc. Also by using only embroidery, I can do a lot of it on a hoop which will reduce the shrinkage.  So you see with this project  I'm not straying too far from the Victorian era I love.

 My Carole Samples stitch book will be my bible throughout this endeavor..  I'm sure you could find every single one of the stitches on these quilts in her marvelous, inspiring research.

Wow.. and easy patching technique

What a special treat to be "chatted up" by one of my favorite people and definitely my favorite crazy quilt artist...Sharon Boggon!!!!

Pop over to TAST and read the interview...
http://pintangle.com/2017/05/04/tast-interview-gerry-krueger-older-rose/

More about vest project....the patches.

Of all the steps in crazy quilting, piecing is my least favorite... I always want to get to the fun stuff as fast as possible....seams and embellishment... Must be a closet drama queen.

I mentioned in a previous post that I preferred paper piecing but thought I was going to have to assemble this   patch by patch to get the look I wanted...  But Marilyn Nepper suggested I paper piece large chunks of it and fill in between.   I thought that was a great idea.  I've sketched four (about 9") areas and will clean them up a bit.  I avoided 90 degree angles because I did not want the jacket to look like it was assembled blocks. I also strived to have all patches close to the same size with no little odd bits or angles...

I stacked materials and cut the patches in threes by just randomly grabbing fabric... I made no attempt to coordinate colors at all.. 

After I had them all cut I kept them organized in baggies pinned to the master sheet.  This has all gone so smoothly and I'm really grateful to Marilyn for suggesting it...

Doing the patches in bunches went so well and so fast...   Then all I had to do was to connect them with similar patches and this I did by hand.  I can heartily recommend this technique to anyone wanting a whole cloth look achieved quickly by paper piecing.



 Now did I want to include black.  I'm was really on the fence with this decision and it has to be decided at this point.

 I spent time looking at a lot of antique quilts and most all of the ones I loved incorporated black with the bright jewel tones..  This color palette is so alien to me that I'm had a hard time getting a feel for it.

I know that the black makes the colors really pop so I went go for it.

The making of my vest...

 I didn't get my lace jacket done in time for the trip so I took my "My Garden Birds" vest.  I wore it the nights of the captain's welcome and farewell dinners.  It received a lot of comments and certainly stood out.  It had been a long time since I had worn it and it was a good reminder to wear it more often..

The inspiration and process for this garment is sort of scattered in the blog and I've been meaning to put them in order for some time.  Now is as good a time as any..

In The Beginning: 

As usual I had a set of goals before I started. I like to have specific goals and I always add extra challenges for myself. And this doesn't mean that both the goals and challenges aren't flexible and subject to change ...which happens often.
 
1.  I wanted to use all jewel tones which would be clearly out of my comfort zone....both to work with and to wear.   I had to search my stash, make a couple thrift store trips  and then Cathy Kizerian sent me a much welcomed bundle.

2.  The next challenge I wanted it to be a "whole cloth" look rather than individual squares pieced together.  I had attempted to do this before using both Allie's and Martha Green's methods of piecing but was never happy with the result...  The patches were inconsistent in size and so irregular in shape that it looked weird to me... This meant I had to figure out my own method.. which I will share next post on this.


3. Last but not least I wanted the theme to be birds of my garden.  I would stitch them all off block and add them later.. Luckily I am blessed with a large variety of colorful birds in my garden..  Here are the birds I chose to use on the garment.  Of course there were a few interlopers such as my dog Morris, a lamb etc.

Back story on butterflies....

The ideas of butterflies was actually a late addition to the vest and they were all done by friends.. I wish I would have thought of it sooner.  These are friends whom I consider special blog friends although I have met 4 of them in person... Their butterflies have become such important parts of the vest that I check them all when I wear the vest and think of each and every stitcher with love.

You have all heard of the expression "involved from day one"... well Susan Elliott has been involved with my blog since  day two..  She commented on the second post I did .... 1485 posts ago and has been with me ever since.  She has encouraged me when I didn't even know I needed encouragement   and has been a treasured source of inspiration.  I met her in CT at the big CQ adventure and not only is she insightful, she's a incredible force of energy.  She constantly sends me things she thinks I should read or do or need... I owe her a so much...

The butterflies came about because of a blog friend whom I have never met in person but  when we do meet it will be as old friends.  Lisa Boni wrote and said she would like to contribute in some way to the vest and I suggested a butterfly and I am so grateful that she thought of it... I have followed Lisa's blog for years.  Not only is her work exceptional but she carries the serenity and thoughtfulness found in her needlework to her home, photography, art work, garden and family.  And we both share a love of birds... Some day we shall sit and stitch together...I just know it.

I met Susie Wolfe through CQI and the blog.  She has to be the most extraordinary seam person I know.  She is so meticulous and precise. Every CQ site on Pinterest has examples of her work..  We have stitched together  many times (most recently Houston) and when we are together the ideas just explode... She is just so much fun, fun, fun.. and we spent a lot of time in Houston planning what we are going to do next...  If I broke a leg, had a stroke or needed help, I know I could call Susie and she would be on the next plane.

Marilyn Nepper and I have never met in person but she comments on almost every blog post. For which I am ever so grateful... It is so helpful to know there is actually a person out there reading what I write.  We correspond often as we have so many things in common.  Besides needlework we are both country girls, share problems of eyes and joints and commiserated over the loss of a beloved dog.  We also both love birds.   Her butterfly is so colorful and fanciful that I was delighted to have the perfect fabric in a patch to compliment it.

I found Janet Popish  through CQI and we were in early round robins together..  We met in person at the very first CQI retreat... She is deceptive and easy to underestimate as she is quiet and gentle..  But still waters run deep as she is very perceptive and wickedly funny besides being a marvelous stitcher.  I am set in my ways when on a project but if Janet made a suggestion she is one of the few people I'd listen too.  A couple times she offered excellent advice on the vest and if she comments on a blog post I know I "done good". This incredible butterfly is teeny tiny French knots...hundreds of them.

Last but certainly not least is the butterfly from Laurie Burgesser.  It did not arrive until the day after I left but I knew it was coming and had a spot saved for it.  So it was with me in spirit and is on the vest now...  Years ago Laurie started calling me her NuMom and I think of her as my "rainbow daughter."  I adore everything she does as not only does she have a marvelous sense of color she touches her work with delightful whimsy..  Her romance novel quilt is one of my all time favorites.  When I was gathering my intense colors for this vest, I thought of her often.

So this post is a great big hug and thank you to my "butterfly friends" and I am so happy to have you as part of this project and forever friends as well!!!