Sunday 4 December 2011

To build a house you need good tools

This little house block is from the Kumiko Fujita Bonjour quilt- you can see her videos for it here.  The images come from a Japanese magazine, Patchwork Tsushin (sorry not easily available though I have seen copies on ebay) but you can get the idea from the youtube clip.
I wanted to try the hand piecing that Kumiko shows in one of the blocks.  I bought a few tools to test- a clover finger presser and clover black gold needles.  Do you notice the big reel of Aurifil?  Sometimes you need to splash out on the apparently humdrum- good thread is worth the spend- ask any sewing engineer and Alice at  Eternal Maker is stocking a huge range of colours in the mako 50wt.  I bought 2310 neutral cream and 2615 grey- each have 1300 metres on so they will keep me going.  I might have talked my local machine and sewing shop into stocking it.  As they service and mend machines they are interested in its non lint making properties.  Mr Aurifil has sent them some testers, I hope they buy it in.
Do those things make a difference- boy yes!  The needles are very fine and sharp, they are going to make the next binding I finish a lot easier.  The finger presser is fantastic, there are many times when I piece when a little marker of where the seam is would just help and this gives the perfect line without burning my fingers handling a tiny piece of fabric and an iron.  It also means you can hand piece without an iron so piecing work could be portable, nice to know for the future.  The reverse shows the inset seam where the background joins the roof, all hand sewn.  I am not up to Kumiko's standard but it was an interesting exercise.
It does take ages though so I machined the rest of the house
This is a slow burn project which I return to once a month or so and it is always a pleasure.  I have a loose red, white and blue theme going on but otherwise I just go where the fabric mood takes me.
It has been a messy weekend- we have no cooker due to problems connecting a new one (my new kitchen is nearly all done), so toast based meals and a camping gas ring have featured heavily this weekend.  I have a heavy cold, being self employed I am grateful for this coming at the weekend but it does make me feel crappy and Damian is going under too so we have been taking it in turns to go back to bed.  Better now then in the Christmas holiday but achey heads, bodies and sore noses are never good.  Cooker comes Tuesday so I hope to show you my revitalised kitchen- you know how I love kitchens.  Back tommorow witha little giveaway courtesy of Nova
sib blog

20 comments:

  1. Cute house, hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Your lovely house block makes me think of what you are looking forward and I hope you find and enjoy ...some domestic bliss with a new cooker!!Hope you are on the mend and feel better soon too, rest is best!:) xo

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  3. What a fabulous block! I do a lot of hand piecing and will be looking out for those needles and I really must try my Aurifil thread rather than just admiring it!

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  4. That is such a pretty house block Kerry! Hope you and Damian feel better soon x

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  5. What a lovely little house! Sorry to hear you're not well, hope you're feeling better soon!

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  6. Oh the house is superb, loving the efficient housewife!
    Get well soon both of you - I have one twin with an earache - I think the lurgies are coming :(

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  7. Hope you're right as rain soon. Love your sweet little house!

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  8. Oooh, what a cool project :o) Sorry the real house is a bit of a disaster right now, and feel better soon!

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  9. Great block and I hope you're feeling better soon!

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  10. Such a cute wee block. I have just got rid of cold so understand just how you feel right now, hope it passes soon.

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  11. The house is sooo cute. I just go my magazine so I hope to make firt blocks after the holidays.
    Hope you and Damian feel better soon. We have been lucky so far and have not been sick.
    Can't wait to see the new kitchen : )

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  12. the fussy cuts are great on the paper piecing.
    Vicki

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  13. So very cheery! I certainly am never that happy when cooking! (more like the Swedish chef on the muppets) Thanks for sharing.

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  14. This is so sweet! I love that you tried the piecing by hand. I've been tempted to try it and now may actually take the plunge. The portability factor sounds nice. Hope you feel better soon and that your kitchen gets back to normal without a hitch!

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  15. What a cute addition to your Bonjour quilt! The snowy background is absolutely killing me! Thank you for sharing your thought on the hand-sewing supplies too - now they are added to my to-buy list.

    I hope you will feel better soon..!

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  16. That is soooo cute!! I so need you to come and join my wonky house block swap, blocks are not due until March. Just saying!!!

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  17. Kerry - I hope you feel better soon.

    I think the clover black needles are a must..I love using them..and the finger presser is great tool for hand-piecing.

    Thanks for sharing your take on these with us. Do you mean the current issue of Patchwork Tsushin? I will have to check it out at my local bookstore. What a lovely block you made! :)

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  18. YOU just make my heart sing....lol...psst I was the recipient btw of "that" pillow tree..xxx love it...listen Kerry...January( 4-6 or 16th) do you have a tool you would like to share with us or March ( 9th or 16th) a runner of any sort shape??? let me know love to have you back anytime...psst as a regular

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  19. Get better soon! Love your house and just hope I can persuade your domestic diva to come and clean mine!

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