Game of Thrones...One of these days I'll get that typed right first time...

Here's the latest on Game Of Thrones - all blocks completed! Am chuffed to bits; even though it took 3 goes to get Baratheon right, it was worth it in the end. Of course, the work begins here - still have sashing, picking out wee teeny bits of paper, basting, quilting (aaargh!) and binding to do. Eh, that'll take no time at all :)


From top left:
Tully - Tyrell - Baratheon
Targaryen - Stark - Lannister
Arryn - Martell - Greyjoy

If you want to see the blocks individually, head over to my facebook page Fankle Quilting and Knitting

Now I've looked out the fabric for commission quilts #2, a pair of matching single bed quilts - twins? hehe - for a friend's parents. Using grey/green/blues and yellowish lights. Simple stars, but v effective. Pictures will follow, once I realise I have to add on a seam allowance BEFORE cutting out the shapes. Doh.

Someday I will learn :) Until then, we add a stupidity tax to everything we do...

Finish it Friday

Thanks to Crazy Mom Quilts I get to show off some more Game of Thrones loveliness :) I finished another two blocks this week, the Tyrell and the Tully ones. I think they are close enough to the book description to be suitable. Still working out Baratheon - its hard to get a stag's head to look convinvingly regal without it looking like Rudolph.

The sloping pictures are a probem, but I dont have room in the sewing room for a design wall so it has to be a design floor. Ah well, the key elements are there, albeit slightly angled :) I think the simplicity of the design is key too - and any further fancy dan stuff will be quilted in afterwards. I am planning to quilt in the House mottoes too, we'll see how much cursing that produces!


I also managed to get some wee crafty makes, for the craft show I'm doing in Ayr on Nov 25th - come along if you can! Nice to get out and meet people, because you can get a bit closed in when you spend all day sewing and shouting at the radio. Apparently. 

A couple of them need eyes and more detail, but I really like them. Not just good for Christmas either, that dread word which has us beginning crafting in July...

How's all your Christmas sewing going?

Game of Thrones - continued...

Another few blocks made, which makes 5 so far, and 4 to go. Working on Tyrell at the minute (well, when I'm not typing) and still trying to get Baratheon right.

Whatcha think?

From top middle going clockwise :

Stark - Lannister - Arryn - Martell - Greyjoy

(am very proud of the last one, Greyjoy, it was some job going round all those tentacles). Here's a close up - the mottling is deliberate, don't worry:

And I also really like Stark:

It is grey on white, but this is Scotland in winter, so the light is pish. Technical term there, for all the non-Scots in the audience ;)

First Block of Game of Thrones !!

Here's the first one, Martell House, the easiest to practice on, and still with wee bits of paper hanging into the stitches at the back. I will be spending some time picking them out. No hardship next to the fire!

Block size 24 and a half inches.

Game of Thrones, Martell House, Applique

Notes:

• I used spray glue to stick the back of the motifs to the backing fabric, and did the circle first, then the flames 5 at a time. 

• Paper backing to stabilise the sewing. 

• The spear shaft was a bugger, had to unpick the whole thing once but the second time worked once I had swapped the applique foot for a walking foot to cope with the extra layer of fabric. Phew!

• Stitch length almost non existent, stitch width varied from 2 to 1 (my machine goes from 0-5, its a Brother XL5700) 

• Stitch used was a blanket stitch, used both directions of it (nos. 4 and 5 on my machine)

•  See Applique notes for more info

Roll on the next one! 

Things I have found out about applique (updated)

1. It is time consuming. But in a good way.

2. The backing makes a difference. I started out with no backing and it was crap, wavy as anything. Went on the Interweb and found a couple of videos, one of which recommended PAPER behind the design. Result - success! Ordinary printer paper works for me, btw.

3. Spray glue is wonderful stuff.

4.  It takes a bit of practice for first timers to master. There is an array of leaves and leaf-type shapes hovering around the sewing table, plus different stitch experiments, all of which are varying degrees of crapness. But, eh, that is how we learn.

5. I quite like it :D

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6. I don't like it quite so much after pulling out threads (which took me about 40 mins. Hmph) when the bit I was doing wrinkled like buggery. Hmph. 

7. Have discovered that appliqueing on top of applique doesnt work, unless you swap the feet over for a walking foot, and lose the paper. Until you are back down to 2 layers, then you need the paper again.

8. Get one of these:

 
Applique Foot - It's ace!


9. Remember to spray the wrong side of the applique, otherwise there will be penmarks all over the front. 

Feel free to learn from my mistakes!