Thursday 5 May 2011

The Night Before Christmas

The Night Before Christmas ... block 3 ... "The Presents were Wrapped"


The presents weren't too difficult to applique (nice big pieces) ....


 BUT the poor little mouse is rather ordinary! Especially her feet, hands and ears! Any hints for getting them 'smoother' would be greatly appreciated.


 From the placement of his tail, it would appear Oliver has a similar opinion!



I am really enjoying this block of the month. There seems to be lots of fabric leftover each month .. I'm sure I will find a use for it.


21 comments:

  1. Ohhhh Christine this block is beautiful i love it and i dont think there is anything wrong with your mouse,she's cute

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  2. Very, very, very nice! this quilt is so cute, wonderful how you make it.

    greetings, Jeannet

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  3. The smaller and curve the pieces you need to make your stitches closer together and reduce your seam allowance to about 1/8th ( I make it even smaller on circles.

    Closer stitching will stop the seam allowance popping back out.
    I love your little Mouse....

    cheers
    Christine
    ps.written only because you ask for a tip......

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  4. Christine, this looks like an adorable quilt. can you send me the link to the pattern source?

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  5. So nice to see you are making the same quilt as I
    do! And you are doing a great job! You can see my
    progress on my blog: me-and-my-needle.blogspot.com
    This block I posted recently as well! Maybe it would
    be nice to exchange tips and tricks?
    Kind regards, Ageeth Dorsman

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  6. Oh my....that is just so pretty. Very nice job!

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  7. The presents and the mouse look adorable. I think you are amazing doing that needle turn by hand. I recently saw this starch and freezer paper method at this lady's blog. She uses it for all the little fiddly bits as well.
    http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/2011/02/applique-by-freezer-paper.html

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  8. Me again. I found the site I was really thinking of for applique lessons. Her videos are well done.
    http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/applique-lessons/

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  9. Christine it's absolutely gorgeous - you are an amazing stitcher. I understand Amish quilters deliberately make their quilts with an imperfection as they believe the only perfection in this world is God......to me your mouse looks more than fine and dandy - if it's annoying you look at it from the Amish perspective and claim it as your 'deliberate' xoxoxoxox

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  10. Your block looks beautiful!!

    Greetings, Debbie

    http://www.handwerkenzo.blogspot.com/

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  11. The mouse is cute as can be in that nice dress and pinafore. And tugging on the package bow.

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  12. Hi! I didn't look at the Erin link, but here are a few suggestions:
    1. add a little more seam allowance, then sew a running stitch around the curved edges. Then pull to gather, like a yoyo, smooth out the gathers and then tack your stitches at the needle end to secure. If you use a paper template, you could keep it inside the wrong side, then finger press around the gathers. Nice rounded edges, easy to sew down.
    2. could use a format of template free for those little pieces, then would be guarenteed nice round edges!
    Take care, Leslie

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  13. Darling quilt. I don't see a think wrong with the mouse. She is so cute.

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  14. Christine, I think your block is wonderful.

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  15. It looks awesome. The mouse is sooooo cute. Can't wait to see the whole top. Absolutely fantastic pattern. If only it was Christmas already :) Advice: enjoy the proces and don't focus on the inperfections.

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  16. What a sweet block! This is the one I will be doing next. Just finished block 2.

    Do you use freezer paper? I baste the seam allowance and especially for the smaller pieces use tiny stitches, and less seam allowance.

    Having said that (and only because you asked) your block is so beautiful!

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  17. Your stitching and needle turning is amazing!

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  18. Kitties always have an opinion that they are very sure of. I think the block is beautiful & little mouse has character. Tracee xx

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  19. Sometimes, when those pieces are so tiny .... I embroider the outline of the shape and fill in the centers with embroidery thread. Great blocks!

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  20. Your handwork is pristine. Love the photos, especially the cat tail.

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Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate your thoughts.

Christine