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.


Posted by at

21 comments:

  1. Anonymous5 May 2011 at 18:29

    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. quilting Jeannet5 May 2011 at 19:06

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

    greetings, Jeannet

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  3. Anonymous5 May 2011 at 19:06

    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. Betsy5 May 2011 at 19:57

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

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  5. Ageeth Dorsman5 May 2011 at 19:58

    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. Anonymous5 May 2011 at 20:11

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

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  7. Valspierssews5 May 2011 at 20:46

    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. NINART5 May 2011 at 20:48

    it´s so sweet...

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  9. Valspierssews5 May 2011 at 21:07

    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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  10. Annie5 May 2011 at 21:07

    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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  11. Unknown5 May 2011 at 22:54

    Your block looks beautiful!!

    Greetings, Debbie

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

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  12. Karen5 May 2011 at 23:15

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

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  13. LesQuilts6 May 2011 at 10:33

    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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  14. West Michigan Quilter6 May 2011 at 10:41

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

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  15. Lynda6 May 2011 at 12:35

    Christine, I think your block is wonderful.

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  16. Helen6 May 2011 at 14:17

    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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  17. Anne Marieke6 May 2011 at 20:12

    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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  18. Sarah7 May 2011 at 11:00

    Your stitching and needle turning is amazing!

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  19. Quilt Kitty7 May 2011 at 19:27

    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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  20. Rose Marie10 May 2011 at 00:47

    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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  21. Nanette Merrill10 May 2011 at 08:57

    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

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