Binding the Ocean

At least, that's what it feels like these days...

The medallion quilt is piled up on my love seat.  I take a bit of it at a time and stitch down the binding.

As this is a special quilt, though, my usual single-fold, straight-cornered binding just wouldn't do.  This quilt has a double-fold binding (not bias), and mitred corners!

Following the instructions in my 'quilting bible' (The Quilter's Ultimate Visual Guide editted by Ellen Pahl), I calculated the length of binding I'd need for this king-sized quilt, cut the strips, attached them together using the method in the photo below...and stored the binding around my 15" square ruler till I could get time to sew it on the quilt.  :-)

This takes more fabric than a straight-across seam
but I like the look and there was plenty of fabric available!

Temporary binding storage!

Look, Ma! A mitred corner!

By Friday I had the binding sewn on, and was trimming out the excess batting, pinning as I went.  What to do at the corners?  How to get the mitres to look good on both sides and stay put?  My pins just didn't cut it.

Blessedly, I had lunch with my friend C, who is a quilter...and who had invested in some of these:

A Clover 'Wonder Clip' in action!

What a neat gizmo!  Darned expensive (about 69 cents apiece U.S. if you buy a packet of 10)...but worth the price of admission if you're going to be binding quilts.  I think we carry these in The Shop...so will check that out tomorrow and likely buy my own pack.  I have a few bed-quilts to bind in the next year or two...and they might just come in handy with art quilt facings....

Once all the pins and clips were applied, I ready to stitch.  I've finished one side and am well down the second.  Oh -- and the label has been made and applied in one corner.  All this, of course, under the watchful eye paw of my Studio Assistant, Pookie (aka Miss Pooks, among other things...)

"What?! You want to stitch on this?"

Once I get stitching, I like to put on a favourite computer video, such as Design Matters TV (DMTV) or The Quilt Show...

In fact, a recent episode of DMTV was the inspiration for the mini I made today.

One of the hosts is my former C&G tutor, Linda Kemshall.  What a grand person: artist, mother, teacher, writer -- she presents everything she does with enthusiasm, style and a touch of humour.

Anyway, a few months ago she began a project -- a daily art journal in a sketchbook.  Though several of her viewers have joined her on this adventure, I'm not one of them.  That said, I was interested to see the DMTV episode on her September entries.  The one that really caught my eye was her working out images of the 'Blood Moon' and the eclipse that occurred recently.  I'm an early-to-bed sort, so I missed it -- but saw images posted all over the Internet.

And then, on Thursday evening coming home late after work and music practice at the church (I'm in a trio), I saw it: a full, round, gorgeous Harvest moon!  I couldn't stop the car to photograph it -- and my little camera wouldn't have done it justice anyway -- so I just kept watching as it rose above the hills and trees, searing the image into my brain.

Yesterday I went back to that DMTV episode, and worked it out on fabric -- three small samples:

Cotton fabrics, freezer paper stencils,
a disposable 'tub' (recycled), a sponge
and a bottle of "deColorant" discharge paste

I'd bought a bottle of this paste a couple of years ago at a quilt show, and had played with it with less-than-satisfactory results.  Now it was time to try it again.  I used a sponge to apply it to the circles of fabric, which was easy and fast.  I let it dry all day, then removed the stencil paper and ironed the fabric squares:

Tada!

As recommended, I used extra steam and ironed the pieces from both sides, to great effect. 

I then wanted to add a bit of colour to my selected 'moon' to give it that Harvest moon golden glow.  Not having any "deColorant PLUS" (which has colour added), I decided to over-paint it.  First I used my yellow and my red InkTense (R) pencils, well blended, and then...a hint of dilute Lumiere fabric paint, the copper metallic option.

Once dry, I ironed the fabric again, and set it into a small scene.  I used a stencil to trace tree forms in a repeating pattern on fusible web (Wonder Under) and applied this to black fabric.

Oops!

In my excitement, I ironed the fusible to the "topside" (aka the 'right' side) of the fabric...not the "underside" (aka the 'wrong' side)...

But, in the end, I think it turned out rather well, as the "wrong" side of that particular black fabric has some texture to it -- just right for trees...

Harvest Moon (C) 2015

Just a bit of time now to stitch some more binding.  Tomorrow will be a work-and-knitting day in The Shop...

So I bid all 'farewell' till next time...

Addendum:  Linking this to WIP Wednesday because I don't know if I'll be able to link later...