Kismet: You'll fall in love
Good morning Hoppers! It's day 4 of the
Kismet Blog Hop and we have some fun things to share with you from Swan Amity Studios.
Let me tell you, Quilting Friends, I love this line of fabric and I have no doubt you will too! It's luscious. Tamarini and Island Batik have hit it out of the park this year with this bright and beautiful collection.
When I started working with Kismet, I immediately found it hard to choose from all of the lovely options, so I created a pattern that would allow me to use a variety of fabrics. I also wanted them to shine with their full brilliance, so I paired them with a white background to allow them to pop off the surface of the project.
For those of you that love circles and simple piecing, visit my site to find Bagatelle and enjoy how well it pairs with Kismet and a pale or a dark background fabric.
Bagatelle contains a number of appliqued circles and today I'd love to give you a tiny project that will help you practice your circles and to give you some methods to use for their creation. I'll walk you through the steps for using Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles or for using the freezer paper starch method of appliqued circles creation.
Here you'll see all the necessary tools and fabric to make a small pincushion. I chose two colors of fabric for the large circles (a 6" square of each option) and 6 colors of fabric for the small circles. Aurifil recently created 10 spools of 28wt threads that pair with Kismet. If you like a bit of hand stitched embellishments in your work, you will love this collection.
To use Perfect Circles, begin by choosing the size of circle necessary from the templates. I often lay the circles on top of the pattern until I have the right one.
Cut a circle from the desired fabric with a great enough seam allowance to allow you to easily stitch a running stitch all the way around the circle as you see in the above images.
Draw the running stitch tight around the circle template. Make a couple of cross stitches across the circle to tighten the fabric.
Paint the seam allowance of the circle with starch. I like to use Sta Flo starch. Sta Flo is sold concentrated. I mix mine 1 part Sta Flo to 2 parts water, though you may prefer slightly more or less concentrated. Allow the starch to sit a minute or two.
Use a small iron to fully dry the starch.
Clip the running stitches and remove the threads.
Slip a fingernail under the seam allowance and remove the template.
You can see why this product is called Perfect Circles! This 1" circle is beautiful.
To use the Feezer Paper Starch method, cut circles the desired size from freezer paper. Press the freezer paper with the shiny side facing the fabric and trim the excess fabric to leave a generous quarter inch seam allowance.
Paint the seam allowance with starch. Here I use the same starch solution. I also like to use a trolley needle to turn the seam allowance at this stage to keep my finger tips away from the iron.
You can see the way the trolley needle allows me to keep my fingertips away from the iron surface, while also allowing me to control the circle and not let it slide away on the ironing board.
Make two 5" circles from the larger squares, make six 1" circles from the smaller fabrics using your preferred turning method. Arrange your smaller circles on one of the larger circles and stitch them into place.
Next stitch the two larger circles together, leaving a two inch opening and turn right side out. Make a stuffing pocket in the same size as the finished pincushion and slide it inside the pincushion. I like to use closely woven muslin for the stuffing pocket and crushed walnut shells. Stitch the remaining two inches closed and enjoy!.
I plan to embellish the small circles with some of the beautiful black thread from the Kismet thread collection.
I hope you've enjoyed the blog today! If you liked some of what I had to say today, share the blog with your friends and stay tuned for more of the blog hop as the week continues! To be eligible for my drawing to win a free Bagatelle pattern and a Trolley Needle, visit my Facebook Page, share today's post, and leave a comment. We'll draw two winners on Sunday!
Be sure to visit all the fabulous Kismet Blogs this week and enjoy all that these innovative designers have to offer you!
Tammy Silvers with Tamarinis
Pauline McArthur with Funky Friends Factory
Joanne Hillestad with Fat Quarter Gypsy
Kate Colleran with Seams like a Dream
Becky Jorgensen with Patchwork Posse
Kris Poor with Poorhouse Quilts
Erin Sampson with Aurifil
Jessica VanDenbrugh with Sew Many Creations
Sarah Furrer with Studio 180
