The Sewing Place

Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion

renita

Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« on: January 03, 2019, 08:13:00 AM »
I've had a copy of Millefiori 2 for several months now, thinking that one day maybe I'd be crazy brave enough to have a go.  With the current home-decorating and stash-busting competitions underway, I've decided that there's no time like the present and while I'm not yet insane courageous enough to tackle the full thing, maybe I could handle a cushion.  Maybe.  I've wanted a meditation cushion for a while, so this could be a way of mindfully hand-sewing my own.

So, I headed into the stash-room on New Year's Day and dug out my small pile of quilting fabrics.  They may not be the colours I'd choose for a cushion if I was purchasing fabrics today, but I'm seeing this as a test run, no need to be precious about anything.

I'm planning to do a couple of rosettes from two different quilts (that conveniently have pieces in common, just pieced together into different patterned rosettes).  That should give me a top and bottom for the cushion.  Then, if I can wangle it, I'll use another block/quilt to make the side of the cushion.  This is still a work in progress, so may not eventuate.

I'm largely going to be winging it.  This is my first go at hand-piecing.  I've usually hand-quilted in the past, but machine pieced.  Was totally put off by having to glue or baste all the bits around paper first, but learned that I could totally skip that part - super happy.  I'm sure I'm making about a gazillion-times more progress than I'd be making otherwise.

New Years Day evening progress - blurry(?) image of a little test piece (centre of rosette), sitting between my Millefiori 2 book for the patterns and my stash of quilting fabrics



Progress as at earlier this afternoon - can you tell I haven't been doing anything other than hand-sewing dozens of bitty-little fabric pieces together since lunch-time New Year's Day?  Totally addicted.  But then, I can never walk away from a jigsaw puzzle until it's finished either...



The stars around the outside aren't attached in that second image, just sitting in position to give me an idea of how big it's going to be. 

Comments so far:

*Did I mention how super-happy I am that I don't have to pre-baste all these bits to paper?? Piecing with running stitch rocks.

*I can't cut out shapes accurately, at all.  6mm seam allowances?  They are probably 6mm, if you take the average over a large enough sampling...

*I can, however, put dots with a marker in each corner where I'm supposed to sew from and to, and I can sew reasonably straight for the 3 cm required to get from one dot to the next. Happy enough with that.

*I'm as blind as a bat these days.  Never knew how valuable a needle-threader was, until I was trying to thread my needle with mono-filament nylon.  I'm guarding my needle-threader with my life now.

*Fussy cutting could be the end of me.  Managed it using the stripey fabric at the centre of the rosette.  Failed with the outer stripes to get them properly circular.  Haven't been bothered with the rest.  Will try again on the rosette for the other side.


That will do for today's report.  Back to it, still an hour of daylight left here ...

StitchinTime

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2019, 08:29:18 AM »
I've had a copy of Millefiori 2 for several months now ...

I've had the Millefiori books for several years now and have not had a go yet with any of the patterns in the books. I got the papers for making La Passacaglia from a friend who had realised that they were never going to be used, but I wonder if they will end up getting passed on to someone else again. Piecing with running stitch might well be a better option; as you say, the seams are quite short so I wouldn't need to mark the complete seam line.

I look forward to seeing how you get on with the cushion (or if you decide that a quilt might be possible after all).


Lachica

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2019, 08:34:44 AM »
Wow! @renita you have bucket loads of patience. As a stash-busting exercise though, it'll take a while 0_0
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.

Kwaaked

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2019, 08:40:43 AM »
Wow, I'm jealous.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Iminei

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2019, 08:49:13 AM »
Go Girl!
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

Lowena

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2019, 09:26:12 AM »
That's lovely, such patience  :loveit:
Triumph of hope over experience :D

renita

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2019, 08:52:45 AM »
Thanks everyone for the encouragement!

I don't know whether I'm patient or the exact opposite.  I just have to keep going because I have to see what it looks like.

I've now finished the first rosette and almost done on the second.



Technical bits
First rosette (left) is the centre section of the 'complete' rosette from 'Ballet with Kaffe Fassett', up to step 5.

Second rosette (right) is block 3 from 'Be Calm and Count Up To 10' (diagrams 12 & 13), but it is slightly smaller than the other one.  I've worked out some extra pieces to add on around the edge to get it up to the same size and they are shown unattached above.

Then attached below, on the right



I'm treating this as a training exercise, so not so worried about my choices.  Takes the pressure off beautifully.  But I can see that getting the contrast right can make a big difference.  Some of the shapes are not very distinct, because my fabrics all have a similar tone.

I'm liking the second rosette more.  Have worked more on the fussy cutting and like its more organic lines over the linear nature in the first.

Need to start thinking about how I'll put this together:
 Removable stuffing?
 Definitely needs quilting on a backing for strength/stability
 Wavy edges,or try to work out how to smooth out the rosettes' shape.  Smooth edges might mean less strain on the rosettes

Stash busting exercise? MASSIVE FAIL

BrendaP

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2019, 09:22:12 AM »
 If you want the inner stuffing/cushion pad to be removeable, and  you are using both rosettes together for one cushion, you will have to smooth out the edges in order to insert a zip.  That means either working out another round of pieces, or applique the whole lot onto a circle of fabric.

Whatever you do it's looking great  0_0
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

StitchinTime

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2019, 09:45:52 AM »
Those look lovely and seem to have come together very quickly.

Inspired by your running stitch piecing, I took a drill to my La Passacagalia templates and made holes so I can mark the seam allowances rather than use paper pieces.

renita

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2019, 10:39:07 AM »
Thanks @StitchinTime.  Glad I've encouraged you to give it a try.  I can highly recommend cheaty EPP
 0_0

Some dots, one pin to line up the dots of the corner I'm heading to and my needle to line up the dots I'm starting from and I'm on my way. 

Since I posted earlier tonight, I've already managed to put together the remaining 8 mini blocks that will complete the second rosette.  It's taking far less time than I thought it would.

Lowena

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #10 on: January 16, 2019, 10:56:33 AM »
Looks great... sounds complicated  ;)
Triumph of hope over experience :D

renita

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2019, 19:03:01 PM »
@BrendaP You make a great point about the zip.
I hadn't even considered applique as an option
Thanks for that tip.

Complicated? Yes, I suspect it's getting more so by the minute! I'm definitely going to have to make some decisions shortly. Who would have thought that piecing together hundreds of little shapes would be the simple part of this project?


renita

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #12 on: January 26, 2019, 08:30:29 AM »
Progress update:





I now have the three bits (top, bottom and side wall) pieced!

Top: 130 pieces
Bottom: 180 pieces
Side: 270 320 pieces

Total: 580 630 pieces!

I don't think I should have counted them up.  And I know I definitely shouldn't have counted how many pieces were going to be in the side BEFORE I did it.

I found it interesting that the strip I need to go around my little cushion is almost the full length required for the quilt - I think it's just one block shorter.  It would make a much smaller quilt than I'm used to.


Not sure how well they go together, both pattern-wise and fit-wise.  But this is a 'no care' project, so I'm not allowed to agonise over it.  I know adding in the extra pieces to make the top and bottom more round has shortened the path around the cushion edge, by about 10%.  Some easing will be required and I think I might put piping along the edges to make that less obvious.  It also might help to hide the zipper.




But first, to quilting...

I have enough fabric in my tiny quilting stash to provide the backing.  (All these fabrics are leftovers from my last quilting project, about 12 years ago)  Not sure about wadding.  Will check about in the stash for something.  Even a bit of fleece or an old flannelette sheet might work in a pinch?  I am trying to do this from stash, after all.

I'm still inclined to hand-quilt - have never had a go at machine quilting. I just worry about strength when I sit on it. I might have to do some experiments with machine quilting before I make the final call.

« Last Edit: January 26, 2019, 09:48:38 AM by renita »

Iminei

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #13 on: January 26, 2019, 09:14:32 AM »
Gulp!!!  :S

I think the only way you could make that photo  any more intimidating is by including a tape measure to show exactly how tiny those pieces are!!!

But the colours, the colours ...they G L O W !!!

Awesome!!!! RESPECT!
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

renita

Re: Renita's Millefiori Sampler Meditation Cushion
« Reply #14 on: January 26, 2019, 09:59:07 AM »
Thanks @Iminei.  I think I managed to get better contrast on the side piece - a good learning exercise for me.

Would you believe I've had to correct my progress update post, as I got the count wrong.  It's actually worse than I thought, with 320 pieces in the side bit, 630 total.  Any wonder it started to feel like I'd never get to the end of it.

Too dark here to scare you with a tape measure now,  :devil:  but I think the smallest piece is the 'half square' in the edges of the side piece - they are 2cm x 1cm, the full (little) squares running along the centre are 2cm x 2cm. The diamonds or larger squares are 4cm across the diagonal.