Friday, March 12, 2021

Small UFO and a fabric burp!

 After I finished stitching down all the pieces on block two, I was feeling the need to work on something different - though it's not really all that different:


This block was designed by Teresa of Fabric Therapy and was in a magazine I bought a while back. I'd prepped the block but not stitched any of the applique down, and this week I was determined to finish it. The applique stitching didn't take long, and I was looking forward to doing some machine quilting.


I really do need to broaden my horizons quilting on my machine, and I am slowly getting better. Is one of the hardest parts of the process choosing how to fill in spaces? I feel like it's right up there. With so many resources like YouTube available to us, it's bound to get easier ... what a shame there aren't more hours in each day!

But back to the second Lily Rosenberry block. As you know I'm being scrappy with my fabric selections. This is wonderful for making a quilt visually interesting, but sometimes it can unleash a rogue fabric or two on your project! Once I had finished stitching down all the applique, I spritzed the block to remove the blue washout marker - and when I came back to it later on, a couple of the red fabrics had bled!


These were the two culprits! I've grabbed the little pieces I haven't used yet, and I'm currently washing them until all traces of the red dye runs clear. Fortunately after I soaked and spritzed the block a couple of times the red dye has released from the background fabric, which is such a relief, but I will be more vigilant about my red scraps going forward. Whew!

And just for reference, here the little leftover scraps having a soak - look how much of the red dye has released already:


Last of all for today, I'll share my latest macaron testing results:


Doctor Google helped me with the browning issue I'd been grappling with. It is remedied by placing the tray of macarons on a lower shelf in the oven, and putting another empty tray above it to shield the macarons from direct heat. When I read that information it made perfect sense! For fun this time I decided to try a different colour, and subsequently regretted it. Can you believe that the macarons above started out a purple colour? And they baked to a weird looking greige. Rather unappetising looking, but still delicious. I'll try the pink again next time, and though I'm using paste colours recommended for cake decorating, maybe there is a better option.

Today I'll start prepping the next Lily Rosenberry block, I'm having fun watching this project grow. Chatter soon! xox

4 comments:

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Oh that heart block is gorgeous. Teresa is such a wonderful designer. Oh those pesky reds! So happy to hear that you were able to get the red out of your "Lily" block. I have had to pitch a few reds over the years that just refused to not bleed no matter how much I washed. Have fun with your baking experiments. I try to stay out of the kitchen for the health of my family - teehee!

Kyle said...

Love your newest block. Your applique is always beautiful. You never know which red might run. Glad you didn't have a bigger issue.

Vicki W said...

That's a beautiful little quilt! So glad you were able to solve the bleeding issue.

Jean McGee said...

Love the little block you’ve been working on, your quilting is pretty good as well. Those pesky reds can cause problems sometimes but glad it’s sorted. Love your work Tara you are very special 😍😍

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