Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Korak close up

Fighting with a porcupine -- or: sewing a piece that is full of pins. I'm trying another method, that is to pre-sew (what on earth is the correct word?) in large stitches with a thread I'll remove after doing the proper sewing in a small hem stitch.
The scraps are ironed in double: Squares form triangles, longer rectangles are folded to form rectangle beams. Then they are positioned overlapping, so that the folded side remains uncovered, but the cuts are hidden by the top level.
For a good explanation, I recommend the book by Ruth Tschudi which is bilingual, German and English.

As you can see in the picture, I thoroughly avoid to use a ruler. The only aid is a plastic square as a template for the triangles. Usual quilting fabric is almost a bit too stiff for this method; it is great for using scraps of thinner quality, even silks.
The sun is shining through the windows and balcony door. This is the lovely place where I do my sewing. In our living room, the light is best. And I have the TV telling me stories. I don't have to look much.

In the afternoon, the kids will be back from school, and on the playground downstairs, on the roundabout, there will be up to 12 kids spinning and screaming until they are close to fainting. You can imagine that I rather close the windows then.

There is a Lower German proverb: "'n beten scheev hett Gott leev", means, God loves the slightly skew things. I hope so.

Curious wasps come in and go, they know where, I don't even have to tell them. One of them came to look into my eyes from a 3" distance. Be cool.

P.S. Something I'd like to draw your attention to: The oldest quilt in England, 1718

14 comments:

Vicki W said...

Sounds like you have a perfect setting! I think the term you are looking for is "basting".

Eva said...

Thank you!

Chris Gray said...

Love the look of this new work. I'm intrigued by the method too....

Art4Sol said...

Love your korak. The unstructured piecing is very suiting.

Kay Koeper Sorensen said...

I am thoroughly enjoying watching you create your first korak.

jude said...

yes. basting, and yes thinner fabric works best for this kind of thing, and a great way to use tiny scraps. like a mosaic.... love your sunny sewing spot.

Eva said...

Kay, doesnt it move you to tears how crooked and bias it is?

Clare Wassermann said...

I just love it especially enlarged in close up. Can you give us an explanation of exactly how you do this? I'm inspired but clueless! xx

ArtSparker said...

The work is a lovely twisted tale.

Deb G said...

About the skew things, I hope so too! What a wonderful sunny spot to work.

Anonymous said...

What a fun project to watch. I love all the pieces, and I think it is best when it is slightly askew.

I feel the light where you work. Lovely. Looks like you have some tea as well to keep you calm and comforted.

Anonymous said...

I have never been attracted to perfect and precise things. This is just beautiful!

And the oldest quilt in England is amazing.

Deborah said...

perfection is usually boring. love your work and your blog

deanna7trees said...

Love your korak piece. You inspired me to order the book and I hope to get started on my own piece soon. Thanks for sharing.
deanna in Texas