Cupcakes completed!

I never really completed the cupcake story............
The cupcake wallhanging was the first of my 5 City & Guilds pieces.
You have already seen this but here it is again just as a reminder!

When I was doing my artwork I did a string print with pastels which reminded me of an Andy Warhol painting. I liked it so much I decided to make it up into another wallhanging.

I used the pleated cupcake cases as before and the appliqued tops. In fact the shapes are exactly the same as my first samples. But this time I have used lots of patterned fabric to give a completely different effect.

This is the completed wallhanging which I have called 'Andy's Cupcakes'.

I also made my two original samples into little quilts too!

If you are interested the development of the pieces and the artwork are in previous posts.

Cupcake Artwork.

Each City & Guilds piece has to be accompanied with a workbook where you record things like design brief, construction notes, evaluation and of course artwork.


I have photographed some of my art work as I like to have a record on the blog of all the work I have done.

This artwork was my original design that I have now abandoned. It is done using string printing.

This one is a collage done with funky foam and corrugated cardboard.

This final piece was done using the string print again but this time with pastels. This is the one that caused me to change my mind yet again as I loved it so much I decided to make it into a wallhanging.

It reminded me of an Andy Warhol painting - I made the quilt top and took it to college - I could not decide if I liked it or not when I saw it made up. Anyway the consensus was that it worked so I was really pleased. I can't show it yet as it is all tacked and ready for quilting so I will have to leave you in suspense for now!

I have really moved out of my comfort zone with this one as it is so different from what I normally do. However this does mean that I am growing as a quilt designer and learning more about the types of design I like. All great reasons to be doing the City & Guilds course.

The moral of this tale - ALWAYS do your artwork and loads of designs on paper before you start sewing!!

City & Guilds Cupcake Wallhanging.

I have been at college all this last weekend so sorry posts were thin on the ground last week as I was busy working on my City & Guilds pieces.
So, not wanting to confuse anyone, I can now reveal my finished wallhanging - yes I decided to go with the alternative design!!
It is only 14 inches square so I was not sure about it being big enough but I have checked with my tutors and it is fine. The biggest problem was choosing a binding fabric but after a visit to Hobbycraft on Thursday I found the perfect fabric!

This is my scale diagram of the wallhanging.

These close ups show detail of the quilting - the cupcakes are handquilted around their shape and then I have quilted the background with seed beads. Sue, my tutor says it is more like a tying than a quilting technique
but either way I am pleased with it! She also really liked it so even better!

Finally a quilt label - this is a birthday gift for my great niece for next year. (I have NEVER had anything finished do far in advance!!!)

Thanks again to Sue for the idea of a cupcaked shape label!

In case you were wondering what I am going to do with the cupcakes I was working on? They will go into my workbook as stitched samples and I intend to make a bag and a cushion with them at a later date - so nothing will be wasted.

So is this the end of the cupcake journey........ well no!

After doing some experimental artwork I came up with another design that I liked even more!! I have decided to make that too! Details to follow shortly!

Finally a big hello to my fellow classmates who may be reading this - I know some of you do! And 'Get Well Soon' to our course leader, Diane who sprained her ankle badly this weekend after slipping on some ice and could not be with us.

Cupcake alternative design.

As part of each City & Guilds piece you have to show an alternative design. This could be just a drawing but I decided to make a quilt sample.
I have used a different cupcake shape and have used the bondaweb method of applique followed by hand stitched blanket stitching around the shapes. No tucks and no trapunto so a much flatter design.
Here are two of the cupcakes in close up.

And here is the completed mini quilt top.

I am now going to back it, hand quilt around each cupcake and bind it in a black and white spot fabric.

Only thing is.....I wonder what happens if you actually prefer your alternative design..........?

Cupcake Update.

Progress has been slow this last week, not for any particular reason.......
Although I have been decorating the kitchen (cleaning it actually takes longer than the painting!!). And I have been teaching........
Anyway I embellished the first cupcake sample with bugle beads which I do actually quite like although I did not know if they would be big enough. I also blanket stitched around the top of the cupcake which I also quite liked.
Sue, my tutor didn't like the blanket stitching so I am going to try without on the real piece first before I decide. She has so much more experience on this that I am going to take her word on it for now!
Also this week I have been dyeing fabric for the cupcake wallhanging. This photo shows why you should wear rubber gloves! Although it is only so bad because I spilt a whole plastic bag full of dye on the utility room floor!

Because I was so busy cleaning the floor I did not work the dye into the fabric as much as I should so the purple pieces have come out more mottled than I wanted. However I think they will still look OK so I am going to use them.

I have decided to have a real push at getting this first piece finished for our December college weekend (6th & 7th). I have been doing the artwork which I will show soon and I am trying to work on some aspect of this piece every day!

Tomorrow I am going to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate....lots of shopping to do!!!

And don't forget - still a couple of days to enter my giveaway - see next post!

Cupcake Progress.

I have been working some more on the cupcakes.
First I needed to attach the polyester wadding for the trapunto using the wash away thread. The wadding is then cut away around the shape.

I then machine quilted in a spiral pattern to try to mirror icing on the cupcake. The wash away thread was really difficult to remove - it is the Madeira brand. It says on the package that it can be removed by the steam from the iron but I could not get this to work. In the end I had to wet it with a damp cloth. I am sure that it would disappear after washing in the machine but I did not want to do this with this piece. Also I was unhappy with the stitching holes left behind.

I then made the second cupcake using the fabric I had painted with the pearlised paint. I much prefer this look - much softer and more like real icing! I attached the trapunto wadding with a glue stick and tacked around the shape so that I did not get any stitching holes in the painted fabric.

I spiral quilted it again.

Next stage is the embellishments which I will probably do at college. I have enough materials to make two more cupcakes but first I need to decide what to do with them as I am not sure about making them into a wallhanging anymore.

Cupcakes!

For my second City & Guilds piece I am working on the theme of cupcakes!
Cupcakes seem to be very popular at the moment - on cards, in magazines, fabric and knitted ones too! There was even a National Cupcake Day in America in October! They always make me smile!
This wrapping paper from Asda is my inspiration.
Initially I had decided to make a cupcake wallhanging - but now I amnot so sure so I am going to work on this a bit more this week and have a chat with my tutors at the weekend.
I wanted to record my progress so far as I hope it will help get my creativity going again. The first problem was the bun or muffin cases. I had the perfect fabric but struggled with the pleats. Anyway one of the reasons why our weekends at college are so great is that all the tutors and students have loads of helpful ideas. (One of the main reasons I would not like a distance learning internet based course). Anne-Marie came up with the perfect solution - by varying the stitching on each pleat I got the perfect cupcake case shape. The stitches are closer to the edge of the pleat at the top.

I then appliqued the case onto my background fabric followed by the top of the cupcake. I need to get some texture into the top so I am going to try machine trapunto next, then a swirly quilting pattern and finally the embellishments.

One of my tutors ideas was to try painting the fabric for the tops so I am also going to try this. I have used some pearlised fabric paints. I have done some samples but the pearliness doesn't really show up on the photo.

Hope to have some more progress to show before the weekend which is our November City & Guilds class.