Monday, April 27, 2020

REMIX, APPLIQUE, AND DRESDENS

I must admit that going into the 7th week of being confined to the home front has begun to have me less and less in the sewing studio.  Is too much of a good thing, not good?  I have had to get a bit creative to get me interested in spending much time there.
I finally pulled out some fabric purchased in New Zealand on a trip there in  February 2018, and added some light prints from my stash.  I purchased a pattern, Sequoia Sampler Remix by Alex Anderson.  Nice little 6" blocks.  It is a bit of fun mixing and matching to add a block or two each day.
The piece is small, only 36 by 42 inches, and in the end will include some appliqué work.
Speaking of appliqué, with all this time on my hands I have finally decided to seriously work on perfecting my turned under edge appliqué prep.  It has always been a struggle for me and since I have so much time on my hands it seemed a good time to master it at last.  
I am using Floriani Stitch N Wash Fusible Water Soluble Tearaway and turning the edges over with glue sticks and using an old 2008 book by Barb Adams & Alma Allen of Blackbird Designs call When the Cold Wind Blows.  Don't hold me to ever getting a quilt done, I'll start with baby steps like maybe one block done.  
On the bright side I finished a long overdue UFO runner this week.  
I quilted the Dresdens with a circular pattern and the background with straight stitching. 
With the spring weather I spotted some pretty purple flowers in the herb planters.  They turned out to be the chives going to seed.  Never the less they are pretty.

As some of you might recall my daughter's duck hatched 13 little ducklings last week.  Well it appears that motherhood seemed a bit hectic this week and she resorted to sending her brood over to the neighbors for a bit of a rest.  She got tired of watching them, so sent them next door to Colonel Sanders to watch for a bit.  They were just small enough to pop through the fence and he is a very good baby sitter.

   
Posted by at

23 comments:

  1. PaintedThreadApril 28, 2020 at 7:13 AM

    I like your blocks. Those ducklings are a hoot!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Home Sewn By UsApril 28, 2020 at 9:09 AM

    Hi Donna! HAHA! I'm so glad that the Colonel is a good babysitter. I think there are plenty of mothers out there that would LOVE to send their brood over to the neighbors for a bit of a rest. If only! I recognized the chive flowers right away! We don't see them until mid-summer around these parts, and my chives have been frozen out and haven't returned. I'll have to pick some up at the garden center or from someone who has some nearby. Great job on your UFO runner! Doesn't it feel nice to have it complete? I think you hit the nail on the head - too much of a good thing isn't good any longer. Take care and thanks for linking up. ~smile~ Roseanne

    ReplyDelete
  3. LIttle Penguin QuiltsApril 28, 2020 at 3:56 PM

    Those are pretty blocks! I do find myself getting a little bored with my stash these days. I would love to go shopping for a few new fat quarters at my LQS! I love the picture of Colonel Sanders babysitting the ducklings!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Michele McLaughlinApril 29, 2020 at 4:16 AM

    Beautiful blocks! I love your Dresden table runner, your fabric choices are wonderful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SandeeApril 29, 2020 at 7:53 AM

    You are so talented. Wow.

    Oh the ducklings. A huge Aw.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  6. AngelaApril 29, 2020 at 9:08 AM

    I love your Dresden blocks!

    ReplyDelete
  7. moosecraftApril 29, 2020 at 11:28 AM

    Your NZ stash is gorgeous! Love all of the florals and the colors!
    Colonel Sanders is a handsome baby sitter! After all....who can resist such cute little duckings? :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. LynetteApril 30, 2020 at 12:43 PM

    Oh my gosh!!! How cute! A rooster will babysit? Yeah, when a sweet retreat becomes the mainstay, it's not a retreat anymore. But you're getting some good things accomplished. Love the idea of working on a technique instead of keeping to normal routine. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. KimMalkApril 30, 2020 at 1:02 PM

    I really like your top mix of fabrics/blocks. I was thinking the same thing the other day--I'm getting sewing burnout! Boo!

    ReplyDelete
  10. NannMay 1, 2020 at 12:59 PM

    I looked up the sampler pattern -- very pretty design!

    ReplyDelete
  11. SusanMay 1, 2020 at 3:33 PM

    It's a great time to learn a technique - you go girl!

    ReplyDelete
  12. maggie fellowMay 2, 2020 at 11:50 AM

    good to perfect a skill - wishing you best luck

    ReplyDelete
  13. JennyMay 2, 2020 at 2:18 PM

    What a pity we didn't catch up when you were over here in New Zealand a couple of years ago. Guess no one will be doing overseas trips now for quite some time.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Susie HMay 3, 2020 at 4:44 AM

    Way to pass the buck, Mother Duck! Lol! Your dresdens are beautiful. Love how you accented the block with the quilting and also with gorgeous thread around the centers! Good luck with learning a new technique in applique!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Rebecca GraceMay 3, 2020 at 7:42 AM

    I love the blanket stitching on your Dresden plate and your appliqué prep looks really good! I've heard great things about using the Floriani Stitch n Wash that way but haven't tried it yet myself. Have been experimenting with multiple different methods for turned edge appliqué and I haven't landed on the One Perfect Method for me quite yet.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bernie KringelMay 3, 2020 at 8:14 AM

    Love your projects!! I am curious about the Dresden runner. Did you quilt the background first and then place the Dresdens and quilt those down? It looks really nice. Also love that blanket stitch you used on the centers. So pretty. (I am a fan of Dresdens!)

    ReplyDelete
  17. MeloneyMay 3, 2020 at 8:23 AM

    such cute ducklings.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Karrin HurdMay 3, 2020 at 9:37 AM

    Great projects you have. Your Dresden runner is lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Alycia~QuiltygirlMay 3, 2020 at 12:21 PM

    You do have great projects tho - hopefully you'll get the motivation back to work on them!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jennifer Fulton Inquiring QuilterMay 3, 2020 at 8:09 PM

    Wonderful blocks! Can't believe the rooster is a better mom than the chicken! Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dione Gardner-StephenMay 4, 2020 at 5:15 PM

    This is a great time to be perfecting slow skills like hand turned appliqué :D Love the ducks babysitter.... that is a good revenge for the chicken slipping the egg into the duck's nest. I hope working on the NZ fabrics brings you good memories.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Quilter KathyMay 5, 2020 at 7:26 AM

    A great time to learn a new technique! Way to go!
    Love the story of the baby ducks and their new babysitter... Moms do need a break!
    Thanks for linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching!

    ReplyDelete
  23. For the love of geeseMay 5, 2020 at 5:33 PM

    I have knocked an item off my to-do list. So we must all be stepping out of our norm. Can't wait to read more about your applique. Thank you for linking up to Put your foot down

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)