TRYING MY HAND AT AN ART PIECE

 I have a number of friends in my quilt guild and a small group as well that are wonderful art quilters.  I admire their work so very much, but just have not really pushed myself in that direction for a lack of confidence in that area.

I happened on a picture in an art magazine that appealed to me using a variety of fabrics and I thought that I had some of the similar fabric ideas in my stash, so why not take the leap.  

So I began to somewhat cut and paste some of my fabric choices on to this rather nice Batik background.  

I decided on some thread work to add to it.  I love using my double stitch straight stitch.  

I added a sun with the double straight stitched rays and quilted it with narrow straight stitches.  

Now the rays just did not seem to really stand out.  I recalled that at one time I a variety of beads and beading needles and thread.  I rounded them up and and after a bit of hesitation I figured why not.  

And yes, perfect and fun.  I had forgotten how much fun beading is. 

And it is finished.  I have added a split sleeve on the back of it.  It is now ready to put into the next Mistlan Art Gallery show, that usually takes place in April.  They have a textile art show and allow my guild's members to show and even sell textile art.  

Last week I was busy making my daughter peacock king size pillowcases and putting borders on bath towel for her bed and master bathroom.  We were waiting for this fabric and coordinating fabrics to make her two standard pillowcases as well for the bed.  So I was able to finish them off over the weekend.

These three characters are my grandsons.  They are all ready to go back to school, well sort of!  School is still on line in our area.  Every year my daughter takes a picture of them on the first day of school.  From left to right Elijah 17 a senior this year, Noah 14 starting high school this year, and Ben 12 this month starts middle school.  And yes the two older boys are 6 feet plus tall.  

And no the ducks are not staying in their new fenced in yard with their huge newly purchased swimming pool.  The patio roof and the fish pond are much more appealing.  And they are not above eating the fish either.  I believe wing clipping may be on my daughter's to do list this week.

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Mid Week Makers

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

PILLOWCASES AND TOWELS

 My daughter recently purchased a new bedspread for her bed.  As she has 5 peacocks as pets, what theme could her bedspread possibly be.  However, it did not come with pillowcases or pillow shams.  

So naturally she calls on me to come up with king size pillow shams.  She purchased this fabric on line and it was left to me to make them. She did not want ruffles just very simple pillow coverings.  

When she picked up her pillowcases, she asked if I could put a border on some decorative bath towels to match for her master bathroom.  OK, but we did have a limited amount of fabric left.  The towels she purchased were 30 inches wide and I was scrambling to get sufficient fabric fussy cut to add those borders.  

Well with a bit of additional fabric pieces I just managed to get two 30 inch wide borders done and on the towels.  I really worried about sewing them on to these really thick, fluffy towels, but them sewed on perfectly straight without even one wrinkle.  

And once folded and ready to hang they look perfect.  

One would think after all that going on I would be done with pillowcases, but I received an e-mail from my guild's charity division with a request for pillowcases for children at a local children's hospital.  So many of the pillowcases they get are girlish, so the request was for boy themes.  I had a stash of Star War fabric so pulled these together and have two more cut out to finish this week.  

  This is my daughter with one of her new chickens.  Yes, the silly thing is in her lap sound asleep.  Her husband's sister Sadie brought out five chickens for my daughter to keep along with her flock of over 20.  The chickens had been purchased for Sadie's little boy that has a number of serious medical need.  That little guy cared for the chickens, fed them, cleaned out the coop, and just loved them.  But, a neighbor complained, and even though you can keep chickens in the city, but not roosters, the city said they did not have over 40 feet on all sides around their yard and they had to go.  So they have come out to live with all the other chickens and Elliot can come out any time he wants to visit them.  A real shame when you can see how tame he had them.  The five of them just started laying eggs, so my daughter saves them special just for Elliot to take home. 

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FOLIOS, PAPER PIECING, & PEACOCK FEATHERS

I am in a slump!  Nothing I should be working on is exciting.  I managed this little Tilda Mimi Folio one afternoon.  But that didn't seem to really make much of a dent in what I should work on or get me very excited.  

So I pulled out this little pattern and thought that it would make a good way to carry a tablet in my purse.  I am forever writing notes on napkins as I never have paper or pen. 

Tilda even had a matching fabric covered button.  So Cute!

And a 5" by 7" tablet or in this case my Quilt Plan tablet fits perfectly on the inside.  

I recently purchased this book.  The patterns are all paper pieced.  I am thinking that that might actually make me think with more excitement about getting and and doing something.

This idea seemed sort of fun.  However, my printer can not increase the pattern in the book to 125%.  So I guess it is mask up and head to the office supply store for some help.  

One of my daughter's peacocks has decided to shed his tail feathers.  They usually do that in the fall.  Looks like she has decided to make good use out of his feathers.  

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Confessions of a Fabric Addict

CHRISTMAS IN JULY #2 AND NEEDLE BOOK

I must admit that with four months of being locked down at home due the this Covid virus I am bored.  Coming up with afternoon quilt projects is no longer as much fun as it was in the beginning.  But, one must find something besides gardening and housework to occupy ones time.  

I pulled out another new pattern from the cabinet and decided that as long as it was still July and I have tons of Christmas stash I would make another Christmas item.  

This is the 19.5" table topper.  I considered some placemats and I may actually do some for husband and I.  

I started quilting it, but about half way through ran out of thread.  I am using YLI Machine Quilting thread Festival.  It is variegated green and red thread.  So I have ordered it and it should arrive some time late this week to finish this up.

Actually this is a Christmas gift.  Yes, things are really getting bad around here.  My guild, hopefully we will be able to meet in December and have a Christmas dinner and we exchange gifts.  I usually make something and then pop in a JoAnn's gift certificate with it.  I thought this little needle case would be a fun little item to gift. 

 

It has a felt needle holder in its center and two little pockets on each end to hold, well a gift card!

And it finishes up really nicely with a ribbon tie.  

Yes, last weeks table runner is complete.  I think it really is very pretty.

I did lots and lots of quilting on it.  I was a bit concerned with all those curved seams and there was a bit of wobble, but it quilted out nice and flat. 

The courtship continues of Marilyn my daughter's one and only peahen by one of her four males.  Marilyn doesn't look very impressed.

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LAZY SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS IN JULY

July brings summer with 100 degree temperatures in my area.  You don't want to go outside after 8am, so on top of the virus the heat keeps one in.  

My Cold Wind Blows wall hanging top is complete.  The birds were the perfect borders.  

I spray basted it to my batting and back and started the leaves' quilting.  I have become very fond of the heavy double stitch for leaf veins.  I just love how much the quilting stands out.  I spray baste outside, normally a very straight forward task.  However, this time I had a wasp for company, and the little bugger bit me four times before husband rushed out and took care of him.  Fortunately I am not allergic so some minor stinging and itching and within a couple hours nothing to show for my mishap but 4 red dots on my arm. 

I keep getting quilty news with all this talk about Christmas in July.  So I decided to dig through my stash and patterns for a bit of early Christmas cheer.  The pattern didn't seem all that holiday-ish but I made it once before so decided it would work.

I select this print for my focal fabric.

So it is all ready now to get the pieces sewn together and on to some quilting.  It should end up at about 15" by 47''.

Our summer garden is in full swing.  Lots of nice Swiss chard, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, and squash.  

We even had this little guy visit for an afternoon.  Much nicer than the wasp.

This is Marilyn my daughter's peacock.  She also has 4 others all males.  Marilyn has been sitting on the front patio enjoying the summer shade.  She is rather snooty and has no interest in the male peacocks that all seeming to be interested in courting her. 

And sure enough here is one of those guys, sitting on the lawn just on the side of the patio.  She won't even allow him in the chair next to her.  My daughter says she is pretty sure Marilyn talked to mother duck that early this spring hatched 13 ducklings.  She having no interest in motherhood what so ever.  Smart peahen!

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Mid Week Makers

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

 

STASH BUSTER BABY QUILT

I have been on hold for a bit waiting for fabric to arrive for a couple of my current projects.  My daughter asked for a quilt out of the stash I keep of finished baby quilts for her husband's sister expecting in October.  She selected one that reminded me I had left over fabric and panel blocks from that original quilt, so I decided to pull those out and make a replacement. 

I did discover all I had were these very small animal blocks.  Well it is use what you have.  

So I framed them out and was able to get them to a 6 inch finished size.  After digging around I did find four larger animal prints and framed them into 9 inch blocks finished. 

Then decided to do some simple serpentine quilting on it.

I found this cute print for the back.  The grey, black, and white are a perfect match for it.  

Just finished putting it all together.  I made a scrappy binding of the black and grey prints to finish it off.  

My daughter's ducks have outgrown they children's plastic swimming pool.  This past weekend she upgraded them to a much bigger solution.  The hope is that it will keep them in their nice new large pen constructed earlier in the week. She said they were becoming much too interested in their swimming pool.  Finding 14 ducks floating around in their pool didn't exactly please anyone.  Especially the teenagers in the home, as it is their job to clean the pool. 

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TILDA HOUSE, COLD WIND BLOWS, & MOREWOOD MYSTERY

I have been able to finish up my Tilda House quilt, it is one of three large quilts that I just got back from the quilter this past week.  I was able to get this one bound and the handwork done.  

This is the back I selected for the Tilda House Quilt.  I realized when I was doing the hand sewing on the binding that this fabric is perfect to experiment with broderie perse.  I have never tried that type of appliqué and this seems like the perfect fabric to try it out.    

I also got all the fused appliqués on the Cold Wind Blows piece.  I am now working on machine stitching them with a small zigzag stitch with Sulky Invisible Poly thread.  It is a bit of a pain to deal with, but I do love that it really is nearly invisible. 

I am planning a different border for it.  The fabric line had some really nice bird pieces in it.  I had to do a good deal of fussy cutting to pull them out of the rest of the surrounding print, but worth the chopping up and waste of some of the fabric.

I decided to start a new project.  Meadow Mist Designs has started the Morewood Mystery quilt.  This month it is time to pick your fabric.  I needed four coordinating fabrics.  A nice way to dig into my stash and I found some really good ideas for it.  

I am trying to decide on whether to use the navy blue floral print or the white floral.  Now just to figure out a background fabric.  

For you fans of my daughter's pets.  You might remember her very hadsome white and multi colored rooster Patrick.  Well here he is with his lady hen Buttercup.  They thought they would spend their afternoon napping in my daughter's vegetable garden.  She was none too happy about it, as they thought that the little green tomatoes just sprouting on her tomato vines were going to be their afternoon snacks.  I think they are headed for lock down.

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Mid Week Makers

Confessions of a Fabric Addict