Small steps

Look at those little shoes!  Each little part was a small step. I worked on one person at a time, I think I found the perfect fabrics for each. The hair was found in a pheasant print. A light spot between the barns was perfect for the sunlight on the boys hair and the tall grass was perfect for blond pony tails.  The shoes were fussy because the parts were so small.  It fuses best if I remember to remove the paper from the back.  It’s been a long time since I used the fusible.

Still not ready to stitch but close, I see some things I might want to change I see little things in the photo that I don’t see as I’m working on it.  In the actual photo ( previous post) there is a little ridge in the grass on the left side, I can duplicate that ridge if I cut an “up” curve. I’m not sold on the lightest green in the foreground either. I’ll think on it before I stitch.  —Ann—

Another no sew summer

 

My no sew summer has come to an end. So far I am just choosing fabrics and enlarging the figures but soon I will be sewing. My monkey brain has been all over the place, work on the background then on the figures then I see I haven’t changed the calendar in my sewing room jump up and then stand there….what was I going to do?  Go back to the table look around ahha the calendar! Cutting these parts out isn’t so hard……oh time for coffee……maybe write a blogpost haven’t done that for awhile……maybe the caffeine will help me focus.

I’m making a pillow for my cousin in Ireland that’s her daughter and grandkids.  They took me to the beaches around Portrush.  Savoring summer memories—Ann—

FMQ Kayakers

Everything is fused and starting to fall off.  I wonder ??  does fusible have an expiration date?  The stuff I was using was from several years ago and some was coming off the paper backing or maybe my iron was too hot or too cool or too much steam or not enough steam.  Maybe I should read the instructions again, I will next time I buy fusible.  All the black has been stitched around with black thread. The sky is done!   I used a pink and yellow thread and will use the same for the lake but I will use a yellow thread coming out from the sun reflection. I'm just getting warmed up.  Away I go. --Ann--

Kayakers Design Wall

The silhouettes are cut, I must have drawn and cut at least 6 of the smallest kayak before I was happy with it, and and then I traced it wrong on the fusible not once but twice, time to quit for the day and take a walk.  I came back from my walk and fused the background last night and decided to wait with the kayaks and look at them with fresh eyes today.  Now to fuse everything in place, its always tricky to pin parts in place on the design wall and not take the flannel down with it.  An "aha" moment!! tape things!!!! Why don't I place it on a flat surface?!?  well then I would have to clear a flat surface to make room, tape is quicker and slicker and the perspective is better on the wall.  Borders and layering next then the fun begins.  --Ann--

Design Wall Monday

I started yet another quilt over the weekend. My cousin is having a birthday in a couple weeks and we will all be at the lake. A decade or so ago we were in a quilt shop at my request and there were some wall hanging patterns with black silhouette fused appliqué on sunset type fabrics They caught her eye and bought fabric for me she wanted her girls in kayaks on the lake.  So more than a few years later I am getting to work on it.  I enlarged the kayaks on the printer, now I need to tweak the sizes some.    The front kayak should be a little smaller, the kayak in the middle needs a reflection and the smallest should be a little bigger but now I am out of printer ink and I live in a very small town so I will draw and cut and trace onto fusible then cut it out in black.  I can see a lot of horizontal quilting for the sky and water using yellow, orange and black thread. The quilting is going to be fun.  She has probably forgotten all about it so it will be a surprise.  Be inspired at Judy's DWM.  --Ann--

Snow at the North Pole

I pinned my tatted snowflakes to my Welcome to the North Pole Quilt I like them there. --Ann--

Yesterday when I stayed home all day it turned into dough day I mixed up 9 different kinds of cookies, mostly half recipes. I used 3 pounds of butter now I can bake at my leisure. College girl comes home today so she can help me bake. --Ann--

Winter Trees

 Winter trees are finished! I fused the trees to the background then sewed around each tree with the buttonhole stitch on my sewing machine. I practiced drawing snowflakes without lifting my pencil then I practiced a few free motion with my machine on scrap fabric. I also tried a couple different threads, I decided on a silver metallic (coats and clark)  that I'm sure is 20 years old. I just stitched vertical rows with snowflakes they are far from perfect or being symmetrical only God can make a perfect snowflake. As I was stitching I came up with variations to my basic snowflakes by connecting points with peaks and valleys and curves. It is always so pretty and peaceful when the snow comes down vertically. Here it usually comes at a slant or horizontally and none in the forecast.
Linking up to off the wall Friday Nina Marie, thank you for inviting me. ~~Ann~~

Design wall Monday

 I'm working on a small quilt to hang in my kitchen window. A ready built house has been moved in beside me, so now I see a house with windows. I will be making lots of quilts to hang in my window. This will go up right after  click Thom Turkey comes down.

I used to see an alfalfa field and grain bins, not that it was a fabulous view but it was a view and I frequently saw pheasants strutting by and  I could always gauge the snowfall by the grain bins. If they disappeared I should stay home and quilt. The view at Patchworktimes is fabulous!  Enjoy! --Ann--

The Erin Quilts V

Turtle Pond  When Erin was a little girl I would let her pick out a couple fat quarters every time we went fabric shopping. Eventually her stash was big enough that I could make something. She was 8 when we started this quilt. She chose the pattern and picked out most of the shell combinations, we talked about busy prints and calm prints and boring prints and how they need to work together to show off each other in the best possible way. Sometimes two really pretty prints together ended up sticking their tongues out at each other. So Erin would try a fabric that was less flamboyant. She has a good eye for color and design. This was fused applique with satin stitch around each piece. I echo quilted the background and used a pile of green from my early stash. Savoring the mommy Erin time. --Ann--

On the Wall

I made this several years ago, it was my first Dog Gone Quilts Pattern. I did this with a group of ladies and I probably would not have done it had it not been for the group. Cutting and pasting fusibles and raw edge applique was not my thing at the time. Peer pressure can be a good thing to get out on your comfort zone. I persevered and got all those little parts cut out and put back together. I extended the sun rays into the border. The machine quilting was so much fun. My rabbit eyes are a bit wonky but she is a dumb bunny. I had a hard time using black to quilt around the flowers but it does make them stand out.

Easter Blessings, Ann

Welcome to the North Pole Quilt

My Santas need a Welcome to the North Pole quilt. Pattern by Piece O' Cake Designs. www.pieceocake.com

I chose to do fusible applique for this quilt because it is a wall hanging. Cut and fuse as you go so pieces don't get mixed up or lost.

The reins and harness yarns with jingle bells are just tacked down. I used edging lace for the icicles hanging from the roof.

I machine quilted the window panes. Some of the background fabrics are indigo prints, three are white on white snowflakes and stars that I dyed. No  two backgrounds are quilted the same. Did you notice  the lights are on in all the houses and workshops?

The marbles on the roof of the glassworks shop are covered buttons.

Son, Derek's Toyworks shop I'm sure he made Lego's.


Erin the doll maker and John with his cars and trucks the wheels are snaps.  The narrow little edging insert is a one inch wide strip of fabric ironed in half and stitched to the border then the piano key border was stitched on top of the edging. A second  accent strip was sewn on before the binding was attached.

Hubbies bait shop I'm sure the elves and Santa go ice fishing. My coffee shop and bakery and it will be a busy shop next week.

Warm Wishes,
Ann

Deck the walls with quilts and Santa

Just put the finishing stitches in my Santa and Child wall quilt.

the black thread really does add to Santa's eyes and face.

Happy Christmas Decorating,
Ann

Progress on Santa

The machine quilting is my favorite part. I must have pressed some parts too many times and melted the adhesive right off the bird's beak. I never had that experience before with fused applique.

In the past month I saw a quilt of a couple girls with long hair and mactavishing quilting in the hair and I made a mental note to study it more when I was closer to the quilting stage for quilting the beard. I have looked through 2 years worth of magazines trying to find the quilt and can't. My friends Jane and Phyllis came over earlier in the week  and Phyllis knew the quilt I was talking about but couldn't remember which magazine it was in either. So I wasn't dreaming it!!!!
Since I couldn't find the quilt I decided I should practice mactavishing the beard before I put it under the needle. That almost sounds surgical but I don't want rip and leave scars. So I put a sheet of tissue paper over the pattern and drew my quilting lines then laid it over the quilt consider the possibilities.

so far so good

there are three different white on white fabrics in Santa's beard and hair. I used gold metallic thread for the star rays and halo and broke three needles in the process, the thread usually breaks not the needles.

I still need to add some black quilting lines to Santa's face for  depth.

so close to finishing.

Happy Quilting,
Ann

New Project Santa

Santa Claus is coming. Santa and Child pattern from Doggone Quilts.com

Its amazing how a little Christmas music gets my fingers working a little faster.

If you loved playing with paper dolls and puzzles you will love making a Doggone Quilts pattern. It is lots of tracing, cutting and fusing. It works best to trace a small part of the quilt at one time, like all of the cow then fuse to selected fabrics, cut, reassemble and fuse to the backing otherwise it is completely overwhelming keeping track of all those pieces.

I took a few liberties with the pattern and changed the bows so the tails were straight. My sky fabric had stars so I just cut one star and straightened the rays so they shine on the Christ Child.

 I used a Dutch Wax print that my mother bought me when my parents were in the Netherlands at least 15 years ago for the blanket around the baby.Every time I pulled this fabric out of the stash I puzzled over how to use it. To fussy cut it would waste so much fabric in any shape other than hexagons and to cut hexagons and sew them back together seemed redundant so there it sat. You can see I carefully cut the blanket parts from the edges so I wouldn't waste fabric. It was the logical choice for the border. I added a narrow accent strip of gold because it needed a little spacer. Now to machine quilt around all those little parts.

Happy Quilting,
Ann

Sunflowers

Sunflowers just make me smile. Bright yellow against a blue sky.

Sunflowers inspire me



cabinet topper

listed on etsy

quilting on the backside

Happy Quilting,

Ann