Stash Busting

Yesterday I didn't want to sit down and stitch so started working on cutting up my stash of fabrics for a scrap quilt or two. Last winter I had sorted out fabrics I thought I would never use in a quilt project, especially the miniatures I make now almost exclusively. I loaded up a tote with them and put them in the basement thinking I would use them for donation quilts for the different projects our guild does each year. Right now I am cutting them up in the following sizes; 9" squares for a scrappy workshop the guild is having in October, 3" squares to use for 1/2 square triangles, 2 1/2" squares, 1 1/2" strips, 2 1/2" strips and 3 1/2" strips. I am putting them into light and dark piles as I am cutting them and will put them in some sort of boxes when I finish or quit cutting for now. As you can see from the photo below I have lots and lots of fabric to choose from.
We had a wonderful program at quilt guild last Thursday on using up our scraps so was inspired to start working. The gal that did the program used the blocks below and made 4 wonderful very scrappy quilts from them. She used the 2 1/2" squares, and the 3" squares to make the half square triangles. She also used 1 1/2 strips for borders and used them in blocks too. The quilts were stunning!Another reason I am getting busy with using my stash is because of the challenge for our guild this year. It is called "25 Yard Dash". We are all challenged to use 25 yards of fabric from our stash, new fabrics purchased after the meeting will not count. We have to bring the completed projects to a meeting to count towards our total. The VP has a formula to figure out how much fabric was used in a quilt - ball park figure but that is good enough for me. I figured with only making miniatures I will never get 25 yards used and may not anyway with my plans for stash busting but I am going to make a gallant try to use at least some of it up. They are allowing us to count projects already started so I am planning on finishing a few large quilts that have been fermenting in my closet. That is the term I am using for UFOs started many years ago.

Better get dinner on the table - for you city people that is lunch to you. Farmers call it dinner and want a bigger meal at noon as they need more nutrition to sustain them with all the physical work they do during the day. We eat a smaller meal at night and call it supper.

Until Later,
Lynn

Wacky Bird Progress

As you can see I am making some progress on my Wacky Bird block. The bird is done and now I am working on the branches and leaves. I am still irritated by the lack of good value changes for the legs, tail feathers and orange face piece. I need to remember to pay closer attention and check my fabrics before I go to the work of using them. Must keep those value finders handy!

Suzanne Marshall's applique method also has us outline each piece in embroidery thread so I am hoping that will help. Will have to choose the right thread colors to make it happen though.

Here is a close up of the eye. I chose to make it from two fabrics to give it a little more dimension. I first made a circle on the purple fabric with my circle template, cut it out leaving about 1/8" seam allowance then appliqued it onto a large piece of orange fabric. When the purple circle was finished I took a my circle template and laid it over the appliqued piece and chose a circle a little larger on the template, centered it and marked it on the orange fabric. I then cut out the orange circle with a small 1/8" seam allowance and appliqued it down.

I have 3 different circle templates that I have purchased at Hobby Lobby or other places that sell drafting and art supplies. When you have to draw a circle it is much easier to find a corresponding size on one of these templates and trace inside the pre-cut hole than to draw a circle following a traced circle on a piece of paper. There are registration marks on them too so if you have to line them up vertically or horizontally you do this. Very inexpensive to buy and I would be lost without them.

I do want to point out a couple of points in my outside circle. I tried real hard to keep my curve smooth but when I was finished I noticed these points.....oh well. They are not huge points so maybe the embroidery will cover them up.

Had company over the weekend so am recovering, doing laundry, etc. to catch up. We seem to have lots of company over the summer every year. We do enjoy having people come but I never get the things done that I think I will.

Enjoying tomatoes that my friend gave us last Thursday and the 2 doz. my sister brought this weekend. Our tomatoes are so slow ripening this year, think it was the cooler than normal weather we have had plus the lateness they were planted. John and S. planted my garden for me late last spring since I couldn't do it because of the foot surgery I had.

The foot is better but not completely back to normal now. I have been wearing only flip flops with lots of cushion all summer as the arch of my foot is still swollen some and my regular shoes are too tight on my left foot. I have occasionally worn them for short periods of time though. Not sure what I will be doing when fall and cooler weather comes though.

Happy Quilting,
Lynn

Wacky Bird

To answer Elaine's question, yes these are all batik fabrics in the Wacky Bird. I like working with batiks because they are more tightly woven and don't ravel as badly as traditional fabrics. They also are thinner so it is easier to make sharp points as there is not as much bulk to turn under. Some say that your stitches show more on batik fabrics but if you are careful with your stitching the applique looks good and no stitches showing.

I only got the rest of the leg appliqued last night plus two pieces of the wing. Didn't get started until late and there will be no stitching this evening as I will be at my quilt guild meeting.

Our August meeting is always so much fun as we take a summer break and I have not seen most of the members since last May. We have a pot luck supper planned this evening then our program is on making scrappy quilts.

We are going to be collecting food for the food bank again this year and tonight we are to bring vegetables. Of course you can bring anything you want but it is nice to have a suggestion. The food bank weighs the food each month that we bring in and the total for last year was 436.5 pounds. That is a lot of donations for a group that usually only has 20 at each meeting.

Tomorrow 3 of us are taking our quilts to the State Fair to be judged and displayed when the fair opens in a week or so. I only had one quilt to take this year as most of my time this past year was taken up with making donation quilts - 2 for the quilt guild, 1 for the Nebraska Cattlemen's Ball, 1 for the NSQG auction at QuiltNebraska and 1 for Project Linus, quilts collected from NSQG members and donated to children in need.

Lynn

Wacky Bird Applique

I finally got my hands on some fabric and a needle last night....yipee! This is the block I started in the applique class at QuiltNebraska convention with Suzanne Marshall in July. Last night I got several pieces appliqued down and plan to work on it this evening too.

Had problems with value again with this block. Am not going to worry about it because it may never be more than a block but if you look close the legs are the same value as the body and the two bottom tail feathers are about the same value as the background. The extra piece on the head near the beak is close but there is a little difference in value.

This really causes blending or parts disappearing, especially if you stand a little away from the block. When I choose these fabrics in class I didn't have a value finder and didn't worry about it - just wanted to learn Suzanne's techniques for the beautiful applique she does.

I do like her method she calls "Take Away Applique" and think I will use it again. It is easy to place pieces on the background without marking the background. This method also saves time cutting templates for the shapes. Get her book and read all about it.

Want to do the stem stitch embroidery around the pieces that she has used on her applique too. That may take me a while as I am a really, really slow embroiderer.

Today it is so nice outside. Warm but with a hint of fall in the air - hard to explain but it is feeling more like fall every day.

Lynn