Sunday, March 6, 2016

My Project for Challenge 5 Project Quilting

 
 
This week's challenge theme was "Through the Eyes of a Child". Persimon Dreams has come up with some interesting themes this year. This one I didn't think I'd attempt....until Thursday afternoon when a photo I saw in an email inspired me! Yikes!

It's been a busy week with 3 rehearsals singing with the local symphony, plus working, plus getting this baby done! I finished it just this morning, just in the nick of time.
 
I'd love to give credit where credit is due as to where I found this inspiration. The blogger asked for permission before referencing her online, but she didn't reply to my request, so all I can say is I found her fabulous project online.
 
The photo immediately reminded me of when I was a little girl. We had a huge old crab apple tree in our backyard. The apples were never good for eating, but that tree held my wish for a swing. I asked many times for my dad or brothers to put one there for me, but my requests, like the one above, went unanswered.

So, to keep it simple, this project was made
through the eyes of the little girl that lives in me! <3
 
 
I started with going through my small scraps for pastel colored fabrics. I cut them into small squares and rectangles and placed them on a large piece of paper-backed fusible web. (Ya think I have enough small scraps?)
 
 
When I got the placement I wanted, I ironed them down to make it easier to sew.
Then I ironed them onto a piece of muslin to prepare for sewing. I used a free-style method of sewing around each block in white thread using free-motion quilting.
 


Using some wood-patterned fabric, I cut out a tree and added some red "apples", sewing around all of it with black thread, giving it a very creative look!
Note: when I was almost finished with the raw-edge applique of the entire project, I thought the tree looked off-balance and I added larger branches to increase its size.


 
Here is my little girl (ME!) in the swing I longed for. I often wore braids or pig tails, plus I've been a life-long purple lover, so she is wearing a purple dress!
Here you can see that the tree grew, too!
 
With a thin layer of batting and a lovely shade of pink for binding,
my little girl on her swing will joyfully hang forever on my sewing room wall.
 
 
 
My final project measures approximately 15" x 17".
It was created in my home in Dubuque, Iowa.
 
Voting will start around noon on Sunday, March 6th on the Persimon Dreams blog. Stop by and vote for your favorites! You will have one week to vote.
Thanks for stopping by!  
 
 

 

14 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! I absolutely love your piece!

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  2. What a great project!! I am, also, a lifelong purple fan! I'd love to copy this idea and use things from my grand and great grand kids lives!! Thanks so much for sharing!!! Dona

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  3. I'm so glad you decide to give it a go, turned out so sweet.

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  4. Kathy this is the sweetest quilt and brings a smile just to see it. I am sad that you never got your swing, but happy that you gave the little girl inside you this one to enjoy. A beautiful and whimsical quilt!

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  5. I am charmed! Are those little flowers and stems gathered or fussy-cut? Wish I had been here in time to vote :)

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  6. I absolutely adore this quilt because of the story that goes with it. The story always brings the quilt to life for me. Your tree and little girl are adorable and your thread work is wonderful! I like the whimsy and the playfulness of the quilt. I'm so glad you commented on my blog so that I could find you! What a sweet discovery for a monday morning. Good luck with the quilt, I know who I'm voting for. 'wink'

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  7. This is so pretty and I love the story behind it.

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  8. This made me smile Kathy!! You know the tree I have started with Lara's method is a glorious full-on apple tree of some kind I believe, at their finest right around now so I so do love your creation. I'll have to check out this Persimmon Persimon(?) Dreams blog. Every quilt has a story and you sure told the story of this little beauty well.

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  9. I remember this from the challenge! I voted for it! So cute and girly. I didn't enter any challenges thismyear, but I hope to next year. If life cooperates!

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  10. Very cute! Isn't it great when inspiration strikes? Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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  11. A sweet original design and even better knowing the story behind it. She must be so happy that you finally gave her that swing.

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