For The Birds Blog Hop

 

Today is my day on the For the Birds Blog Hop!

This hop is hosted by Joan at MooseStashQuilting, and it is here that you will find a wide array of bird-themed projects to keep your wings aflutter! 

How's that saying go? Birds of a feather flock together?

Well, if that's true, this funky bird is in the right place! 

I hope you've been following along with this blog hop and have enjoyed the creative bird projects!

When I'm looking for inspiration, I often get caught going down the rabbit hole of Pinterest. I found enough ideas to fill my bird-brained nugget so I could get pecking at my new project!

I gathered my brightly colored strip scraps and sewed them together for the background. 

Knowing this was going to be on the smaller side, I chose strips no longer than 16" in length. 

With scraps of fabric chosen and hand-drawn templates, I used Heat 'n Bond Lite to prep my appliques. 

All appliques were cut out and laid in place.

I had a keen liking for this bird already!

She seemed to be going places!

Back to the background piece, I laid the applique templates aside and added a batting to the sewn strips.  Organic wavy lines became my quilting choice, using different colored threads.

The flowers were ironed down first, then edged with black thread in a narrow stitch.

Her groovy, skinny legs and bird boots are perfectly in fashion for heading to wherever!

And in her beak, she carries a purple string!

She knows that a string always comes in handy!

I had so much fun making this little bird wall hanging! 

Thank you, Joan, for hosting another great hop!

Here's the week's full blog hop schedule for your enjoyment:

June 17

MooseStashQuilting

Quilting Between the Rails

Selina Quilts

Quilt Doodle Designs

 

June 18

Homespun Hannah's Blog

BeaQuilter

Words & Stitches

High Road Quilter

Quilted Delights

Quilted Snail

 

June 19

Patchouli Moon Studio

A Quiltery

Ms P Designs USA

Stitching Farm Girl

Scrapdash

 

June 20

Just Let Me Quilt

Isabella’s Whimsy

Quilting Gail

Hazel's Daughter (you are here!)

Songbird Designs

May Flowers Bring Roses

 

Who doesn't love roses? Keep your hands down, if that happens to be you. You might end up liking them enough to enjoy this project! 

Once again, I was prompted to create a project for Joy's Tablescrap Challenge...this month's theme being Kentucky Derby. I'm not a horse lover, although I do appreciate their beauty from afar. (I had a bad experience with a big "gentle" one back in Girl Scout Camp many moons ago.) 

So no horse, of course, in my project.

But with a winning horse in the Kentucky Derby, one may come home with a garland of roses.

Or perhaps a few roses on a pillow.

That's the squiggly tale of my thought process, anyway.

Among my many pins on Pinterest that will keep me busy far into my afterlife, I narrowed it down to the vintage scrappy rose applique using my batik scraps and a small piece of Kaffe Fassett flower fabric.  No pattern or template used, just free form cutting.

Multiple layers and 3 flowers later, I found a piece of white-ish upholstery fabric in my stash.

I had just enough for a small pillow, front and back...woohoo!

I layered this with batting and a muslin on the back to quilt in a big grid back and forth, then used some batik strips to make some fence-like posts. I was short on the purple strips, but I thought that just gave it more interest!

I stitched down each layer of the flowers close to the edge, as well as the leaves.

A simple 12" pillow form was made using muslin and poly filler.

The pillow backing was one that has the opening to sneak the insert pillow inside. Easy peasy.

And then, a pretty little rosy applique pillow was created!

Linking up with: 

The Joyful Quilter Tablescrap Challenge

The Inquiring Quilter Wednesday Wait Loss

April Showers!

 

I know, I know...it's already May, but it's still raining in my corner of the world!

Besides, I wanted a mini quilt for my wall to celebrate Spring.

I was inspired to make this as I looked on Pinterest for a quilted piece that included an umbrella. 

Why an umbrella? So I could link up to Joy's Table Scrap Challenge at The Joyful Quilter!

I started with this background fabric that I bought at a 2nd hand shop in Missouri on our way to see the last solar eclipse. The tag is hard to read, but I snagged this 2 yard piece of Art Gallery newspaper print for $1.99!! Someone surely didn't know it's worth!

I printed off an umbrella template and found this perfect scrap of bird fabric that was exactly the right size. Sometimes things just work out, don't they?

A few steps later, I had my tulips, stems, leaves and grass cut out and prepped with Heat n Bond Light. 

Getting everything placed and stitched down is the fun part! 

A striped binding and she's done!

April showers really do bring May flowers!

The daffodils are already faded and the tulips are in full bloom!

May your gardens bring you joy this season!

Linking up with:

Joy's Table Scraps Challenge

Wednesday Wait Loss @ Inquiring Quilter

Midweek Makers @ Quiltfabrication

Project Quilting 15.6: Irish Chain

 

This is the final challenge of Project Quilting's 15th season. It makes me a bit sad! 

This week's theme is Irish Chain. While the Irish Chain design is quite simple and makes a great impact when made into a large quilt, I was thinking to make one on a smaller scale. I didn't like the idea of a simple block being flagged by a 9 patch on either side. 

So, I followed the Number One rule this week:  Your project must be inspired by the traditional Irish Chain quilt design.

I pulled out a bag of batik scraps and a few FQs that I won from Preeti at Sew Preeti Quilts earlier this year. She was so very generous in sending more than I expected...especially these gorgeous purples!

Having no idea where this was going, I started with making eight 9-patch blocks...this block is almost always present in the Irish Chain. 

Next I did what Preeti would likely do: Ask her husband, Paul, what she should do next.

Fortunately for me, I have a husband name Paul, too, and he is pretty good at giving advice!

I showed Paul several examples of the Irish Chain design I found on Pinterest to pre-load his brain. 

Me: Now that you know what an Irish Chain project looks like, what can I do to these 8 blocks to accentuate a chain look?

Paul: What if you cut small whitish squares and added them on top in the arrangement of a chain?

Me: Ok, so what do you think of this idea? I'm not feeling it.

Paul: Nope, me neither. What about a ribbon running cross-wise to get the chain effect?

Me: Hey, I think this idea is getting closer!

Paul: Great! Can I get back to taxes now?

Me: Yep!

Instead of ribbon, I cut 1" wide strips of coordinating purple batik fabric and sewed it on top of the squares to make the Irish Chain effect. I decided not to top-stitch the strips because I liked the floating look.

Next came the quilting which is just straight stitching to mimic the purple strips.

This purple swirl backing carries a lot of history! It covered many bulletin boards in my days of teaching. It has war-wounds of staple holes and some fading, but it's perfect for backing small projects. 

Hand stitching the binding to the back while watching the evening news seems to take the edge off the catastrophes of the day. Notice sweet Sophie in the background snoozing away!

I am just tickled with how this project turned out! 

My Irish Chain-ish table runner measures approximately 13" x 25".

Thank you, Kim and Trish, for another wonderful season of creating things I would never have thought of on my own!  And, thank you to Preeti, for supplying the beautiful batik fabrics for this project!

Linking up with:

Persimon Dreams: Project Quilting 15.6 Irish Chain

So Scrappy

Free Motion Mavericks!

Favorite March Finish @ Quilting Jetgirl

Project Quilting 15.5 Wearables

 

I wish I'd had a photo of my face when I read this week's PQ challenge! Wearables??? Really?

I've made a whole lot of wearables in my sewing room, including my first pair of jeans as a teenager. Lots of maternity clothes, baby and toddler outfits and even a clown suit for a professional clown! 

So the idea really didn't scare me, but the thought that I had to get this project done in 2 days threw me into a panic. We are leaving for a vacation to a lovely, warm tropical island Tuesday morning. 

As long as the project could be explained as something that can be worn, or was once a wearable piece, or includes an idea of something that can be worn, it's good to go! 

My panic lasted a few hours. Then I knew. I have always wanted to make a lanyard to help me keep track of my mini scissors. 

Everything I needed was already here at home.

I followed the Pretty DIY Lanyard Tutorial at SewCanShe. Caroline Critchfield writes up the best tutorials for so many projects and most are free! Check out her site if you haven't already spent hours there already...like I have. 

Fusible interfacing to give a bit of body and stiffness. 

I added a selvage message "Be Open To Whatever Comes Next". 

I'd been hanging onto this selvage scrap forever, 

and figured this was fitting! 

I had my lanyard "wearable" and completely finished in about an hour!

Whew! Good thing I've already got my suitcase packed. 

I realize this looks like I'm wearing an Olympic medal. 

I sorta feel like I won a medal for getting this accomplished so quickly!

I love it and know it will be worn always when I'm in front of my sewing machine. 

No more lost scissors! 

Linking up with:

PQ 15.5 at Persimon Dreams

Project Quilting 15.4: Hour Glass

 

This week's Project Quilting challenge was Hourglass.  Hosted by Kim Lapacek and her friend Trish, this is an annual challenge that I look forward to! 

 I used the Hourglass block in the top and bottom of my mini wall hanging. 

I was so hoping I'd be able to incorporate the theme into a project to decorate my home for St. Patrick's Day. 

I used last post's technique from Inside Out to make the Shamrock.

It's really a look that I love with the ruffly seams!

 

I used a wavy stitch in gold thread to quilt the strips before adding to the background. 

This was my first attempt at making an Hourglass block. 

Whoops! My memory ain't what it used to be, so I needed to consult a tutorial. 

Leslie, at the Seasoned Homemaker came to the rescue giving me the perfect instructions. 

After sewing my Hourglass blocks together for the top and bottom, I got started with quilting the middle section. 

I quilted this in an hourglass block design with just straight line stitching inside of each square. 

The paper template was pinned down (with the green ruffly stripped piece laying underneath) and I sewed around it twice, keeping close to the edge of the paper. 

The magic happens when I cut inside the lines and remove the top shamrock!

Green glass beads were sewn around the shamrock's edge.

Round gold beads were added near the top and bottom Hourglass borders. 

Before hand-stitching the binding down to the back, I added corner triangles and hanging strips so I'd have options when hanging it.

Now I'm set for St. Patrick's Day! 

My finished mini wall-hanging measures approximately 17" x 14".

Quilted with 3 layers and made in my Asbury, Iowa sewing room!

Linking up with:

Persimon Dreams PQ 15.4

Inquiring Quilter's Wednesday Wait Loss