A Good Way to End the Year!

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Yesterday was one of those days I dream of. I had the entire house to myself for the whole day!! Sure, I could have done lots of things, but I really wanted to end this year with a bang. I desperately wanted to finish putting all 16 blocks of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore” together, complete with all of those half-square triangles. So that is what I did!

First, I finished sewing all of the triangles together and then trimmed them to the correct size. You can read more about that here. It is a lot of work, but so worth it! Next, I stitched them together to make one long strip….

….crossed my fingers and started stitching.

So far, so good!

I did the exact same thing for the other side.

I thought I deserved a break, so I made a pot of tea, grabbed my Ipod and listened to some tunes in the hot-tub. (Remember…I had the day to myself!!)

When I came back in, I was raring to go, but my seat was occupied. Didn’t matter, I was pumped!

Finally! After many, many hours, all 16 blocks stitched together!

Cue the fireworks!

Til next year…

Kerry

23Dec2013

Stolen Moments

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Well…with all the Christmas stuff going on, the shopping, the baking, and the get-togethers, it is hard to find any time to stitch. So I am stealing every spare moment I can to finish the last block of “Friends of Baltimore”. Here is the anchor prepped and glued in place.

Next, I had to decide how I was going to do the chain. First, I prepped and stitched the outside edge of the chain and drew the inside lines with a Frixion marker.

Then, I did reverse applique for all those tiny little holes in the chain.

Yesterday, we had a major ice storm and so we were all housebound, with not much to do. So I dug out the last four blocks of Friends of Baltimore…..

…and washed them…

… and trimmed them down to the proper size. You can read more about that here.

Next, I started to stitch together more of the half-square triangles that make up the sashing in between the blocks.

Here are the last four blocks stitched together in a row. Spiffy!

Merry, Merry Christmas Everyone….

Kerry

16Dec2013

Moving Right Along!

Posted in Circle of Tulips, Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Hand-Quilting Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I was very excited to start working on this block. First, I started on the right side of the wreath with a few flowers, leaves and buds.

Next, I added the left side.

And, finally, the bluebird!

I have been steadily hand-quilting on Circle of Tupils. I am pleased because it has that antique look I was going for. I love it when a plan comes together! The stencil that I have chosen for the border has me intrigued, so I am anxious to start it!

Til next time…..

Kerry

11Dec2013

Cutting and Pasting

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I am trying something a little different. My daughter, who I am making “Friends of Baltimore” for, has decided that she really didn’t want another cornucopia block in the quilt. She thought maybe something with an anchor would be nice. So I started looking through all of my Baltimore books and found a block which appears more than once in different quilts. The only problem is, I want it to have the same feel and look as all the other blocks. I did a bit of searching for clip-art type drawings of birds and anchors. I wanted the floral wreath to have the same flowers and leaves as the other blocks, so I “stole” the wreath from the block with the ship and the lyre and did my own form of cutting and pasting.

Next, I coloured it. It was like being back in kindergarten! This is a rough draught. I will probably add more flowers and petals to fill the wreath out a bit.

I really had intended to have some of the fabrics prepped and ready to show, however, I must confess I have become addicted to Downton Abbey. I have the DVD set of the first three seasons and I am spending way too much time glued to the TV, with nothing in my hands (except a bowl of popcorn!) I mean, I cannot take my eyes off the screen, in case I miss something. I have even asked my family to start addressing me as “M’Lady”, but it hasn’t caught on yet!

Til next time….

Kerry

9Dec2013

Show and Tell

Posted in Sunday Afternoon Applique Group, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

My Sunday Afternoon Applique Group met yesterday and we were (once again!) delighted with some pretty awesome Show and Tell!

First, Kathy (with a K) showed her Kim McLean quilt that she started two years ago. Kathy chose to use solids for her backgrounds and a variety of black and whites for the appliques. Kathy brings new meaning to the word “creative”. So impressive!

Check out the sashing Kathy chose. It has colorful pins on a black background!

This is Helene’s version of Jo Morton’s “Prairie Flowers Encore”. Stunning!

Til next time…..

Kerry

5Dec2013

Just Play!

Posted in Annabelle, Hand-Applique Techniques, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I love starting a new quilt! I really have no business starting something new, when I should be starting the last (yipee!) block of Friends of Baltimore, but it’s what I do! The more quilts I have one the go, the happier I am. I believe that a body in motion stays in motion and creativity breeds creativity! So, this is what I did today….I played!

This quilt is called Annabelle. It is based on a quilt made by Ann Daggs in New York and dated 1818. This is my focus fabric. I think of choosing fabrics for a quilt like choosing actors for a movie. Only one fabric (or actor) can play the leading role.

And, no movie is complete without a supporting cast!

So, once I chose most of my fabrics, I started cutting, prepping and audtioning. At this stage, I just lay everything out on the paper pattern and play!