Itching to stitch!

Posted in Friends of Baltimore, Grandmothers Choice, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Sunday Afternoon Applique Group, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I love New Year’s Day! The tree is down. The decorations have been packed away for another year. And now it’s time to get the sewing machine out of hiding! I spent most of New Year’s Day cutting out blocks from Barbara Brackman’s Grandmother’s Choice.

Here is #18.

And here is #15.

And, finally, #11.

I finished stitching the first block of a quilt I am designing for my Sunday Afternoon Applique Group.

Here is the paper pattern. Bruin likes to chew on my paper patterns. See him in action here. (Actually, seeing that post made me realize I have a few UFO’s that need to be finished this year!! Yikes!!) My thoughts are still percolating over the curvy inner border…and which setting I will use…and how many blocks to make…and how big will the quilt be…and so on and so on! Designing a quilt is definitely about the journey!

I have been just itching to start the next block of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”. I decided the vase would be a perfect place to start.

First I stitched down the light blue section.

Next I stitched the dark blue section on top. You can see that the light blue section is just a skinny edging, but I used a full piece of fabric to give it more stability.

Then I added a few more pieces.

And finally, an almost finished vase!

Till next time…

Kerry

16Dec2012

Sunday afternoon stitching…

Posted in Civil War Bride Quilt, Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Sunday Afternoon Applique Group, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

My Christmas baking is finally done!

So that means I have more time for important stuff…like stitching!

My Sunday Afternoon Applique Group met today. We all agreed we should have been shopping/baking/wrapping, but it was sure nice to sit and stitch (and relax!) for a couple of hours with a great group of ladies! I decided to work on the tail feathers of my Civil War Bride block. Long, skinny pieces can be tricky to stitch. Here are a few tips:

Remember, there is no need to fold the seam allowance over if it is going to be covered with another piece. Leave it “raw”.

Begin stitching here…

…and end here.

When I am finished stitching the piece in place, I baste along the raw edge, just inside the seam allowance.

So when I put the next feather in place, the piece I am covering lays nice and flat.

I still have a few feathers to stitch!

I have chosen the fabric for the half-square triangle sashing for my Friends of Baltimore quilt. The fabric is not royal blue or navy blue…just somewhere in between! I am going to start to sew the half-square triangles together, and maybe start to stitch the finished blocks together! So exciting!

Til next time….

Kerry

13Dec2012

Spare time??

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

This time of year, spare time is a rare commodity. But I still managed to find the time to finish this block from Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”.

And here is a close up.

My Sunday Afternoon Group meets the third Sunday of every month so that means we meet this Sunday….already! Every year we begin a new project so I offered to design next year’s quilt. Here is a preview of the first block. They haven’t seen it yet, so mum’s the word!

I am taking the plunge and using my collection of batiks. (I’ve never really used batiks but somehow I ended up with an amazing batik collection!!) So far, I love them! The colours are so vibrant and saturated. The best part is the fabric does not fray. I am now an OFB… Official Fan of Batiks!

I pre-washed every last one of them…

…and Bruin found yet another (!) cat bed!

I have started the next block of The Civil War Bride. First, I stitched some branches and some leaves..

I used every inch of the branch fabric!

The tail feathers have me very intrigued! They seem to fit together like a puzzle. I love puzzles!

And here are the tail feathers just waiting to be stitched!

Til next time…

Kerry

28Nov2012

Stitching merrily along!

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

I was all set to start the “Family Album” block in Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”.

Then I looked at the pattern cover to see exactly how much I had left to do…(heavy sigh)…a lot!!

So I put all my finished block on my design wall to gather some inspiration and I realized that I almost had a complete row finished… except for one block.

So I am working on that block instead in the hopes that I can have a row completed by December 31. That is my goal! If you look closely at the pattern, you will see that the sashing is made up of many, many, many red and white half-square triangles.

First I stitched the bias in place.

I always join my bias stems underneath another piece of fabric. You can use up a lot of short strips this way.

Then I added the bird and some leaves….

…and some more leaves.

Til next time….

Kerry

20Nov2012

Hand-quilting the night away!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Hand-Quilting Tools, Sue Garman Pattern, Sunday Afternoon Applique Group, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

What is it about hand-quilting that is so darn relaxing? I am making pretty steady progress on Sue Garman’s “Bouquets For A New Day”. When I sit down to quilt, I am always surprised at how quickly time (and stress!) seem to slip away.

And here is a close-up. I am using a Frixion pen to mark the cross-hatching. There was a bit of a discussion in my Sunday Afternoon Applique Group regarding these pens. I am always careful to test the marker on a scrap of fabric before marking the quilt top.

When my block is finished, I like to give it a warm bath to remove all residue left from the glue, starch and marking pens. Even though I pre-wash all (and I do mean all!) of my fabric in Synthrapol, my heart still skips a beat when I do this!

I am getting ready to start the next block of Sue Garman’s “Friend’s of Baltimore”. My least favorite part of appliquing is the tracing. So here is how I avoid tracing…

First, I scan the patterns and then “reflect” them. Then I print the patterns directly on to freezer paper. When a pattern has lots of layers and pieces, I usually print two or three copies. Here is the original pattern.

And here are the freezer paper copies. If you look closely, you will see that they are printed “backwards”.

The fabric for this block is already pre-washed and has the usual amount of cat hair on it!!

Til next time…

Kerry

14Nov2012

Moving right along…..

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

Since I have finished the basket block from Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”, I thought I would work on the next block of Civil War Bride. Compared to the basket block, I should have this block completed in no time! I started with the bias stems.

I have been hoarding this piece of fabric for a long time now. I just thought on the off chance if I needed a fabric that looked like real strawberries, I would be ready!!

So I added the strawberries!

Then I added all the leaves. I must say, after reading Teresa’s post (see my last post for details!), I have been chopping my fabric into smaller pieces, and I am coming across a few green fabrics that I had forgotten all about. I love using a variety of greens in my blocks!!

I am getting the tops of the strawberries prepped. As you can see, they are tiny with some pretty nifty peaks and valleys! Lots of fun!!

Til next time….

Kerry

29Oct2012

All I Can Do Is Laugh!!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Hand-Quilting Tools, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Well I had a great idea! I am ready to start hand-quilting Sue Garman’s “Bouquets For A New Day’. I have always quilted in a hoop, but I thought it might be time to graduate to a floor frame. I did a bit of research on floor frames and decided I wasn’t ready to jump in that deep. So I opted for an Omni-Grid floor frame. I thought it might give me a feel for quilting on a frame without a huge investment. I could not wait to get started!

So I marked my quilt under the watchful eye of Bruin.

I am doing cross-hatching in the background. The lines are 3/4″ apart. That is a lot of quilting!

I assembled the frame and put the quilt in it. I gathered all my stuff (scissor, needles, thread and thimble). I put on a pot of coffee. Life was so good!

I left the room just for a minute to pour myself a cup of cup of coffee….

…..and Bruin found a new cat bed!

I am making slow (but steady) progress on “Friends of Baltimore”.

Til next time….

Kerry

21Aug2012

Stitching at the cottage

Posted in Amy's Quilt, Friends of Baltimore, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

You know the feeling when you are just about to finish a really good book? Part of you wants desperately to finish the book …another part of you wishes it would never end…because you will never enjoy a book as much as you did this one?

Well! That is exactly how I feel about Amy’s quilt. I am soooooo close to finishing, but I know I am taking my time because I have loved working on this quilt every step of the way. I am sad to see this journey come to an end!

I found the perfect place to stitch at the cottage! Tons of natural light and amazing scenery to keep me inspired!

I stitched and I stitched and then I stitched some more. Finally I finished all of the hand-quilting!

Once the label and binding are in place, then I will be Officially Finished!

I also had a chance to finish the latest block of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”….last night at midnight!

I gave the block a bath…..

……and then pressed it this morning!

Til next time…..

Kerry

7Aug2012

Friends of Baltimore…next block

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

What is wrong with this picture? Well…let’s see!!

First of all it is 31 degrees! The quilt that I am working on has a wool batting in it! Oh….and the cat has decided it’s time to snuggle! It’s just way too hot to hand-quilt today.

So I decided to switch gears until it cools down a bit. I am making steady progress on the next block of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”. First the leaves….and then the nuts…….and a couple of flowers!

……and then the twisted vines! They were fun!

And now the bird!

My favourite method of applique is the freezer paper and starch method, especially on a section like the tail feathers. Every piece has to fit exactly.

The seam allowance is pressed over the freezer paper pattern. The freezer paper is then removed and the seam allowance is turned under, ready to stitch! A few dabs of glue will hold the piece in place on the background.

The tail feathers are now ready to stitch in place!

Til next time…….

Kerry

1Aug2012

Civil War Bride Quilt Block 1

Posted in Amy's Quilt, Civil War Bride Quilt, Friends of Baltimore, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I am so excited to have finished the first block of The Civil War Bride Quilt!

I thought the pieces in the top right and left corners were leaves, so I made them green. After going on the Civil War Bride Quilt blog, I see that maybe they are supposed to be birds! (How did I not see that!?!) Anyway…leaves they will stay!

Every time I put Amy’s quilt down and leave the room, the cat decides it is nap time. I keep a lint brush handy at all times!

I am making pretty steady progress on Amy’s quilt. I have one side border completely done. I have turned a corner and now on to the second side.

The next block of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore” looks pretty challenging! (See below.) The fabric is pre-washed and I am ready to get started!

chal·leng·ing (chln-jng)

adj.

Calling for full use of one’s abilities or resources in a difficult but stimulating effort: a challenging course of study; a challenging role for an inexperienced performer.

Til next time…..

Kerry