The Trouble With Vacations….

Posted in Civil War Bride Quilt, Hand-Applique Techniques, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Vacations are wonderful….except they come to an end!

This year, we decided to do something really different for our winter vacation. On January 25, Paul and I left the Canadian winter behind and flew to Antigua, where we spent two absolutely awesome weeks aboard The Amoeba, a 67′ schooner owned by John and Bev Bryson. We had the pleasure of meeting John and Bev earlier this past summer when we went for a sunset cruise on The Amoeba while visiting family in Baddeck, Nova Scotia.

When we weren’t on the sailboat, we were on the beach….

…or buying fabric! Who could resist?

Of course, wherever I go, I take my applique with me!

So now it is time to get back to reality and do some serious stitching! I woke up this morning with the next block of Civil War Bride on my mind.

First I stitched the stems in place.

Then I added some colourful buds.

The many, many leaves are prepped and ready to go!

Til next time….

Kerry

30Jan2013

One Flower at a Time!

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

It may be cold, but the sun is shining (!) and we are all basking in it!!

I am slowly filling my vase one flower at a time. I added a few buds and a tulip…

…and more flowers and leaves.

I love these roses!

So here is the vase full of flowers! Time to start the Album that will fill that empty space!

Til next time…

Kerry

10Jan2013

Stitching on the doodads!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Friends of Baltimore, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

Once the blue vase was stitched in place, it was time to add the gold doodads. ( doodad: something unspecified whose name is either forgotten or unknown). But first I had to choose the gold fabric. I loved the pattern on this one, but it was just too light.

And this one was too dark. I guess I would classify this as dark brown/gold.

This one suited my fancy!!

So I stitched on some doodads.

And then some circles.

The handles were sort of tricky…

Spiffy!

Next came the vines and leaves….

And a few berries!

It is time to start hand-quilting again. I took a break through the holidays and Bruin was delighted!

Til next time…

Kerry

3Jan2013

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

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

19Oct2012

Block 5 of Civil War Bride Finished!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Civil War Bride Quilt, Grandmothers Choice, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

The sun was shining and it was a very productive day! I stitched the last leaf on the 5th block of Civil War Bride Quilt.

And the top row is now complete!

Since my sewing machine was on the dining room table anyway, I stitched Aunt Eliza’s Star from Barbara Brackman’s Grandmother’s Choice. Even if you are not making the blocks, the stories that go with these blocks are very inspiring and moving and worth reading.

I went to go visit my quilt today!

Colleen, from Elite Quilting, is basting “Bouquets For a New Day” together for me on her long arm machine. That will save me from spending a couple of hours on my hands and knees basting it by hand. Life is good!! Lucky for me, Colleen was just finishing up as I arrived, so now the hand-quilting can begin!

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