I've Made It Complicated String

I mentioned yesterday that I'm using Bea Ogesby's book on birds and Flowers. Well things have gotten a bit complicated.  Mr. Cowboy walked by, took a look and said, "The birds look naked!"

Sometimes I could just box his ears but I knew he was right.....SIGH!!!!!!!!  And I had made tentative plans to do just that.

So back to the drawing board. I decided to add a few branches and leaves.

I'll do some hand embroidery on this one which is the Northern Cardinal.

On the Cedar Waxwing, I've added a winding branch and leaves. I may add some berries but at this point I really need to pull back and not over do things.
What are your thoughts on the matter????
Have I bitten off more than I want to chew.....LOL!?

Sunday Evening String

Greetings all! I didn't think I'd get back to sewing but Mr. Cowboy didn't need me for feeding so I was able to sew a couple of days and was able to finish the string quilt top.

I used a type of tissue paper as a foundation and had to peel off the pieces from the back of each block.  Whew! That took a bit of time.

Then it was on to the borders. Gene asked about the size of the blocks. They are 9 1/2 inches unfinished. Also, someone asked about the coordinating colors.....that's a funny story that I'm sure we've all had to deal with. The fabrics were in a box that got pushed back to the dark side of the closet...hehehehehe, so when I found it the other week I couldn't remember what I'd saved them for and there was no design instructions saved either. So, string it would be.

 After sewing on a 1 1/2 inch strip of the reddish fabric because I didn't have much of it left, I added a 4 inch strip of the moss green.

I really had to think about the last border because I knew I need to use black but it was going to look "non interesting!"  After sleeping on it, I came up with the idea of adding birds

I had a book by Bea Oglesby, "Birds - Flowers Album" which I love, so I've decided to place several birds around the black border. This first one is the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.

I will also add branches and leaves. I plan to stitch each bird, branch and leaf onto the black border before I stitch that border onto the rest of the quilt. If some of the bird parts flow into the quilt, I'll fold that part out of the way, stitch the border to the quilt and then finish the part afterwards.

Mini Wednesday

As I mentioned last week, I am revisiting our Armed Forces as a salute to them.  This week I took on the Air Force emblem.

 

I searched Google images and came up with one I thought I could handle. I enlarged it 135% as I'll need each block to be about 14" square.

 

Next came one of the best parts.....choosing fabric. As you can see, I've chosen several but will probably add more to the mix.

 

Tackling the design piece by piece so that the design doesn't get overwhelming is very important.

The eagle is a favorite bird of prey of mine.

The Air Force was formed as a separate branch of the military September 1947.  

Looking good so far.

 

The cloud area which will appear behind the eagle.

This part was intense because of all the tiny pieces. I used black Sharpie to outline the head and claws of the eagle.

The motto of the Air Force: Aim High....Fly-Fight-Win

It always amazes me to see everything coming together. Taking photos helps to see mistakes/progress.

It's a bit hard to see but I've used the Sharpie to write in United States of America. It would have been very difficult to use fabric lettering for that part.

All done except for the quilting part. 14ish inches is the finished size at this point.

Mini Wednesday

"Mythical Bird" is the name I chose for this mini which you will see why in a moment. Here's some of my process.

I know it looks like a fish at this point. Don't you just love the fabric I chose for the eye?!

As we have all heard, "the eyes are the window to the soul," so I feel it's important to give it proper attention.

Wicked beak!! The beak is hooked lending a menacing characteristic along with the eye, the face looks fierce.

Added feather in interesting places making the bird look balding.

Placement is important. This is too low.

This is better but I noticed that the teeth aren't showing up so onto the next placement.

All done, added trees & slightly lowered bird so that the teeth showed up.

It measures 12" by 15 1/2" and of course I haven't gotten it quilted yet....sigh!!

Mini Wednesday

And...... it's back to birds. 

I've been bouncing back and forth from birds to doors. That's how wacky I am.

I've titled this mini "Bird's Eye View"

It measures 9" by 10"

It is amazing to see the eye come alive. All these tiny pieces are necessary to make that happen. I should have lain a quarter beside the piece to show scale but forgot. I used my favorite tiny scissors to make all the cuts. Without them it would be impossible.

Now for the feathering and beak to form the face area. Choosing just the right fabric is sometimes time consuming but that's part of the fun.

It's hard to tell from this photo but the beak which is a dark gray, comes from my stash. I found it at the very bottom of a bin of scraps. It pays to dig deep!

Bottom beak also a slightly less darker gray. Various taupes and tans add to the coloring of the feathers.

A dark brown for the brow gives the eye an intense look.

That, "I am smiling" attitude most predatory birds have.

Now add background fabric.

Mini Wednesday

Greetings Mini Wednesday followers. I can't believe it's 2016 already. I've been busy sewing up a storm but didn't post until now.
"I Am Smiling" is my new mini.
Several of you wanted to know where and how I get my ideas so I decided to talk about that process in this post. As most of you know I'm a country gal although I don't like many of the country critters (that's for another post or you could get more acquainted by reading previous posts labeled "critters"). We grew up on a working farm with milk cows, horses, mules, etc. Also there were coyotes, wolves, skunks, beavers, hawks, snakes...... sorry, back to the subject. Anyway, I have plenty to draw from. I was an art teacher for many years and sometimes miss that part of my life. I like to surf the clipart pages  for inspiration, as well. My love for fabric lead me to attempt to "paint with fabric." so to speak.
Here's how a project happens from start to finish.

 I find a picture that I like, trace off the parts that I want to use (not all parts of the original are necessary to make a good fabric outcome), then number the chosen parts.

Next, choose some fabrics for your projects. You are not locked into the fabrics you choose. I often change my mind in the middle of the whole thing.

Now, the really fun part!!! As you use your fabrics and fabric adhesive to develop your piece, take photos of each step. It's fun to see how things develop and you can also catch mistakes or not so good fabric choices.

This is the beak. I like the way it turned out.

The shadow of the eyes and beak...none of which are in the proper position yet.

Added eyes.....oh yeah, loving the look.

These photos are where I'm developing the feathers around the beak. I'm using shades of gray. You can't have enough gray in your stash as far as I'm concerned.

More shades of gray and a tiny black dash to define the brow.

And here's the results for "I Am Smiling," It measures 8" by 11" finished and bound. Love it and I hope my explanations aren't too confusing.