Revision #1 of Branching Out

I was not thrilled with my first attempt with Ayden's portrait.  The eyes needed something, so I'm playing around with different shades of browns and beige. Luckily I seem to have a large collection......how that came about, I'm sure I don't know.  I, also, couldn't get a feel of what I was doing without a darker background, so I've placed Ayden on the black fabric for the time being.  The next challenge is her mouth but I'm going to sleep on it, maybe have a drink or to and I'd love some suggestions or comments from all my blogger friends.
BTW, her hair had a big flower on the side. I'll do that last.

Branching Out

I've been thinking and reading and thinking about what I wanted to get into to keep my mind "sharp".....LOL

One night I stumbled unto this BLOG and was astounded and delighted at what I saw.

Virginia Greaves' blog caught my attention and I couldn't get enough of her unique spin on quilting.  She takes portraits of people, animals and just about anything you could think of and turns them into "ART."

After reading and bookmarking her blog, I have plunged in with both feet.

I'm working on my #1 Little Princess, Ayden for starters.

Using Virginia's techniques for choosing fabric, I've come up with the above so far. Of course, it will need several more pieces and placement of fabrics but I'm really happy with it so far.

Row by Row

Whew!

These two Row by Rows are for my "wacky" girlfriends, Molly and Annie.  Each year, one of us (6Pack) comes up with some hair-brained idea......I say that in a loving way because after the idea is formulated and we've made plans, chosen fabrics and designs.....someone ALWAYS says, "Who came up with this idea?  I don't have time to do my other projects let along this!"  Have you ever been in that situation?  Don't answer that because I know that you have.  Anyway, this year, we chose row by row and each of us have our own themes........Annie chose "something springy"....her first row was umbrillias......how could I follow that, I thought......thank goodness Annie provided a list of what she likes, birdhouses was on that list.  I pounced on that one.   One down.

Molly chose "The Farm"......you can see her first row at the top of her blog when you visit. It is so cute with clouds and trees and a couple of animals........

I'm all over this one.....you know how much I love to steam-a-seam things.  If you look closely, you'll be able to see my version of the animals on her farm......her dog Lulu, the English bulldog......Molly has some cute stories about Lulu...........then there's her blue-heeler, I forget his name at the moment..........cows, a raccoon for Lulu to bark at, hay and anything else I could think of that goes with the farm theme.

Two down.

For the first time in a long time.....I'm ahead of the game and can take a break.......hopefully do some other stuff .............like...........clean up my sewing studio............can't show you any pics because it's just too messy....hehehehehehe

One of My Favorite Things.....

Monica posted one of her favorite fabrics yesterday......(pop over to view it).....and it got me to thinking about my favorites and how I hate when I have to cut into them or I've only bought a fat quarter....you know how that is.......anyway, I decided to show off one of my favorites, again.  I'm sure I've posted about this particular fabric before.  It's called "Roundup" by Moda.  I love this fabric and at the time I bought 4 yards of it, roughly 4 years ago.  I don't know what's so special about it but for western quilts, log cabins and a few other quilt designs, this fabric works wonders........but, I'm down to a half yard with no hope of ever finding it again...........so.....be warned..........I'm framing the piece and placing that frame in a safety deposit box guarded by a German Shepard...........hehehehehehe

If you have a favorite fabric, leave me a comment, post about it and link back to me. I'd love to see what you're into.

Quilted

This little quilt is all quilted and off to a Silent Auction for a Head Start program.  My "Wacky" pal, Kathleen did an excellent job quilting it.  The quilt measures roughly 30 by 42 inches. 

BTW, this was my celebration after the snake incident.......LOL

A-hunting!

Remember Armed and Ready......read about that one.
And then there was Armed to the Teeth....remember that one?

Well, here's an update and a very positive one.......

Warning, warning.........if you have small children in the room, please ask them to leave.
The photo that you are about to see maybe disturbing and an animal was definitely injured and dispatched in the making of this post.

With that disclaimer stated and out of the way..........I give you the view of the kill!

This is the copperhead that has plagued my dreams from a couple of months now.  This morning I was up early and working in my yard near the house.....raking deaf leaves in prep to mow the back forty when I spied the culprit.....mind you, this time I was ready.....not with my trusty shotgun but a shovel.  He saw and heard me first but I was being very careful because of the confined space I was raking in.  He opened his mouth, flicked out his forked tongue to get a feel for who and what he was dealing with (Olfactory organ in his mouth tastes and smells the air & surroundings).......I eyed him to size up my opponent.........we squared off.........he drew back to strike but this old girl took a dim view of said maneuver and struck swiftly and repeatedly......there was no room for error and I didn't flinch.

Sweat coated my brow, a red-tail hawk keened in the distance, hummingbirds fluttered nearby but nothing would distract me from my mission. It was me or him...

My reward, I've decided, is to go for drinks with my girlfriends this evening.......LOL

Texas Wildlife - Adventure Awaits!

This year's TDA quilt block competition was eagerly awaited.  Several of my girlfriends and I have participated in years past.  This is the state of Texas Department of Agriculture's endeavor to involve quilting in depicting the varied aspects of Texas life, then and now.  This year's theme is about "wildlife," something I am well acquainted with as most of you know.

I chose the "bigmouth bass" and his habitat.  Also, my brother and I use to go fishing all the time when we were youngsters.  Mom never worried about where we were or if we were alright. We carried our German Shepard with us and my brother always had granddad's shotgun (some of you are familiar with it....right).  We'd spend hours sitting at the lake casting our lines, hooks wriggling with worms, watching snapping turtles sunning themselves as cottonmouth water moccasins slithered through the water.

Quick & Scrappy

This quilt was accomplished in half a day from six inch squares and other scraps.  Not often do I cut squares from another project and store them for whenever......but that's exactly what happened this time.  Most of the squares were already cut and I had no idea what I'd do with them.  It was only after I was rummaging though my cowboy fabrics did it occur to me to do a type of off-set quilt.  I love the cow hide fabric and wanted what little I had left of it to appear in the quilt which measures roughly 45 X 60 inches.

Animals Galore Addition

Today I've added two blocks to my Animals Galore project.  I've got ideas about what these blocks will ultimately turn into but I'll not say because, as quilters, we know that you start off thinking one way and wind up in a whole of direction......LOL

Animals Galore

This is my first block in a new project I've just started.  I have several other animals in varied stages before I'm ready to iron.  As usual, I'm using my favorite adhesive, Steam-a-seam.

Froggie Went A Courtin'

Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

This little guy is a small part of a new project I'm working on......sorry I can't show you more.  Anyway as I was experimenting with colors for him, it got me to thinking about when my brother and I were little.....now before you start thinking all kinds of weird stuff, like my experiences with insects and snakes......this is a good story.........LOL.

Mom was always exposing us to neat science, math, reading and music stuff.  One of our favorite 78 albums (no, I'm not talking about the year 1978) was of Burl Ives.  If you are too young to remember him, click on the above video to listen to one of the childrens' songs I grew up with and if you know exactly who I'm talking about, you'll really appreciate the memories the song will trigger!

Who remembers Burl??? I'd really like to hear from you.

Enjoy!

Just In Time for the 4th Part 4

Above, we have several options for backgrounds.  Some work well, other.....the eagle gets lost or the background is too busy.  The variegated background is one of my favorites, so that's a possibility.  The night sky fabric is also a great background.  It pays to audition several fabrics and if you still can't choose, leave the project up on your design wall for a couple of days to think about it.  And, of course, you can always ask your blogging friends for advice.  They often have a wealth of knowledge with a long distance viewpoint.

I decided to go with a patriotic theme.  I chose several shades of reds and tone-on-tones and a wonderful blue starry fabric.  I cut strips of the chosen fabrics into varied widths just to make things interesting, then sewed them together.  Using our great "flag" as a guide for the correct stripes, I then added the starry corner.

Now to add the eagles......perfect. 

But now I'm thinking about just using one eagle!

That's the ticket. 

News Flash!!!!!!!

Once you decide on your arrangement, iron the eagle into position.  You are almost home.

At this point, you could decide whether or not to stitch your design down.  Since this is a wall hanging and will not be used on a bed, you could choose not to stitch around your eagle.  The adhesive is very strong and can hold up to hand washing and the drip dry method.

Red-Black-Blue Work

Depending on the color of thread you're using this wonderful little embroidery piece I stitched out

is famously known as "red work," but I used black thread so it's "black work."   Whatever color you use, these types of designs are fun and fairly quick to stitch out. Alot of the designs are free on-line or can be bought at a reasonable price.  I love surfing the net, trolling for freebies.....LOL
With my Janome 11000, it's easy to buy or download designs in any format and convert them the JAN.
If you are thinking of purchasing an embroidery machine, think about what you want the machine to do; will it be able to communicate with the Internet; is the machine worth the price or can I find one that's second-hand; what's the warranty on the machine and its parts; etc., etc., etc.
I have 3 machines......a Singer CLX; a PFAFF 2070 (I think that's what it is) and my new baby, the Janome 11000.  I had always wanted a PFAFF and have thoroughly enjoyed it.  Most of my girlfriends had purchased Janomers, which I'd never heard of before but when I finally investigated them......WOW...I was really impressed and one day, my girlfriend, Jerri, talked me and herself into taking the plunge. I've had my "BABY" now for a little over two years and love it and have recently just started to actually do some sewing with it......don't laugh........hehehehehehehe. 
I am presently experimenting on different weaves of fabrics and veragited threads and their weights.  I'll let you know how that all turns out later.
What type of machines do you own and why or what's so special about yours?

Addicted

This is the way I felt when I couldn't get into my blog last night and this morning.  My eyes were starting to bug-out, my stomach was tied in knots, I began to sweat, my mouth became dry..........no, wait...that was just another hot flash coming on!

Anyway, what was up with blogger?

I tried to leave comments of several friends blogs.....and of course when blogger decided to kick in........I managed to leave 2 to 4 comments on each blog......sorry about that....you guys probably thought I was nuts............well, I am but not when it comes to comments.....LOL

I'm so happy that blogger is up and running again.  Did anyone else experience this phenomena?

Friday Night - Eagle Tutorial Pillow Cover Give-Away

Free slideshow generated with Smilebox

As an incentive to those of you who are working on the Eagle tutorial, I have a wonderful surprise for you.....I know we have a few more steps to accomplish before all is said and done, but....this will help!!

(Actual pillow not included)

It's an Eagle pillow cover which measures roughly 20' by 20".
Here's how the give-away works......if you are participating in the Eagle tutorial all you need to do is leave a comment on your progress whether it be you've just picked out your fabrics; you're only in the first stages of attaching adhesive; or whatever. Your name will be placed in my "famous" hat and the drawing will be in the next couple of weeks. 
Another wonderful thing about this give-away is that as you accomplish each step, you can come back to this post to leave another comment. Your name will be placed in the hat again.  It's a win-win situation....where you are progressing along with the steps of your animal.
When viewing the Smilebox, you will see the steps that I went through to achieve this great pillow cover.
Good luck, everyone!

Just In Time for the 4th - Part 3

With this next eagle, notice that I have traced the parts that I will be using on a large sheet of freezer paper.  This makes it easy to turn onto the back side when using the light box.
Also, note that I have added something.  It is perfectly fine to change or alter your design.  Here, I've added the other leg and talons to the eagle. By using a lighter shade of yellow, you get a sense of depth to the piece.
I am using some of the same fabrics that I used when making the first eagle but I am also, adding a couple of fabrics as well.  This lends individuality and continuity.
I am showing a couple of different positions and shapes of the eagle just so that you can see where to place the fabrics to give the best showing and depths (foreground and background).  You may want to make only one eagle for this project.  Don't get overwhelmed.
So, have fun. Play around with the colors your have chosen and don't be afraid to change or add things to suit your needs.
My fascination with eagles, bald eagles in particular, comes from my early science experiences categorizing the animal kingdom (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, etc.).  Later, when I became a science/art teacher, my students developed an interest.  These tutorials of the eagle can be applied to any animal.
G'G' was kind enough to send me a link to a live-cam of a bald eagle's nest.  Follow this LINK to Channel Islands live webcam to get a better look at the wonder of the bald eagle.

In the next segment, we'll talk about auditioning background fabrics, placement and methods of stitching.  
Remember, this wall hanging will be finished and ready to hang by the 4th of July even if you can only work on your piece 30 minutes at a time.

Good News...........Catching Up

It's all "good news"..........First of all, Happy first of June!

The winner of all those wonderful patterns is.......
Needled Mom!  Congratulations. Just email me your address and I'll get those out to you. My "E" is on my "About Me" page.

I've mailed out my two swap items.....the apron I'm showing off is from the "Pin Up Girls" swap with Val as hostess and the T-towel (which I made one for myself) is from Betsy's swap (closed swap at this time). It was a close call but I managed to get busy at the last moment.......LOL

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial weekend.  If you are following my tutorial for "Just In Time for the 4th," there's plenty of time to catch up from TUTORIAL #1 and TUTORIAL #2 links.  Eagles is the subject matter and having fun while experimenting with fabrics is the name of the game.