Not What You'd Think - Part 3

As I dated in a previous post, the house was riddled with termite damage and exposure from that western setting sun of 65 years. Plus, a bunch of the wood used to build the house in the first place, came from my great grandpa's old home. So, it was time but it's still a bit of a shock to see that it's all gone.  Mr. Cowboy had to push down several Crepe Myrtles. Mine had such beautiful pink blooms. We saved one so I hope to replant from a few of the saplings.

There's been more rain/lightening/thunder storms & tornados around our area which is quite scary but so far no real damage. Other than that, I'm sitting around wool gathering/not able to sew/nearly bored out of my mind but farm life/helping Mr. Cowboy with the hay fields hasn't let up....sigh....sorry, I'm just in the mood to complain.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?? 

Ok, Maybe One or Two More?

I've enlarged each design 150% on my printed. It takes several repositions to get all the parts and then loads of cutting and taping things back together.

There are at least two Veterans at our Seniors Center who served in the Army and Air Force so I decided to make those two seals especially for them. I can easily quilt these on my Janome because they aren't going to be any bigger than 25 inches each.

After this I'm really finished.....no.....REALLY!!!

Below are some of the stages to making the seals. I'll show the finished quilts in a lager post.

 

 

 

I use dinner plates, pizza pans, skillets and anything else that will lend me a perfect circle. Mr. Cowboy just shakes his head but wisely says nothing.

I will stitch all the pieces down before quilting everything.
In a couple of previous posts, someone asked about the types of fabric adhesives I use. I love Steam-a-Seam Lite but it's sometimes hard to find so I'm using Heat-N-Bond Lite at the moment. When quilting everything together I use either the 505 Spray or Loctite Spray Adhesive (the Loctite is found at JoAnn's).

I've Found My Mojo!

Many thanks to everyone who have given me pep talks. You all soothed my soul while also energizing me.

Here's why I'm so excited.

I have "many" quilt tops in my stash. I've been making quilt tops for years with no real idea of what to do with them. I've decided to.................shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

give them away at our annual Veterans Day service at our Senior Citizens center.

All I need to do is get them all quilted.

This is the first quilt I've enlarged by adding a multi-square border.

I'll be showing other quilts as I get them ready to be quilted.

Again, thanks to all you helped me out!!

In & Out of Pocket

Isn't this little moth a beauty?  Ok, that's the science teacher still lodged deep within me. I've been retired for years but every time I see something I deem interesting, the camera comes out and I start snapping.

Now, to the reason I'm posting today. It's hay season around here so I'm kind of busy with that but also, I'm in somewhat of a slump when it comes to my quilting projects. I'm just not into anything sewing or fabric right now.....sigh.  I have been doing loads of reading on my Kindle and watching nature.  I've also been doing some canning, baking and testing new recipes.

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about not sewing something, anything. 

I think some of my problem has to do with the weather around here. It's been rainy and dreary and that's not the kind of weather I love. This is a real challenge.  I'm a summer, sunny, the hotter the better because I can always cool off easier than I can warm up, girl. I need the sun to shine for days!!!!!

So until that happens I suppose I'll be in the dumps for awhile.......sigh.  If it weren't for my wacky girlfriends, I probably would not talk to anyone.  Sorry to unload on all you blogger buddies and please understand, I'm really okay. I just want lots of sun. So if you're getting lots of sun please sent some my way. I'll love your forever.........hehehehehehehehe!!!

One Scene, Five Points of View

I recently went on retreat with my "wacky" girlfriends. Needless to say, we had a blast what with laughing, eating and girl bonding. There was a bit of sewing involved but mostly we were just so happy to be together. However, I did bring along a little project for everyone to try. The above photo is a close-up of an old tree trunk and in the background are trees, the lake and a bit of sky. I gave each "wacky" a photo and ask them, along with myself, to make a mini of what each saw. I brought along as many pieces of landscaping type fabrics for them to use and each received a glue stick instead of using adhesive fabric backing such as Steam-a-Seam or Heat-n-Bond. Glue sticks are easier, faster and won't gum up your sewing machine!!!
Here's the results:

Rhonda's view (me)

Molly's view

Annie's view

Kathleen's view

Kathy's view
The retreat was a great success and therapeutic to us all. We are all refreshed and ready to get back to life and family.
I hope everyone who reads this blog post has a wonderful week and enjoy the last of April!!!

Mini Wednesday

I am revisiting our American Armed Forces.

You may remember this quilt, which won first place ribbons at our county & state fair a few years ago.

 

I realize it's a bit hard to see, but in the four corners below the flag are the blocks I did back then: Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. This time I'm adding the Coast Guard block as I will be making the rest again. Mind you, this is my interpretation of each block and I am happy to show how I go about developing each block.

I'll also add a tiny bit of history (trivia) this time.

 

The Coast Guard officially began August 4, 1790 under President George Washington.

 The Guard serves as part of the Navy Department. 

Here's a look at the finished block before it gets added to the quilt I'm planning.

This is the design I'm using. I've enlarged it 135% of the one from clip-art. After taping it all together, I've outlined all the parts in Sharpie black.....the better to see it from the light-box.

I chose to do the Auxiliary emblem which is found on the more modern seals while a lighthouse, an eagle and the scales of justice, just to name a few, have also appeared on other emblems.

 

I'm using the black Sharpie to do small lines. It's easy to stitch over this later.

The Coast Guard carries out three roles.

1. Maritime safety
2. Maritime security
3. Maritime stewardship

I've placed the paper design on the light-box and the fabric pieces on top of that for placement.

 

I love watching it all come together. I think it is important to take photos as often as possible (when I think about it). This acts as an extra eye on things.

 

The motto of the Coast Guard: Semper Paratus (Always Ready)

This emblem was adapted in December 1966.

Final measurement so far is 15 inches square. When all blocks are made then I'll come up with a decision of how I want to arrange them into a small quilt.

Mini Wednesday

It's another wonderful Wednesday & I'm so excited to show my latest mini process.

Already you can tell that a bird is emerging.

I'm working with shades of black.

And here's the crow which is the focal point of the piece. 

Here I've chosen a batik for the sky & a mottled tone on tone for the ground. I love all the muted colors and shapes in the pale lavender batik.

Next I've added a horizon line with a trees to add interest.

Now for the fun part. Placement & more details. I find the whole process very therapeutic. If I didn't have to eat I think I'd make minis 24/7.

I've added a rock formation, some sparse grass & a couple of bare branches.

Finally, the shadow beneath the crow. I've name this one "Solitary Crow."

Opposites Attract Challenge Blog Hop

Marian from Seamstobesew has done it again! What a wonderful challenging blog hop this is. Two, no more than three colors in a mini quilt.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Schedule for today......

You are here at Ravelly1

Mary Mack's Blog

Tea Time Creations

123 Quilt

Sew Many Yarns

Make sure you visit all the bloggers to see all the great creations they've done!!

The fantastic give-aways....

First, there's the $25 gift certificate from The Fat Quarter Shop. You can really find some "wonderful-ness" there for sure!!!

Then, there's a stupendous give-away from DJ Inkers of their Kids All Year CD. How exciting is that!!!

Details on how to participate in today's give-aways......

Just leave a comment mentioning your two favorite colors!! That's all it takes to be considered. Marian will announce the winners each day on her blog. So please do check in with her.

Now, back to the main event.....

I took up the challenge, dug into my stash and came up with two unlikely fabrics.

I've had these two in my stash for many years, can't remember or imagine why I purchased them in the first place.

I chose a quick design block which consist of two and three inch strips.

Here, I've sewn and cut four blocks just to see if my idea is going to work. I like what I see, so, onward!!

Sixteen blocks later I can see a secondary design along with the spinning star design.

Next, I added a border.

With pins, a choice of thread, my trusty adhesive spray and a backing fabric, it's time to get this mini quilted.

I decided to stitch around the star design.

All done & bound!! A 17 inch square mini quilt I've named " Cosmic Spinner Dance."

Finally, I'd like to show you all a little quilt that I designed but never quilted years ago. It measures 24" square. Maybe I'll get it quilted soon but don't count on it. I'm already eyeing a new project.

Don't forget to leave a comment mentioning your two favorite colors. BTW, my two very favorite colors are shades of Green and  shades of Gray. I'm mad about them.