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.

Chickens in the Box

I was clearing out some old scraps the other day from a box in my garage. I'd started to just throw it out without looking inside but got curious. Thank goodness for curiosity because lookie what I found... CHICKENS!!! This is a quilt from a long ago block swap. All I'll need to go is put a binding on it. Surely I can get that done before long!!!

Mariner's Compass & Snow Storm

Here's a little clip of yesterday's snow storm which BTW was a big surprise!!! The snow made for a great back drop as I sewed all day long.

Next, lookie at what I've been doing this morning!!!!!!! Again, I want to thank Shar for blogging about this wonderful block, Mariner's Compass. This is my first try thus the weird colors but I love it. I'm thinking about turning it on point at this phase and doing a Medillion type little quilt.

Paper Piecing

It's been awhile since I've paper pieced. In anticipation for the next holiday - Valentine's Day - I decided to make a couple of coasters (you can never have enough, especially if a certain little person hides them when she visits). I love the accuracy of paper piecing. Every point comes out perfectly. I used thin batting pieces then did the "birthing" method. Afterward, whip stitch to close and machine stitch around the hearts for more stability.