Bird Brains

Bird Brains

91 x 111

I started it in 2012. 

I usually don't border quilts but I wanted to try some prairie points so I added them to this quilt thinking they would look kind of like leaves. 

The body of the quilt is actually a simple snowball/nine patch. Lots of them.

I used a lot of bird fabrics and garden fabrics.  If I were to make it over today I wouldn't use so many fabrics with neutral backgrounds.  But back when I made this I thought I had read somewhere that when you use a lot of color your eyes need somewhere to rest.    Well, not my eyes as I have since found out. 

The whole thing is hand quilted.  I wasn't sure what to do about those loose and flapping prairie points so I found a leaf stencil and hand quilted leaves in that purple and lime border and then out into the prairie points.  Although that was a heck of a lot more work than just tacking at the points I like my decision.  But, it took a whole bunch of stab stitching through numerous layers of fabric in places. Sometimes, depending upon where the leaf stencil ended up there were 10 layers of fabric. 

The snowballs were hand stitched in a sort of flower shape. Again I used a stencil and if the fabric was light colored I marked with mechanical pencil. If fabric was dark I used chalk.  I tried using a mechanical pencil with white lead but the leads kept breaking. 

Here you can kind of see the leaves around in the border and another hand quilted flower. 

In the nine patches I just quilted diagonal lines.  It reminds me of a trellis. 

I just finished up the binding early this morning. I normally get up at 4:00 am to get ready for work but for some darned reason I was up at 3:00 a.m this morning so I made some coffee then got stitching.  (I hate time changes. I'll probably be ready for bed at 7:30 p.m.)  Then I threw it in the washer with a couple of color catchers and then into the dryer. It wasn't quite dry when I took it outside to take photos but I had to get out there while the sun was in the right spot. 

The binding finish was my Slow Sunday Stitching today.  I have another machine quilted quilt to bind later on this evening and then I will pin baste another quilt and get it ready for the hoop. Hmmm...which one? 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun than Housework

This was my goal #3  (see post)

for the 2015 Finish Along with Adrianne of On the Windy Side

WIPs

I'm good at starting new things but not so good about getting them completed. Maybe I shouldn't tackle such large projects but I'm not really one that needs instant gratification. Anyway here's a few quilts that are works in process...

Floribunda - a pattern from Quiltville but I switched the yellow and flower fabric placement in my version.

I've decided on prairie points for a border on my "For the Birds" snowball and nine patch quilt. Prairie points are new to me so I'm proceeding cautiously. I also have a "For the Birds" crazy quilt version but if I don't stop joining RRs I'll never get around to finishing some of my crazy bird blocks.

I won some 8 inch bow tie blocks in a lottery plus I've been adding some of my own. This is just a few of them - black with brights. I've made a bunch with mushroom fabrics since my DD and her DH are avid mushroom hunters. I think this will be a quilt for them for Christmas. DD asked for something to throw over the couch which is getting raggedy looking. They have decided a new couch is not a necessity since the kids are still little and their funds are tight.

And I'm still turning some 3 inch 9 patches from a swap into Sister's Choice blocks with blue star points.

Oh...there's many more. These are just the most recently worked on. GKs are here this weekend so I probably won't get much done in the sewing world. And, I need to make tomato sauce with all the tomatoes recently harvested...

I'd end by saying "if only I was retired"... but I'm grateful I still have a job. My favorite local scrapbook shop has closed it's doors, my fav walk-in bookstore, Borders, is having a going out of business sale and the local friendly Toyota dealer we've bought all our cars from has been sold to some big conglomerate. And I've noticed the shelves and racks at my local thrift stores are looking rather bare.

Going a Bit Crazy

Between trying to get out into the garden to get my flowers and veggies in and working my real job that pays the bills (6 years to retirement) I've managed to stitch on a few crazy quilt blocks as follows:

Above is Janet's "For the Birds" block.

We were also supposed to contribute some stitching toward a joint block so I added some fluffy thistle, a crocheted sunflower with prairie point leaf, some "kiko flower stitch" and added a few flowers to the stem stitch that was already on the block. Below is the total block after my addtions.

Above is my addition to Nina's "Pink Color Study" block. The button cluster was already there but I added a few beads and drizzle stitches to the largest button. Also added a tatted butterfly, some bullion and silk ribbon roses, some ribbon, a couple seam treatments and a crocheted heart. I really didn't think I liked pink before I started on this block. Now that I've picked up some pink supples I will probably make a few things for a granddaughter who has loved pink since she was old enough to say the word.

This is Nina's pink block after me and ready to pass on to the next stitcher.

This is my stitching on Carol's "Anything Goes" block. She has a wonderful valentine theme going with her blocks that I just love. She is going to make a wallhanging with all the blocks separated with black sashing hence the black additions. I've been working on valentine blocks for my own valentine bedrunner so had a bunch of supplies on hand to add to Carol's block. Even tho' I never get much for Valentine's Day and even though I am not much of a decorating or holiday celebrating person I must say for some reason I love Valentines.

Prairie Point Leaves for Spring

Pics from Colleen's Spring block. She really didn't have many seams around a big flower center so I decided to do some stitching to make the flower stand out by stitching over the lines in the fabric and adding some bullions, buttonhole and pistil stitches to the center. Then I wanted to make the surrounding area sort of 3D - foliage around the flower. I started by making some prairie point leaves out of various green cotton fabrics in varying sizes. Then I also made some prairie point leaves out of a couple of types of green ribbon. I bunched those together around the flower center then added a some other flowers, butterfly, bee and lady bug. I really like how 3D it turned out and I hope Colleen does too. Oh, and I added some green doily foliage too.