Stitching in the Great Outdoors

More stitching on the Fire Mountain Bargello's applique today..we went off adventuring and I got to stitch in the great outdoors for a while..twas glorious!
There are oodles of oranges on those trees...

 Watched a para-sailor ride the updrafts over the top of this mountain...

 A crashed balsa wood airplane  on the upper left (I think)!

Some dark clouds...rain maybe (we hope!)

More Fire Mountain Bargello Progress

I decided to add a vine with birds, blooms, butterflies and leaves to the Fire Mountain Bargello -  I cut out multiple copies of  some simple shapes out of card-stock and  did a mock up of the design..I liked it..

Counted up the number of pieces of each kind of object (128 of them!) and traced them onto Floriani fusible wash-away stabilizer - this is my first major project using this method of prepping the applique pieces..Then..cut them out...that was deadly boring! Adhered them to the remaining pieces of the fat quarters from cutting the strips for the bargello...and then cut those out - more boring! Yikes..a lot of cutting for two days!

My first attempt at gluing was using a Sew-line glue stick..and wee screwdrivers...it was not ringing my chime - it was ok for a small project but I was never gonna get thru with THIS project with those tools. Thought maybe I would have to do needle turn - and wondered if I should draw around the wash-away stuff or if I should leave it in and fold around....laying in bed, I was pondering...I realized that liquid glue would probably work better than glue stick...something like Elmer's School Glue...only fly in that ointment was I don't HAVE any Elmer's School Glue..still pondering..when a light bulb went off..I DO have some Roxanne's Glue Baste It!

Then next morning I rummaged around and found the Roxanne's - first order of business was to clean the applicator tip..now I know Roxanne's says NOT to, but I think they have a vested interest in selling you a new bottle whenever the tip gets fouled...but being the resourceful sort, I have a wire that I can pass thru the applicator that my Dad  gave me years ago that clears out any stuck on glue..This bottle dates back to the first year I was quilting - circa 2003... Glue still was good since I keep my bottles of glue in baggies with the air squished out to reduce the amount of air that can get to them. A trial piece with the wash-away and I am in business! I decided to use my Pearl Periera Applique Tool and a Popsicle stick with a notch in the end (looks vaguely like a fork)..and commenced turning and turning and turning!  I was bleary-eyed by the end of yesterday! I really like the end of that Applique tool - it flattens out the folds and makes the edges really crisp..no need to iron!

Finished the turning and laid out the design and wow! I really love it..Just have to glue baste the piece down once I am happy with the placements so I can remove the pins and start in on the fun stuff - appliqueing!!

Ta Da! (picture does not do it true justice..its so much better in person)

Progress on Garden Bird

For International Quilt Day yesterday...and today...I spent most of the day watching videos from The Quilt Show..and working on the Garden Bird..He's looking pretty cool so far!



Next up..the embroidery part..you can just see the pencil markings I have made for the stems...I need a few more colors of embroidery thread though..I can't find any grey and I think I need another greenish color..

Yesterday...it rained and rained and rained...today the weather was wildly changing..it went from this in the early afternoon:

...to this an hour later!



Here's a couple of shots of the ornamental Saturn Peach tree - one branch fell over but its still attached and it has more blossoms on that part of the tree than the other upright part!




And..a picture of my Tiger cat...just cuz!

Road to CA - Day 2

Day 2 of the applique class and I have pinned all of the elements except for the eye of the bird, the branches are stitched, one leaf is stitched and the belly of the bird and half of his tail are stitched:


We learned the whipped stem stitch including making it variable weights, a brick stitch and the turkey stitch..which I need to practice.

My purchases yesterday and today at the vendor mall:

I actually got a couple more fat quarters - you can see where I used them on the bird applique as they are the branches and the multicolored leaves. I got three spools of Kimono silk thread - its half again as thin as the YLI silk that I have been using..a threader for my serger (which I need to resurrect..its been sitting for a number of years...), some shimmery tulle for tomorrow's class (I have black and green and plain white to audition..but I think I am going to like the shimmery stuff...)..and a small bottle of the colorless textile extender that seals chalk or pencil to fabric which is also one of the techniques from this class..


This is the teacher's piece in the Instructor's Show..gorgeous pheasants and chalk enhanced machine stitching..( I think if you click on the picture, it will get bigger so you can see the details)


Its been really nice weather so far..but tomorrow is supposed to rain! It will be fun getting my roller cart of stuff into the convention center..I better bring a towel! I already have the huge golf umbrella out..

Road To CA - Day 1

Road to CA 2012 has officially started!

Attended the first day of my two day applique class by Sandra Leichner...she is also one of the judges for the show this year (this is the fourth judge that I have taken classes from!) Anyway..she's an interesting teacher and I really like needle-turn applique much better than the prep'ed edges like starch.She has oodles of tips and tricks..I really like her quilts. Her quilt 'Tea with Miss D' won one of the big awards at Houston..

We are doing her pattern 'Garden Bird' - here is my project after one day - we traced the pattern onto a vinyl overlay and learned how Sandra does inside corners and the points on leaves ..my branches are mostly done..and the leaves are just laid on the background fabric for now..hopefully will get to the bird tomorrow:

(Ekk..you can see I didn't pin them down yet as the placement is all off when you compare it to the next photo....)

And hopefully mine ends up looking at least SOMEWHAT like this when I am done!

Really funny. story...we were stitching away on our branches after getting some instruction on how to do the deep inside V's or tree crotches..one of the gals at my table is a speed demon with applique and got done before the rest of us. Sandra came by and was checking her stitching...Called everyone over to see her nicely done tree crotch, embarrassing the gal...everyone gave her a round of applause..to which she said "Oh great...Y'all stand around admiring my crotch and now y'all have given me the clap'...