CQJP 2023 side done- how it sometimes goes

Sometimes when working on a long term project somewhere near the end I loose it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         What do you loose Flora?  you may ask                                                                                                                                                                                Sometimes it's the desire to continue the project.                                                                                                                                                                     Sometimes it's the energy or the brain capacity to think about the project.                                                                                                                              Some times Life gets in the way and it's difficult to fine the thread of the project.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Sometimes it's the creative spark that sent me on the journey in the first place.           

But aren't those the same things?   Nope.  They are not, Each roadblock comes from a different spot.

Most of it is internal but every once in a while something outside your control takes you away.

All in all I find it difficult to re engage my head if I'm just not feeling it.                                                                                                                                                                                                 For me the only way to get back to a project is to set it aside for a time and let it marinate in your lizard brain for a while.                                                                                                                    And then all of a sudden, POOF!  It's done!

Cardinal corner applique finished.

so here are mr. and mrs. Cardinal Keeping look out on their holly tree.

Those leaves took a bit of doing!

But I must say I am much better at turning nice tight corners now.

I need to do a bit more and I may need to add some embroidery to it but over all i'm pleased with it.

This was a BOM from a few years ago, I got it from an online quilt store, i can't remember just which one right now.

Time to start the next corner

Will it be the bunny corner or the bluebird?


 

CQJP 2023 5th side

Here is the 5th side to the Lampbox so far                                                                                                                           I have chain stitched the vines and

 have started the trumpet flowers in pink floche   

These leaves are done in raised buttonhole stitch

I added 3 rows of stem stitch to this upper part of the vine in maroon                                                                                                                                       to start balancing the colors of the block                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

This little flower at the bottom is made up of all the colors in the block in straight pistil stitch, Pad stitch and cast on stitch

The dragonfly is just hanging on but I like it there                     so will leave it for now as a place holder

                        

 

Cardinal corner

 The cardinal corner already in progress,

those holly leaves really improve your point turning skills! 

I have done a little more than half of them here

And because I'm me it looks too plain 

so I may add some embroidery for more pizzazz

Easy in my vocabulary only applies to housework!

From Cathy's gift box

I found myself more Cigar boxes to get in good trouble with                                                                                                                                                                                                                      So I mounted a bunch of things from Cathy's giftie box from a few years ago

       

The white work piece I ended up cutting off the bottom third because it was too big to use whole                                                                                                                                                                              This is the top part                                                                                                                                           It's still to big to put on a cigar box,                       so I will have either to find a box to fit it               or make my own. I haven't decided which yet

The bottom third fit on this cohiba box

It was already painted white and fit perfectly!

I'm trying to figure out what to do with it from here

 

Isn't she pretty though!

                                                                                                                                            

I also mounted this Pink one and this pretty blue one with the swifts but have yet to put them on anything.

I am still fiddling with these other bird panels,

They go together buut they kind of don't

I like the way the right side looks but the left side needs help.

I don't know if I like it.

Maybe it's configured wrong?

I tried it this way first

 The problems I see with it ^ are,

 

 1) the tree unbalances the other three panels

    and the only way to fix that is by adding more to          the others.

  2) The harsh lines of the joins are bothering me too

  3) The upper left hand bird panel was too small, so         I had to add some "like" fabric, to make it wider

     now I'm having trouble trying to integrate it                                                                                                 into a whole contiguous piece. 

This happens every time I put panels together like this, the harsh lines of the individual panels takes my eye away from enjoying the piece as a whole and I can't figure out how to integrate them.

The way I have dealt with this in the past is to add sashing between the panels, but that breaks it up farther.  I'd like to try something different. It's just not working very well here right now.

Frustrating! I can sort of see what I want, but I can't make it work. 

I need to separate the blocks, find some more "Like" fabric to maybe add some joins to make the pieces flow better because right now it looks choppy to me. 

Maybe one more time with the seam ripper.

I know I can get this.

And so it begins

May the 4th be with you
 

Idea's I will try to get to this time!