Filling in the flowers - CQJP 2024

It takes a long time to fill in one whole side to a 

20" x 16" ish elephant.

I added flowers to the cardinal corner

because he looked lonely floating over there all by his lonesome

Flower son the head

This is mostly the halfway point, where I always feel like it's awful and I have made a mess of it.

I have to keep reminding myself it will look different when it's stuffed

More flowers on the body

Lots of  silk ribbon roses made with 

Spiderweb, accordion, folded stitches

Also in there are white lilac in french knots

Fuchsias and a few random fantasy flowers

and lots and lots of leaves

Miss Mousie also got a couple of flowers

Finally this spiderweb 

Still not sure where it's occupant will go
 

CQJP 2023 Lampbox side

Another side another bird.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              This is the sketch I came up with moths ago as a template                                                                                                                    Templates do not always go as planned                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Especially when you are implementing something months    after the initial  bloom of inspiration has worn off 

and you need to get it done                                                                                                                      So instead of 2 birds I decided on one bird on this side                                                                           so I can devote energy to making it more detailed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Here is where I have placed it on this side of the box                                                  

Crazy quilted Book cover Tutorial

This old thing started life as a 2014 Crazy Quilt International, Spring Fling challenge piece hosted by Therica Burrows

Where you bought the 7 fabric scrap, lace, motif and charms package and made a block with it 

the rules as I remember them were you had to use at least 5 of the fabrics and could add as many as 2 of your own and you had to use all the motifs and laces. I think I used everything in the package but one of the little blue birds

 So I finally decided what to do with it!

I made it into a book cover

I mounted the block onto a heavy card stock 

by first basting it taught 

When doing this I recommend having more than 1/2 an inch of turn over though!

I then glue the edges down to keep it there and stop any fraying from getting any worse!

Fabritack, aileesns Jewlit, or Gemtac work well for this.

Now for the inside, I measured out a piece of fabric the same size as the original block added pockets to each corner by folding a square 1/2 the length of the side.

I embroidered them because of course I did....

made handles and ribbon enclosures if you want to take a pencil for notes with you.

I then cut out 3 pieces of  card stock for the backing and it should all measure 1/4" smaller all around than the front. This part It should fold like a book so these pieces need to accommodate that.

The middle spine should be at least 3/4" wide and the sides should be 1/2 the size of the whole less 3/4" for the spine AND 1/4"for movement

I then glued the cardstock to the backing, there needs to be room for the whole thing to fold around a book so you want to accommodate this movement by leaving 1/4" on either side of the spine.

Let it fully dry before you take on the next bit 3-6 ours depending on your glue choice 

I positioned the pockets, handles and the ribbon closure & pinned it

I folded over the edges 1/4" and sewed it all down along the edge, as close to the edge as possible, so everything was firmly attached to the backing and the cardstock.

I think this gives you some extra firmness as well, you don't want your book flying out because the handle came loose!

Last step is to glue it all together

I do this by squeezing glue around the outside about 1/2 an inch from the edge and then spiraling in to the middle

Take a scrap piece of cardstock or a craft sponge and spread it evenly across the card 

When you get to the edges be very careful to spread the glue thin because you don't want glue squeezing out to the front when you set it together

It's always easier to put more on, much harder to take it off.

Put the back onto the front smoothing down as you go being careful to not get glue on the business side of the piece

I keep a wet cloth or paper towel around so I can wipe my hands between steps

Pace clamps around the edges &/or put a heavy book on it to set the glue.

I have used binding clips, hair pins, and on one occasion a hemostat and tension pliers because it needed just one more!

And Bobs you're uncle, a book cover! 

Where is Alice?

So the rabbit was first though I'm still looking for a tiny pocket watch to put in his hand

  The Mock turtle came next, With her eternal tears

       Then came the Dodo, elegant and wise

The calm Griffons wisdom

 

looks like she just left

 The Caterpillars curiosity

 

 The doormouse in his pot

and the painting of the rose trees

More time and more tea

Flamingos for our game of croquet

 But where can Alice be?

A new blue project

Ive started a new project

Because why not

Its not like I have 3 dozen other projects to work on

Or do I?

Yes, this is the creatives paradox

Are you a creative who needs to finish what you started before going on to the next project or are you like me and try to do  everything all at once?

Because I have so many ideas, I feel I have to draw it, write it down, or start it before they float away

Can you tell what This one is about?

This Fellow has an opinion I'll tell you!

At first his jacket was not quite right

so I had to add more color

Then his waist coat was not quite right

His ears were not big enough

And I fluffed his tail too much!

What a fussy rabbit!

This fellow was much better behaved

Though he is a bit messy

There is progress over here also

But I need more charlotts!

Kitten says it's time to relax

Doesn't she look regal!

Molly concurs, it's relaxing time

Today It's too hot to do more

Peacock Moral challenge

 After you have your outline stitching down

it's time to fill it in

In the head I decided to fill it in with stem stitch

because it gives me a really lovely texture

that overcomes the distractions

of the green velvet and the white lace

And gives this motif a more solid look






I then filled in the wings along the back

and the cover feathers in purple

going down to the display feathers

I'm binge watching Scott& Bailey as I sew


there are 7 seasons, that should be enough, right?










I filled in the display feathers with

cast on stitch in two different colors

 to give it dimension around

bright yellow I chose for the centers

These are going to take a while to fill in

Wichi-poo doll

 I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before

a bit thick I guess.


Isn't she sassy?

Her slippers are bats (of course)

her skirt and hat are both CQed

shes got an under skirt and her body is made from green dot cotton and barber pole stripes


So much fun this was!

I made up the pattern for her skirt and hat

as there really wasn't one in the Tilda pattern book I was using

and now I can't remember which one I used but I think it was the christmas one from last year.


 The one side I used a small lace motif and beaded it on and gave it a little fringe and some extra flowers




The other side has ribbon roses and a ghost bead though in the picture you can't quite see it

I had a hard time not getting blurry pics for this so excuse if they aren't up to snuff

there are skull beads all over the place and fringe and lace and ribbon and did I tell you how much fun I was having here?







I tried to keep it down to two colors besides the black silks and velvet's I used for the skirt









 Do you know how hard that is?

especially when the purples and browns were yelling at me from their boxes!






but I managed it, whew!

there is a lovely green spiderweb and a sparkly spider

a dangling skeleton

the ribbon roses all have a skull in their middles as a surprise guest!

The last faerie

 The last in a long line of faerie blocks,
20 in total, Is done!

Wheee!               Awwe!

Wee, because I love these fairies

 I grew up with a whole set of little flower farie books illustrated, beautifully, by Cicely Mary Barker

Abc faeries, summer faeries, tree faeries etc. 10 little books in all all lovingly kept a little dinged on the corners or lovingly rubbed but mostly still pristine.

Then I gave them to my children

and most of them went missing

Many of my, lovingly kept, childhood friends met their demise in this manner *sigh*

I had a whole collection of Asterix and Obilex and Tintin Illustrated novels ( don't you dare call them comix!) that died a horrible death at the loving hands of my children when the glue that kept them together gave way. my son still has them or whats left of them in a box to keep the pages from flying away and dispersing further.


As a former Librarian this both horrifies and warms the heart.

Thank goodness I saved my first edition set of OZ and Bookhouse books safe.

Though my "Friend Flika" got passed around every friend they ever had, until it was so bent, dogeared and missing pages you couldn't read it anymore.

You see they loved them enough to share them and that is friendship