sewing and coughing don't mix!

looks like a cqshop barfed on it!

Ok, so, walking pnumonia isn't fun, especially over a holliday!
I have been trying to plug along through a stuffy nose, shaky hands and coughing myself insideout.
my friends sewing and coughing don't mix!

ort's jar

half the time you loose your place and the other half you loose the needle, it's just badness.
I'll live, that prognosis is good, though I'm still coughing, it doesn't make me want to take a nap anymore!)

I got my FFT RR#16  block back and is it lovely!
I'm just going to add a thing or two and it will be perfecto!
I also worked on the changes Gerry suggested for the blue/brown block
(Isn't she the greatest!)

I added a fan to the yawning empty brown space and added a birds nest with two glass lampwork beads, I got in my monthly embellishments package from Eveningstar designs.

those are great if you need a random stash boost!
Carolyne sends out a selection of ribbons, lace, beads, silk ribbon, buttons, charms, silkies and all sorts of fun stuff!


it's totally random and a lovely little surprise in your mailbox once a month!

I get nothing for promoting BTW.
I just love her cqclubs and she is a lovely person to have gotten to know over the years.

we put up the tree this weekend and it looks fabulous like it does every year! it does need one more string of lights though, i ran out of them at the top of the tree so when they blink the whole top goes dark!
I started a stocking for my DD she requested I make her a new one this year, in apple greens with a turtle on it! so far so good!

Happy Turkey day!

go get stuffed!)

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

BJP-Or mind can hide

yipes! I can't belive it's almost turkey day!
and it's been a LOOng time since I updated (or did anything with) my BJP stuff *bad Flora*
didn't we just start this year?

anyway this is my november contribution called
 "Or a mind can Hide"



as you can see her thoughts are spilling out all over the place!

 I liked the contrast of the sky blue and the crystal clear being like thoughts
sometimes we are lost in thought

or we lose our train of thought




very seldom do you have a clear thought with a good idea attached to it




and some Ideas are brighter than others

but we are always thinking

all day long or thoughts are cascading over one another in a constant flow

Sharon Boggins encrusted crazyquilt class progress

Not sure I'm done with this one yet.
 I have spent a lot of time lurking in this class and not participating mostly because i have been dealing with a "brain cloud" issue.



rife with muzzy thinking or just flat out can't manage to rub two good thoughts together and didn't want to inflict my incoherencies on any one else I didn't have to!


I was ,however, paying enough attention to follow along and I have to say these are a talented group of ladies!








I'm not very good at photo-as-you-go, as anyone who has read my blog will attest to! It's a failing.

I get into my "Zone" and the piece is done before I realize I haven't taken any pictures of it!


I did finally post pictures of what I have been working on as i lurked in the shadows. I would love a little advice on what to do with that bare brown corner.

I was thinking of putting a bird in a nest there to complimenting the bird button on the other side but i don't know!



 here's the whole thing so far I don't know that corner needs something!
Gerry Help!

FFT#16-update

I finally sent Kathy's block back to her.
being the last person to play on a block has as many challenges as being the first!




I felt the need to "bring the room together" on this one.



all the ladies did a wonderful job on their little corner of the block but it was all so linear I felt the need to blur the lines.
I added a BIG yellow spiderweb to contrast the little bits of yellow that were scattered here and there and the spider echos the wonderful magenta of the top right corner patch,






I also extended the trailing leaves from Barbara's (R?) down into the pansy patch at the bottom and 

last but not least I added a pink and purple dragonfly to the top right, to hide that hard end of the lace and draw the eye down into the center of the block





I hope you like the result.

basic CQ flip and fold tutorial

mark your foundation with a 1/4" seam

 Ok, someone form the nubi side asked if I could do a tut on how I do basic cq flip and fold.

add fabrics around your focal point

this is in response to wanting to know how I did my witchy-poo hats.
I know the piece I'm showing you all "how to" is not a witchy-poo hat but I do them all pretty much the same way, so here it goes!

pin down and sew

start with your muslin base (calico for you oversea's)
you need at least 2" to overhang outside your fabric square
(or whatever shape your sewing) for the hoop, if you use one,
then mark the outside line, this is the line where your fabric stops.
then make a line to mark a 1/4"-1/2" seam allowance.
(which ever is more comfortable for you)

trim your edges

this is the seam you DO NOT under any circumstances put any beading, buttons, metal embellishments, etc.
you can embellish and bead up to this line but no farther.

if you go beyond this line with the hard embellishments, you can't turn the seams or sew through them on sewing machine, without doing damage to yourself, the machine or the cq piece your working on and sometimes all 3!

flip and iron

I have already made this mistake, a few times, no need for you to suffer!

I like to mark these lines with a sharpie as the odds that your going to see them through the fabric are very small, unless your working with a lot of shears, in which case you should have a layer of misty fuse or another comparable stabilizer beneath that for endurance.

do it again!

now that you have marked your foundation its time to sew down the fabrics.
you will want to start somewhere in the middle (not like I did, at an end)
to better work your way around the piece.

start with an off cut focal fabric, fabric picture not a silkie.they are to delicate. I like odd shaped pentagon, the 5 sides give you more diversity in patches.

don't forget to trim your edges

I start with one of the longer edges, so you don't end up with teensy weensy bits. place your next fabric, wrong side up.

pin at at least 2 points and sew down. when using slippery fabric like silk or velvet pin more!

flip the fabric over and iron your seams.
I like to use a little spray starch on
the back for stabilization with slippery or thin fabrics.

ironing each patch is key

you also want to trim any bits that overhang or slop over.
rinse and repeat until your whole block is filled up!

I have used a dark thread so hopefully you can see it in the pics
here is the back of my piece, so  you can see how the seams look this way

finished block all trimmed up with it's corners pinned

(almost no one shows you the back of their work)

when your done filling in the block you want to do 3 things

sew the zig-zag and 1/4" seam allowance from the back

1) make sure all your corners are held down with pins
2) sew around your outside edge with a zig-zag stitch, trim the excess fabric
    (this is why you need to use a sharpie to mark your edges)
3) then sew a 1/4" to 1/2" seam allowance with the longest straight stitch your machine will do.

finished seam work and edging

completed block

     

now the fun stuff begins! time to figure out which way is up and what you want to put on your block!

I hope this is helpful.

for you newbies out there welcome to our the wonderful crazy world!)

Sharon Boggins on line class

I am taking Sharon Boggins encrusted crazy quilting class on line so for the next 6 weeks I will be working on a block or two for it and hopefully getting a few other things done. I have the usual backload of stuff that needs to be worked on "RIGHT NOW!" and other things I have been putting off because I'm just lazy, or busy, or distracted, or all the above :)
and then there is the Yule tide just around the corner, aakk!
here's what I have so far,

witchy-poo 3

This one is more off he traditional black witch's hat

i also tried for more uniformity in color so the hat wasn't to garish,



with just enough color to grab your attention


i love how the besom turned out don't you?


when we were in Pennsylvania dutch country for a vacation I remember barns having these sort of circles painted on their sides for protection from evil spirits

 this embroidery run reminds me of  corn fields just before they cut them down for feed

and one musn't forget the wise old owl or spooky cat

Withi-poo 2

 another witchi-poo is done!



now i have 1 more to finish and a small something-I haven't decided yet what it should be.





any suggestions?  it's a 6" square approximately


 just as colorful as these lovely darlings


 but what should it be?
Purse, table mat, wall-hanging?
I don't know!

 anyway as you can see this one is much like the other spiders, dragonfly's, witchy sayings, pumpkins

these are fun to make, they are about 12"high and 10" in diameter  any size tussy mussy pattern will do (i used a dinner plate for the brim!)

then get out all the creepy bugs and spiders you can find and go to town!)

I lined these as well so in theory they can be worn all one would need to do is sew in a hair band or combs.
they are just big enough not to look silly!

and homecoming is coming up with all the dress drama and OMG! that that entails. it's to be semi-formal this year which means all the girls are wearing formals and all the boys are wearing what they can get away with!
dd's date has decided on skinny jeans and combat boots with the union jack on the toe and she has decided on a very nice midnight blue velvet with spangles and silver shoes. somehow I don't think he's going to win this one!)