Skeleton Collars & Cuffs

Skeleton Collars & Cuffs is the third of four gifted panels.

I gave him a border of black, orange and brown fabrics.  My original plan was for the wider strips, but for a wall hanging, it was going to get too large and out of proportion.  So I simply cut the original strips in half.

I staggered the strip lengths.



Of course the selvedge had to remain as part of the finished panel.  

There was a lot of blank space in this panel.  Since he’s sewing, I gave him some fabric scraps scattered around him.  Stitched down with raw edge applique.  They also provided more color for the panel.

To finish, I just did some echo quilting and then some straight lines here and there to fill in.

Quite a dapper fellow, wouldn’t you say?

The Night Watchman

When I saw THIS POSTCARD by robertovnaelena (Instagram), I was immediately in love!

I wish she’d send it to me...(sigh)

I know that won’t happen, so I had to try making one myself.  Nowhere near as impressive, but he’s my version.  Not completely unfortunate, right?  I’ve had to call him a blackbird as he’s just not raven enough looking.  I used a bird Sizzix die to trace.  (I wish I could draw!)

I also wished I could figure out a couple of her techniques, but I didn’t really want to copy right down to every detail.....YES I DID!

He’s made from discarded jeans.  A couple of different denim shades.  The moon in this 2nd photo is closer to the actual fabric color.  It’s more a grayish white with silver metallic specks. I first stitched a spiral using silver metallic thread in the bobbin.  I used the wonder under paper that I peeled off the fabric moon to trace a spiral then stitched it from the backside of the postcard.  It needed more thread painting so I stitched between the spiral stitches with regular thread in a cream and then some outside stitches in the gold.

I think if I had stitched the raw edge of the bird a little farther in, I might have been able to ravel the denim edges a little more so they’d look more feathery.

Are you curious about how my postcards look on the Peltex side?

I normally sew a binding around the edges of my postcards.  That’s because I have felt it looks better than zig-zagging. But this artist’s satin stitching on her postcards looks so great, I decided to try that myself too.  Hoping my satin stitch would fill in as nicely as hers did and only going around the outside edges once, I was not disappointed.  My corners need a little work.  I’m okay with that.

Secret ingredient:  At times, satin stitching doesn’t always cover completely or a stitch length will show.  I go looking for a permanent marker the same color as my thread and I camouflage those tiny areas.

Because I am not mailing this postcard to anyone, I used miracle fabric on the correspondence side.  Very adaptable to rubberstamping and writing (if I were to mail it).  I also did not want to test the satin stitched edge with paper after all my work on the design.  But I will be testing it with paper soon!

I have a lot of discarded jeans left, so I’ll be thinking up more denim postcards.

Happy Mail Day!

Postcards and Calendars

When a break from quilting is needed, fabric postcards are being created.

This postcard collage is created entirely from scraps left from a quilt in progress using Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Abandoned2 collection of fat quarters.

This next postcard is tiny flying geese.  A paper pieced pattern by Quilt-a-Rie that I reduced to fit a postcard size.

 This VW Bug (Beetle) is a paper pieced pattern by Full Bobbin Designs that I changed to applique and reduced to fit a postcard.  My very first car was a green 1967 VW Bug that I named Stanley.

This train postcard is an applique pattern by Angel Lea Designs.  Also reduced for a postcard size.  I fashioned my train after the 4017 Union Pacific Big Boy engine on display at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Quite the impressive giant.

This last Poppie postcard is a pattern by Tina Curran.  It is a paper pieced pattern that I adjusted in size for a postcard.  This is a favorite.  The original pattern is like a field of poppies art quilt.  

To catch up with my calendar journals, here are May and June.

Wishing all a happy mail day!

Stars & Stripes Table Mat

I’ve completed this patriotic table mat in time to enjoy it for a week or so.

The center section is inspired by a painted wood plaque that I saw online somewhere (that I cannot find now to give credit).  I made the design using half square triangles.

From there I gave it borders using more half square triangles.  Then strips of fabric around the outside border.  24” X 24”

I quilted the mat with star shapes.

The stars are all die cut in two sizes then raw edge appliqued.

Hooray for the red, white and blue!

Happy Independence Day, America!

Man Quilt

Another man quilt.

The request is black and red...again.  This time I felt like that meant and no other color.  But I get to choose the backings.

I thought I would just use the “sticks” design.  They were inspired by a photo on Pinterest https://pin.it/4kbQMYB

I wanted them on a larger scale.

But just the sticks was too blah.  I decided some economy blocks thrown into the mix gave it more interest.

When the top was all together I took notice of the backside and the variety of the red fabric wrongsides.  I find all those light colored backings on the red fabrics rather fascinating.

Once again, no froofroo for these men of mine.



I thought while making it that I wasn’t liking it too much.  Man stuff can be boring.

But I do like it very much in the end.

It looks kind of like it could be a game board.

Just need some large game pieces and a set of rules.



 It’s quite different from any quilt design I’ve made so far.

It measures 75” X 63”

Off it goes to the man.

 

Postcards From Scraps

I’m linking my scrappy postcards to The Joyful Quilter’s blog for her May 2022 Table Scraps Challenge. https://thejoyfulquilter.blogspot.com/p/2022-table-scraps-challenge.html  

Scraps are perfect for making postcards.  Especially when they are scraps that you really hate to toss out.  But I did toss these scraps out at first.  

I’m working on a quilt using a bundle of Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements called Abandoned2.  It was hard to not keep these pieces...until it finally dawned on me that I could make postcards with them!  I immediately took a break from the two quilts I’m working on, pulled these scraps from the trash and made some postcards for my Tim Holtz grunge loving friends.

As well as a gift tag.



The desire to sew postcard is in full force right now.

I thought I’d try using the painter’s drop cloth as a postcard base.  It works out really well.  Of course serging the edges helps a great deal.  This fabric has a great texture.  I pulled out my scrap bin and just cut shapes with scissors and stitched them down to create a flower.

Oh, look Joy, there’s a square in this one! **snicker**

I think I might like creating a colorful garden of flowers. I certainly have the scraps to do just that.

And then I got started on that garden...

I wish everyone a happy mail day!

A Table Quilt

The leftover blocks from my grandson’s quilt became my first table quilt.

I was lazy with the math figuring but that turned out to be a happy okay.

I laid out the blocks to allow for sashing to help get it to the size I need.

I then cut sashing pieces to sew between the blocks.

I then measured and cut incorrectly for the outside border.  But that was good because I like the additional red border.  Time to get it quilted.

The red outside border mean’t that I could use up some more scraps by making a scrappy binding from the black and white fabrics.

(Chain piecing the binding)

This is NOT a table quilt that I would have chosen to make and it’s rather an odd duck color choice as well.  But as an everyday table protection, it works.  I only cover the table when we use it for a meal anyway.

To make this table quilt reversible, I used a green print with gold metallic splatters that can be used at Christmas time or St. Patrick’s Day.

                   

Now I’m looking forward to making more table quilts.

April went along like so...

Black and Red Quilt

A black and red quilt with white thrown in for good measure.  For a man, so no froofroo stuff.

The no froofroo is not quite as easy as it might seem.  For me that meant no flowery prints.

The design is an easy one to cut and sew.

    

I sewed long strips then cut them into 10” squares.

Arranging the squares with the red strips in alternating positions.

It felt as though it was missing something that would give it some pizzaz.

My favorite black and white stripe to the rescue!  I just trimmed a strip off the edge of random blocks to add the stripe and still keep the block the same 10” size.

Just what it needed.



So on to the quilting.

I pulled the red fabrics back out to cut and sew a scrappy binding.  

(I have a small, silly collection of dog ears)

It looks good and was a great way to use up the small pieces of yardage that were left after cutting the block strips.

And it’s a quilt!

Measuring 57” X 76”

The backing is a red grunge fabric (forgot to get that photo).

It’s fun when the breeze sneaks up to give a quilt a little flight.



I have some squares leftover.

They are not going into the scrap bin, they will become the next project...