It seems it's been a long time - but finally I got back to the butterfly quilt. I have been making some flowers for the quilt - but have not actually been stitching on the quilt. I dragged it down from the shelf and began work on the 4 trilliom miles of bias vines that wind round and round, in between the butterflies and along the edges. My, that is a lot of stitches on 4 trillion miles of vines!!!
Here is the bias cut and stitched together to form that unbelievably long piece.
And here it is being tortured with an iron. I press under one side of the bias - baste in in the design I want for the vine and applique the pressed under side first. Then I turn under the other side by hand and it slips right into place, making a nice curvey vine for the flowers to grow on. Isn't that the prettiest iron you've ever seen? The first time our grandson Ben saw it (it was unplugged of course, since Grammy never irons when the boys are around) he said - I touched that purple machine. Cute boy!!!
Some of the pretty GFG flowers I'v been making at work.
More of them stacked up in piles - I love the 30s fabrics for this quilt!!!
I have put one or two flowers on, just for funsies, and I really like the looks of it. The flower is only partly appliqued, but I was impatient to get the picture taken. I haven't tried a YoYo flower yet and I still need to cut out leaves to go
with the flowers and vines.
GIVE-AWAY
There is a fun giveaway over at http://bluebirdquilts-lyn.blogspot.com/ - a Christmas one - not too early to begin planning for the gifts and fun of the holidays.
And here is a cute picture of the twin fawns that often come to our yard - because everyone needs a good deer picture now and then. They are the reason my flower gardens now have bird netting all around them. Here they are enjoying the buttercups across the street, near the woods. Mama was nearby the whole time.
9 comments:
Oh, that is going to be so cute when you get it all down. I can't wait to see it.
Nothing like a few animal friends to visit!! Here in Aus though, it's more likely to be wombats and kookaburras!! Lx
Ohhh you got me with the GFG's! I love those. Then of course you really got me with the twin fawns. How very special.
...oh and you cracked me up with "...and her it is being tortured with an iron."
You're silly! ;) *karendianne./ Living Life at LeeHaven
Your quilt is going to be beautiful. I'm just glad it is you and not me who has to fold, press, and applique 4 trillion miles of bias!!!!! I would never get it done. I would probably use a green magic marker!!!!!
Karen in IN
Oh my goodness that's a lot of bias! I've never thought about just ironing one side down - I think I'll try that on a quilt I'm working on. Blessings, marlene
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and your very kind comments. Your quilt sounds like a lot of hard work but I am sure it is going to look beauitful. I must show my daughters the photo of those fauns
Kimx
Hi
It's great to meet a fellow quilter! Your butterfly quilt is going to be beautiful when it's done from the little I could see. I love the name of your blog.
I am glad that you want to join the Thankful Thursday group. I will add your blog in, starting next week, unless you are going to post one today?
Hugs, Rhondi
I was interested to see how you made bias stems. I have hand appliqued them that way in the past, but still have better luck making little tiny tubes and using my pressing bars to turn them into flat bias strips with the seam on the underside. You can make any length you want, just keep scooting the metal pressing bar along inside the tube, as you move the seam to the underside. But I have burned my fingers a few times!
The nice thing about having a finished tube to applique is that you can use the steam iron to coax it into even tight turns and loops as you arrange it on the background.
This looks like it is going to be wonderful. I love your 30's fabric flowers.
Post a Comment