APPLIQUE PAINTBOX-I LOVE APPLIQUE

UP, UP, AND AWAY!

I don't have much of a bucket list-either do it or don't do it.  However, there are some hard to reach goals like living in a treehouse or flying in a hot air balloon. I feel like the hot air balloon is doable and so here is me practicing and  maneuvering  in what I hope is not a ship of fools.  You can see me in the cockpit in my favorite green jacket flying with the birds above the tree tops amongst the clouds.  This block has been evolving for a while now-I wanted to work out how to portray tree tops so they were understandable to the viewer.

My other blocks this week are thanks to Chuck.  This quilt has been going on forever it seems but now I have only about 13 more blocks to make and I am sad.  i do not know if ever I will share a path again with the fun and creative Chuck Nohara and feel there is so much more here that I have left unexplored.  

I bought this pretty teal print hoping I would be able to use it somewhere and finally found a place for it.  This trellis fabric makes a nice basket and I went with broderie perse roses, leaves and a little bird to complete the picture.

I changed the dimensions on this block to take advantage of the fabric I wanted to use.  The yellow stripes on either side of the pink floral band is very effective complemented with the yellow French General fabric.  This is another fabric I had been wanting to use.  Matter of fact, I have a little basket of fabric which I love that must be used before the quilt is finished.  

Pretty flowers growing in someone's garden.

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Here is what has really excited me this week:

I told you last week I was going to become a wild and crazy free motion quilter and here is the result.  This little quilt is about 12x18 white Kona cotton with poly hi loft batting.  I used 100 wt white invisafil thread top and bottom.  I have been learning more FMQ with the facebook group Sit Down Free Motion Quilters sampler.  Most of the stitches are those used in the sampler they teach but used in different ways and combinations.

Now before you start thinking "WOW, she is an awesome doodler"  I must tell you that this pattern is in no way original.  I copied it from the world's greatest doodler, LuAnn Kessi.  Here is her doodle which I cloned:

https://luannkessi.blogspot.com/

In comparing the two, you can see that mine lost some definition here and there when I quilted accidentally over a feather etc.  But overall, I am very pleased and excited.  The whole project took no more than about 10 hours from cloning to completion. Not that time matters but I say this to point out it was not impossible to accomplish.

I could not do anything creative without my printer.  A reader asked how I translated the 2x2 inch patterns in Chuck's book into 6" blocks. Simply put the small 2" block in your printer and change the setting to enlarge 265% and presto-out comes a 6" block.  Just play with this setting to get the size you want.  To get the enlargement I wanted for the doodle quilting, I printed a full page of the doodle, cut it in 4ths, and enlarged each 4th 200% which, when taped together, yielded the 12x18 pattern for me to trace. 

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This blog has had international visitors from 5 new countries in listed here in order of appearance:  Iceland, Norway, Belarus, Egypt, and Moldavia.  Lucky me!  My husband plays internet chess with opponents from all around the world.  We have a friendly competition going over who is the most international.  He will say Dubai and I will say Moldavia-so there, I win.

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Here is a photo of Peter Rabbit who lives in our backyard.  The corn which the squirrels kick to the ground is making him very plump and healthy. 

My husband saw a family of otters the other day during his walk in the woods and swamps.  The family was a mother and three playful, unruly children.  The children where going in all directions, paying no attention to the possible threat posed by a human. My husband said mother was scolding and harassed trying to regroup her young into some kind of order and marshall them back to the woods and creek.  She managed this and my husband heard 4 plops! as they jumped back into the water.

HAPPY QUILTING TO YOU

 THIS WEEK!  

I will be linking up with these fabulous linkies:

Slow Stitching Sunday

Monday with Bambi

Patchwork Times

Em's Scrapbag

Free Motion by the River

Esther's WOW

Let's Be Social

NTT

Whoop, Whoop

Off the Wall Friday

Thanks for providing this sharing forums!