Tree Birds Have Arrived

As most of you may know, I have been having a bit of trouble keeping up with my blog hop projects.  New Year's Day my mother broke her hip and at the end of the month, I developed a retinal problem.  So, I was looking forward to peaceful stitching with the birds in February and March.  Alas, not to be....

...broke my thumb while loading a fat Border Collie into the truck.  Surely this isn't going to be the way the entire year is going to progress.  

Nevertheless, I got all my projects done...with a lot of adjustments to accomodate the handicap.  So, here we go.

My first job was to build my tree full of bird houses.  I loved it, but am way too practical to frame and hang it as wall art...though it would make an excellent picture on the wall. 

While packing my mother to move her to a new apartment, I was admiring her perpetual calendar and decided I needed one in my sewing room and the bird houses would be a perfect background.

 Now,  originally I was going to embroider all the numbers, months, and days on a lovely tea-stained linen that I am dying to use.  Enter the BIG thumb...can't hold an embroidery hoop.  Plan B:  Magnets!  I made a canvas backing to hold foam board covered with adhesive magnetic sheets.  Great idea!  Not... The magnets on the numbers were not strong enough to attach through fabric and stabilizer.

Plan C:  Velcro dots.  I am not happy with this solution, but it will do, until I can get back to Plan A and embroidery.

Picture divided into calendar divisions with a simple machine quilt stitch...

Three pockets at the bottom to hold the unused numbers, months, etc.

Numbers, months created on canvas with t-shirt transfer paper and an ink-jet printer...  Oops, forgot the days of the week.

All I need is a bird to sit on the branch.

My sister had a birthday during this time and she is an avid bird watcher.  So, I decided to make her a small tote....from a bird seed bag.   I cut the bag down to the image field I liked...maybe too much removed because the bag ended up smaller than I had intended.

Lined with birdhouses.

Add a handle...

A small tote bag!  (My sister was not impressed).

Still had time to make a curtain for the single window in my sewing room.  I have three sewing machines and not one had a ruffler attachment, so the bottom ruffle will have to wait until I can stitch by hand again.  It is pinned in place for the picture. 

I have another dozen or so birdhouse squares left that will become mug rugs to catch the condensation from frosty glasses of iced tea consumed while lounging on the back porch watching the birds at their feeders all spring and summer.  

Thank you Samm and Lana for a fun and very cheerful blog hop.  Please check out the rest of our bloggers in the schedule below. 

Friday, March 13

It Seams To Be Sew

Life in the Scrapatch

Amy Stitches

Lakeshore Stitches

Needled Mom

Quilt in a not - Shell

Suebee's World