Thursday, March 12, 2015

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












Tree Birds Are Coming


It is time for another fun blog hop from Madame Samm with Lana as our organizer.

Please join us each day!


Friday, March 13

Monday, March 16

Tuesday, March 17

Wednesday, March 18

Thursday, March 19

Friday, March 20

Monday, March 23
Sew We Stitch




Thursday, January 15, 2015

It's ALMOST Summer......

I was really looking forward to participating in "Tammy 4 All Seasons" and got an early start in mid-December with pauses for holiday commitments.  Not to worry...plenty of time to finish well before my "due date".

Enter Murphy's Law:  If anything can go wrong, it will.  On New Year's Day, my mother fell and broke her hip.  Since she can no longer live alone, we started the grueling process of moving her belongings to my sister's house.  This involved multiple trips for me driving from my home to mother's apartment, to sister's home, to the nursing home, and back to my home....330 mile round trip.  I have logged over 1500 miles in the last two weeks, with more to come.

And, somewhere in this saga, I have damaged a retina!  So I am showing you my failure at finishing this project.


I chose Summer, but did not use vintage fabric...though the red on the bag is a 1930's copy print.  I ended up using 14 point white fabric for the stitching, which I normally shy away from.


I actually had two lovely 28 point fabrics..one an Irish Linen and a hand dyed fabric in a Queen Anne's Lace color that I was excited to try.  So, I began on the hand dyed while sitting in the hospital with my mother.  I just could NOT see well enough...even with my Beam and Read.


I may not have used vintage fabric, but I did try to use my vintage Beam and Read.  This is over 20 years old and sports a single, incandescent bulb.  It was no help.  I considered just throwing it out, but looks like the fault lies with my retinal problem, not my ancient stitching pal.  I am definitely looking for the new model, though.


After I switched to 14 point white fabric, the stitching went somewhat better, until the nurse told me it would be best to turn out the room lights to make it more restful for my mother.  So, I tried to stitch standing at the room window on a dark, cloudy day.  When I got home to bright sunlight reflecting off the lake outside my doors, I realized my grey outline stitches were not grey enough.



I chose to make a ruffle, rather than box pleats...again because I could do it at the hospital.


This was still fun, in spite of all my trials and tribulations.  As soon as I get my eyesight repaired, I intend finishing the project.

Please visit the rest of our "Tammy 4 All Seasons" participants.  You won't be disappointed in the quality of their work.

January 16, 2015

Julia Plunkett will post on Sewwequilt
It Seams To Be Sew

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

TAMMY 4 ALL SEASONS SCHEDULE

Here is the schedule for our next Blog Hop.  Please join us and comment on all the amazing work everyone has completed.  

And, keep your fingers crossed that I will be ready on my day, Jan 16.  My mother broke her hip a few days ago and I am making 200-300 mile round trips to take care of her affairs.  I thought retirement meant no more stress.  


January 9, 2015


January 12, 2015


January 13, 2015

Cheryl Wilkinson will post to Ipiece2-Mary

January 14, 2015


January 15, 2015

January 16, 2015

Julia Plunkett will post on Sewwequilt
It Seams To Be Sew

January 19, 2015

January 20, 2015




Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Hopping Away Winter Doldrums

If your mood is as cold and dark as your landscape, your creative abilities are probably in a seasonal slump also. Madame Samm has a great remedy for us...two upcoming blog hops.       

 First: 

Brooke Nolan  is a wonderful illustrator and designer of stitchery.  She has created four vintage designs to choose from and stitch onto one side of a lovely Tammy Bag.  The Tammy Bag pattern is a Madame Samm design.  

For the back of the Tammy Bag, Cori Blunt has designed four patterns for pinnies to hold all your small stitching notions.  Cori is an excellent appliqué artist who will also show you how to make box pleats and embroidery.  

Join the fun!  Click on the Tammy 4 all Seasons on my sidebar or contact Mary for more information.  She is our Cheerleader for this Hop.

To join us in this blog hop, Mary will need the following from you:

email SUBJECT LINE....
I can support YOU....

YOUR NAME
YOUR BLOG
YOUR LINK to your BLOG


If you choose not to join this blog, consider supporting our independent designers by purchasing some of their patterns from their individual websites.  Just click on their highlighted links above.




And another chance to chase away the Winter Blues: 




We all have had friends or family touched by cancer and  have  wanted to offer support in some way to help ease their journey.  All cancers are devastating, but as women, I think we feel a closer bond to those battling breast cancer.  This blog hop is a chance to let all those in your circle know that you are supporting the fight against cancer.  

You can get all the information on this blog hop by clicking on the "We Support You" button on my side bar.  

Or,  to join us contact  Pat at  scrapatches@gmail.com

Pat will require the following from you... 


email SUBJECT LINE....
I can support YOU....

YOUR NAME
YOUR BLOG
YOUR LINK to your BLOG



If I don't talk to you again this month, I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a bright New Year.