Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? A Squirrel or Two....

Hi, all!

It's been a quiet week in my home town.......... but it's Friday and that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on again!  Are you ready?  Let's get started!

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A couple of weeks ago I got a pair of bird feeders and set them up in the back yard where we can see them from our patio.  It has been quite a treat seeing all the birds, but lately we've been visited by a pair of squirrels who have provided some serious acrobatic entertainment!  I'm sorry I don't have any pictures yet - they are still a little skittish - but they have been hanging by their toenails from the top of the bird feeders so they can eat the seed.  They don't seem to frighten off the birds, so we've just enjoyed their antics.

All that to say I chased a couple of squirrels myself this week, but in the quilt studio!  I needed some undirected sewing, as my mind was in a turmoil, so I decided to try to make a block based on this inspiration shot....

I had a lot of pieced strips of varying widths, from 1" to 2 1/4", left over from my Moongate quilt, and realized they would be perfect for a piece like this.  So I cut up some Kona Snow strips for the other sides, found a square piece to start each block, and away we went!  

After finishing the piecing, I decided that it would make a good pillow cover, as it finished up at around 19" square.  A little quilting ensued, and then an envelope-style backing and some binding and voila!  A squirrel pillow cover!

I love the way it looks with the Moongate quilt....

Simple quilting, but I think it enhances the design.  

And now, I'm happy with this guest room!

And remember, I said a squirrel or two?  Well, when working on my project for the Christmas in July Pattern Parade blog hop (coming this Wednesday, July 15th!) I had a massive fail on my first attempt.  So I had two big pieces of pieced fabric that I hated to throw out.  What to do?  Whack it up, of course!  

And this is what I ended up with - a future table runner!  I think I'm going to fuse some white snowflakes to the center panel to finish it off, then quilt and bind it.  I really think I'm going to like it on my table!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

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And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?

Hi, all!

Friday is here once again, and that means it's time for us to get our whoop whoop on!  I've been chasing a squirrel this week, so I've got something fun to share - and I hope you've been having fun sewing too.  Let's get started!

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Last week I saw a really cool little quilt on Instagram....

...and started doing a little research.  @mamacatquilts said that it was "kawandi" quilting, so I did a Google search, and found an article and mini-tutorial for a machine sewn version by Piece Love and Happiness called Modern Kawandi Making.  I discovered that kawandi is a traditional Indian method of quilting, using scraps, of which I had PLENTY!  And away we go!!!

After putting a backing on a scrap piece of batting, I set my corners in place...

...then started laying scrappy pieces in an overlapping fashion working towards the center from each corner.  As you can see, I chose to "pink" my edges instead of turning the underneath.  Maybe it's lazy, maybe it's a design decision - but whatever, it worked!  

Glue sticks are amazing!  That's how I secured all these pieces in place, and it held so well - I even used it to secure the back to the batting!  Keep layering pieces on, working in towards the center...

...and eventually, you'll get to the center!  As you can see, my center is a little off but I chose to embrace that because I really prefer things a little off-kilter anyway....

Next came quilting.  I chose to start near my off-center center and do a square spiral out to the edges, about 1/4" apart.  I didn't worry too much about perfection - perfection is highly overrated!  But I love the texture of close quilting, don't you?

The pinked edges float free in spots, but I'm not worried about it, as this mini-quilt won't be washed.  I rather like the additional texture it gives the surface!

You can see the quilting design on the back.  I also did a facing rather than a binding to the front, so the design goes all the way to the edges.

See those pieces on the corners?  They are called "phula" flowers, and a kawandi quilt is considered incomplete without them.  I made mine by cutting 3" circles with my pinking blade, then folding them in half and again in thirds accordion style.  

It was  easy to attach them to the back of the quilt so the "petals" peek out from each corner.  They're actually kind of pretty, aren't they?

Emmy Lou allowed me to take her picture as she modeled the finished quilt, even though she was sweaty from playing in the yard.  She's a cute little stinker, isn't she?

Here's a nice picture of the quilt hanging on the wall.  I love the texture-y shadows created by the quilting, and the play of colors and scraps.

But here's one of my favorite scraps in the piece - see the little crossed fingers?  It's a piece of a line called Lucky Charms that I got at QuiltCon, so it holds some fun memories.  I'll remember that every time I see those fingers!

And now it hangs on the wall coming into my studio with a couple of other minis I made and the beautiful quilt made for me by Sharon Vrooman and Sue Daurio.  Now it feels like home!

So - - - can I get a whoop whoop?

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And now it's your turn!

What's got you whooping it up this week?

What's making you do a little happy dance?

Share!  We want to dance right along with you,

And it's always more fun to dance with friends!

The party will stay open until Sunday midnight.

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah

Make-A-List Monday - Chasing A Squirrel!

Hi, all!

Another week of sheltering in place has passed - what is it, five weeks now?  Seems like it's been forever.  And it's not horrible - there are much worse places to be - but it is very different, and it's hard to stay on track sometimes, isn't it?  So while trying to stay on track this week, I ended up chasing a squirrel!

As I was putting together a template for a puzzle-style t-shirt quilt, I decided to check out the BluPrint free classes, and was pleased to find a class by Christina Cameli available called The Scrappy Market Tote.  Christina had amazing suggestions for scrappy improv piecing, making it all look so easy!  PS Let me state for the record that happiness is turning your dumb tv into a smart tv thanks to a Fire Stick - now I can stream BluPrint and YouTube videos right there in my studio!  Happy Mother's Day to me!!

Anyway, back on the main point - I pulled these fabrics Sunday morning, all excited about playing with my scraps.  Took a break, enjoyed worship online, ate lunch, and went back up to the studio to play.  And couldn't make it work!  How frustrating!  I had a plan to finish a bag for this blogpost, and my scraps just weren't playing well with me.  But never fear - I had a Moda Scrap Bag with some interesting neutrals, and grabbing a strip of peach solid from my scrap pile, I pulled together a bunch of the neutral strips and started creating my own scrappy piece of fabric. And while I was quilting the piece, nearly ready to start making the tote bag, my browser cut out and I didn't get to see the instructions for the tote.

But I've made lots of totes, so I decided to take things into my own hands and create my own "design".  And here's what I made...

Here you can see the finished bag, along with the peach scrap and the Moda Scrap Bag.

I did some fancy quilting - well, not fancy, but full!  I did straight horizontal lines on the upper two-thirds of the bag, and a cross-hatch design for the bottom of the bag.

And because I was too lazy to look for another fabric to line it with, I decided to go with binding the seams.  I boxed the bottom corners and voila!  A market bag all ready to go!  I actually used it when I did the grocery shopping this morning, and it worked great!

So that is my squirrel for the week. Now I need to get busy and work on the t-shirt quilt.  That should keep me out of trouble!

What have you been working on?

Hugs!

Sarah