Clown Fish Baby Quilt

For this quilt, I cut nine 12 inch squares of white fabric. I drew the templates for the fish from looking at a coloring book that one of my Grand kids left here. Of course they aren't meant to look like actual species of fish so imagination is the only limit. I had quite a few scraps of brightly colored polka-dot fabric to make the fish. After appliqueing the fish, I embroidered around the edges to give more definition to the details. I also embroidered their eyes, mouth, fish hooks and worms.

I sewed the blocks together, and used a small bowl to mark and cut scallops around the outside edges. Then I appliqued it to the top of the background fabric. The background fabric shows thru just enough to make it look like water. On the white portion, I quilted in wavy lines, and on the background I mimicked the scalloped edge.

Mother Goose Baby Quilt

Old Mother Goose, when she decided to wander, would ride through the air on the back of a Gander

This is my version of Mother Goose. I saw an old iron on transfer (I think from Aunt Martha's Transfers) on EBay that said it was first printed in the 50's. Well, they wanted $16.00 for it and I didn't want to pay that so I enlarged the image on the screen so I could see the details, and drew one that I could turn into a applique pattern.

After getting all the pieces appliqued in place, I used embroidery thread to fill in the details such as the facial features on Mother Goose and the Gander, the hand details, the waives on the skirt and the wings of the Gander.

Her hair is loose wool that I carded myself and felted in place with a felting needle.

The ribbon on the hat, at her neck, and around the gander's neck is silk ribbon.

I tried to applique the shoes and socks, but the pieces were just too small for these big clumsy fingers of mine, so I wound up doing them totally in embroidery.

I cut clouds out of blue and white in various sizes. To give the picture some dimension, I placed the smaller clouds in the background underneath the top layer of fabric, and the larger clouds in the foreground appliqued in place.

I used the edge of a plate to make the scalloped edge of the border fabric.

I quilted wavy lines, closer together in the background and slightly further apart in the foreground to make it look like she was flying in the jet stream.

Work-in-Progress

My daughter got this package in a large box of craft projects that she bid on at an auction. The package is stamped Vogart Crafts. I tried to look this up on the Internet, but the only thing I found was EBay listings for vintage crafts. I have no idea how old it is, but apparently they are not made anymore.

It is a set of four napkins that are supposed to be cross-stitched on large gingham check. Well, no offence to people who like that, I think that large of cross-stitch is ugly, so I decided to applique the floral design instead.

So far, I have one done. When I finish all four I will probably put them together with sashing and make either a baby quilt, or maybe a table runner.

Applique on Recycled Jeans Skirt

The skirt was made from a pair of size 6 children's jeans that my granddaughter got too tall for.
I cut them off at the knees and opened up the inside leg seam, and both side seams below the pocket. I used the bottom portion of the legs that I cut off to cut four triangles (two large for front and back and two smaller ones for the sides). The crotch area on the front and back has to be cut back to form a relatively straight line from the waist band to the bottom of the leg. Insert the triangles. Put a ruffle on the bottom of the skirt.

Then I appliqued flowers to look like they were coming out of the pocket on the left side, and across the front.

I put a butterfly on the right side just below the pocket.

I put a bow with long streamers on the back between the pockets. When I insert the triangles, because of the thick seams on jeans, the top of the triangles are not always perfect, so I put the appliques in these locations to hide any imperfections.

Cupboard Wall Hanging

I saw a picture of a cupboard wall hanging in a magazine one time that looked so nice I had to look twice at it to see that it was a picture rather than the real thing.

This is my version of it. I chose blue to make the dishes because my dishes are blue and I wanted it to look like it fit in with the rest of the things in my kitchen.

For the hutch, I chose shades of brown. I gave it dimension by mitering the corners of the shelves and side pieces, and set some of the dishes forward on the shelf and some of them I set back. All the applique was done with the needle turn method. The quilting is done by hand. I quilted around the dishes, then for the hutch I quilted 1/2" apart in the direction I thought the grain of the wood would go (if it were wood). The back of the hutch I did in 1" square set on point to distinguish it from the sides and bottom of the shelves.

The backing I cut about 1" larger than the front all the way around, and used it to make the binding. Finally, I put a sleeve across the top of the back to run a dowel rod thru for hanging.

Pretty dresses for a little Angel

I made these dresses out of quilt scraps. I just went through my scrap bag and picked out colors that went together. On this first dress, I made the skirt by cutting out wedges of fabric that measure 2 1/2 inches across the top, and 7 1/2 inches across the bottom. The diameter of the bottom of the bodice is 20 inches so I used 5 panels for the front and 5 for the back.

I did french fold bindings around the neck and arm holes, and with my tube turner, I made tubes and appliqued them in a design around the neck for added decoration. The belt and bow are attached in the front, and I crocheted loops for belt carriers on both sides. The bottom is the wagon wheel crochet pattern in white with sage green on the outer edge.

Here is my little angel wearing it.

This is another summer play dress done in two colors. I had enough to make the gathered skirt without piecing like the one before. The bodice has french fold bindings on the neck and armholes. The bow I set to one side instead of centering. The edging on the bottom is two rows of single crochet, and two rows of shell with rose colored embroidery floss woven thru the second row of single crochet to add color.

Rooster Wall Hanging

The pattern for this rooster is from FIBER MOSAICS. the patterns name is COOK-A-DOODLE. I got mine from Jo-Anne Fabrics, but they can be purchased at www.fibermosaics.com for $8.00. The pattern suggest that you use fusible web to do the applique, but I always hand quilt, and it is very difficult to quilt thru fusible web so I use butcher paper.

First, I drew all the pattern pieces on the butcher paper and cut them out. Then I decided which colors to use for each piece from my scrap bag. Iron the pattern pieces with the waxy side down to the wrong side of the fabric scraps, leaving at least 1/4 inch seam allowance around each piece (I also numbered the feathers on the butcher paper so I would know what order to place them on the bird). Cut them out always remembering the seam allowance, also, there are a lot of curvy edges, don't try to go in and out, just cut in a line below the bottom of the points and clip in to the curve. That last sentence will make more since to you when you actually start doing it.

The background square is approximately 17". Use the diagram from the pattern to place the pieces on the background square one at a time with butcher paper down and right side facing up. Put a few pins in to hold it in position and use the needle turn method to applique. Turn it over and cut the background fabric away on the inside of the piece you just attached. Pull the butcher paper off, and go to the next piece. After you get the hang of it, it doesn't take very long. I did the whole Rooster in one evening watching TV. Sew on borders mitering the corners. Layer with backing facing down, batting, and Rooster facing up.

I use safety pins to hold all the pieces together. The rule of thumb is to place the safety pins close enough together that you cant put your hand on it without touching at least two pins. To me this means about 3 inches apart. Then start quilting. I hand quilt, but you could use a sewing machine if you prefer. I quilted around every piece and both sides of the inside border. I didn't do any quilting on the background because this is just a wall hanging. If it were to be a quilt, quilting should be about 2 inches apart. More latter on making the binding and hanger.