Finding time lately to quilt has been a challenge.. and finding time to blog about it has been even more of a challenge. I guess it is just that time of year. We have had some family visits, weekends away, and time spent getting our beach condo ready for the rental season. The condo is now ready for our first guests which arrived yesterday, so now we can relax a bit. This time of year, with the warmer weather upon us, is a time to slow down, get out of my studio, and get back to some slow stitching.
Do you remember this? If you don't, you shouldn't feel bad because I am not even sure I ever posted the start of this block. I can't find any reference to it, but I am guessing it was close to a year ago that I started this block from the A Bountiful Life quilt. Where does the time go???
I finally picked it up again a few weeks ago. I think I know what was stopping me... those darn bird feet! I love all the birds in this quilt, but those feet sure are challenging!
Four feet... I just needed to get them done so I could move on with this block. I label the freezer paper patterns so I remember where they belong on the block.
Once I got them done, I could add the Red Winged Blackbirds to the block. Will anyone notice I changed the fabric for the bird feet? I knew that a batik would fray a lot less than a regular cotton fabric. And it was easier... but still challenging. I also changed the beaks, making them closed rather than the open beaks in the pattern. Much easier!
After a dip in the spa, my block was clean and ready to be pressed. Oh it felt so good to get this one finally done!!
I wanted to keep this momentum going and moved right on to the next block, The Peacock. I always start with the stems and baste down the leaves. You can see the blue marking pen I use to mark the pattern on my fabric. There is a lot going on in these blocks and it is easy to not have everything fit together.
Here are some of the fabrics I have chosen from my stash for the peacock and the roses.
And, of course, I will have more bird feet to deal with. I need to change them a bit to make them easier to applique.. besides they look a little strange to me. :-)
Also completed awhile ago is this block from My Enchanted Garden. Funny that I am working on both of these quilts and they are both based on the Bird of Paradise quilt.
Love the wool and cotton combination.
And the addition of the beads.
But my favorite part of this block is the bunny. So sweet.
I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts Slow Sunday Stitching. Hopefully I can get some stitching done today!
Happy Stitching!
Happy Father's Day to everyone. If you are lucky enough to still have your Dad with you, give him a big hug if you can!!
Deb
