HSTeria II .... red and white

This was pieced back in May, 2014. Vicki Welsh was having a quilt along using HSTs and you know I had to join in....I wound up making 5 HST tops....and I'm not really a fan of HSTs. I guess i was using up a bunch of fabrics.

Here is the red and white one. It came out about 74x88". I quilted minimally on this one. the batting is very fluffy.

This is the original block

This is the secondary pattern. I quilted 3 circles in the blocks

Border got piano keys; sashings got Xs; binding is a red and pink stripe

Back came from the stash

Thread was Glide red for the top and Bottom Line tan for the bobbin

There are still a couple more of the HST tops in the to-be-quilted cabinet...different colors.

Meet Breeze

We have a new member of the family. her name is Breeze....or Breezy....or Miss Breeze.  She usually doesn't come when you call her, so it really doesn't matter. hahahahah   those polka dots on her ears and nose are what got me....had to have her.

She was rescued from the Camp Chaos Puppy Rescue. isn't that the most hilarious name. She is a yellow lab...3 years old..house trained...crate trained....micro chipped....current on shots. 

She is a bit skittish...jumps at loud noises. she is confused about the heating vents...when the furnace kicks on and she is near one, she goes over to investigate what that noise is.

She is afraid of cows..haha   she was a city dog previously.  she has been in several foster homes, the latest almost a year before they brought her back....because she didn't like their little yappy dog. i don't blame her there. 

She is really laid back and mellow. there is no face licking or jumping....but i have gotten some tail wagging. you can't get her on a piece of furniture...like a couch or chair.  i think she will fit in just fine. she is a bit chunky and has to lose some weight. so, she is on a walking plan...which means i am also on a walking plan. haha

Leather Butterflies is quilted

I just had to quilt up the leather butterfly top. It is 23x28". 

I embroidered 4 floral blocks....and added embroidered butterflies. put the blocks together....and cut out leather butterflies with the AccuCut machine. sewed the leather onto the blocks....and then embroidered even more butterflies on top of the leather butterflies.  

The embroidery machine never even flinched....good all the way. 

Back was from the stash

Threads were Glide light blue for top and Bottom Line off white for bobbin

#itsbetterinleather

Felted Wood Flowers

I finished fusing and hand appliquing these 20 flowers in felted wool. When my sister saw me working on them, she fell in love with them. She didn't like how I was going to put them together, so I am just giving her the blocks and she can piece them however she likes. haha

They came from this book.

I used a batik for the background from my stash....leftovers from a Halloween quilt.

I appliqued them with variegated embroidery thread.

Some of them had added extras, fuzzy thread or rick rack or whatever.

Now that those are finished, I am on to another batch (from a different book)....also in felted wool. But this time i am just using the neutrals, no color.  And appliquing them with black embroidery thread. 

Leather Giraffe #itsbetterinleather

I keep quilting leather animals and can't decide which is my favorite....right now it is this giraffe. haha

The pattern.... it was in 3 pieces...3 pages...

came from Fur, Fin and Feathers by Georgia Feazle, Vol III, 1978  Picture in book was this...

Here it is quilted. it is 15.5" x 26.5" It is on a piece of cow hide

Found out you can not use leather dyes on black leather....it doesn't show up. so, i searched the cabinet and tried different markers and colored pencils and decided i liked these crayons the best.

Here it is all painted and finished.

And the back. I shamelessly used up all bobbins that had thread in them from previous projects. haha  Backing was piece from the stash

I used several different threads

I might need a little leather break for a bit until I decide which animal I want to tackle next. I have a request from a friend for a wolf or a frog and don't have a pattern for either. 

Leather Butterflies #itsbetterinleather

This is a 'what if' story. 

What else can I do with leather.....hhhmmmm....

WHAT IF I embroider some flower blocks

Then...WHAT IF i added some embroidered butterflies to the flowers

Then...WHAT IF I tried to cut out leather pieces with the AccuCut machine.....   cut out leather butterflies....and add them to the flower blocks....THEN....WHAT IF I embroidered over the leather butterflies.

THEN.....I made this

It's not quilted yet.....but I love that all my WHAT IFs worked out.  

I am happy I checked out Cathy Wiggins and her leather work.  

Wonder what I'll do next?    BTW, I'm almost finished with the leather giraffe. hahahaha