turkey feathers

Time Marches On

..and Spring inches closer!  The air feels lighter and the pale sun plays peek-a-boo in a sky of drifting clouds.  From the window I am excited to see Western Bluebirds and English Sparrows inspecting the birdhouses.  And I wonder, who will make the first move--as bluebirds are most particular, and thus take longer to make up their minds, so that when they finally do, the sparrows have already moved in.  Someone needs to tell them, "the early bird catches the worm".   

We've brought in primrose, a free gift from our local nursery, to enjoy a bit before it goes back outside into the ground.  It adds a cheerful note behind the sink and stirs up enthusiasm.  The girls have been sorting out seed packets and making plans.  On such a day as this, with birdsong in the bower, I'm tempted to run outside and grab my garden tools, but I know better, and have to remind myself to slow down and allow my shoulder to heal a little longer; this the result of shoveling way too much snow (with a garden spade), a few weeks ago.  Lesson learned. (Note to self: be prepared--find a snow plow.)

However, some tools can be used for other things with delightful results and here we have proof.  Peanut Butter cookies with waffle tops.  I've always just used a fork to make the traditional criss-cross on the cookie top, but how about a meat mallet?  (Thoroughly sanitized, of course). Credit goes to my daughter for this idea.  For the cookies too, which were delicious btw.  Not a crumb was spared.

Speaking of crumbs, I've been busy with lots of yummy little things these past few weeks.  New patterns from old patterns; updated sewing projects soon to be added to my Vintage Stitch Shop on Etsy, along with the monthly BONUS motifs for PatternBee; all drawing on seasonal inspiration wherever I could find it.  Here's a sneak peek of coming attractions.  The new "Welcome Spring" designs will be up March 1st, which is tomorrow by this posting. The image link (left) will upload the new designs then and they'll be available (with purchase) until the end of the month.  I'm working on more free stuff too, will let you know when and where in coming weeks. 

Hen House Applique

Here's another delightful pattern from the past.  One that I've had in my "shoe box collection" for so long that I can't even remember where I first ran across it.  But when one of my stitching friends contacted me with high hopes of finding this pattern again, I was happy to discover that indeed, I did have it tucked away for safe keeping.  I love when that happens!  Her grandmother had made a set of towels that she wanted to replace anew and eventually pass down, keeping the family memories and needlework tradition alive.  And I am happy to know that now it will. 

These vintage motifs are quite large, around 8" x 11" and could also used on a small quilt-hanging or tote bag.  (I'm sure you can think of other things too.)  They can be outline stitched as they are or done up fancy with colorful hits of color and pattern gathered from your scrap basket.

As I was working on this, I had fun experimenting with different colors and was quite smitten with this jaunty green and orange rooster.  I may have to give this a whirl.

It is worth mentioning that there is just one applique pattern for the tail feathers and one for the wing, that works for both the chickens and roosters, making cutting them out in stacks fairly quick and easy.  And as far as the applique goes, it can be done traditionally, or with the previously discussed lined-applique method shared here, or with a quick zigzag machine-stitch around the raw edges of the turning line (having omitted the seam allowance).

So, if you are fond of hens and chicks and jaunty roosters, there you have it.  Pattern over here.

And now to delve back into that shoe box to see what other treasures I have stored in there.

New Pattern Feature

From time to time, people have asked me if I might introduce the new pattern additions here on the blog.  I've always thought that was a terrific idea and really meant to do it sooner.  Time seems to be my biggest obstacle, but better late than never, right? 

So, today we have, from my personal collection, Vogart 257, first printed in blue on tissue paper and later printed as #669.  It's a sweet little pattern with bunches of violets and bouquets, HIS & HERS pillowcase designs, with flowers and kittens; and they threw in a perky puppy for good measure.   Because you never know when you just might need one.

Our lovely 'winter wonderland' of snow and ice is now but a happy memory.  Mail service has resumed (such a relief!) and all orders received after February 6th were shipped out Monday and Tuesday.  I was never so glad to see my postal carrier, Rob.  He walked all the way down my long icy driveway to pick up an armload of packages.  Bless Him.

So, I think we are all caught up and back on track.  I'll have another new pattern to show you soon.  I am working on it now:  Roosters and Hens!

Grilling and Chilling

Snowmen and sledding are once again the order of the day!  We've had another "snow burst" here and have been hunkered down inside the house since Thursday morning.  Kind of a deja vous since the last time.  I think when all was said and done, the official count was 18" of snowfall over a 24 hour period.  Then yesterday, freezing rain on top of that = double trouble.  Apparently, according to county records, the last time anything like this happened was about a hundred years ago. 

 Here's the cat's eye view from the front porch. I had my slippers on and couldn't venture further with the camera, and it's chilly, hovering around the freezing point.  B-r-r-.  Roads, shops, services and schools have been closed for days.  Some neighborhoods (and towns) are still without electricity due to damaged power lines that falling tree branches took down.  Our car and driveway still looks like this.  Meaning: Not going anywhere anytime soon.

Everyone here is cozy and safe though.  Sometimes knitting, sometimes baking.  I've got the crockpot going and the Mister, despite this hilarious snow-drift on top his BBQ, fired up the grill without skipping a beat.  We kept looking out the window there, and seeing this enormous mound growing by the hour.  Pretty funny.

And there was this. What looked like a gigantic sugar cake.  No one dared breathe on it for fear of upsetting its magnificent form.  I think it needs a bright candle set right there in the middle where that hole is.

This morning, we woke to the sound of water dripping and ice cracking outside--all very dramatic and exciting!  The backyard birds were chirping like mad and squawking with relief.  And so were we.  Keeping our fingers crossed that the thaw is on the way. 

In the meantime, I've been a busy bee working and printing lots of patterns.  Sometimes the printers get cranky if I overwork them and two of them decided they were not going to cooperate no matter how kindly I patted and sweet-talked.  Fortunately, with the Mister unable to get to work I can keep him busy fixing things around here.  He gave them the business and cheerfully kept everything up and running.  Unfortunately though, there's been no mail service since Wednesday afternoon.  So despite our best efforts there will be a delay. 

Just wanted to let you know so you don't worry.  

I am holding out hope that the mail truck will be chained-up and ready to roll tomorrow.  There is still quite a lot of snow to be moved off the roads though so we shall just have to wait and see.  We are on the rural route and usually the last to see a snow-plow.

Speaking of snow-plows, I heard that the berms pushed to the side of the road were twelve feet high in some places!  That is a lot of snow.  Cars have been getting stranded here at the bottom of the mountain.  They somehow make it down, but can't get the traction to get back up.  We are learning things!  Yes we are.

Ice Breaker

Happy February! I'm introducing, in part, the BONUS pattern for this month with a "hearts & flowers" theme. This lavish cutie, resembling an old-fashioned Valentine, was originally designed in the 1950's for HIS and HER pillowcases. I still think that's a charming idea, but decided to put those personalization’s aside leaving the heart open for interpretation for whatever tickles your fancy. Just fill in with your heart's desire. I had some rather fanciful ideas of my own and with the magic of CGI have some examples to show you:

The motif is approximately 7" x 8" making it a nice size for a pillow, a pocket, or as I came to realize, a quilt block! They really do look pretty grouped together like this, do they not?

However pretty though it may be, applique I realize, is seriously scary unknown territory for some. Especially when it comes to hearts which require a certain amount of finesse and precision. But the good news is, there are techniques that make it less fussy.

I admit I'm still a fan of freezer paper for small patches, but for larger appliques, and especially when sewing hearts and keeping those lovely curves smooth and symmetrical, I have embraced the 'fusible interfacing method' whole-heartedly. In fact, I love it! I discovered this method last year and blogged a bit about it here. There's a link to the Eleanor Burns tutorial giving a hands-on demo. I'm giving you the short version for making a heart as a starting point, but in general this technique can be used for most large applique pieces.  Yes, even the butterfly wings for this block.  I know...exciting! 

So here's how to get started: 

1. Trace heart (or other shape) onto the WRONG side of fabric matching straight of grain as shown. Make sure your fabric is at least one inch larger all the way around your pattern to allow for seam allowance, and for any shifting that may occur while stitching.

2. Place your fabric and the light-weight fusible interfacing together with RIGHT sides facing; pin. Stitch around the entire piece following the traced line on the fabric as your guide. (Reduce stitch length to navigate around intricate curves to keep seams smooth.)

 
 

3. Trim around heart leaving a 1/4" seam allowance, cut off tip of point and clip curves.

4. Cut a small opening in the middle of the interfacing and turn the applique right side out. Gently push out point and curves with a bodkin, wooden chopstick or use the eraser-end of an unsharpened pencil. Smooth out by hand, don't press yet.

5. Place applique into position on background fabric; press with hot iron. The fusible interfacing will stick to the fabric making basting unnecessary. (I place one pin in the center though, just in case it shifts). The edges of the applique can be sewn by hand using a basic Blind Stitch, an Applique Outline Stitch, a Blanket Stitch; or machine-stitched with zigzag or another decorative option.

Enjoy!