The ducks have been embroidered and the top is ready for quilting:
I am smitten.
It's going to be hard to give this one away, but it's going to a special baby boy who has made a dear couple first time grandparents.
It was awfully scary adding black thread to those little yellow ducks, but as I worked, they just kept cheering me on. :) I like the way they have a childlike, feel to them, and this was a good way for me to take on applique and not stress over it being perfect. I think I'll be appliqueing like this a lot because I don't do perfect.
My list of projects is already long and it's only February. I was determined to be strong and not take on any new projects. Ha! Along comes sweet John'aLee and I am completely sunk. I tried and tried to resist, but I should have known it would be futile.
Look what she is hosting!
I didn't grow up a Rancher's Daughter, but I am married to a rancher's son for nigh on 26 years and that makes me a rancher's wife and we HAVE a rancher's daughter. Does that qualify me?
She's already posted 5 blocks so I had better pick up the pace and trot a little faster in order to catch up! Wait for me at the gate girls!
Now I need to decide what fabric to select. Do I use my enormous collection of western prints or do I use lots of pretty florals that I have been itching to use. Someone come pop me on the head because I just heard a voice and it said "Make both". Very funny.
If all of this technology we keep inventing is supposed to save us time, then why does it seem there is less time these days?
I mean, even Jim Croce said there never seems to be enough time to do the things you wanna do, and that was back in 1973!
I know I have very intelligent readers and I am stumped, so I figured y'all would have the answer.
Are we just trying to do more? I mean we're always busy around here and I imagine y'all aren't any different. I know that our pace out here is different from a lot of peoples'.
I don't have to deal with being in an office at a certain time or dealing with people on a daily basis. Our kids are grown so I don't have to shuffle them to school, although we homeschooled, or from this lesson to that practice. I don't have to sit in rush hour traffic or commute. So I should have enough time to fill a barn.
We do work 7 days a week and we don't have a typical 9-5 work day. I don't spend hours on the computer although I love catching up with y'all on your blogs. I'm a horrible FB friend. Honestly, I do not get on there, and I don't tweet. Pinterest sucked me in one day, but then I burned the cookies.
And still, I get up early, turn around, blink, and the day is gone.
I'm not on a schedule. I'm not a clock watcher. I don't set an alarm. They make me grumpy.
I vowed to improve corresponding with people this year. You know, the old fashioned way. With a card or note in the mail. I don't feel as if I am doing a very good job of it. I need more time, but I'm trying to make that more of a priority. I sat down and wrote a couple of letters the other day...by hand. Do people still do that?
I make lists, and when I can find them, they are very helpful. LOL
I spend a lot of time looking for my reading glasses. A few years ago my arms got too short, and I found out that reading glasses are mandatory. I had no idea that arm length corresponded with eyesight. I walk around much of the day patting my head and chest looking for them. Maybe that's where my time goes. I find them in the strangest places. Yesterday they were in the chicken coop. The day before, in a sack of horse feed. One day I won't have any and the next day where will be 2 on my head, 1 hooked to my shirt, 1 in my pocket and 3 pair next to me. I thought I was too young for this.
Is this going to get worse?
In about 10 years is our daughter going to dig this post up and point to it and say, "THIS is where it started"?
I have to say though, although the kids grew up too fast, looking at the big picture, I DO get to spend every day with the one I want to go through time with, and that makes me feel incredibly blessed.
I didn't intend for this to be a 'forgetful' post. I was just wondering why time seems to get away from me. And those of you who are spring chickens...and know not of what I speak...
Until now, I have only made one project with applique. It was this Pony Tails Quilt that thus far, has only been pieced:
I added the applique by hand and didn't have a clue what I was doing. I took it in to Jackie for quilting. She is learning to custom machine quilt and said she will soon be ready to tackle customer quilts. I told her she was more than welcome to practice on mine. I don't need perfection. My applique is certainly no where near it, but I still think this is an adorable quilt and I will have no problem making more like this. The pony's are too cute, and even though there are no pony tails in the quilt, the name stays.
So now, that I have fallen in love with Cheri's baby quilt patterns, I am attempting to tackle them. Barbara over at Cat Patches was my mentor when she shared this detailed post about fusible applique. I am on a quest to learn all the methods, but this is the first one I need to master.
First lesson: follow the instructions. I know. It's obvious, but I guess I just seem to learn things better the hard way.
Do not cut out the middle of your applique piece while it is ironed onto the fabric. Cut it out before! Barbara did mention to engage our brain. I must have omitted that part. Thus I had to wait for my next trip into town in order to resupply my fusible.
Lesson #2: Buy more than one yard or you will run out in the middle of your project, and you will have to wait for your next trip to town...again :)
So now I have beakless ducks:
These beaks are awfully tiny and I am intimidated by them. I'm not intimidated by the ducks. Just the beaks. How in the heck am I going to applique those teensy little things?
Another quandary I found myself in was that the ducks are yellow and the blue water shows through their little tummies. I tried putting the ducks under the water, but they looked funny.
I raced to Barbara and asked her advice and she steered me down the right path. I have a horrible sense of direction so steering me is often required. I got lost out here on these ranch roads the other day and I imagine it'll be a very long time until I live it down. I came out a different gate than he did and he said, "Why are you coming out of THAT gate?" "Still, it made DH's eyes twinkle so I'm fine with it. :) And in my defense, it was horribly overcast and I could not see a thing.
But Barbara suggested I add another layer behind the ducks. Thanks Girl!
I think I will sew around everything three times to make it look like a child traced it. Barbara shared that in her tutorial and I have seen Erin use that for her adorable birdie projects and I am smitten with those little birds!
Should I use black thread to give it a sketchy look or matching thread? Today I am leaning towards black. I think it will help give detail to the ducks and their little wings will show up better.
