more boxes

Beginning to cut out more of the little plastic boxes. This time in colour.

I need to make some up properly now so I can figure out the next step for display. I know what is in my head, but I am not sure that is the best solution.

Something on Saturday

The other day, I showed you the Jackdaw I met in the Autumn. Well, here is another bird I met in Yorkshire, but this was several years ago when we were on a self-catering holiday in the woods.

He and his friend were hanging out around the cabin.

Strutting their stuff

Until you tried to get a close up of the feathers. I just managed this one because he was facing the other way and didn't notice me with the camera.

Unnerving to look out the window in the morning to see him peering in to see what was on offer for breakfast

...worse than pigeons in the town centre!

But much more amazing!

I love that colour blue!

Blueberry Pie - 2

Yesterday I mentioned some steps for the last blue piece for the CQ journal quilt challenge. If you have come over for Off the Wall Friday, just scroll down and you can read yesterday's post first to see the steps I took to develop the design.

I was pretty happy with the layout and began to think about the stitch. But then I remembered the rule about up to 25% of another colour. Okay, there is a lot of white on this. SO, I wondered if a fine layer of blue over all would work.

This paperlike fabric is something I use quite a bit. The places where I have purchased it don't exactly know what it is. I have called it the Mystery Fabric. I suspect it is a Spunbonded Fabric similar to what is used for bouquets of flowers.

I laid it over and decided
1-it gives just enough of a blue tint to the white.
2-it actually works to bring everything together even more. The writing on the organza and the blueberries on top of that. Somehow this puts them all together...perhaps in a way that layers work when merged in a photo programme?

So, I pinned it on and stitched through it, sticking with horizontal stitching on the bold blue lines and then Free Motion stitching round the berries.

Then I went round the edge with satin stitch like I usually do. But I felt the colour of blue was too blue compared to the rest. So, I went round with a lighter blue and didn't change the bobbin. Even with a further reduced top tension, the bottom blue was coming up around the side, but I actually liked that look. For me, it is more like the 2 tone blue of the berries.

And there! That's me done for that year of Journal Quilts. I wanted to get this one done early because there is a lot going on between now and the end of the year. It is one less thing to worry about. Also, I would like to try working on something larger. This way, I won't have to stop and do a small piece.

I am linking these posts to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.

Blueberry Pie - 1

I mentioned I had started the last blue journal quilt for the Contemporary Quilt challenge. My own challenge also meant it needed to be a fruit.

So, I originally come from a place where blueberries are grown. But, I don't really like them. So, at first I was going to go with something like Mission Figs, which have a blue cast to them. Or some strange Asian blue fruit that starts with Q and is about the size - as far as I can tell - of blueberries.

At the end of the day, I decided to just get on with it! We have 2 blueberry plants my husband has been growing. He made blueberry ice cream with the small handful we got this year...it wasn't that bad to be honest! Maybe all these years later my tastes have changed. Either that, or it is the comparison with the ever present Blackcurrent the Brits are fond of. That I Don't like!

The blueberries were printed onto the cotton printer fabric. I had set up the original print for Pepper with the blueberries in the extra space in order not to waste the fabric sheet.

So, here was the beginning idea. Use this blue stripe shirting with blueberries scattered on it..some reference to musical notes came to mind.

But, really it was scattered blueberries on blue stripe fabric!

It needed something special. I thought about the blue striped shirting being like note paper. SO, I emailed my sister Kathy and asked her if she minded sharing her Blueberry Pie recipe. Kathy won a prize at a Blueberry Festival with her pie made from this recipe.

She graciously gave permission and typed it up and sent it to me. She said I didn't have to obscure any secret parts with carefully placed berries!

 

I formatted and printed the recipe onto prepared organza printer fabric. I thought this would still allow the blue stripe to show through. It works pretty good! I went over the title with a blue fine sharpie to make it show more.

And then I positioned the blueberries and fused them. Here it is ready to be stitched. I haven't got photos yet, but I have tried to do stitching that wouldn't take away from or obscure the recipe.

Further developments tomorrow!