Sheesh, what happened to Tuesday? And most of Wednesday?
Oh, I know: bookkeeping, baseball, dentist, and more baseball.
And some papier mache thrown in for good measure. The boys have been bugging me for weeks to try it, and I finally had to give in. I couldn’t think of any more excuses not to do it.
It’s a good thing their Dad wasn’t here. He would have hated it. It was very messy. And it was a lot more fun than I expected.
I didn’t get any in progress pictures, my hands were too messy. Maybe tomorrow — we’ll do a second layer in the morning.
I tried to encourage the boys to use a smaller balloon, but they insisted. I hung these outside to dry, when I brought them in , I managed to pop my balloon. I’m trying to make a bowl. I think the boys are both trying to make cannon balls or something like that.
The boys got sealant put on their molars this afternoon. Remarkably, it went well — they can sit still quite well when they have to. I got a little tired of sitting, though. They still want me in the exam room with them, so I got to spend 1 3/4 hours reading a book and providing moral support.
In between dentists and baseball games (double header last night, one game tonight…) and all of the bookkeeping, I’ve tried to spend a few minutes each day doing some applique. The colors in this picture are horrible, the background is actually a mottled black flannel. The applique is all wool. I’m doing a machine blanket stitch with a smoke colored monofilament. Two of these were already done, the other 2 have gotten done this week.
I got it as a kit from Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop (which was called Back Porch Quilts when I ordered it), it’s called Backyard Gathering . Most of the cutting and fusing is done, just lots of machine stitching left to go. I’m probably cheating by not doing it by hand, but I realized that it would be a 10 or 20 year project if I tried to do hand blanket stitching….
Last, but most definitely not least: I finished the binding on my red/white/blue StarStruck that I showed off a few weeks ago before it got quilted. I presented it to my friend Lynn (who I had the pleasure of spending 2 weeks with at the quilt shows…) but had to keep it to finish it. Not the first time I’ve done that (and probably won’t be the last…). Here’s a detail shot showing the Feather and Curl Meandering Magic quilting:
Well, maybe you can’t see the quilting so well in this size picture, but it’s there, trust me. Now, for a label and to get it in the mail….
I think I promised some thoughts on the 2 shows I was just at. I’m not sure I’m up to it today…maybe tomorrow…
TTFN-
Suzanne
Your applique looks great! I love doing wool applique. I don’t fuse mine – I just do a whip stitch. I particularly like the way it looks with wool thread. Not having to turn under the edges makes it SO fast!
I remember doing lots of paper mache in grade school as well as junior high art classes. But then I was lucky enough to go through school when districts were spending lots of money on the arts. I think it was 4th or 5th grade when we made paper dinosaurs by starting with heavy wire to make our frame, then covering it will rolled newspaper before starting to add the newspaper strips and paste. We didn’t use plain paper towels until the last layer. Another year when we studied Mexico we covered light bulbs with paper mache and then broke the bulbs. After painting them brightly we had maracas. We used bottles, jugs, pill bottles, boxes, etc. in junior high art to make elaborate constructions which we then covered with paper mache. I sure wish kids these days would have all these creative activities in school!
The star struck quilt looks great! Love the new quilt blocks – that’s going to be a very pretty quilt!
Love the quilting! And I’m impressed with the applique blocks. Very nice! Crafting with the kids always fun. What I do whenver possible is pull an old table outside… not far from the garden hose… kid & table can be hosed off before going back in…. the grass will be mowed… mess gone…. Have fun!! Can’t wait to see how those cannon balls turn out!!
Papier Mache is lots of fun but certainly messy. I did it at school a couple of times. If you think two kids can make a mess, try 30 some time!
I remember doing paper machie — and having a great time! I’m actually looking forward to when my daughter is old enough to not want to instantly eat it!
Machine applique is NOT cheating — it is an alternative approach to a traditional craft for the modern quilter (who doesn’t have time with two kids, a job, a husband, and a house to do the hand work all the time!)
Woohoo! You guys did the paper mache!!! Now, I am all ready to turn the A/C down so it gets really chilly and cuddle up with my quilt! (hint hint).
I loved walking into the bedroom of our hotel room and finding this quilt spread out on the bed for me!!! What a lovely thing to do for a friend! Suzanne, I loved spending time with you and also getting to meet your family. Watching the boys play baseball on that beautiful evening was wonderful! The visit with you will be one of my fondest memories!
Love you, my friend!