Bloggers Quilt Festival Applique Entry

Moosestash is my name, but applique is my game!  I have long loved a great applique design. I love telling a story in fabrics, and for me applique does just that.

My entry for this category is my Arabian Nights Quilt. I recently finished this fun little lap quilt. What a story it does tell...Aladdin and friends all together again!  :-)

 

The Wizard

 

The Guards

 

 The Monkey

 

Every one's favorite hero...

Aladdin

 

The Parrot

The Sultan

 

 

And Genie

 

 The whole game framed by beautiful scroll work

 This was my first time cross hatching.

 So much to learn...so little time!

Thank you Amy for allowing us to all be a part of a wonderful sharing experience.

Be sure to visit all the other wonderful participants!

So much eye candy...

;-)

http://amyscreativeside.com/2014/05/16/bloggers-quilt-festival-applique-quilts-3/

Bloggers Quilt Festival Art Quilt Entry

Don't you just love this time of the year...when that wonderful Amy brings us all together for the best quilt show on the planet. One where we all can participate and view all the pretties without leaving our home. No traveling to far away places, no crowds, just fuzzy slippers and a big ole cuppa!  Thanks Amy, you make our lives complete!  :-)

This time around, I played with a little art quilting. If you have visited me, you know I am an big applique "junkie". This time, I took it to a whole new level. Being the huge coffee lover that I am, I started collecting the bags it comes in. I had a vision...and a few years later it came to pass!

 

This crazy guy was born!

 Never having approached anything like this before, it took some brainstorming.

I started with tracing my design on fusible web, and ironed it onto the back on my coffee bags.

The plan in my head was great, but in theory, it didn't work out so well. You can't peel the backing off the web and leave any of it on the coffee bag, with the slick surface!

:-(

 

But it did allow me to cut out my shapes, then

 I  resorted to using a glue stick to keep my pieces together.

It was a very daunting task, but it worked.

:-)

Carefully moving it to my background fabric, I was able to zig-zag each piece down.

I was delighted, how nicely those bags stitched!

 

And so much fun to see it come to life adding different bags.

 

  It became all about the placement of each piece on the coffee bag...

 

To frame off my little guy, I added some Herky Jerky coffee cups.

Have you ever Herky Jerkied before???

It's sooooooo much fun!

There you have my coffee inspired friend!

Background quilted and stretched on a canvas, hanging forever in my kitchen... My "homage" to the coffee gods. Reminding me that I drink way too much coffee.

;-)

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Straight up, no cream no sugar.

LOL!!

Your welcome to stop in and share a cuppa anytime!

Just a note:

I think the biggest challenge of this entire project was taking photos. Nothing reflects more in a camera lens than those darn shiny coffee bags...who knew!

So sorry about some of the photos. I did my best.

:-)

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed.

I myself, am off to see what everyone else has been up to.

See you there.

Thanks again Amy!

http://amyscreativeside.com/2014/05/16/bloggers-quilt-festival-art-quilts-3/

Handmaids Challenge

 

When Joy Studio posted a challenge, I jumped at the chance to once again work with this delightful line of fabrics. Never did I expect to be one of the first 30, but I was!  Happy Dance, happy dance.

We were send 2 fat quarters of fabric from the line, and we had to add others to the project we choose to do...   I have always wanted a cover for my long arm!   This was going to  be perfect!

The 2 fabrics I received were the black print and the yellow print, which I chose to turn into ruffles to frame one of my favorite prints from this line.  This made for the perfect front to my long arm cover.


It took some thinking and some careful measuring to make it fit over not only my machine head, but the rails on my table.

 

But to my delight it worked!

 

Years ago, I took a Gail Garber class on designing your own crazy flying geese. I knew this was going to be a great way to show off some of those wonderful tape measure fabrics that are part of this line. It accomplish that I had to draw out my cover on paper. 

From there I freehand drew out a design that I thought would work well, considering where the bars on my long arm would go thru the cover.

After that, I drew 2 more copies, one reversed, cut them out and paper pieced the geese.

(yes I did piece it all then cut away the opening for my bars)

Too much fun!

 

Then I added in some more of those adorable panels.

Now, I have to admit, I cheated. I should have stitched that crazy geese chain into my fabric, but no way was I going to try to make those curves!  LOL.  I stitched them down on the top and used a bias tape to finish off the edges. Oh, the true sewing enthusiasts are going to have my head on a platter!

:-)

 

Here is back view of this cover.  

 

Lastly I left a slit in the top to accommodate my thread stand. 

A couple of pieces of Velcro attach that slit together to keep it nice and snug!

There you have it... Pattern designer I am not!  LOL

                                                     But it works and I love it!

It was really fun to stretch myself, and my cover is a great addition to my little trash can and my doorstop in my studio 

From the "Sew Who Sews" blog hop!

Heck I've been so coo-coo over this fabric line and embroidery design,

 that I have done many things with it.

 Thanks Joy Studio!

Embroidery Frames

Looks like the secret is out!   BeaQuilter has posted her newest design that I pattern tested for her.

 

Embroidery Frames.

For a  5"x7" design.

When Bea asked me to test this pattern, I had just bought my new favorite embroidery design from Joy Studio.

My mind went into overdrive.

 

Take 1 adorable embroidery...

 

Add it to a block...

 

Combine to make rows...

 

Sprinkle of some quilting...

and you have a fabulous quilt!

It was a complete accident, but contrast of these fabrics, just makes this quilt sing!

You can find Bea's fun pattern over at Craftsy

and soon to be at Quiltwoman.com

Be sure to visit her HERE to read more about this pattern 

and see a variety of embroidery ideas!

So much to stitch...so little time.

I'm a little sad that this is the last of my pattern testing projects right now.

Looks like I am going to have to spur on a few people to get creating!

LOL!

O'Susannah's Part 3

It was my turn for a mystery project for them, and I also turned to our fabulous fellow bloggers.

Aunt Polly's Porch

You see a few years back, Polly posted a great tutorial for a Scrappy Messenger Bag

You can find it HERE 

It's not the first time I have used this pattern 

 

I made a photo bag for a friend a few years ago.

But when I came across these Handmaids fabrics and embroideries over at Joy Studio,

I just had to have them...all!

 

The embroidery was perfect for a messenger bag.

Heck it was so much fun, that it was perfect for a second bag too!

 

I flipped thru this great little reference tool that I bought a few years back...

102 blocks in 5 different sizes. 

It just doesn't get any better, with all the variety.

I found a simple little Churn dash block for our back pocket.

 

Remember these snap tape bags from the She Who Sews Blog Hop?

They were perfect to slip an embroidery in and some of the supplies each needed to complete their messenger bags at retreat!

Then we went to work...

 

We worked until we just got too silly to go on.

And silly we got, even before the wine...

;-)

 Do these girls look fabulous with their new bags?

I think so!

The down side of this whole adventure is that its another year away til the next retreat!

Now how many sleeps is that?

LOL!!

Too many I am afraid...too darn many

:-(

 

Well, on second thought... 

After seeing this, I had to wonder why these lovely ladies would sneak around with a camera and take this photo.

Next year I am combing my hair before I go for the coffee! 

LOL!!!

 I share the good the bad and the ugly.

Lord knows this picture is "all" of that wrapped up in one.

Gheeez!

:-)