English Paper Piecing

This is my first EPP ( English Paper Piecing) project I do really like the traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden but decided to do a more modern approach.  So instead of white or cream background I am using green at the bottom for the ground/ lawn in a garden.   Peachy pink at the upper mid point for a sunset in the early evening sky and blueish purplish turquoise for the sky.  All of the background fabrics have gold lightening bolts in them which represents the energy I feel in my garden.  The flowers are in many shades of purple.  

 As I started to think about EPP I googled it and read many, many different sites.  All had fairly valuable information.  My memory is not good due to MS and I did not keep a list of sites but if you do a search you also will finds lots of info.   It was during this time I started collecting fabrics.  I new I wanted lots of purples and just in time purples had become popular.  I have had the background fabric for several years waiting for the right project.  The top two pictures show what I have put together so far to make certain I was still happy with my vision.

 The rest of my time with this project has been making flowers.  A lot of flowers.  EPP is a very relaxing hobby.  It is a portable hobby and wherever  I do this in public I get lots of questions.  Quite the ice breaker.  lol....

 There are many types of patterns to use some you will find to purchase when you do your search.  Because my health sometimes makes it hard to finish projects I decided to use a Creative Moments (discontinued) 3/4 inch paper punch.  I found it on eBay for 20.00.  Punching out freezer paper works well for me.  I use a paper punch to put a hole in the middle so I can remove the pattern easily when I am done stitching.  This paper hexagon is ironed to the fabric.  Freezer paper can be used several times.

 Picking out the fabrics to use  for each flower is fun.  I make petals for each flower by ironing to the fabric, cutting out with close to 1/4 inch  of fabric showing beyond the paper pattern.  Then I press that fabric over the edge of paper and baste it in place.

 So many fabric choices to play with.

 Here is a flower that has been whipped stitched together.   I use a small office clip to hold the pieces together and a very small needle and good thread.  When they are stitched the paper cab be removed if it will not be stitched again.  So the middle yellow has been removed.  To date I have left the basting in place.  Not certain how long in the process I shall leave it.

This is the fabric in the background that I shall use on the upper/sky area.  Next time I blog about this I shall shoe more of the process and this projects progress.

First Convergence Quilt

I was going to be part of a sew along a couple of months ago with Tonya Owens from HillbillyHandiworks.com I had trouble keeping my right foot on the sewing machine pedal until it finally occurred to me Just glue down your shoe.  By golly it worked.   Then I placed  the foot pedal so it could not slide away from me and I was sewing again.  I have been struggling with sewing by machine for sometime.  I wonder if DMV would let me glue my shoe to the gas pedal in the car...lol...only kidding.

Once I could sew I got out my Ricky Tims" book and started to choose the fabric.  I wanted it to be joyous and colorful to match my mood.   And perhaps like a garden going into fall. 

I can't explain the full process here you will have to get the book to follow along.  I got my copy from Amazon.com.   Have I told you all yet how much I like our Amazon prime membership?   

And so the Convergence began.

 And went on and on.

 Next time will use more spray starch and less than 1/4 " seams...you'll see if you do one.  Then I did pin and pin.  Maybe because I am from a pinning generation.

Finally first stage done.  Tomorrow will blog on about  the squaring and the border and the applique.  Also about a traveling stash.  Other projects in the making is the EPP ongoing quilt and a Wonky I Spy quilt for a 3 year old for Christmas.  Come with me on this journey

 Webb has the spider I painted on his face.  He stood still like an angel for the painting and asked for his hair to be gelled after seeing his brother get his done.  He has just turned two.

 This is Caleb with the face His dad painted for the second Halloween strool he is seven and an incredibly voracious reader and has a box of books always ready to forage thru.

  Well here I go.  If I were to start from the beginning it would be a long read so let, start with the last twenty-four hours. My son messaged me on FB to say he had not been hit by a car for 2 weeks!  GREAT NEWS!!!!  His last incident involved  a car and a bicycle,he ended up tossed off the street onto a sidewalk.  He assured me he was fine. Via SKYPE.  The mom and nurse in me wanted to see the injuries.  Ouch.  I did suggest that when one reaches the mid-thirties one should avoid such incidents.  Then the call came that I had been waiting for time for one of our surprise pup (Oliver) to go to his forever home.

Above is Oliver at age 1 week.  He looked like a polar bear to me and if I had found a polar bear in my bedroom I would not have been anymore surprised.  His mom is an 11 year old  Husky whom we rescued from the local high kill shelter.  The Vet the shelter sent us to said she was already spayed.  One month later I woke up to a newborn pup in my bedroom.  WOW!  it was 515 am the light was dim I thought the dog had a rat.  Okay I did not stop to think what rat! 

This is Olivia she was born first.  Oliver came 24 hours later.  That day we went to our Vet.  No more shelter vet for us.   My husband nor I have ever had pups before.  Actually we know how to prevent this from happening.  Something the area we live in is not keen on,  hence the high kill shelter.  What a shame a bit of practiced spaying and neutering would save many, many innocent dogs from being slaughtered and  dumped in the landfill next door.  When you drive up to the shelter there is a large flock of vultures circling overhead.

Olivia goes to her new home by this weekend she is 6 weeks old today.  Both dogs are going to homes that have young children and we know both families.  They will be spayed and neutered when the right age comes.  This experience has been incredible.  It has created rage in me against an owner who surrenders a pregnant senior dog without a look back and a Vet who dismissed her far to easily.  I have had to stop looking at the urgent postings from the shelter.  The kill time is 2 pm every Friday.  The pictures from the R.I.P. album haunt me.  (Now I have reset my type...Oh well.)