Another small project - Fun and Done

...from another online class!

FWIW, online classes are a necessity given our current global pandemic state. I know I've mentioned that I'm not necessarily a fan, but remember when I said how much I clicked the "Buy Now" button? This was the result of one of those moments.

I've done some collage work and while I like it, I think my technique can be improved. I subscribe to Emily Taylor's (Collage Quilter) (NAYY) newsletter and she offered in... November? December? a free online class showing how to use her method to create her Winter Cardinal pattern:

Image from Emily Taylor’s pattern

That image just spoke to me. I love cardinals. I loved her background fabric and had the same in a brown color, but picked something else. Emily had kits, but they quickly sold out. I  purchased the PDF download pattern, printed it, and started pulling the fabrics. 

Yes, that's approximately 20 yards of fabric pulled for a tiny quilt that finishes at 14" square. Then I remembered that I have scraps! With Lite SAS2 on them! But just so you know, I always love pulling fabrics...

The class was lovely; Emily presented on a meeting platform that was new to me (and I cannot now remember which one) which seemed to be very stable. All comments and questions were moderated by Emily's daughter so that Emily could show us how she works, and Emily's daughter would recite the questions asked by attendees and Emily would respond. She was very engaged with the class while demonstrating her technique, and that made a good impression. I think the class lasted more than an hour. I started working on the project immediately.

That was on a Saturday, and that weekend held additional obligations so this was where I stopped:

My goals for 2021 include the completion of a certain number of UFOs as well as finishing anything I started recently, so this was near the top of the list. It had also been placed in Project Bin 22--it's my intent to finish all of the projects in Project Bin 22 this year. This bin is a small one, but there were 3 projects in it. I posted on 1/2/2021 the first finish of the year, and it was in this bin. 

So on Sunday, 1/3/2021, and after finishing the nine-patch table topper, I decided to pick up the Winter Cardinal project and get-'er-done. By Sunday evening, this is where I was:

And on Monday, 1/4/2021, I was here:

My friend Cindy also gave me some of her fabric that had the perfect eye for the cardinal—thanks, Cindy!

I had a leftover leaf and stitched my name in it with my embroidery module.

I found some scrap batting just large enough that I sandwiched between the top and some muslin. Quilting started on Saturday, 1/9/2021, and progressed through Sunday, 1/10/2021. After I quilted all of the appliqué I started on the background quilting. I wanted to do a diagonal grid, but the thread color I picked and the design didn’t make me happy. After a lot of quality time with my seam ripper, I chose a gray thread that blended with the background and did free-motion quilting all over it, and finished the quilting on Sunday, 1/17/2021. While I was quilting I thought a lot about the FMQ process on a domestic machine vs. the longarm. It was nice coming back to quilting on a domestic. This was too small to put on the longarm. 

My intent was to make this into a pillow. Cindy also took the class and she turned hers into a framed piece of art. I really liked that idea, but still wanted the pillow. The Hubs saw Cindy’s framed cardinal and said, “You need to frame it!” So, here we are; I picked it up from the framer on 2/8/2021:

No, it's not on the wall yet, but will be soon.

That was more expensive than having a twin-sized quilt custom quilted. Just sayin’. And, if we ever return to the office, I’ll hang it on the hallway outside my office door. 

My thoughts on the collage process: apparently I require more structure. While Emily's technique is very freestyle, I tend to get started on a project of this nature and lose a bit of enthusiasm because of all of the fussiness. Ironic, in that the fussiness is what drew me in to the project in the first place. And while I don't think it's a great looking cardinal, it's DONE. I also declare that I am firmly in the "paint by number" camp--I am a maker, not an artist. I greatly admire Emily Taylor's work and process, but I could not dream of doing a larger piece using this method because it would take me FOREVER. But I'll happily look at them and properly ooh and aah. 

Another thing: No, I did not exactly follow Emily's layout of the leaves and branches. That's because (1) I drew the leaves and branches backward on the Lite SAS2 and didn't feel like re-drawing and re-cutting, and (2) we don't have that many leaves on our trees in the winter here in our parts.

And now that it’s finished, I have started another avian-themed project! Yes, it’s a new project, but also a necessity. 

I am thrilled to have made progress so early in the year. I’m feeling better about finishing what I start; more about that later. 

Coming soon: MORE classes! MORE collage! And the transition of the Bottoms Up! Studio.

Thanks for looking--go make!