Deer Heads

A million years ago (or at least it seems that long), I lived with a guy who hunted.  This meant dead "stuff" on my walls.  I could never figure out how to decorate around it: a black tail, a white tail, and a moose shoulder mount; an elk European mount; and a bear rug.  (How the hell do I even remember all these terms?!?)  Luckily, in my new house, there's no dead shit on the walls, and it's not allowed in.  But I think that's why I laughed so hard when I saw the "Wild Animals" pattern from Shannon Brinkley.  This scrappy fabric deer head, made of beautiful leftover fabric pieces, is something I can totally get behind!!

The blue one is quilted and just waiting for binding -- my least favorite part.  The yellow one needs to be quilted...

I didn't do these two in quite the way Shannon Brinkley describes in her pattern, but I plan to make one that way soon.  I made them in the Sunday Morning Quilts slab method -- Shannon's method involves double-sided fusible interfacing, and I didn't have enough of that at home late at night when I decided to make these, so I slabbed it up.  (I have a Scrappy Slab class coming up soon at Running Stitch Fabrics, so I was in slab mode anyway.  They are SO FUN to make, and so fast!  Here are some blocks that were made the last time I taught this class...)

Anyway, this is today's Make it Modern Moment -- I'm turning some of my favorite scraps into deer head wall-hangings, seriously LOLing, and rejoicing in how much my life has changed.  

There's more than just deer heads in Shannon's pattern, and more than just the pattern I used!  There's one with skylines, and giraffes, and bears, and even a unicorn!  I got my copy at Running Stitch Fabrics in Kent, WA.

Happy Sewing!

Bargello

A few years ago (like maybe 15...yeesh!) I took a Bargello quilting class, because MAN!  They are pretty!!  I made one chunk, and decided I was done, because ICK, tiny pieces and lots and lots and lots of pins to keep those little bitty corners lined up.  I put it in my unfinished project bin.

But the colors I picked were so pretty, and I couldn't let it sit there unfinished.  How could I make it more "now-me"?  I found some dusty purple, and put asymmetrical borders around the Bargello Chunk.  Then I found some shot cotton in my stash, and added that.  THEN, I found a solid teal-green that was sort of in the same color family, and I added that as an asymmetrical border.  I flopped the top onto my queen size bed to see how it would fit, and I decided it needed another border.  So, light teal went all the way around.





Today I started quilting it, and it didn't go smoothly, but tomorrow I'll finish it.  I'm very happy with the quilting that I did today!







But where did that dog hair come from??  This is why I can't have nice things...

Where I sew...

I've been in my house for almost two years now.  I love sunny mornings as my sewing room faces east and it's just so pretty in there. Only a few projects going on at one time...