St. Louis 16 Patch

Here is my version of skburton's St. Louis 16 patch, Bohemian Baby.

I wanted to make something simple and quick as an antidote to the Steam Punk pattern I am working on (more of that later).  This was a fun pattern that went together fast!  I wanted colorful and used some great fat quarters from my stash: Kaffe Fasset floral and dark blue shot cotton, Trade Winds and Summerhouse by Lily Ashbury and Wrenky by Malori Wells. The light pink is a Moda solid.

The back is two florals (Ruby, I think) by Bonnie and Camille.  I was happy to use fabric from my stash.  I tend to hoard fabrics I like!  Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday!

Obsession

 I was totally engrossed in these feathers.  Finished 15 of them before realizing I didn't wash the Essex Linen.  After washing, the linen shrunk, the cotton not so much. (I even washed one and lined dried it and still got 3/4" shrinkage)!

So now I am obsessed with taking these feathers apart! I spent 5 hours yesterday with the seam ripper and then re-pressing and basting.

I actually like the overall design of this layout better.  I remember seeing it on Anna Marie Horners' blog about a quilt for her son.

 It may not stay like this, but I like that it is not so square as the blocks would have been.

I am going through the stash looking for background material.  I feel like I wasted a yard and a half of linen, so I need to use what I have. Maybe I should sew it all back together!

Too Bad, How Sad

Well, lesson learned.  I washed one block and put it in the dryer on low.  The linen shrunk 3/4". Which I wouldn't mind, but the cotton fabric did not.

Notice all the puckering in the feather on the left.  I knew better, but got carried away in the moment.

Now I will be taking apart all my feathers.....arg!

to wash or not to wash

I have gotten eleven AMH feathers done. Enough for a baby size quilt (though my feathers are smaller than hers).  I am considering making more, maybe a lap or twin size.

 But then, I had a fearsome thought!  I was reading AMH blog about the care of her new linen line.  In it she mentioned how when washed, her linen shrink in length 1/4"-1".  I used Essex Linen Natural for the background fabric in my feathers and I am concerned that it will shrink way more than the other cotton fabric. So now I am afraid to continue.  Has anyone used Essex linen?  What do you think?

Feathers, how apt

Ever since I first say Anna Marie Horner's Feather Bed pattern, here, I wanted to make it.  I was hoping some one would teach a class on it like Molly Flanders.  The photos she shared of her students' work were amazing.  So, inspired, I gahtered up some material and got to work.

After piecing strips together, I realized the tip of the feather is probably too small.  I hope to change that on the next group.  The material has a stretch to it because of the angle it is cut on.  It will need carefull sewing.







Decided on the natural Essex linen for the background.

I have been making stencils of light weight cardboard to use with my rulers to cut.  I keep wondering if there is a better way.... I will no doubt figure it out on the last cut!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Zig Zag

A finished quilt that will be going in the Crazy Birds Studio Etsy store.

Finished at 42" x48".

 Quilted 1/4" above and below each zig zag.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday!

Half Square Triangles

half square triangles

equals a baby quilt

I'm liking the blue binding

Inspiration for this quilt here. It's harder than I thought to wing it, kept underestimating the yardage.
Ready to layer and quilt!

Finally finished "Gold Fishies"  This was made from a pattern from Quilters Magazine called "Gazing into Clear Water".  I modified the pattern to just two colors.  The blue and orange batik fabrics are from JoAnn's.

The batik on the back was from my stash and my sister donated the blue from her stash!

The Fishies were outlined in variegated Pearl cotton from Valdani. Beautiful. I love hoe it makes ghost Fishies on the back!

This is a beginning of the Crazy Bird Studio Blog.  The technology may be beyond me. I can't seem to shrink that Crazy Bird.  We shall see.