Modern Feathers: Yellow Bag

Back in September I began a new work, which I thought might become a quilt using feathers.  I found the Anna Maria Horner tutorial and played for a while, but you know I had to do my own thing!  I began playing differently and eventually figured out a few things of my own.  I wrote about how I went from the Horner tutorial to my own feathers.  See that post here.

Anna Maria Horner tutorial feathers

All's great when you're having fun, but when you get stuck...

Mary Marcotte applique feathers

And did I get stuck!  The first block looked great, but it  did not play well with the second block.  The yellow background is the same in both blocks, so obviously my colors are off in the pictures, but my real problem is that the feathers are so different I just didn't feel that they could work in the same quilt.  

I did what I generally do when I get stuck--set the blocks aside. My brain needs lots of time to process problems.  In the end the feathers sat on the edge of the work table for almost a month.  

I finally decided that I had to do something with the two blocks and chose to make a quilted book tote.  It's large enough to hold several books.  Plus, the long, durable straps can hold whatever weight I might put in and are a perfect match for the yellow fabric.  

I took these pics yesterday afternoon and used the bag today: quite happy to report that it works as well as I had hoped.  
Love yellow? Make a feather bag.

Linking up with

Crazy Mom Quilts--go check out her half inch HST's!

Feather in my cap...uhm, quilt!

Last weekend I had an irresistible urge to make a feather block for fun.  It was one of those have-to urges.  As in, I have to make a feather block because I've been thinking about it for some time. 
(I know there should be hyphens between all of those words, but... no.)

I did a quick Pinterest search and found the Anna Maria Horner "Feather Bed Quilt," which I love!  I wanted very much to make something using this feather design.

A little more looking and in no time I found this tutorial on Olivia Jane Handcrafted.

Of course, there are many other great tutorials on Pinterest and other blogs, so if these don't work for you, there should be no trouble finding something that does.  Just search for "feather quilts."

Of course, I just wanted a jump-off and got going on my own in little time.  I started by sewing together some 2 1/2 inch strips that I'd bought some time ago and then supplemented with more cuts from the stash.  To add interest, I cut a few of the strips in half before sewing.  

my three-feather block

I made a quick pattern from scrap paper and figured out how to cut each half.  That was a little confusing at first.  It's one of those things that I needed to visualize.  After making the first 45 degree cut, it was much easier.

I also made a pattern for applique feathers. These have more rounded edges and look more realistic except for the fabric and colors.  To achieve the rounded tip, I added two small darts on the right side.  Then I cut some deep, narrow notches.



Richard came into the studio and saw my feathers.  A few minutes later he returned with these beauties.  Little did we realize at the time that they were on the ground because the nuisance alligator had already come for a visit.  The alligator may have eaten the chickens, but it didn't devour all of the feathers.  They were very helpful in giving me a visual guide for the applique feathers.

The result of my little play session.  The colors, however, are not true.  I think the bright yellow is really between these two tones. One photo was taken under the florescent light and the other in partial natural light.  The difference is amazing.

My plan for these two pieces is to quilt them and then make a tote bag for carrying school stuff.  

Pin It Wednesday #13

Happy Hump Day!  Enjoy these pins--despite the fact that I've been struggling for an hour to get them here in some sort of system.  Turns out the system is quite simple: anything goes in any order, shape, size, etc.  This gets more difficult every week!  What gives Pinterest?