BLOG 197

This has been an exceptionally busy week for me. Like last week, I have spent precious little time on sewing because I have been preparing food for 33 guests plus 5 children who are coming here on Sunday for my 65^th birthday and my husband’s 70^th birthday. (His actual birthday is in May but by that time we will be on the Greek island of Kefalonia for a week’s holiday in the sun so apologies in advance. (No blog next week!) Invitations have been issued inviting guests to come and sob with us; a marquee has been erected because we can’t trust our weather; food has been prepared and frozen with the fresh food still to be done on Saturday and a frock has been purchased! Bring it on is what I say!!

 

This week I have been diverted again, having found inspiration from a piece of wrapping paper. Here is an image of the paper.

                                 Wrapping paper

 Of course you never have the right fabrics in stock so I am going to make it in my own painterly fabrics which form the basis of my stash. Here is the background I have chosen.

                                         Background fabric

I traced the bird shapes onto a piece of calico.

                                        Traced pattern

 I placed the calico behind the background fabric and pinned the layers together. The bird fabric was placed RS up, on the RS of the background and it was pinned in place.  

                                              Bird fabric

From the calico side, where the marked was visible, I basted round the body to hold the fabric in place.

                                          Basted shapes

From the RS, the fabric was cut away on the outside of the stitched line. The wing was done next from a second layer of fabric placed on top of the body.

                           Appliqued birds and wings