Big History Quilt--Threshold 4: The Earth and the Solar System

I've still got the Solar System block to do, and I'm thinking applique, but I got the mood to do Pangea.  I'm not happy with it yet.  Maybe the top part of the landform needs to be browner, not so lime greenish.

So I got out the darning foot for the first time, figured out how to put it on and then machine quilted the whole thing to keep the glued pieces on for good.

Solar system start.

With tulle overlay which I may or may not use.  I left it like this for tonight because I didn't feel like changing the sewing machine foot and threading new bobbins.  I worked on trimming other blocks and deciding on borders.

Big History Quilt--Threshold 6: What Makes Humans Different?

 This is a copy of Cave Man with Fast Food grafitti art by Banksy, I think.  Some places the artist is listed as unknown and in others it's attributed to Banksy.  I'd never heard of Banksy until a friend of mine pushed me to watch a documentary called Exit Through the Gift Shop.  It was very interesting and not something I'd normally watch. 

So I blew the image up on the library's copier, but of course, I screwed it up and had to tape 3 pieces of paper together to get it big enough.  Then I got rid of the hand carrying the fast food.  The original image  actually goes all the way down to his feet and he's carrying a tray of fast food in one hand and a bone in the other.  I took the copied image and trimmed away the double layer of paper so it was more transparent when the light shown through.  Then I taped it to a window and opened the blinds to let the light through.  Voila!  The poor woman's lightbox.

I taped the fabric on top of the paper copy, with lots of extra around the edge in case I decide to alter or add anything.

I originally traced with a blue pencil that comes off with scrubbing or washing, but that wasn't working so great.  I went back to using my trusty number 2 pencil and it worked fine.

I have a book that has a technique where  you fill in the areas with bits of fabric lightly glued down and then sew all over the whole thing.  I think I'm going to try that on this block.

So I'm using tiny bits of fabric and a glue stick to place them.  Important note:  Long, thin pieces of scrap don't work very well with the gluestick.  They stick to the glue stick and come apart.  Squirt glue would have probably been better, but I didn't have any around.

 I think it is a lot of fun to do this, very meditative to just glue scraps into the dark areas.

I'm tired now so I'm stopping.  Once I get all the bits on, I'll have to put a layer of tulle on top and then machine stitch the whole thing.  That'll be another new experience!

All the blocks in progress thus far.

Stitching on top to keep the pieces on.  I used my darning foot for the first time.

I started out using clear thread, but it kept popping so I switched to tan.

Another block I'm making for this threshold is from the cover of an old book called The Ascent of Man which had a clever design of overlapping skulls.  I decided to applique it.  So I watched a youtube video on needleturn applique and tried that.  Miserable failure.  I needed a lot more practice before I'd be able to do a decent job on points and corners.  The skulls weren't a good practice block.  So I decided to fall back on using glue to turn the edges under and then sew them on.  It's messy and not perfect, but it's quicker and easier for me.  So first I traced the pattern on muslin so I could place them accurately.  Then I traced the pattern on freezer paper so I could iron the templates on the right color scraps.

I labeled the muslin with the color I was using and numbered them.

 I ironed the templates on shiny side down.  Then placed them to make sure they fit.

Then I tried needle turned applique and realized we needed a Plan B. I cut a little slice about every inch or so and then spread glue on the back and folded in the edge.  I left the freezer paper on until I'd finished so it formed a little boundary to keep me from folding in too far.

 I stuck all the pieces in place and am going to let it dry.  When I hand sew them in place, I'll try to fix it up a little.  It's not as beautiful as if I'd been a skilled needle turned applique expert, but you have to work with what you got sometimes.

I'm trying to decide the best way to applique these skulls. The glue along the edges makes the fabric kind of stiff and hard to get a needle through by hand. They also need their eye sockets in place.

 

Big History Quilt--Threshold 5: Life

Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes, early life forms, in the process of being embroidered and colored with fabric markers.

Finished block:

Big History Quilt--Threshold 3: Making Chemical Elements

I've embroidered the symbol quilt for the 3rd threshold, Making Chemical Elements.  I might still add the letters for certain chemicals randomly around bigger symbol.  I had been dreading doing this block but it wasn't so bad.  I taped the paper image to the window with the light shining in behind it.  Then taped a piece of muslin on top of it and used a lead pencil to trace the image.  Easy peezie.

It's a wee bit wonky in spots, but live and learn.  It's a good idea to tape the fabric taunt to the window so the fabric doesn't shift.  I was a little chintzy on the tape.  If it shifts, it makes the lines a little off kilter.  It's also not a good idea to get too engrossed in a BBC mystery while doing this.  Especially while wearing reading glasses that have to be shifted every time you look up at the tv.

I rearranged my sewing area last night because I'd taken the little rolling cart kitchen island out of our kitchen.  It took up too much space and we were always having to move it to open cabinets or doors.  So it is now my cutting table.  The orignial cutting table is now the ironing table and the original ironing able is stacked with storage.  Including the shallow blue bookcase that used to be in the kitchen and a old key cabinet that I bought at a yardsale for $15 but now can't think what to store in all it's cubby holes.

The kids and I went to Wood Bay State Park Saturday night to meet a friend for a picnic.  We got there a little early so we tooled around and came across this house.  It reminds me of so many old, abandoned houses from my childhood. If I weren't scared of snakes and falling through rotted floors, I would have tried to get inside.

Fleurs in the Yard

My gardening was a bit of a bust this year.  I couldn't do much physical labor but I couldn't bear not having some flowers, so this is what I got.  Lilies are my favorite flower because of the way they smell.

 I hadn't grown sunflowers in years.  I think this was Autumn Splendor or some such thing.  I grew it from seed.

  These were some oddly patterned zinnias.

  This is the dog pen with Luffa Gourds growing on one side.

  More lilies.

Orange sweet peppers.  Seen.  Photographed.  Eaten.

  I'm hoping this is a melon.  It is growing halfway up the dogpen.  I hope it doesn't fall off before it ripens.  It seems to be wedged between its vines and the fence.

Big History Quilt--Threshold 2: First Stars and Galaxies

Threshold 2 is the first stars and galaxies.  This is the block that symbolizes the creation of stars. All three stars are hand appliqued I still need to embroider some more stars. 

The first two blocks together.  Not necessarily to be arranged in that way.