The beginning of February means it's time to think about some happy Valentine gifts for my grands! Since one of them has a nut allergy, candy is "verboten".
I was scrambling for inspiration when I noticed Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts "salmon" block pattern that is part of her Canada 150 Quilt pattern.
My grandson possesses the raw material to become a fanatical fisherman!!
So I purchased Lorna's pattern HERE and set to work to make him a quilted banner for his bedroom door! The fabric pull was easy and her clear cutting charts make for quick work.
Now what would my granddaughter love?
How about an owl -- but not just any owl -- it must be Hedwig, the (snowy) owl of Harry Potter fame. She has read the entire series twice . . . and seen all the movies!
My thoughts turned quickly to Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest pattern that is already in my collection. Go HERE for her PDF pattern shop!
I made two modifications to the pattern eliminating the "ear tufts" and rounding the head of the owl just a bit.
When it was time to stitch, I appreciated the clarity of Lorna's graphics -- it's so easy to mimic her illustrations literally as I placed the pieces for each step of the construction.
There was one little setback -- operator error -- picked up the wrong pieces and stitched them and trimmed them and pressed them before discovering -- oops! Time to de-stitch!
A few deep breaths, a little re-cutting and I was back on track.
The quilting went quickly -- meandering lines with my walking foot to evoke the flow of water.
And here it is, a 8" by 16" banner for his door!
The owl went together with no de-stitching -- yea!!
Pretty good likeness, wouldn't you say?
There is a PBS Nature episode about Snowy Owls you might enjoy watching if you can track it down on-line or in your library -- it follows a pair of owls through their nesting cycle.
Owlets are enchanting, if somewhat goofy, creatures!
I've can still recall my first sighting of a Snowy Owl -- winter, 1964 in the median of I-271 just outside Cleveland -- it hunted there for several weeks and we would head south along the freeway for a look, get off at the next exit, go under the freeway, and drive back north for another look!
Here's the finished panel -- 12" by 18".
I suspect my SIL won't be eager to mount these on the newish bedroom doors, so I'm going to send along a package of those Command "damage free" hanging strips in the hopes that the kids will be allowed to use the banners as intended.
I also came across a delightful book, Outstanding Owls, a collection of applique designs that I've bookmarked for the future when I have more time -- check it out for yourself HERE.
Happy Valentine's Day!!
Mary
Update: They have been received and installed!! Looks great!!
Very cool, Mary, especially your fabric choices for the fish and the owl design. Neighbors a couple of blocks over say that there are two Great Horned owls living and hunting in the development. I keep looking out for them but, so far, no sightings. I am fascinated by them and I've only seen an owl in the wild once at North Chagrin. Soon, I hope, especially since the larger ones won't be so easily camouflaged in a housing development.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice Grandma you are!
ReplyDeleteboth are really wonderful
ReplyDeleteI am sure that with those magic Command things, the banners will be hung with pride.
ReplyDeleteI have read the books twice and seen all the Harry Potter movies too!
Great banners! I love the owl especially. Would make a nice doll quilt, too.
ReplyDelete