September 20, 2015

The Cherri Tree Branch

Time to share my latest project with you.  It started out with an idea for a new competition quilt.  But before I could start working on the new quilt I needed some help from my friends Chantell and Mia.  Mia and I had already discussed the idea that I wanted to create and she has already worked on her part and has most of it done.  I started out thinking that I would use Chantell's tree and branches that I had used on the Owl Quilt.  But the more I looked at it, the more I realized that I needed something a little different.  So I wrote Chantell and requested just a tree branch, no tree.  She said yes, but that I would have to 'draw' out what I wanted.  Well I spent way to much time trying to find some clip art that would work, but nothing was exactly what I wanted.  So I went and took some photos of actual tree branches and traced different parts of the photo and came up with a pretty good drawing.  I sent it to Chantell and she cleaned up the art work and produced eight panels for me.  All of these needed to be test stitched, so I did that.  This was the end result.


Well, of course I wasn't happy with it yet and wanted to add a couple more panels.  I felt that the concept of what I was trying create needed more panels, it just wasn't quite wide enough.  So I went back to the drawing board and came up with two more panels.  I think it will work out much better for the idea I have for the competition quilt.

 
Not wanting to waste anything that involved that much work, I decided to go ahead and make this into a small wall hanging.  I added some birds that Mia had previously digitized to the panel.  It is not quite finished yet, I still have to put a back and binding on it, plus some little extra's that I am going to add, but you can get a good idea of how its going to look.  I will post the final product when finished. 


Now, that I have all the 'tools' that I need, I am off to create the new quilt.  I might post a sneak peek or two as I am creating it.  I have the feeling that it is going to be another one of those that takes months and months to finish.

Just in case you would like to create your own 'Cherri Tree' branch panel, Chantell does have the design set up for sale on her website.  Just the tree branch, not the birds. 

On a sad note, my friend Bev lost a member of her kitty family this week.  Jake will be missed by all, he was a sweet boy and loved lots of attention.  Here is a picture of him in one of his very favorite places, the kitchen sink.