"Summer Whimsey"

I think I told you awhile back that I recently joined the QT Swap with a "Backyard" theme.  Originally, my plan was to perhaps do a birdbath with wonky birds, but then, as the weather got warmer and warmer, my thoughts went to another medium that I haven't done in ages!  When I was a little girl (well, actually I don't think I was ever a ....."LITTLE GIRL", so let's say....... a young girl) I used to love to play with crayons when the weather was warm.  (I'd do a lot of reading then too, but that's another story!)  I'd get out my coloring books, or just drawing paper and be entertained for hours.  SO, I thought why not break out the crayons again?  I got to work and drew this:

Can you see the bug?  What's better for backyards than bugs, I say!  I wanted to make him cute though.  After I was done drawing, I made the lines darker by going over them with a fine magic marker so I could see the drawing through white Kona.  I cut a piece of fabric the size of the drawing, adding an inch to every side, just in case it wasn't straight when I was done and traced the drawing with a pencil to my fabric.  THEN, I took a piece of freezer paper ..............................(for all you who have already read these instructions on a former post, you can skip this part, okay?) and I ironed the freezer paper (shiny side down) to the back of the traced fabric piece.  (This is to give the fabric strength so you can color it.) When I was done, it looked like this:

Not impressive, to be sure.........but, we're not done yet!  After you finish coloring, remove the freezer paper from the back, and going to your ironing board, lay a thin (cheap) piece of muslin on the top and then iron.  You should smell wax........be careful not to burn it!  This melts the crayon into the fabric fibers and makes the color permanent.

Next, make a quilt sandwich just like you would for any other quilt, and taking only black thread in both the top and bobbin, outline all your lines with a free motion stitch.  (HINT......do NOT lower your feed dogs!!  You will have much more control.)

When you are done, your quilt should look close to this.  (Except I also added hand stitching, a few colonial knots and a bunch of buttons for more whimsey:)



Did you check out his googely eyes?  (I LOVE googely eyes!  lol)



Cute huh?  I'm not sure my partner thought so though.  She didn't say much!  Perhaps it was because of the back.  They don't look pretty at all with this method, but what can you do?

So, don't all run for your crayons at once now!  It is fun and I promise you'll feel like a kid again but most of all, you'll stay nice and cool!!!  Have fun, my friends!  Until next time..................