To answer Marie's question about the designs. All the train designs are transfer patterns. Half of them are republished through Aunt Martha's Transfers (which can be found at JoAnne's) and the other half I found in an old McCall's transfer book. I think the book is about 30 years old. I found it in the trash pile (along with alot of other good patterns in a grocery bag) at the St. Vincent's Thrift store. Have no idea why they threw it out, but it was serendipity for me!
Now on to the good stuff. Here are the fabrics I have to work with. The first picture is a wide seam binding I found at JoMar's for 25 cents a package. I bought a lot of it thinking I might be able to use it for train tracks. Haven't figure out how, yet! It could also be used as binding or sashing (yeah, I have that much of it, LOL)! I think it is about 3 inches wide unfolded.
Remember the fabrics Mary so generously sent me when she went to that fabric store in North Carolina (I think is was NC)?
Here are some to the motifs from one of the fabrics. These can be fussy cut.
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I numbered the fabrics so you could give me your thoughts.
And so what do you think? Can you see the train tracks winding through the farmlands and past the houses? I can!
Love from Liri
Okay, first off, now my head hurts. Thank you. Second, that was seventhsister who sent you those cows. I love them and would never have parted with them. :) And now, for what to do... This is going to be harder to describe than I'd like, but here goes... How about cutting squares in sizes that will fit nicely together (4-patches and 9-patches that will size up nicely with the embroidery blocks, etc.) to get a patchwork top to mimic the farmland quilt look, but still have a square (or rectangular) top. Definitely include fussy-cut barns and cows and your embroidery (which may need strips or 2-patches or something to bring them all to a uniform size). Then applique train tracks (possibly using that binding you bought) across the top. Yeah, it will be a lot of pieces, and you'll have to be careful with where you place them (though if the binding is cut on the bias, curves will be much, much easier to reroute those tracks), but it could work!
ReplyDeleteA quick search of Flickr turned up this random-square-ish pattern to help illustrate the patchwork farm idea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriav/4832893058/ But of course, use barns and embroidery instead of stars. :)
And you could also probably do a google image search for aerial views of farmland to weed out some of those fabrics if colors become an issue.
And now I should go back to the technical duty of searching for a rapid way of detecting Listeria in milk because I AM at work, after all! (Sometimes you just need a brain break!)
One more idea (of course this pops up after I hit submit) - make the patchworky top, but instead of applique train tracks, make them the border. Or maybe add short stretches of them in as part of the 4- or 9-patches. Oh dear...I'd better just stop now!
ReplyDeleteYou have some wonderful fabrics to work with. I especially like all the farm fabrics, I grew up on a farm. Katie has some great ideas, I will give it some thought and see if I come up with something. Have fun with this!
ReplyDeleteI stand corrected on the fabric! Sorry about that! Katie, you are wearing my glasses. You have as clear a view of this quilt(s) as I do, LOL! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI am a city girl, but I love that patchwork look that farms seem to have. I would definitely fussy cut the first fabrics and then make 4-patches or 9-patches with the rest. I also like Katie's idea of the train track border.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to know that you are just a regular person who sleeps and eats and even watches T.V.
Sandy
What a great bunch of fabric you have there. I think the train embrodieries are going to look fabulous when you put it all together. Connie204
ReplyDeleteSomehow I missed commenting on this one! Your trains are so beautiful! I would hope somehow you can make sure they are the highlight, somehow not overtaken by alternating patchwork blooks that might overwhelm the beauty of your embroidery. How to do that, I have no idea! I do like the idea of the railroad tracks as a border, or at least the inside border. You'll get it right, I'm sure! Can't wait to see it all together. ---"Love"
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