Monday, October 21, 2019

Greta the Gobbler

And, just like that, I have a second project done for the October challenge for Island Batik! I need to thank Wendy of Pieceful Thoughts for this 'squir-key'. I saw her turkey, and, in keeping with a good squirrel project, had to go right out and find the Quilts 'n More magazine it was in, buy it, and then not rest (well I did because I had two other big quilts to make, and one runner) until it was a finished quilt!


This is on my Q4FAL List which is here. All of these beautiful fabrics were provided to me by Island BatikAurifil provided the thread I used to piece this and stitch down the binding. Hobbs Batting provided the batting, which is a scrap of 80/20 Cotton/Wool blend, just lovely stuff to quilt. I've quilted with it now on Avril, my longarm and also on my DSM, my Bernina.

For the October challenge, we were to create a runner or table topper that involved some kind of appliqué. My first one, Give thanks, used a lot of appliqué. This second one doesn't exactly, unless you count applying (lol) the button eyes and then making the 3D beak and inserting it after the quilt top was done... squeal! This was not in the pattern, but Greta told me she needed a voice, and what's a girl to do but give her a beak with which to squeak!
Trying to capture the sparkle of the Sulky metallic Holoshimmer in the rays of the setting sun

So she kinda/sorta has some appliqué. Meh, technically she doesn't but it's a second project and I'm good with what she is. I think Island Batik will be too; they're an all-inclusive company, sending giveaways and boxes to ambassadors around the globe, so Greta will be most welcome, I know it.

These are the fabrics I chose. There are some 5" strips of black (like doesn't that black one just scream-gobble turkey?) I don't know about you, but turkeys in southern Ontario, of which there are plenty, are black, white and red, not tan and orange, and um, okay not black and pink and orange with a hit of turquoise... but Greta struts her stuff to her own tune. Sidenote: turkeys are so abundant this year that they've moved from the county into the city of Windsor. They even made the CBC news this past week lol! I used some Basics and Blenders and 5" strips for her pink, orange and turquoise tail feathers.

She was a flimsy in a few sessions of sewing on Tillie, my 1951 Scottish-made Featherweight.
Beakless. Well, the top half of it anyhow.
Kristina Brinkerhoff of Center Street Quilts is the designer. She quilted straight lines with her walking foot, and I liked that look.

Greta had some ideas of her own, however.

She wanted feathers on her breast once I aquiesced to her 3D beak. Yeah, about that beak: I could just 'see' it, prairie-point-style and all, and so what was I to do, but rip out her upper lip seam (ouch) and insert said prairie-point beak? How could I say no to feathers? (And she gave me an idea for a new FMQ filler as a thank you, but that's another post, once I practice it.)

Just as with Brianne's Give thanks runner, I mainly used the Madeira polyneon for quilting. I cannot say enough about the sheen. And then Greta said, "It's not enough!" And I said, 'Heh?' and then I realized she wanted Sulky Holoshimmer metallic thread in her pink and orange tail feathers. Okaaaay... that meant a lot of stops and starts. However, after stitching super-tiny stitches in grey polyester, cutting only the top thread, inserting a Schmetz metallica needle, threading up with Holoshimmer, sewing a few super-tiny stitches with it and then continuing on until I had to stop to switch back to grey...I hit upon a nifty solution: use the ditch to travel! Very few insane switching of threads and needles ensued.

I used Aurifil variegated 50 wt (my own) to hand stitch her eyes in place, and I used the pink 28 wt Aurifil sent me to topstitch the binding down on the front of the mini quilt. Speaking of binding, I got quite the kick out of using one of Island Batik's Basics, 'Flamingo' to bind a turkey mini quilt!


Here's the back, some left over yardage of 'Dear William' from last year, the gold of which has a nice autumn vibe.
There's my satin label; I'm getting good at remembering to insert it before binding!

Bella was a great quilt inspector, as noted on Instagram. She found a spot I'd missed with the walking foot quilting.

Those of you more observant types will notice exposed 2X4's (I think) behind Bella...sigh. MacGyver had to carve out two ceiling to floor lengths under the dormer to show the inspector (not Bella, but just as persnickety) that the dormer was fully supported with a double 2X4 down to the concrete blocks of the basement. Sigh again.

Here's Greta the Gobbler in the wild, well, in the straw; okay actually, technically, in the ornamental grasses!
She will live with me until either we next see Dayna, as she ihas claimed Greta. I gave Dayna the option of making Greta into a cushion cover, as the original, or a table topper or wallhanging, and she wanted a table topper.

Quilt Stats:
Pattern:  Gobble Gobble by Center Street Quilts
Size: 18.5" square
Fabric: Island Batik
Backing: Island Batik
Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Cotton/Wool
Quilted: on my Bernina
Threads: pieced on my 1951 Featherweight with Aurifil 50 wt; quilted with Madeira Polyneon, Sulky Holoshimmer metallic.

Linking up
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
The Madd Quilter
Quilt Fabrication
Alycia Quilts-Quilty Girl
TGIFF at Quilting Gail
Clever Chameleon
Dizzy Quilts for the Q4FAL


28 comments:

  1. Thanks for the first BIG smile of the day! Blessings from WV.

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  2. Greta is adorable! Certain to gobble her way into everyone's heart.

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  3. Turkeys in non-traditional colors seem all the rage this season. Check out the pink and purple feathers on Dione's Clever Chameleon blog (also an Island Batik's ambassador.
    Pat

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  4. Greta with all her attitude is a strutting beauty!

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  5. Lovely silver feathers, she is a winner all over. Pity the inspector was so pernickety or just plain doing his job. Down here, I have heard that in our area the building inspector does not get up to see in the ceiling gap or under the floor!!! Maybe he uses a camera on a bendy stick!!!

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  6. What a fun table topper. Bella looks like she was a bit sad it had been claimed by Dayna. :)

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  7. Greta is adorable - and looks like she was fun to make! I love her bright tail feathers especially!

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  8. Oh, super idea for the beak! I love her skinny chicken legs, too!

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  9. I love your turkey--my two are very jealous of that pretty batik fabric for the feathers!! ;)))hugs, Julierose

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  10. Hi Sandra! Greta is really stylin'. She's got it going on and will look stunning as a table topper for the upcoming holiday. I just love all the pretty IB colors as her feathers. Sorry about the exposed studs . . . it will end soon. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

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  11. I really love Greta! She is fabulous and the IB fabrics are awesome. Can't wait to see the quilting design you came up with!

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    1. Ok, the above one was me, but because I had been signed into another account to help hubby with something I am now unknown. Gheez. Hope to get that figured out!

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  12. Your turkey are sooo sweat and your cat. 😊 I like the colored turkey.
    Have a nice day

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  13. Hi Sandra, that is one cute squir-key :-) I love those tail feathers - scrumptious colours.

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  14. Gobble Gobble ... Just too cute.

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  15. Super cute and fun. Love your fabric choice.

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  16. Awesome turkey! And Bella is quite the inspector - good eye, Bella!

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  17. What a great squirrel oops turkey, Sandra. Greta is gorgeous - her 3-D elements give her a bit of extra je ne sais quoi and I do love how you quilted her - swapping out the lines for 'feathers' through the body :-) PS Love the pic of Bella on quality control!

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  18. Well, I finally am back online and have had a delightful time reading your post! Greta is darling, and quite snazzy, I think. Love her little additions of beak and quilting. And her colors are just fabulous, darling! Haha!

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  19. I think you might need to be careful with Greta- Bella is much too interested in her. She might be planning her own thanksgiving feast. Seriously, this is a great quilt. The bright colours and the beak make it, and I'm sure the fancy threads are just right for such a flashy bird. Enjoy her while you can before she crosses the border.

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  20. Squir - Key is great!! He is super colorful!!!

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  21. Very fun! Love the colors you used in the feathers! A very exotic looking turkey.

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  22. I love Greta and in the ornamental grasses too as I love them especially this time of year! I should do one like this to commemorate our Tilly the Turkey...the lone female that visits us regularly. Perfect fabric choices!

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  23. What a fun fun table topper....Gobble Gobble

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  24. This is absolutely darling. My daughter was saying last night she needs some more Turkey Wall Hangings. What issue was this in so I can go looking for it? Thanks for sharing this lovely table topper. How many times will the inspector have you guys undoing work already done?

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  25. Greta must have been the one that got away. That big smile says it all. She is dancing with joy that she escaped the butcher's knife. So adorable - made me smile!!!

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