Thursday, July 8, 2010

A map of my childhood

Anne requested "Map" blocks which we could interpret as loosely as we wanted, and she said the same goes for technique. I really hope mine's okay... it feels pretty loose!

Snip.Sew.Send. June block for Anne
This is a map of my neighborhood as a child. We lived on 40th Avenue South.

40th Avenue South
My house is at the bottom of the cul-de-sac (Jeff is my brother). There were a number of families in the neighborhood with kids-- those names penned in the houses are theirs. There was always lots to do in the 'hood... playing ball, dance parties over at Stephanie's house (thus the music notes), climbing into the treehouse over at LeighAnne and Johnny's, or racing down from the top of the cul-de-sac on our bikes and big wheels (I'm not so good at drawing those-- but I tried!).
treehouse and truck close-up

There was often baseball action too-- home plate was always in front of our house, the pitcher would stand on the blue reflector in the center, first base was the ever-present truck, second was the manhole cover, and third was at the mailboxes. When I was little, we also had a cat named Sammy... she's hanging out near Ben's house.

I used a number of techniques in this one, including some that were new to me.
  • I started by using a Pigma pen to sketch out the cul-de-sac and things I new I wanted to embroider.
  • Then I colored in sections with crayons (using Carrie P.'s tutorial for coloring on fabric as a guide).
  • Next I used fusible web and did the "Sketchy Stitchy Applique" technique, as described at Bloomin' Workshop. I really loved how that worked! The look really appeals to me, and it was so simple to do.
  • Then I went through and embroidered all over the place, mostly with two strands of floss, but sometimes with one.
  • Lastly, I finished the trees. I used two different colors of green thread and threaded both of them through the needle on my machine (so two threads were going through the needle). Then I freemotion stitched the treetops. Using two threads gave it a nice thick look, and the different colors gives them a little more dimension.

Overall, I'm really happy with how it all came together. The only bump in the road was my inability to do math. The block is supposed to be 10.5" x 14.5", including 1.5" borders. Mine ended up 12" x 15". Whoops. I'm really hoping that Anne won't mind it being a little big, or trimming it down and ending up with slightly narrower borders. I blame my baby-brain! (I wonder how long I can get away with that excuse?) :)

I can't believe it has already been a year of Snip.Sew.Send.! I've had so much fun making blocks for all of you fabulous bee buddies, and I've learned a lot too. This virtual quilt bee really gave me a chance to push myself and try some new things. It has been fabulous! I'm looking forward to participating in another, once life settles down again.

Thanks so much, ladies!

8 comments:

Anne at Film and Thread said...

Another block that I am just in love with! I can't wait to see it in person. All the techniques you used are fantastic. No problem at all about size.

I love it!

Kris said...

What a fantastic block! I love all of the details and that it's seen from a child's point of view.

Hermione J. Schwartz said...

Wow! That looks awesome! I like how all the different techniques meld together. This block has a lot of dimension. =]

Jess said...

This is insane...how cute and talented are you!

Jeannette said...

This is such a sweet commemorative to childhood in general; your particulars capture so much. It is beautifully done.


So glad I got to see it!

Ms Eva said...

My kiddos and I are just beginning a "Memory Quilt" .. one for each of us. I had no idea how to begin or what kind of squares to include. I absolutely love this idea! Thank you!!

Cynthia@wabisabiquilts said...

What a sweet block - great idea for a memory quilt!

TinaW said...

I love this! What a wonderful interpretation.