Thursday 27, My Flag

As we are in the midst of "crippling" blizzard (honestly, that's how the news people stated it lol), and the lights have been flickering, I figured I had better post my Flag on a Stick today as there is no guarantee that we will have power later or tomorrow. The wind is really fierce and being as we live in a heavily tree'ed province, it's not unusual for the trees or large branches to come down and take out power.   SO, WE ARE GOING TO PRETEND THAT THIS IS THURSDAY, MARCH 27, MY DAY TO WAVE MY FLAG!
Of, course, for most everyone reading this, it is actually Thursday...hope you are not confused yet :)

Thanks so much to Ms. Thearica for hosting and cheering us on, and to Madame Samm for the blog hop idea. And a big round of applause for our Sponsors, Flags on a Stick,  and Flag Outlet .

Here's my flag! I absolutely love it. I am and not ashamed to admit it lol! It turned out much better than I thought it would. It measures 12.5 x 18. My flag hanger is buried under 3 feet of snow so I had to lay it out on the floor :(

My back...some fabric that I had with quilting notions and words on it, and my hanging sleeve is there at the top but it is hard to see as it blends in.

A close up look...
My process....I knew from the first that I wanted my flag to represent the fact that I am a quilter and stitcher. I spent weeks just thinking how I could effectively do this, what elements were important enough to me to go on the flag, what kind of a look I wanted to go for...bright and cheery or country folkart; and finally, what would the final construction process be for joining the front and backing.

After several weeks of thinking and decision making, I knew four things: I wanted country colors, a spool block, a crow, and needle and thimble. Could I fit all these elements onto my flag?

Out comes the drafting paper:

I think I changed the shape and size of that spool block at least 4 times before it felt right. I let the sketch sit for a few weeks, coming back to it to see if I still liked it. Mentally, I re-arranged a few things.
Then, to start pulling fabrics to audition:

I knew I HAD to have red and that went into the spool. Funny enough, lots of blues here but they really didn't end up playing major parts in the design.
First, I made the spool block and attached it to the grass and flower bottom. Then as I started to place the applique elements around I realized that I wanted their placement different than my sketch.  A girl has the right to change her mind, eh?! lol That's where the rick rack suddenly came into the picture. And this is Vintage Rick Rack...I collect them and even have a vintage Rick Rack Box to store them in.

Look at the price..29 cents!

To put my front and back together, I fell back on an old sewing staple from the "80's...see, there's no such thing as an outdated stash lol, eventually, you will find a use for it :) I used Pellon Heavy Duty Wonder Under Fusible to join the back and front of my flag. I wanted something really stiff so that the flag would have a better chance of staying down. I store my fusibles in plastic ziplock bags to keep them from drying out and pulling away from the paper.After fusing, I machine blanket stitched all around the outsides edges of my flag. I like it..I would do it again.

Well, if you have patiently read this far, you deserve a chance to win an award lol. I have this cute little notepad cover to give away. If fits in your purse and is so handy for writing down all your to-do's.

To enter, just leave me a comment, YOU MUST LEAVE ME A WAY TO CONTACT YOU IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT! will pull winner at the end of this blog hop which is april 3.

I really enjoyed taking part in my first blog hop with Madame Samm. If you haven't done one yet, go ahead and sign up! Well....what are you wait'in for lol!
Please go visit those who are also waving their flags today!

March 27th

Bumbleberry Stitches

Quilted Delights

Red Quilts

On the Banks of Frog Creek

Words & Stitches

K and S Sweets and Stitching
The blizzard is raging here, total whiteout conditions. Please Lord, let the power stay on!

God Bless and happy Stitching :)