a turtle!

My daughter at one time wanted to be a marine biologist. That was before her trip to Australia and New Zealand. On that trip she got to go on a snorkeling day trip to the Great Barrier Reef. She had a GREAT time once she got there, but the sea was SO rough that the captain of the boat almost lost his lunch! That was the end of any talk of marine biology. HOWEVER, she still loves sea turtles...even Crush and Squirt, the father/son sea turtles from Finding Nemo. (she does a great Australian accent if I do say so myself!) A couple of years ago, I decided to make her a turtle quilt. I have collected 3 or 4 different turtle blocks and even found a reverse applique of swimming turtles. Here is the 1st block. I covered up the raw edges with some black fabric. I don't like to trim up the paper pieced blocks until they are joined with the next piece. I had bad luck doing that one time and had to trash the block. What do you think? The eye is just a pin stuck in there temporarily. I think I will just ink it in when I'm done. I did three of these turtles. They are all the same but the shell fab is different. I had to enlarge them...they were pretty small and were part of a wall hanging of wild life from the Northwest, I think.




I will post the reverse applique (dont' cringe...but I'm planning on using it for the BACKING! and I HAND appliqued it! AND it was my FIRST applique project! Yes, I know I"m crazy!) This will be an ongoing project...sandwiched in among the rest. I truly AM ADD when it comes to sewing!


I will be taking a short blogging break here just before school starts. Here it starts early as we get out about the 3rd week of May. If I get a chance I will be back,...if not, I'm finishing up the hour a day center. I'm mulling over a couple of possibilities on a pieced border different from Judy's. I am also joining Judy's challenge to make string blocks in Aug. I will put mine together myself and save it for one of my Angel Tree kiddos during the holidays.

Hope you are all enjoying the summer. I am actually looking forward to the start of school! (This from a woman who had her husband home for over a week with a bad back and NOTHING to do...AND a son who's friends were ALL out of town the same week. He had NOTHING to do EITHER! Husband is now back at work...kid has friends to play with...and school looms in the near distance!


Thanks for stopping to 'swim with the turtles'!