"Baltimore Rhapsody" Block #8 - the trombone

In continuation of my original "Baltimore Rhapsody" quilt (read back story here), here is the third brass block, the trombone, which is Italian for "big trumpet."  The brand of this one is "Conn," I embroidered it on the medallion on the lower parallel arm...

The old English name, "sackbut," comes from two French words meaning "pull-push, which describes how the instrument is played (pulling and pushing the slide to change pitches...).  Most 5th grade boys (and me!) think this is hilarious ("You play a sackbut, you play a sackbut!").

The trombone was actually the first brass instrument to be perfected in the early 1400's and was a favorite instrument in early church service music.  This was because early valveless trumpets and horns could not play the hymn melodies to lead the congregation in the singing of hymns. 

Four trombone sizes were used to match the voices, soprano, alto, tenor and bass, although the soprano and alto trombone versions were eventually discarded.

The tubing of the tenor version, when unwound, measures about nine feet long.  Trombones are very popular in jazz, concert and marching bands.  Most people recognize it's signature "slide" sound.  Symphonic masters such as Brahms utilized trombones in beautiful brass choir sections along with trumpets, French horns and tubas.

I decided to reverse applique the posie centers so they would look "deeper" than the petals.  This requires cutting a center hole in each posie petal section and turning the edges under (instead of turning the edges under on the center and simply stitching it to the top of the petal piece.

Here I am snipping tiny slices (to "ease" the edge) with my little scissors before applying the gluestick and turning the inner edge segments to the back.

After applying the Elmer's Disappearing Purple Gluestick to the center edge, I fold/prod the edge segments down, using the paper pattern (ironed to the front side) edge as my guide.

Now I audition posie centers, choosing possibilities from my tiny saved scraps.

(my clumsy fingers really like using these long tweezers to pick up and manipulate all the fussy little pieces...)

Here are the backsides, with centers glue-basted into place, ready to do the hand applique (off block).

Ta-da!  I was playful with my centers, using a big polka dot and a fussy-cut swirl on two of them.

Tracing the freezer paper leaves...

Thank you to everyone who either left comments or emailed me about remedies for my thumb!  After a couple of days away from stitching, I have healed, and now I have"Liquid skin," masking tape, clear finger nail polish, band-aids, a small homemade leather patch, etc. in my sewing kit to try as I continue stitching this weekend!

Now that I have disallowed "Anonymous" comments, I have had no more spam blogger emails in my in box!  Yippee!  If you would like to be able to leave comments (and participate in give-aways!) on peoples' blogs, it is very easy to get a free Google account. 

All you need is an email address and a password.  You can do this without exposing personal info in your profile.  It just makes it possible for us to respond to your comments and questions (and pick you as winners!).

I will be posting a long overdue give-away on Monday to celebrate going over 500 followers (thank you to everyone who follows my blog - I appreciate each and every one of you so much!).

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

p.s.  The patterns of "Baltimore Rhapsody" are original copywritten designs that will be available soon!

On the "DL" for 2 days, and other nerdy stuff...

It is baseball playoff season and I am finding that I have something in common with Major League Baseball pitchers...I have put myself on the "DL" (disabled list) for a couple of days.  I actually have an applique "boo boo" that needs to heal.

Overlooking my bad manicure, see the skin above my thumbnail?  I keep sticking myself, over and over, with my super-sharp applique needle as I take quick, little stitches.  Ow-WE!  I need a metal guard to wear over the area...I wonder if anyone makes one?!?

With all the little doo-dads that make up some of these musical instruments I have been stitching, I find myself  "choking up" on the bat unstitched little pieces, willing them to stay in place as I stitch.  I've never had this problem before!

When I hand quilt and stick my fingertips repeatedly, I get nice calluses that harden up, protect me, and DON'T BLEED.  This injury bleeds, as I have a knack for sticking the same places...REPEATEDLY, and I have been reminded that "your own spit removes your own blood" from fabric (our mouths have enzymes that only recognize OUR blood and work to remove it!).  We are amazing beings, aren't we?

So, in my down time, I've gone to the bull pen for other things that need to be done. 

My daughter and I created her Halloween mask.  Are any of you out there familiar with "Portal 2," the video game?  She wants to be the evil computer "Glados" (my nerdy daughter can never be anything normal...sigh).

The actual Glados...

What Riley is aiming for...(something like this girl).

She is also happy because she found campaign buttons that combine her love for Dr. Who, Harry Potter, and Nerd Fighters with her choice of Obama for president.

Meanwhile, Weasley is dealing with substance abuse problems.  He can't keep from "stapling" all my quilt pattern zip loc baggies with his sharp kitty teeth (also loves sheet pocket protectors and cellophane tape, the rascal).

 And, he is also strongly attracted to warm, folded laundry.

One final nerdy note...do you know about www.spoonflower.com?  You can submit your own original drawings to have printed on fabric, or browse and purchase what other people have submitted.  I found some nerdalific "Dr. Who" and "Portal 2" themed fabrics, destined to be pillowcases for my nerdy 15-yr-old.  (They actually have a category for geek stuff...I love it!)

I also bought a fat quarter for me...some Obama fabric designed by Barbara Brackman (adapted from a repro fabric...).

Really...this is definitely the last thing...I think I have solved my "not being able to comment" problem on Blogger.  I have switched BACK to Internet Explorer as my browser (also made sure the "keep me signed in" box was unclicked).  I used to have problems with this browser, which is why I started using Firefox, but now I have switched back. 

Also, I am getting way too much spam, therefore, I AM TURNING OFF ALLOWING COMMENTS FROM "ANONYMOUS" BLOGGERS.  Sorry, but it was either that or turn on recognition tool, which really discourages people from commenting.  I really like getting comments!  If you are Anonymous," you can always email me with your comments/questions, and I hope I will be able to access you to send a response.  If you don't hear from me, I guess it didn't work.  It's free to get a Google account that allows you to comment on blogs...it's worth the effort.

Good luck to your favorite play-off baseball teams!  My Atlanta Braves are out, but my Detroit Tigers are still in!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)

"Baltimore Rhapsody" Block #7 - the tuba

Ta-da!  Block #7 of "Baltimore Rhapsody" is the tuba block.  This block features a peacock and an orange tree and makes me want to visit a Florida orange grove!

The tuba is the lowest and youngest member of the brass family of instruments.  If you were to uncoil all that metal you would end up with 12 to 18 feet of tubing!  The length and increasing diameter of the tubing gives the instrument the low, rich sound.

The tuba provides the "oom-pah" sound in classic marches.  They are used in orchestras, bands, and were even used in big bands/dance bands until replaced by the string or electric bass.

Tubas are the favorite and preferred seating for peacocks everywhere...we actually had a pet peacock when I was in high school.  Our neighborhood was near the wooded property surrounding the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama.  He wandered off and ended up in our yard where he liked to roost on my little sisters' swing set.  My mom fed him some leftover scrambled eggs, which he LOVED (isn't that cannibalism?!?)

My dad caught him, put him in the back of our station wagon, and drove him back to the zoo.  When my dad returned home, there was the bird. 

He was very proud of his feathers...he would "show" every chance he got...we would look up from weeding a flower bed or working on the outside of the house, and there he would be in his full glory, slowly turning around, showing off while doing his mating dance.  I think he was confused.  My dad bought some female pea foul for him, but he chased them off.

He roamed the neighborhood, probably collecting leftovers everywhere, but always returned to our house to roost overnight on the swing set.  At sunset every evening, he would vocalise.  After I went to college, the street where I had lived was renamed "Peacock Lane."

Here are the steps to making the tuba.  I start with the freezer paper patterns.

The fronts (right sides) of the prepared pieces...

The backs (wrong sides)...

I start glue basting with the pieces that are under or to the back of the design.  I can't work without the pattern weights...they keep the skinny, squirrelly pieces from escaping.

I kept the freezer paper on some of the pieces until I was through glue basting (I had to wait until I peeled the paper off to glue baste the mouthpiece end of the tubing).  I couldn't leave the paper on the pieces that were to the back...they would have been in the way of the gluing!

Because I want to be able to trim the background away behind the peacock later (to help with the hand-quilting later), I build the tail in sections.  After glue basting the purple spots to the yellow pieces, I hand appliqued the purple spots.  Then I put those units on the green feather units (not shown), and hand appliqued them in place.  I basically construct the whole peacock off block before making the final placement.  That way I only have to stitch around the outside of the bird once it is finally placed on the background, overlapping the tuba.

I hope you are finding all this less intimidating when the process is broken down into steps!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)