Iris Growing in an Octopus's Garden By The Sea or Darling Mermaid Darling Swim the Tango

Yesterday I started my quilt for the Mini Quilt Monday Group over at Flickr but didn't finish it until just now.
I took pictures as I put it together so that I could share some sewing fun here with you.

First I chose a botanical illustration from Dover's Flower book that comes with a cd-rom that was 50% off at the Barnes & Noble I recently visited in Pittsburgh.
After printing it (with my HP Photosmart 8250 Inkjet Printer) on to June Taylor Colorfast Fabric (available at Walmart and JoAnn's) sheets I sliced it up with a few swipes of my rotary cutter.
Then I tried it out on gold but decided to go with the Essex Putty instead.

That was an elegant color to bring out the purple and delicate greens of the iris.

After sewing the putty to the print I used the ruler and rotary cutter to even the sides and then added the gold in a log cabin frame around it.

After auditioning a few purples for the next set I picked a batik and sewed that.

Now, this looks ok but it's rather dull and I was thinking about gardens and what might be in them when suddenly a frog lept up on the table and said- "hey! What about me? I want to have some fun!"

I explained to him that he can't be on everything I make and gently grabbed him by one leg and took him back outside where he belonged.

After thinking it over (and making deviled eggs and tuna salad for dinner later) I went back to my bookcase and grabbed the Dover Insects book and printed out a bee and stitched it down after layering the cotton/wool batting and backing fabrics together with the top.

Now all this time the stack of Heather Ross fabric is just sitting there whispering to me and I just couldn't help but grab a small piece of the Mendicino Mermaids in gold and try it out.
Daydreaming about darling mermaid darlings and the honey bees and an octopuses garden by the sea and missing Pushing Daisies and hoping Ned and Chuck are happy and missing Emerson Cod and promising to quit writing run on sentences I decided it would work.

To make a little window I grab a square of fabric measuring 7x7 and trace around a cd then stitch it down on the top of the quilt where I want the window to be.

I have shown this tecnique before but if I don't explain it someoine will ask, so please bear with me if you remember me doing this on other quilts.
Usually I do this before I layer it and quilt it but I can cover the back circle with the label so it's ok.

Grab scissors and cut the inside circle out, trimming it very close to the stitching.

Pull the outer edge of fabric to the inside of the circle and iron on the back pulling it so that seam is in center along the inner edge.
I cut out the mermaids and a circle of cotton/wool batting slightly larger than opening.

I machine stitched it around the edge.

The back gets trimmed and covered with a round label.

I tried out several choices for binding...
Green was ok

I finally went with the Martha Negley fern print because of the sea green and pattern.

The finished size is 19" x 15.5".
It's not as busy as my usual stuff- what do you think? Do you like it?
Is it dull?
Does it need anything else?
hmmm.
I'm going for a bike ride,
let me know what ya think.

You can enjoy this sung so sweetly by Olive Snook until I get back:

happy heatwave,

Oh, but there is a breeze!

calamity kim