Welcome hoppers! Happy Monday! I'm so glad to be sharing my work with you today, and I hope you'll leave some comment love for me and my fellow bloggers I'm sharing my day with.
March 31st
A huge thank you to Mdm Samm and Thearica for hosting the hop, it's always a blast to follow along and see what everyone thinks up. We're all so creative! I also wish to thank our sponsors Flags on a Stick and Flag Outlet for helping inspire some ideas as well.
I'm warning you now, in case you haven't been here before: I have a lot of pictures. Enjoy!
So my original flag plan revolved around my husbands and my love of football. I thought to make a banner/flag-like arrangement to hang over our TV in the living room. Then life happened and we went to Portland this weekend for my twin cousins 21st birthday party.
Cousins Jessica and Jennifer
And so I got the following done for my football idea, and it's going to be great!
I'm actually showing off the seam ripper my Grandpa (mom's dad) made for me for my birthday :)
And here is my design process, and the pencil my Grandpa gave me as well (which he also made)
My husband's team colors
Yup, that's right, we live in Washington :)
I got these AWESOME patches on an Etsy site: Wiggums World
They are embroidered and iron on, and the quality is fabulous! Plus they shipped within 3 days for me, literally across the US because she's in Massachusetts.
The idea is to have the team flags on either end of the "GO TEAM" and drape them across the alcove our TV sits in. It will be amazing, especially when we get our full size helmets to display up there too. Hahaha, I just have to laugh at us, we really do like supporting our teams that much!
Well, once I realized I would not be able to finish these, I happened to visit sewwequilt.com and the flag of the day had KITES all over it! Well, I LOVE KITES! It's a pastime I don't get to play with often enough, and I own some pretty awesome competition kites I inherited from my other Grandpa (my dad's dad). Flying kites holds special memories of him. He passed away, jeez, 17 years ago now? Wow. Well when he and Grandma would visit on their drive from Montana to Arizona (snowbirds...) we would always go down the street to the big field next to my middle school and fly. I can actually remember one time being dragged for a ways because the wind was that strong! So much fun. Also, my husband flew that rainbow kite on the wall with me at the beach, and it was his first time ever flying a kite, which was a thrill for me to share with him.
So I started playing with the following:
Found a fat quarter of a perfect blue batik for sky, and testing whether or not I want rocks with my flower field.
After I got the field on, I decided against anything more in the background. Which actually works well with showing my love of simplicity.
Made a couple flags, and of course had to have a little quilt.
It actually has a back and everything!
To attach it I just tied it to the front layer of fabric, but it looks more realistic now.
Then added kite strings.
Utilizing the 4.5 hour drive to Portland for the birthday celebrations. Had I really thought ahead, I could've taken my laptop with me... silly me!
I hand-stitched my wind on one part, I'll probably add more later to get it filled in a little more.
I just love the stripes! Normally I abhor working with directional fabric, but in this case, it works just fine.
Finished!
See the rainbow in the corner, a kite decorates my sewing room! And thanks again John for helping hold my Flag to show my friends!
So that's my flag, I hope you enjoyed seeing my happy memories, and have a wonderful time browsing the other blogs today! See you again soon!
~Brandy
Cute flag!
ReplyDeleteYour flag is ready to fly in the spring breezes! Wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteLove your flag quilt and how it brings back memories! Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful process. Thank you for sharing it and for sharing the memories.
ReplyDeleteLovely flag. Loved watching your process. The strings are a great addition!
ReplyDeleteYour kite flag is really cute!
ReplyDeleteI love your kite flag. It is so cute.
ReplyDeleteKites are wonderful, they are so free dancing in the wind, this is a good idea! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCute flag, love the kites. I used to love kit flying when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteWonderful idea!! Kites are so much fun
ReplyDeleteI will fly a kite any day with you....now re" your other flag....love to see that when done...the work you did on it is worth more cheer.....
ReplyDeleteKites are perfect for flying on a flag....super cute idea !
ReplyDeleteLOve your idea for your football viewing with fan flags. We love us some football! Kites seem to be a perfect choice for a flag and your quilting of wind is so pretty. Great ideas and inspiration. Thank you for sharing your stories and love that seam ripper. You come by your crafty talents naturally.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a great story about flying kites with your grandpa and your flag will be a sweet reminder of those fun times...I love it! I can see that your other flag project will be amazing when it's finished. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYour flag is adorable. And what a nice story you told. I enjoyed it. Your idea for your husband and your love of football is good! I know it is going to turn our great!
ReplyDeleteKites and spring seem to go together so well! As a former teacher, I remember using kites as one of our spring motifs. Your flag is the perfect welcome to a long awaited season change.
ReplyDeleteLovely kites. I used to live in WA state too. My sister and mom live in WA.
ReplyDeleteThe kite flag is sew cute. I am really looking forward to seeing your Go Team Flag a Waving ... just keep sewing ... :) Pat
ReplyDeleteNow that is some kite flag. I love all the details you put in it! :-) Be sure to post the sports flag when it's done. I am sure its going to be just fabulous!
ReplyDeleteYou've got a good start on the team flags; I love the colors and I don't live in WA!! My husband flies kites, too. They are really awesome and so different than the kites we flew as kids. Looks like it's a perfectly windy day for the kits you're flying. :) The quilt is a adorable; what a super idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet flag! I love the quilt on it. Good luck finishing your team flag too.
ReplyDeleteYou could fly a kite a hundred miles if you were in Arkansas the last week - the wind has been awful! Cute idea! blessings, marlene
ReplyDeleteThe kite is perfect and goes well with your memories of your grandpa. You'll think of him everytime you see that flag. I can't wait to see the finish on the football flag. It's going to be so cute.
ReplyDeleteI almost made a Kite Flag myself! Your's looks quite nice on that stand in your sewing room. I have enjoyed looking thru your previous posts.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Gmama Jane
Love the kite flag and a great way to remember wonderful summer Sundays having picnics and flying kites. Just like the song from Mary Poppins, "Lets go fly a kite" Thanks for sharing. Susie x
ReplyDeleteWhat fun it looks like you had!
ReplyDeleteYour sweet kite flag will bring back wonderful memories everything you look at it. Great job!
ReplyDeleteSpring and kites go together. Great idea.
ReplyDeleteYour flag is quite clever and very fun. Thank you sew very much for Hopping and Flag Flying...
ReplyDeleteI remember flying kits with my grandpa as a kid too,thanks for the trip down memory lane! Love your kite flag.
ReplyDeleteHow perfect that your flag has such wonderful memories tied to it! I know you will really enjoy it. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a flag! I love the 3D aspects of it too!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the story of your journey to the flag. It makes it so sweet :)
ReplyDeleteKites are fun aren't they? Great idea!
ReplyDeleteLove your Kite Flag reminds me spring will come.
ReplyDeleteIt's so much fun to hear about how you started in one direction and due to life's surprises you ended up with a completely different finished project. I hope you didn't stress too much! Your kite flag is so sweet. Anyone would love to have it waving on their front porch!
ReplyDeleteSew cool... I have a friend who has been flying the larger kites the last few years... she would love your flag.
ReplyDeletethanks sew much for sharing
in stitches
It's amazing how much one can get done on a long car ride (as long as you're the passenger, that is). I love your kites -- today is so windy here that I thought I'd blow away, and I immediately had the association of wind in April and kites. Your other project will be great, too. A long banner strung above the TV where everyone will see it.
ReplyDeleteYour kite are so cute, makes think back to when I was a kid. I loved flying kites.
ReplyDeleteVery fun! I love the blanket you made for it :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I love the kite flag! So cool! I can't wait to see the football project finished!!!
ReplyDeleteThe football flag is wonderful, but I really love the simplicity of the kites. Of course, love the Seahawk emblem too. Thanks for sharing in the fun!
ReplyDeleteI love the kites.....and the picnic blanket is perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun flag!! I love kites too :)
ReplyDelete-Soma
The kite flag is perfect for this time of year!
ReplyDelete