Sandy Gilreath

When I shared photos of quilts at Step Back, I promised details on the quilts I took on the visit.  So, for those who are wondering about the Floozies quilt, here is its story.

On my first visit to Step Back, I mentally named this cabin “Waiting for Chinking,” since that’s the stage it’s in.  I think there’s an art quilt with that title in my future, featuring this cabin.

When I later learned that this cabin is where the “floozies” hang out during the annual Christmas celebration, I knew I wanted my Floozies quilt to be photographed there.

One of the volunteers was kind enough to pose as a floozie with the Floozies! These fine upstanding women of the community act as hostesses at Step Back.  They dress in vintage clothing and pose for photos and provide history lessons for visitors.

In other settings, Floozies is a brightly colored quilt.  I love how the weathered gray of the buildings provides low contrast with the background fabrics; subduing things, making the birds seem right at home.

The title I used, A Flock of Feathered Floozies, came to me after a year of working on these birds to stitch them in place, then embellish them with beads and elaborate stitching using all kinds of rich threads.

The pattern, hand-dyed wool, and accessorizing threads and baubles came from Sue Spargo in her block-of-the-month pattern a few years ago.  I had taken a class with Sue in the past and knew there was a lot more to learn from her.  And learn I did.

In each month’s  packet there were actually materials for three blocks.  Wool background, wool for the birds, instructions, and embellishing threads of cotton or silk, of all sizes and twists.  There is a lot of detail in each block, so click on the photo to enlarge to see things more closely.

The project was time consuming for sure.  These birds were my companions virtually every evening for a year.  As we watch tv, I’m usually doing hand sewing.  Sometimes it’s a binding, sometimes it’s appliqué, but for that year, it was these birds.  Every bit of appliqué and embroidery was done by hand.  The sewing machine was used only when it was time to assemble the blocks and then quilt the layers together.

I kept up with the schedule, finishing each month’s three blocks just in time for the delivery of the next.  I would get an email from Sue’s son when the next month’s block had shipped.  If I wasn’t done, I would stitch faster!  My self-imposed rule was not to open a package until the previous blocks were completed.  Since I was anxious to see what Sue had planned for the next birds, I made sure I was ready when the mailman came.

With Sue’s companion book Creative Stitches beside me, I learned all kinds of embroidery stitches I had not known before.  The wool appliqué was done with a whipstitch with matching wool thread, so it’s virtually invisible.  Then each piece was backstitched with a Valdani #12 perle cotton thread.  Sometimes other threads were used for embellishing stitches, sometimes the Valdani.  

The background pieces were often embellished with ribbon or linen or cotton fabric, as are the birds.  Just look at the French knots on the linen portion of this block.

Of all the new stitches I learned, I think I was most fascinated with the drizzle stitches.  See them here?  They make a loose fringe-like decoration on the tail of the bird above, but if left longer, they can be couched down to hold them in place.

Once the blocks were completed, assembled, and a border (with a lot of wool circles appliquéd, surrounded by embellishing stitches) added, it was time to quilt.  I used a thin cotton batting (Dream Cotton Request) and a free motion stitch to secure the layers.  I love how the stitching shows up on the wool.

Obviously, many of these techniques are now part of my stitching repertoire. The quilt hangs in my sewing room, providing me with constant exposure to the idea to “do more, more, more.”  And I do.

Sue’s title for this quilt (and a pattern is available now) was Bird Dance.  But every southern girl knows that if a woman is overdressed; has too many accessories, she is in danger of being considered a floozie.  I love to see people smile when they look at my work, and this piece has generated a lot of giggles when people see the title, A Flock of Feathered Floozies.

And, there is a still at Step Back.  So Floozies collapsed there for a rest.

In case you missed them, earlier posts about Step Back are here (Christmas at Step Back) and here (my quilts visit Step Back).  And this earlier post has details about wool appliqué.