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Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Easy 'Breezy' Beautiful...Elephant!

I gotta say I've always loved elephants!  A few years ago I fell in love with baby elephant featured on National Geographic named Breezy.  Ever since then I have longed for my very own Breezy.  The cute factor is off the charts watching those little pachyderms romping and trotting around!  My family knows how much I want one of my own, but for some reason they have ignored my one and only wish.  I don't know why!!  Instead I watch cute You Tube videos and look at images on line...longingly! 




Just look!  Who wouldn't want one?!  Back to reality...I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and I did just that!

Breezy
9 1/4" x 9 1/4"
I was on Pinterest searching for inspiration and I came across a paper pieced elephant image.  Full disclosure, I tried to find out where the image originated, who it belonged to, but I couldn't track that info down.  Plus, I was hoping to find piecing instructions to make it easier on myself if I ever decided to make it. 


I know enough about paper piecing that I thought I could figure it out with out directions.  I studied the image and marked what I thought were the sections that would eventually be puzzled back together...seamlessly.    


It was not fun.  It was tedious, frustrating and more than once I wanted to quit.  But I'm not a quitter!  It may look like a mess right now, but I would make the final decision on tossing it or not after I attempted piecing it together.

 

So far, so good.  It is a cute little booty butt!  I worked on it over the course a few days, finishing it right before the Super Bowl!


The sections went together.  It was not easy, it was not pretty and it is so far from perfect.  I didn't really care!  As long as it looked like an elephant, that was good enough for me!  


You may have noticed this elephant has tusks.  Which means of course, this is not a baby Breezy!  I'm looking past that one little detail.  This is Breezy!


After pressing the life out of the center, I added a pieced border.  It wasn't going to quilt itself and with the Super Bowl kickoff looming ahead, I had to get it finished.  Grab the Aurifil thread and get a move on it!


I won't pretend I know how to contour with thread!  I had my baby elephant pictures on my laptop for inspiration and reference, fingers crossed it looks like an elephant by the time I get finished!  After a little bit I threw caution to the wind, after all elephants are suppose to be crinkly, wrinkly!


The dry tundra grass, a light breeze in the cloudless sky...if I had a watering hole it would be the perfect habitat!


I really like getting in the weeds!  Or maybe it's getting out of the weeds that makes this kind of project appealing to me.  Either way, I know have my baby elephant and no, I'll never make another one!!  


If you could have one animal as a pet, what would it be?  Forget that many animals could never be a real house pet...this is pure fantasy!  

On another subject, I'm trying to plan a couple projects for our Guild retreat.  I'm looking for a Flying Geese quilt pattern, modern, simple and one that uses 2-3 different geese block sizes.  If you have any suggestions, I am all ears!

LINKING:
TGIFF

30 comments:

  1. I adore your little elephant and am glad you figured out how to put him together.

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    1. I almost want to say it wasn’t worth all the trouble! In the end it kind of was! At least now I can say I have my very own baby elephant. It was a touch one to figure out..I think I need a mindless quilt after this one!

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  2. he's so sweet! glad you pushed on. I'm not a huge animal lover. have grown to love our sweet dog over 10 years but can honestly say I don't desire another animal for a pet! even fantasy

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    1. At least with a fantasy pet there isn’t any care whatsoever!! After having lost our dog not too long ago, I am no where near ready to take on another one. We love dogs and maybe one day we’ll find the need to acquire another one!

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  3. Breeze looks great, and the matched binding is the perfect finishing touch. My husband has wanted a baby alligator (but just a baby) to put in the bathtub in the past. As for me? Some kind of large baby cat (lion, cheetah, etc.).

    As for the geese pattern, I thought of 13 Spools and her Party Geese pattern:
    https://13-spools.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/quilt-pattern-flying-geese

    I also found this Modern Migration Quilt that seems to more fit what you are looking for:
    https://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/rulers_display.asp?i=59404

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    1. So, when I lived in Florida with my family we lived on an old alligator farm. We had to feed the remaining alligators on a regular basis or they’d come for us!! One year it got really cold and we had to actually go in the alligator pen to retrieve the newly hatched baby alligators. Really stupid idea considering the mama’s are extremely protective!! The babies were gathered up and put in the bathtub until it was safe to put them back outside! Tell your husband it can be done…it’s just not recommended!!

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  4. I have a family of elephant lovers!! That is adorable and I would keep it forever. Paper-piecing intimates me so what you did is absolutely beautiful. No matter what anyone says, she is Breezy!! Tusks or not!! Congratulations for persevering ... you did a great job. I love her!!

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  5. oh goodness, this Breezy is so adorable. I love your quilting on him. You did a fabulous job. Good thing you did not give up. I love to paper piece.
    quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

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  6. Breezy is wonderful, Jayne! I love that you quilted in his knee and elbow wrinkles :) I'd have a pet hummingbird if I could. They are so colorful, fast, and fierce!

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  7. First of all, I wouldn't worry that he's not perfect. I have never seen a perfect elephant! The stitched wrinkles more than make up for it. He's delightful!

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  8. This is adorable! I love your baby Breezy! You did a great job figuring out the paper piecing mystery and adding the just the right quilting highlights. I would love to have a pet panther or maybe a tiger :)

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  9. Oh, this is just adorable, and I love Breezy even more with the quilting. I’m glad you pushed through to the end. I think one-time tiny personal paper pieced projects are worth the effort. There is so much satisfaction in the end. I don’t have any pets, although I love dogs and have learned to love my grand kitty. But since this is fantasy, I’d say a baby (definitely a baby) leopard. I had a stuffed version as a kid that went everywhere with me. Her name was Leppy, of course.

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  10. Love Breezy - looks like the challenge to create him was well worthwhile. Why not adopt a real elephant through the World Wildlife Fund? My fantasy pet is always a horse - he's black, has kind eyes and a long mane and tail. His name is Storm (don't tell my border collies)!

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  11. Yeah you have your very own cute Breezy!! Of course you persevered, you are Jane!! I would have a giraffe and then a Koala:)

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  12. This is so stinkin' adorable! I love the way you quilted it -- it makes it look like the little guy is dancing on the savanna!

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  13. I would have a Siberian Tiger!!! So beautiful and intense. Love your elephant! My elephant story is from my 1st pregnancy. I was watching a nature show and a shot elephant was being left by the herd to die alone. I stood in my living room sobbing the tears of an emotional pregnant woman, without the will to change the channel or leave the room. My husband was baffled to say the least. LOL

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  14. I absolutely love your elephant! Good for you, sticking with it and stretching yourself beyond your comfort zone! You probably learned a great deal from your little Breezy!

    I must say, I already HAVE the best pet I can imagine. He is a 7-year-old, snuggly Rottweiler named Otto who watches over me when I sleep, sings along with me (LOUD howling!) when I'm practicing music, and who joyfully chases tennis balls... and patiently tries to teach ME to fetch them for him! He looks at the ball, looks at me, back at the ball, and in his eyes I see "Come on, Mommy, use your nose!"

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  15. Your elephant is so cute! I must admit that I have not tried to make a paper pieced design that is this complicated.

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  16. Sew cute!!! My daughter is obsessed with elephants, too. But really, who doesn't love an elephant, especially a baby elephant! You did such a great job reverse engineering that pattern and quilting, too! Dream pet? A dog, maybe a labradoodle. But for now we're happy with granddogs.

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  17. Such a adorable elephant! Way to persevere and figure it out. As for my outlandish fantasy pet - I'm already a cat-lady with 3 in our house so a big cat would be a must (panther or lion), but I'd also insist on an otter.

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  18. Wow, this is a wonderful piece. I admire you for taking on this challenge. Great result!
    I think a giraffe would be fun!

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  19. Super cute and your quilting detail just makes it!

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  20. Love the quilting details! Mhh, animal... the baby leopard/lion/panther ideas sound fun. But only harmless ones :) To add some new ideas, maybe a small owl? Trained to sit on your shoulder and do some "magic" tricks as the fantasy ones :)))

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  21. You did an absolutely fabulous job on figuring out how to paper piece Breezy. He looks like he loves being your pet too. :) I love hummingbirds, and would love to train one to sit on my fingers each summer.

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  22. Adorable elephant. You are amazing with your creativity. Well done.

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  23. Adorable! And great work figuring it out along the way!

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  24. This is my pattern that you have shamelessly copied - basically stolen!
    Quilt Art Designs

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  25. Can you link where you got pattern from please im an elephant lover and need to make him as he so cute

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  26. I'm game and need an elephant for a safari nursery quilt for my new great grand son! Will attempt to make a pattern and sew it up and pray for the best!

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