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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Teddy Bear's Picnic

I haven't taken the time to post anything for over a week, but I have been busy.

First of all, Tom's quilt "Teddy Bear's Picnic" is  finished as of this evening.  He finished putting it together last week end after finding some fabric that would work for an outer border at JoAnn's. 



Yesterday and today I quilted it for him and did the binding this afternoon and evening (he really dislikes that job).

Here is the finished quilt


I just love the color play in this quilt! 

He came up with the vision for this quilt after seeing the Bear Tracks pattern on Quilter's Cache.  He based it on the song "Teddy Bear's Picnic", a song from the 1930's.  An interesting trivia fact....it was used by Jerry Garcia as a tuning song.

Here are the lyrics:
If you go down to the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.
For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.
Ev'ry teddy bear who's been good
Is sure of a treat today.
There's lots of marvelous things to eat
And wonderful games to play.
Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They'll hide and seek as long as they please
Cause that's the way the teddy bears have their picnic.
If you go down to the woods today
You'd better not go alone.
It's lovely down in the woods today
But safer to stay at home.
For ev'ry bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.
Picnic time for teddy bears
The little teddy bears are having a lovely time today
Watch them, catch them unawares
And see them picnic on their holiday.
See them gaily gad about
They love to play and shout;
They never have any care;
At six o'clock their mummies and daddies,
Will take them home to bed,
Because they're tired little teddy bears.

edit: actually I looked at a slightly different version when I did the quilting which says "if you go out in the woods today" rather than "if you go down to the woods today".  Both Tom and I are more familiar with the version I used.


Many people are familiar with the first verse or two, but don't know the suggestion of it being "safer to stay at home". Tom wanted to have fun with that. So his quilt has teddy bears picnicing (well actually it's Christmas fabric but they have a basket, and Tom says with their fur coats they can picnic in December) but also the scarier bears....in other words "every bear that ever there was" happen to be in this woods.

It's made of flannel and to date the most complicated piecing he's done.  I warned him that piecing HST's from flannel wasn't going to be real easy, but he ended up doing a really good job. (Dare I say he has a good teacher?)


And I quilted the words from a couple of the lyrics in the outer borders.


More of the forest fabric was used for the backing

Didn't he do a great job?

For myself, I finished embroidering the final blocks for the Raggedy Ann and Andy BOM and  set the blocks together.  I'm ready to start quilting it in a day or two.

I have the first four rows of Dutch Treat #3 layered and started hand quilting it last night. Here's what it looks like spray basted and ready to quilt. 


I'm doing it "quilt as you go" like the first two.  After these first four rows are quilted, I'll add two more rows to the right side, quilt them, add two more, etc.  until all 14 rows are done. Then I applique, add and quilt the  borders.  Works well for me as I quilt in my lap without a hoop.

When the applique blocks are trimmed to 4 1/2" from the original 6" working squares, I've saved all those trimmed ends.  I have two boxes full of them from the first two DT's.  This time I decided to work with them as I was doing the applique so that it wouldn't be such a daunting task all at once.  I made strips of no sent length, using whatever I trimmed each session.  Now I've cut those into 4 and 5" blocks, bordering the 4" ones with a brown frame and then piecing all together.  So far I have this much set together.


LOTS and LOTS of seams which may make it a nightmare to quilt.  We'll have to see.

That's what I've been doing.  How about you?





14 comments:

Karen said...

thanks for posting the song lyrics. My dad used to always sing the "if you go down to the woods" line but I never knew most of the rest of it!

Elisa Black said...

Wow, Wow and Wow!! You have been busy!! You amaze me! I love the Teddy Bear quilt-- the overall effect and the details of the bear fabric he selected and that you quilted some of the words to the song on the border. I'm so impressed that you hand quilt everything! And I love what you did with all the trimmings from your Dutch Treat blocks! And the Raggedy ann & Andy quilt is so sweet!! Again, wonderful projects and I am in awe!

Aunt 'Reen said...

Mary - you've been incredibly WONDERFULLY busy!
Tom did a great job on his quilt and I love your quilting on it!

Congrats on finishing your Raggedy Ann top. Your Dutch treat section looks fabulous and I just LOVE..LOVE..LOVE the quilt you made from all of the left over scraps. It's AWESOME!

Sherry said...

I love it Tom does the top amd you do the quilting. I wish I had you here. LOL Your both doing a great job.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

it is very nice that you and Tom can share a love for quilting - hobby sharing is great.
A question for you - I tried spray basting on a very small section of a table topper once to see how it was for hand quilting and I found it stiff and "sticky" for hand quilting - do you not find it harder to work your needle through?
Karen

Jo said...

Love Tom's Teddy Bear Picnic Quilt. Very clever use of fabrics and bears in the borders too. You two play well together! Nice job of quilting and thanks for the lyrics.
btw, LOVE your 3 Dutch Treats.

Anonymous said...

The Teddy Bear Picnic quilt is great. I loved that song back in the 1930s and still love it.

Geta Grama said...

You are very busy, Mary! I don't know how could you work on so many projects at a time! Tom's quilt is wonderful and definitely he has a good teacher! Interesting way to use the leftovers, my strips are very narrow, good for covering cord as someone suggested me.

Lynette said...

Oh! I love what you've done with the trimmings - really great idea. You husband's teddy bear quilt is neat.

Barb said...

Mary you always do wonderful quilts, I just love everyone of them...

Patchwork Sisters said...

The bear quilt is great. I have had a couple of days off from quilting. I'm quilting my Raggedy Ann in section. You work so fast I'm sure you will be done before I am. Only one row done so far.

Crispy said...

Wonderful quilt Tom!!!! I'm in awe of your piecing abilities, no pointy bits for me, I think I need to borrow your teacher :0)

Crispy

Reeze Hanson said...

Hi Mary, I really love your Dutch Treat quilts. What an inspiration you are. I have wanted to do just one and haven't started yet, and you are on number 3! All I can say is WOW. Thanks for sharing your wonderful talent.
Reeze, a fellow Kansan

Sunna Reyr said...

I'm not as far behind as I thought, I love Tom's quilt and the story and poem behind it. What a wonderful idea and the workmanship on the quilt is very good. Congratulations to both of you.

Yep, I love your DT and the strip blocks are perfect, somehow they remind me of a field of bamboo.