CQI Heart DYB Round Robin 2014 - Set 4 Completed

Almost all of my stitching time this week was devoted to embellishing this block for Alexandra.  It was fun to work on such a pretty block.  (You may click on any photo for a larger view.)

This was the block prior to embellishment.

I began with the heart in the center, as I did not want my seam work to be in the way.  (Some of the beads were added after all other stitching was completed.)

Next I worked an uneven button hole stitch along this seam.  Beads and lazy daisy (detached chain) stitches created flowers and leaves.  The butterfly and its flight path (which includes another heart) were added just before the final beads.

A green feather stitch along this seam was the next step.  Once again, lazy daisy (detached chain) stitches and beads created flowers and leaves.  (This seam was inspired by a seam on a glasses case on Humming Needles.  To see that beauty, click here.  It is worth the visit!  You may also find Humming Needles on Etsy - I am not affiliated with Humming Needles, I am just a big fan.)

This next seam was inspired by the heart flowers Barbara created along a seam on the block she embellished by Alexandra. I began with the chevron seam and then added the flowers. In hindsight, I wish I had used a darker shade for the hearts on these flowers, but I do like them.

You may recognize the beaded up and down button hole stitch from a recent TAST post. Fly stitches and French knots made with 2 strands of a variegated floss created small flowers. I did not want these flowers to compete with the heart above them, so I liked the way they almost blended in with the fabric beneath the central motif.

Sharon B. of pintangle.com offers a newsletter now.  The first addition arrived in my email this week.  (You may subscribe through a link on her blog here, if you are interested.) One of the photos included seam treatments with groups of 3 lazy daisy (detached chain) stitches and two straight stitches.  There was a bead at the end of each straight stitch.  I loved the look of this seam treatment and adapted it to fit the heart theme of this block by replacing the beads with hearts.  I love this seam!

This herringbone seam was the final seam treatment.  Along one side, I created flowers with lazy daisy and straight stitches and added a Mill Hill petite glass seed bead to the center of each one.  On the other side, I added small hearts.  (The flower tops and hearts were created using the same section of a variegated cotton floss.)

I wanted to add more motifs to the block, but I also wanted it to fit in consistently with the other 3 blocks that had been embellished. The photo above shows the completed blocks to be mailed to Tahlia. Kathy S. (aka Clothqueen) embellished the purple block. Barbara W. embellished the blue block. Lisa B. embellished the green block. And I embellished the pink block.

I do hope Alexandra likes her blocks!  Today, I plan to spend some time checking out some of Alexandra's patterns on Craftsy.  I adore Halloween decorations, and some of her free patterns are Halloween themed.  The birds are also pretty amazing. Once I catch up on my current projects and UFOs (that can happen, right?!), I may have to try some of these patterns out.  You may find them here on Craftsy - or just look for Alexa's World on craftsy.com.  (I am not affiliated - I just find it fun to be in a round robin with so many talented ladies!)

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee