Work in Progress Wednesday 04/30/2014

Christmas Tree (adapted from Diana Lampe's Pencil Pine)

Another week has flown by and it is WIP Wednesday again!

This week, I added a tree trunk and red seed bead "ornaments" to the Christmas tree on my Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin block.

A picture of the full block progress to date is below.  Again, it has been slow going on this block, as I have been working on two gifts (that I may be able to share soon) and a few other projects.

To see what Sharon and other stitchers have been up to, check out this week's WIPW post on Sharon Boggon's blog - don't forget to check the links in the comments!

Renee's CQI Winter/Christmas "Dream" block progress as of 04/30/14

Now for progress on my To Do List.  Be forewarned - it is growing.  Partly because the Crazy Quilting International Hearts DYB Round Robin begins tomorrow.  (I am SO excited! Just WAIT until you see all the beautiful blocks headed my way these next few months!  I do admit, I also have the pre-stitch jitters, hoping I don't mess up someone else's gorgeous block, but they will pass once I punch that first needle through the fabric.) The other reason my list is growing is because I am WEAK! I caved and gave in to an urge I have had since mid-January.  (In my defense, it is just SO pretty! Or... it will be as you may see in the links related to item 16 on the list below.)

Last Week's Goals:

1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin Progress seen above.
2. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
6. Two gifts I hope to complete by the end of April I have made great progress on both and hope to share them with you next week!
7. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block. I added one thread. Does that count as progress?
8. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.  No progress.

This Week's Goals:

1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin
2. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
6. Two gifts I hope to complete by the end of April
7. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
8. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
9. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
10. Piece my May CQJP 2014 block.
11. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
12. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
13. Complete a gift by the end of May.
14. Mail out my CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. 
15. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They are GORGEOUS!)
16. Freebie StoryKeep Flower Bride by Linda Tso - complete row 1 of page 1 of the chart. 

    

    My Week 1 Progress HAED freebie StoryKeep Flower Bride by Linda Tso

I have been itching to stitch something from Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) since I learned about their site during the Grow Your Blog Party at 2 Bags Full in January.  The "StoryKeep Flower Bride" seems to be a mini version of Linda Tso's "The Flower Bride" - which is SO beautiful.  Although it is a smaller design for me, it is still huge - if I finish within a year it will be amazing.  I only had 32-count linen, which makes my progress VERY slow - it requires daylight so I can actually see the squares.  My husband thinks I am insane, and he is probably right.  But, I just have to finish this beauty so I can order and complete the next chart on my dream list, "Mini Rose" copyrighted by Rachel Anderson in 2008.  It is also gorgeous. (Just imagine "Mini Rose" at the center of a crazy quilt...)  Anyway... back to the Freebie StoryKeep Flower Bride.  My progress this week is above.  It will be weeks before my fabric looks like anything more than pretty colors.   This is roughly 400 "x" stitches out of over 34,000. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy Wednesday!
Renee

Work In Progress Wednesday 04/23/2014

CQI Winter/Christmas Block Progress as of 4/23/2014

I made a bit more progress.  This week, I focused on the tree I knew I wanted in the lower-left corner.  In spite of using a hoop, the fabric puckered.  (The beads and thick blue trim made it tricky to keep the fabric tight enough, I fear.)

Close up of tree progress on Winter/Christmas Block

I used three DMC flosses - 2 cotton and 1 metallic.  I used three needles with 2 colors of floss blended on each.  One blended a strand of 367 cotton floss and a strand of white metallic floss, a second held a strand of 368 cotton floss and a strand of white metallic floss, and the third contained a strand of 367 and 368 cotton floss.  (This tree is adapted from the Pencil Pine in Embroidery for All Seasons by Diana Lampe.  Please note: I am not affiliated with the book, but if you make a purchase from Amazon.com through my blog, I do earn credit toward a gift card.)

To see the WIPW progress others made this week, check out the comments shared on Sharon Boggon's blog at pintangle.com by clicking HERE. (I must admit, I really want to join Sharon's mini-challenge to create a hussif.  My resolve to finish more on my To Do List first is crumbling...)

Last Week's Goals:

1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (seen above)
2. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
6. Three gifts I hope to complete by the end of April.  I completed one. You can read more about it, see more pictures, & find the link to the tutorial on the post I dedicated to the pincushion HERE.

   

   Pincushion made for my mom using a tutorial at ivoryblushroses.blogspot.com

7. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
8. Have a count of at least 30,081 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel. (I need to type an average of 2,850 words per day to finish on time.)

This Week's Goals:

1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin
2. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
6. Two gifts I hope to complete by the end of April
7. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
8. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel. (I am dreaming on this deadline at this point.  However, I plan to continue working on the novel next month!)

My First Pincushion

Pincushion made for my mom using tutorial at ivoryblushroses.blogspot.com

This gift idea was inspired by Lisa B.'s Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014 (CQJP 2014) projects.  She has made a pincushion each month this year, and they are just gorgeous!

On her blog, ivoryblushroses.blogspot.com, Lisa has a tutorial where she generously shares directions on creating a crazy quilted pincushion.  I have a long way to go to aspire to the works of art she creates, but I had fun creating this for my mom.

Embellished pincushion "block" for my mom.

My mother loves pink.  In fact, Mutt, my 14-year-old son (the nickname is his choice!) set a rule for any gifts we give my mother.  They need to be pink, soft and fluffy.  This qualified for his guidelines.

Unfortunately, the pink cotton fabrics are the only ones that are practical to use as a pincushion, as the cream and white fabrics are not horribly forgiving.  Luckily, my mom decided this was just too pretty to use.  She plans to keep it near her sewing machine to admire when she sews.

2 curved rows of linked chain stitch with detached chain stitch flowers.

Seam Close Up

The stitches were all created with EdMar flosses in various shades of pinks.  Pink pearl beads, white pearl beads, and pale pink seed beads dressed the seams up a bit. (Click on any photo to see a larger image.)

Seam created with chain stitch and straight stitch combination.

Unless beads are added as part of the stitch, I always attach each bead individually.  (I found wrapping the floss through 3 times secures them firmly in place and three knots in the back keeps the single strand of floss from pulling through.)  One of the pearl beads above ended up too close to my seam, so I was able to snip it off without worrying about losing any of the other beads.  (Bonus!)

Bullion-stitched roses, buttons and pearl beads within stem-stitched ovals.

The seam above was the most time consuming.  I am still a novice with THAT stitch (a.k.a. bullion stitch.) In spite of my imperfections, I love bullion-stitched roses.  I received the two pink buttons in a birthday package my husband ordered for me at eveningstardesigns.net.  (They are still having a close-out sale as of the date of this post - and I am not affiliated with their shop.)

Pincushion - view from the wheel-seam side.

Pincushion - view from the bullion rose side.

As you can see, the pincushion is not perfectly round.  Thankfully, my mom loved it anyway!

If you are interested in making a pincushion, Lisa's tutorial is great!

If you have made a pincushion, I would love to see it.  Feel free to leave a link to one in your blog or on your Flickr account.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Renee

Work In Progress Wednesday 04/16/2014

This wreath is the only progress I made this week on the Dream block I am working on from my Winter/Christmas Round Robin.  The bow is perfectly placed to hide a small rust stain that I failed to notice on this section of fabric when I pieced the blocks and mailed them out.  (My old iron left little rusty gifts on occasion before it died.)

Winter/Christmas "Dream" block progress as of 4/16/2014

A few of the other blocks that were completed included lovely green and red motifs.  I will be incorporating more of those Christmas colors to this block to help the blocks look more unified when I assemble them together.

I am so glad I decided to participate in Work In Progress Wednesday (WIPW.)  The commitment motivates me to make some progress every week, however small that may be.  To learn more about WIPW, click here and read the faqs on Sharon Boggon's blog, Pin Tangle.  To see what others have accomplished this week, click here.

Sharon has also invited her readers to participate in a mini challenge.  I am SO tempted to join the fun, but I am using all of my will power to finish more on my list of goals first.  The list shrunk this week.

Last Week's Goals:

1. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 January block DONE! 

   

   CQJP 2014 January Purse Completed!

2. The 6 blocks I need to piece for the CQI Heart DYB Round Robin DONE!

   

   CQI Heart DYB RR Bare Blocks

3. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (seen above)
4. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
5. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
6. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
7. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
8. Four gifts I hope to complete by the end of April Item 9 on the list was one of the 4 gifts. ;)
9. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 March block DONE! 

   

   CQJP 2014 March Purse Completed!

10. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block. (It has been pieced and a photo of the bare block is below.)
11. Have a count of at least 25,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel. (GULP!) Oops! I am still at 10,131 words (too much sewing this week - if that's possible!)

This Week's Goals:

1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (seen above)
2. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
3. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
4. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
5. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
6. Three gifts I hope to complete by the end of April
7. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
8. Have a count of at least 30,081 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel. (I need to type an average of 2,850 words per day to finish on time.)

CQJP 2014 March Block Purse

CQJP 2014 March Block made into a winter purse for my cousin.

Winter Stocking - 2013 Winter Challenge

I have been meaning to make a winter-themed purse for my cousin since she saw a picture of the stocking I made for the Evening Star Designs 2013 Winter Challenge.  (Sadly, Evening Star Designs is going out of business. At the time of this posting, they still have some amazing deals going on to empty their inventory.)

Although I really wanted to put a button snowman on the purse, I feared it would catch on things too easily.  So, I used the darling snowman print on a piece of flannel from a fabric bundle I picked up several years ago at Stitchin' Post, a quilt store in Sisters, Oregon.

The purse was a gift to both celebrate my cousin's birthday and to say thank you for coordinating our last family reunion (which was no small task!)  It arrived late on both counts, and just a tad too late for winter.  Thankfully, she did not mind!  (Well, it is sort of late for winter.  I just learned she had 80 degree weather yesterday and this morning she had snow.)

Back of CQJP 2014 March Block Purse

 It is not a very big purse, but there are pockets perfectly sized to hold a pen and a phone on one side, and a pocket that extends the full width of the purse on the other.  I even included a small (far from perfect) label inside.

Inside pocket with label

Inside pocket with pen holder

CQJP 2014 March block made into a purse with recycled denim.

Who knew a pair of my husband's old blue jeans could ever be so pretty?

I am so glad I was able to brighten my cousin's day with this token of appreciation.  She is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself.

Hugs,
Renee

TAST 4/15/14

TAST Stitches 108: Rice Stitch and 109: Square Boss Stitch

Wow!  It is Tuesday again.  How time flies!  This week, Sharon Boggon introduced two stitches for TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday.)

I must say, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the texture these stitches provide!  And, when my hubby walked in the room and peeked over my shoulder, he declared, "That's really cool!"  So, I know he was not humoring me. ;)

To see the directions for each stitch, just click on the name of the stitch. The links at the bottom of the page will take you to directions for other TAST stitches I have tried.

TAST Stitch #108: Rice Stitch

TAST Stitch #108: Rice Stitch

I used a single strand of Anchor size 8 perle cotton in pink and in black on Aida cloth.  I chose these colors, as I hope to add a variation of this stitch to the messenger bag I was working on (as soon as I have time to focus on that project for myself once again.)  This shows 2 rows of the stitch.

TAST Stitch #108: Rice Stitch

Here, I tried the stitch with only the pink size 8 perle cotton.  (I purchased the perle cotton with an assortment of other goodies from crazyquiltingsupplies.com.  I look forward to sharing more of those treasures with you in the near future! Please note, I am not affiliated with the shop.)

TAST Stitch #108: Rice Stitch - variation

I thought this was the first variation Sharon shared, but I oopsed.  Her variation uses a slightly larger X so the stitches on the edges (seen in black here) would not touch. However, I like this variation, so it was a good oops. Again, this is 2 rows.

TAST Stitch #108: Rice Stitch - variation

This is the second variation Sharon shared for this stitch.  This shows 2 rows of the stitch.  I like it with the pink and black and with just the pink.  

TAST Stitch #109: Square Boss Stitch

TAST Stitch #109 - Square Boss Stitch

The Square Boss uses a larger X.  I have not played around with it as much.  I did like the affect, and think I would love it with a single color.

Thank you for stopping by!  I encourage you to visit Pintangle.com to see how others have used these two stitches!  Just CLICK HERE and follow the links left in the comments.  

And, if you are thinking about learning some embroidery stitches, jump on in and try out a TAST stitch of your own.  There are no rules as to the order of stitches you try and you can set your own pace.

I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Hugs,

Renee

TAST stitches I have shared (click on the name to see Sharon's directions.)
#1: Fly Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#7: Detached Chain Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
# 95: Linked Chain Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
# 96: Beaded Link Chain Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#97: Shell Chain Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#98: Beaded Shell Chain Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#103: Beaded Butterfly Chain Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#104: Buttonholed Cable Chain - To see my example, Click Here
#106: Looped Cretan Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#107: Beaded Looped Cretan Stitch - To see my example, Click Here

#108: Rice Stitch - My examples are pictured above.

#109: Square Boss Stitch - My examples are pictured above.

CQI Heart DYB Round Robin Bare Blocks

CQI Heart DYB RR 2014 - Renee Y.'s bare blocks

On May 1st, I will be starting a new round robin with five other members of the Crazy Quilting International (CQI) Yahoo! Group.  The theme will be hearts.  And it is a Do Your Block (DYB) Round Robin (RR), meaning we each make 6 blocks that are 6" x 6".  The five other members of the RR will select a block to work on, and I will have one block to embellish when they make their way home.

These will be made into a wall hanging for my bedroom - which is painted red, black and white.

I will share more with you about this RR the beginning of May, when I receive my first set of blocks to work on.

(If you want to check out some amazing eye candy, make a visit to the CQI blog - that is where I discovered this wonderful group.) 

Have a great week!

Hugs,
Renee 

CQJP 2014 January Block Purse

Small purse made from CQJP 2014 January block.

The January block I created for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014 is now a small under-the-sea themed purse!  It is a tiny thing, measuring 7-inches long and 5-inches wide, but it turned out stinkin' cute, if you ask me. (I am biased, I know!)

If you have followed my blog for a while, you may remember I was very pleased with how well my little sea horse turned out, as I am not an artist, but I managed to sketch him and stitch him.  (A friend has asked me to share his outline.  As soon as I figure out which spiral notebook I drew him in, I plan to do that for her.)

Back of January CQJP 2014 January block purse.

Once again, I recycled denim from a good section of an old, very worn pair of jeans. Unfortunately, denim loops to hold the purse strap turned out to be way too thick for my machine to handle, so I went with blue cotton (matching the top section of the purse front.)

Inside, the lining is made from one of the sandy prints used on the front of the block.  The front pocket is divided into two sections.  One is smaller - to hold a couple of pens. The other side fits my phone or a pair of sunglasses. (Note: my phone is not a smart phone and is rather small.  I need to see if my hubby's iPhone would fit...)

The back pocket runs the full width of the purse.  A few people asked me if I added my name and the year to the purse I made for myself with my February CQJP 2014 block, in case someone years down the road may want to know who made it and when.  Of course, I had not.  For this purse, I thought of adding a label, but thought I would try using a Micron pen instead.  (I think I will go with the label next time.  At least this is hidden within the purse!)

Purse made from my CQJP 2014 January block.

I have been itching to make this little purse.  However, it took me a while to find a silver chain to use for the strap.  Well... I found several with much larger links, but they simply would not fit this tiny purse.  I could have made a different strap, but my heart was set on a silver chain. Why? Simply because of the silver chain I embroidered to hold the anchor.  It seemed a perfect fit.  One day, I was smart enough to look in the jewelry supplies - rather than the purse making supplies - at JoAnn Fabric, and I found this chain.  A couple of small D-rings, two metal clips on key chains, and this silver chain fit the bill perfectly!

This was truly a FUN project! If I ever start my own Etsy shop, I imagine this would be my first piece of inventory.  (Hmmm.... that would require putting a price on it though.  I'm not crazy about that idea - lol!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope your day is as beautiful and sunny as mine (even if it is a tad chilly outside.)  I do not know about you, but I will be thinking about the beach!

Work In Progress Wednesday 4/9/2014

Winter/Christmas block progress as of 4/8/2014

Crazy Quilt Angel Seam

My Take A Stitch Tuesday (TAST) stitches are the only progress I have made on this block this week.  Using the Looped Cretan Stitch, Detached Chain Stitch and adding a seed bead, I created the angel seam in the upper-right section. (Click the photos for a larger image.)

(Please excuse the little bug on the white section of the block.  I took the picture outside and did not see him until after his impromptu photo shoot.)

Be sure to visit Sharon Boggon's PinTangle blog to see what others WIPW projects have been shared!

GOALS

Although I do not have a lot to share you yet, it has been an incredibly busy week. (Nothing has been marked off my list, but at least nothing new has been added!  The second list is identical to the first - if you delete my progress comments that are listed in blue.)

Last week's goals:

1. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 January block All of the pieces are cut out now!
2. The 6 blocks I need to piece for the CQI Heart DYB Round Robin Almost -  I hope to share soon!
3. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (seen above)
4. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
5. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
6. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
7. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.) It is pieced and one seam is embellished.
8. Four gifts I hope to complete by the end of April 1 is almost done and 2 others have been pieced.
9. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 March block All of the pieces are cut now!
10. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block. (It has been pieced and a photo of the bare block is below.) One seam has been embellished
11. Type at least 13,367 words for CampNaNoWriMo novel. (1,667 words per day.) 10,131 is pretty close, isn't it?! (Sigh... I've been behind since Day 1, but I am persevering.)

This week's goals:

1. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 January block
2. The 6 blocks I need to piece for the CQI Heart DYB Round Robin
3. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (seen above)
4. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
5. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
6. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
7. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
8. Four gifts I hope to complete by the end of April
9. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 March block
10. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block. (It has been pieced and a photo of the bare block is below.)
11. Have a count of at least 25,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel. (GULP!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you all have a wonderful and productive week.

TAST 4/8/2014

Take A Stitch Tuesday (TAST) is a stitchers challenge offered by Sharon Boggon on her blog Pintangle.com.

I am not doing the stitches in any particular order.  For the most part, if I see a current stitch that fits a project I am working on, I will learn (or practice) that stitch and share it with you here.  At the end of this post, I will list the stitches I have completed so far.  The links take you to the directions on Sharon Boggon's blog.  To see my other TAST stitches, click on the TAST label at the end of this post, or on the menu to the right.

Note: for a larger view, click on any image.

TAST Stitch #1: FLY STITCH 

TAST #1: Fly Stitch

Last week, I thought I should probably try to accomplish stitch one.  I spent about fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to use the stitch and ended up laughing at myself.  My Winter/Christmas block needed a snowflake seam and snowflakes are my favorite way to use the fly stitch!  It is worked with size 8 perle cotton above and a pearl bead covers the spot where all of the stitches meet.

TAST Stitch #106: Looped Cretan Stitch

TAST #106: Looped Cretan Stitch

Stitches 106 and 107 were introduced last week.  As soon as I saw the Looped Cretan Stitch, I knew I wanted to add it to my Winter/Christmas block.  It fit in so well after adding some beads and another stitch (as you will soon see.)  I still need some practice on evenly spacing the stitches...

The stitch is worked with white size 12 perle cotton.

TAST Stitch #107: Beaded Looped Cretan Stitch

I thought the beaded version of this stitch would look nice on my April CQJP 2014 block. (To learn more about the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) and see lots of pretty eye candy, CLICK HERE.)

TAST #107: Beaded Looped Cretan Stitch

To be honest, after I finished, I was not sure I made the best combination of beads and threads for this stitch (as seen in the picture on the right.)  However, after I added my final stitch to the combination, I LOVED the results.  (Wait, did I really just admit I doubted this stitch combo? I could have had you all believing I knew how great it would look all along.  I share my hubby's opinion that this seam ended up looking, "Really cool!")

Oops!  I started adding yellow beads before I remembered to take a picture of the basic stitch.

This stitch is worked with a strand of yellow size 8 perle cotton and TOHO blue size 11/0 seed beads.

TAST Stitch #7: Detached Chain Stitch

I needed this stitch to complete my plans for the seam I embellished with the Looped Cretan Stitch, pictured above; so, I thought I would add it to my TAST stitches.

I frequently refer to the Detached Chain Stitch as a Lazy Daisy, as that is its label in some of my embroidery books.  It is one of the stitches I find myself using again and again.  Just look at how it transformed these seams and you may understand why.  It is a simple stitch and it is very versatile.

By adding a white seed bead and two Detached Chain Stitches to the triangles created with the Looped Cretan Stitch, I created angels on a seam on my Winter/Christmas block.  (My apologies for the photo, the lighting this evening was not the best.)

And, by adding a yellow seed bead and 5 Detached Chain Stitches with a single strand of EdMar Lola #034 rayon floss, I created flowers at the top of each yellow triangle formed with the Beaded Looped Cretan Stitch. 

Like I said, this nifty stitch can really transform a seam!

I just LOVE how cheerful this seam turned out.

TAST stitches I have shared (click on the name to see Sharon's directions )
#1: Fly Stitch
#7: Detached Chain Stitch
# 95: Linked Chain Stitch
# 96: Beaded Link Chain Stitch
#97: Shell Chain Stitch
#98: Beaded Shell Chain Stitch
#103: Beaded Butterfly Chain Stitch
#104: Buttonholed Cable Chain
#106: Looped Cretan Stitch
#107: Beaded Looped Cretan Stitch

Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out what I have been up to!  

Have a wonderful week!

Work in Progress Wednesday 4/2/14

Wow!  It is WIP Wednesday again already.  Time certainly does fly!

To find out more about WIP, CLICK HERE to read the faqs at pintangle.com.

This week I finished outlining "Dream" and embellished two more seams.

Looking at the progress on this block and on the list of goals from last week, it feels like I have not achieved much.  However, I have also been working away at a couple of gift items that I cannot share yet.

To see what others have been working on, check out the comments others have posted on Sharon Boggon's Work In Progress Wednesday post HERE.

Last November, I planned to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), but my schedule was so crazy, I think I gave up after day one.  (I did actually type over 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo 2012.  But, I was so unhappy with what I created, not even my hubby has been allowed to read it.)  This month, I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo. My thought being, April would be far less busy than November; so, I would actually have time to dedicate to writing.  Hmmm... that was before my hubby changed jobs and began working from home (which requires the use of our PC - there is a reason I have not posted often recently!)  And, I was not thinking about the many projects I hoped to finish this month.  That being said, even if I fail to meet the 50,000 word goal, some progress is better than no progress. Right? Right!

GOALS:

This list is pretty much to help me be accountable - but it seems to be growing each week.  Hmmm...

Last week's goals:

1. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 January block
2. The 6 blocks I need to piece for the CQI Heart DYB Round Robin
3. Complete my March CQJP 2014 block. (It has been pieced and a photo of the bare block is below.  I hope to finish embellishing it this evening!)
4. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (I will share what little progress I have made on Wednesday.)
5. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
6. My CQJP 2013 May block (better late than never?!)
7. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
8. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
9. Four gifts I hope to complete by the end of April.

This week's goals:

1. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 January block
2. The 6 blocks I need to piece for the CQI Heart DYB Round Robin
3. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin (seen above)
4. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
5. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
6. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
7. A change purse for myself (to learn how to use a sew-in purse frame.)
8. Four gifts I hope to complete by the end of April
9. The purse I plan to make with my CQJP 2014 March block
10. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block. (It has been pieced and a photo of the bare block is below.)
11. Type at least 13,367 words for CampNaNoWriMo novel. (1,667 words per day.)