Wednesday, May 28, 2014

WIP Wednesday 05/28/2014

Well... I do not have much to share this week that you have not already seen.  Although I did not make any progress on the Winter/Christmas wall quilt or on my cross-stitch, I did finish Lisa's block for the CQI Heart DYB RR.

This week has also been insanely busy with band concerts for the boys, a National Honor Society induction ceremony, Memorial Day, etc.  I also spent a few hours working on my craft corner (which is overwhelmingly unorganized.)  So, it has been a productive week!  I just have nothing to show you all. Sorry!

To see actual progress others have made this week, check out this post and the comments on Pintangle.com.

I did want to at least update my list of goals, and I decided to assign various items to long-term and short-term goals.

Last week's list:
  1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
  2. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
  3. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
  4. A change purse for myself
  5. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  6. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  7. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  8. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  10. Complete a gift by the end of May.
  11. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They really are GORGEOUS!) - Done!
  12. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week.
This week's list:
Short-term:
  1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
  2. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  3. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  4. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  5. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  6. Complete a gift by the end of May June.
  7. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week.
Long-term:
  1. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
  2. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
  3. A change purse for myself
  4. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  5. Piece and embellish 2 "snowballs" for CQI Snowball Swap. 
  6. Piece June CQJP 2014 block.
  7. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
  8. Make a purse with June CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Piece July CQJP 2014 block.

How Does a Round Robin Work? Answers from my experiences.

A few people have asked me how round robins work; so, I thought I would type up a post to cover the basics, as I understand them.

Unfortunately, my experience is limited. The only round robins and swaps I have participated in were through the Crazy Quilting International (CQI) Yahoo! Group (a great group of people!) so this post will be about CQI Round Robins.  (The group does have more detailed guidelines for their round robins that group members should read before participating in a round robin. These guidelines may be found in the Files section of the main group and in most of the subgroups (the gallerys, novices, etc.) This post is just designed to answer the questions I have been asked.)

There are two main types of round robins on the group: Traditional and DYB (which I understand means "Do Your Block.")

Each round robin (RR) has/requires:
1. A coordinator (the first person to sign up) that helps the group decide on a starting date (the 1st or the 15th of the chosen month) and puts a rotation schedule together.
2. Guidelines and a rotation schedule that lets everyone know which person they will mail blocks to each month.
3. A booklet to travel with the blocks.  (Sheets of paper each participant puts together including the guidelines, rotation schedule, and - most importantly - what the block owner wants or does not want on their block.)
4. A database to track where the blocks are throughout the round robin.

Traditional RR

1. 5 people sign up.
2. Each participant makes a 12-inch square block and a booklet (as mentioned above.)
3. On the beginning date of the RR, the block owner sends their block and booklet to the person they will mail to throughout the round robin.
4. The first stitcher will complete one-fourth of the block, following the wishes of the block owner.  This sets the tone for the entire block, as other stitchers will strive to balance the block in color, theme, etc. To determine one-fourth of the block, the number of seams are counted and divided by four. (For example, 12 seams would mean each stitcher embellishes 3 seams.) The same is done with open spaces on the block.
5. Each month, the other stitchers also complete one-fourth of the block.
6. The block will be completely embellished when it returns home. And, each stitcher should have left a note in the booklet that accompanied the block.

DYB RR

1. 6 people sign up.
2. Each participant makes 6 6-inch square blocks and a booklet (as mentioned above.)
3. On the beginning date of the RR, the block owner sends all 6 of their blocks and their booklet to the person they will mail to throughout the round robin.
4. The first stitcher will choose one of the bare blocks to embellish, following the wishes of the block owner. This sets the tone for the blocks for the round robin, as other stitchers will strive to make the blocks coordinate well together.
5. Each month the other stitchers will also choose one bare block to complete.  There will be one less block to choose from with each rotation.
6. When the 6 blocks return to their owner, 5 will be embellished and the 6th will be bare for the owner to embellish. Again, the booklet should also return home with a note from each stitcher that worked on the blocks.

Which do I prefer?
I like the DYB round robins best.  Why? I tend to prefer smaller blocks.  I do not have to fold the blocks to mail them, and I get to complete a full block.  I like that.  Others prefer the traditional round robins.  They only have to make one block, it is lighter - so cheaper to mail, and they only have to complete part of a block.

If you are interested, but have never participated in a round robin, I encourage you to participate in one! (In the CQI groups, the Novice RRs use the traditional 12-inch blocks and are a great way to learn about the process.)

Why join a round robin?
1. The eye candy we enjoy in photos is beautiful, but I have not yet seen a picture able to truly capture the beauty of a block.
2. There is nothing like holding the work of someone else in your hands. Seeing the work of others opens my mind to new techniques and ideas.
3. It is a great way to learn.
4. It is a fun way to meet new people that share your crazy quilting interests.

At the beginning of this post, I also mentioned swaps.  These are not to be confused with RRs.  In a RR, your block or blocks return to you at the end.  In a swap, your block is traded with someone else.  CQI currently has a "snowball" swap that I have participated in, and will be again next month.  There is a database for participants to list their preferences in size, shape, colors and themes (not to exceed 4-inches.) Members may see someone has listed preferences they would like to stitch and individually contact that member about a swap. Or, they may ask the whole group if anyone wants to swap.  Once a swap is agreed upon, the two members privately email one another to exchange addresses and to set a deadline for the swap.  These are small, quick and - in my opinion - very fun! (I know, my To Do List is huge already, but I just could not resist a snowball fight or two in June! So, I will be sharing more snowballs with you before too long.)

I hope this information adequately answered the questions asked. (Sorry, I tend to be horribly verbose...) I am certainly not an expert on the subject, as I am only in my third round robin right now. So, if anyone noticed any errors in this post or important bits I may have forgotten, please let me know.

There are other crazy quilting groups out there that have round robins and swaps.  Again, this post relates to the ones I have actually participated in.  (Other Yahoo! groups I have joined are CQ for Newbies and World Wide Crazy Quilters. I am sure there are even more groups out there!)

Hugs,
Renee

*This post was edited on 5/30/14 to add where the CQI round robin (RR) guidelines may be found on the CQI Yahoo! group sites to the information above. If you missed it, they are listed within the "Files" section on the main group and within most of the subgroups.  The way Yahoo! groups are set up, more than one group site was needed to hold all of the databases and photos, etc. CQI members should join all of the CQI groups in order to enjoy all the group has to offer.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

TAST 05/27/14

I managed to complete a few more TAST stitches over the past few weeks.  They are listed below.

TAST #3: Feather Stitch


I must admit, the idea for the leaves and flowers I added to the feather stitch were inspired by a photo on Pinterest someone posted from the Humming Needles blog.  (The work there is always a treat!)

TAST #4: Cretan Stitch

TAST #5: Herringbone Stitch


After a few more embellishments.

TAST #6: Chevron Stitch


TAST #112: Feathered Chain Stitch

(I have some more practice to do with this one...)


After adding a few more detached chain stitches and beads.

Next week, I hope to be caught up with stitches 113-115.

Thank you for stopping by! Please remember to stop by Pintangle to see what other stitchers have been up to!

-Renee

CQI Heart DYB Round Robin 2014 - Set 1 Complete

CQI Heart DYB RR 2014 - Lisa B.'s block embellished by Renee Y.
The Crazy Quilting International (CQI) Heart Do Your Block (DYB) Round Robin (RR) that I signed up for earlier this year began on May 1st!

Earlier this month, I received the following set of blocks from Lisa B. of ivoryblushroses.blogspot.com. (Yes, this is the same blog with the fantastic pincushion tutorial!)

Click on any photo for a larger view.






I chose to work on the block in this last photos above.

Close up of the heart embellished by Renee Y. on Lisa B.'s block.
 A few close ups of the white-on-white work are below.
A couched heart with lazy daisy (detached chain stitch) leaves and two flowers at the top.
The butterfly is a Swarovski crystal bead.
Flowers and Bows
A gathered silk ribbon rose.
A tall vine flower.

This block was a true joy to work on.  

Most of the heart area was worked in DMC stranded floss and perle cotton (sizes 5 and 8) in shades of 498, 814, 815 and 816.  A couple of shades of DMC white flosses were used with strands of rayon floss and perle cotton floss (sizes 5, 8 and 12.)

The heart shaped beads are Mill Hill Glass Treasures #12082.  There are four hearts in a package.  I picked up two packages of these quite some time ago at Acorns and Threads, a cross-stitch store on Scholl's Ferry Road in the Beaverton/Portland, OR area.

My husband teased me as I worked on the white section.  I would show him my progress and he would tell me he couldn't see anything.  This was the most tone-on-tone work I had done.  And, with the shapes of the white patches being rather uneven because of the heart, I worried a lot about keeping things balanced.  So, I kept hoping it would all look okay when it was complete.  Imagine my delight when I showed the completed block to my hubby last night and he told me he thought this was my best work yet.  (It turns out the white-on-white grew on him and he really likes being able to find something new each time he looks at it.  Good thing, as I hope to make white-on-white curtains for our office doors some day!)

I do hope this is what Lisa had in mind for her oh-so-pretty blocks!

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Renee

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

WIP Wednesday 05/21/14

I am afraid I did not make any progress on the quilt hanging I am making with the Winter/Christmas blocks from the CQI round robin.

So, I am sharing the progress on the cross-stitch I began about 3 weeks ago.

This is from the Freebie Santa and the Mouse chart at heavenandearthdesigns.com.

I have not shared the title or the picture of the cross-stitch with my family.  My youngest is the only one willing to even guess what it might be at this point.  He thinks it is a sky at the top and part of a landscape or buildings on the left.  Not a bad guess.

To see what WIPW projects Sharon and others have been completing, check out this week's WIPW post at Pin Tangle - do not forget to check out the links in the comments.  You will see some amazing work! (To learn more about WIPW, click here.)

Last Week's Goals:
  1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks 
  2. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
  3. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
  4. A change purse for myself
  5. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  6. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  7. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  8. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  10. Complete a gift by the end of May.
  11. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They really are GORGEOUS!)  I have finished at least half of the block and hope to share it before next Wednesday.
  12. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. I finished at least 300 x-stitches (and have SO far to go!) :)
This Week's Goals (which looks identical to last week's list):
  1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
  2. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
  3. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
  4. A change purse for myself
  5. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  6. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  7. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  8. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  10. Complete a gift by the end of May.
  11. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They really are GORGEOUS!)
  12. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. 

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Work In Progress Wednesday 05/14/14

Renee's CQI Winter/Christmas Block Completed 05/13/2014
This week, I finished embellishing the "Dream" block from the Crazy Quilting International  Winter/Christmas Do Your Block Round Robin I participated in last year!

I added a few blue flowers at the top, a button snowman, and my first attempt at a button cluster (which looks more like a button spray to me, but I tried!)

Blue SRE Flower
Lazy Daisy Flower with Beads
Button Cluster
Button Snowman
Now, I just need to assemble all 6 blocks into a wall hanging and this work in progress project will be complete!

To see what WIPW projects Sharon and others have been completing, check out this week's WIPW post at Pin Tangle - do not forget to check out the links in the comments.  You will see some amazing work! (To learn more about WIPW, click here.)

Last Week's Goals:

  1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin Done - 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
  6. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  7. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  8. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  10. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  11. Complete a gift by the end of May.
  12. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They really are GORGEOUS!)
  13. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament - Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 700 x-stitches. I met about half of this goal.  I forgot how hard cross-stitching can be on my wrists, so I need to slow it down. My progress to date is below.

This Week's Goals:
  1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks
  2. My CQJP 2013 May block - better late than never?! (It is referred to as Block 4 if you follow this link.)
  3. A crazy quilted hexagon to participate in my first swap with the World Wide Crazy Quilters Yahoo! Group
  4. A change purse for myself
  5. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  6. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  7. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  8. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  10. Complete a gift by the end of May.
  11. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They really are GORGEOUS!)
  12. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament -  Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. (I believe the ornament is a portion of the chart "Santa and the Mouse.") Complete 100 x-stitches by next week. 
 

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

My First Mug Rugs

On Saturday, the day before Mother's Day, I decided I should make gifts for my mom and my mother-in-law.  They would be more meaningful than anything I could buy, right?  (The day before was not the best timing, but it all worked in the end.  Sleep is overrated, right?!)

Bird and birdhouse sketched in a 6 x 7 inch rectangle for mug rug pattern.
I felt a bit like a child again, drawing a picture for Mother's Day.  I just took the picture to a new level this time.

Now, I must admit, I have been a bit fascinated by the concept of a Mug Rug. They are larger than a coaster, but smaller than a place mat - making them perfect for a beverage and a snack.  So, I decided to make mug rugs.

After looking up several tutorials and sketches of birds and birdhouses, I decided to draw my own picture and to take ideas I liked from several mug rug tutorials. (I did not reverse the pattern when I cut my applique pieces out, as I did not mind if the bird sat on the left or the right.)

Blue Birdhouse Mug Rug by Renee
I do not trust my sewing skills, so I made three mug rugs.  This allowed me to work the quirks out with the one for our household, instead of on the gifts.

I liked the way the mug rug at SameliasMum.com outlined the applique with charcoal thread.  I only had black, and liked the way it turned out.
Pink Birdhouse Mug Rug by Renee
As you may recall, my boys insist my mother's gifts are pink, soft, and fluffy.  This passed their inspection.

Red Birdhouse Mug Rug by Renee
I used more of the poppy fabric for my mother-in-law's gift, as it is her favorite flower.

To bind the mug rugs, I chose the 2-fold method shared at The Patchsmith.  Using the slip stitch in the back took me quite some time, but I made dramatic improvements with that stitch!

I had so much fun making these, I would not be surprised to see a "sane" quilt make it to a To Do List shared on a WIPW post one of these days!

Blue mug rug by Renee with a cup of cocoa in an M&M mug.
I do have a question for those of you with more quilting experience.  Is there a secret to machine quilting to avoid loops in the top thread?  I imagine it was a tension issue, but I could not quite manage to solve the problem with changes I made.  Any tips or advice are most welcome!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!



TAST 05/13/14

This week, I worked the two stitches Sharon introduced on April 29th for TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday) on Pin Tangle.  (Click here for more information about TAST.)

TAST Stitch 110: Rope Stitch:

TAST #110: Rope Stitch
I worked the stitch with #8 green perle cotton.  I added flowers with detached chain stitches using a strand of #8 blue perle cotton and filled each stitch with a straight stitch, so the yellow fabric beneath was not as obvious. A small yellow bead at the center of each flower completed the seam.

It took a few minutes of playing around with this stitch on a scrap of fabric before I felt comfortable with the spacing of the stitches.  Once I caught on, it was quite easy.  I'm sure you will see it again on my crazy quilt work!

TAST Stitch 111: Zig Zag Coral Stitch:

TAST #111: Zig Zag Coral Stitch
EdMar rayon floss in a variegated blue was used to create the Zig Zag Coral Stitch.  I enjoyed using this stitch.  I have no doubt I will use it again in the future!

To see the TAST stitches introduced this week and to see what others are creating with their stitches, Click here and be sure to check out the links in the comments too!

Have a great day!
Renee

TAST stitches I have shared (click on the name to see Sharon's directions.)
#1: Fly Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#108: Rice Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#109: Square Boss Stitch - To see my example, Click Here
#110: Rope Stitch - Example is above
#111: Zig Zag Coral Stitch - Example is above

Monday, May 12, 2014

A Poppy Pincushion

Poppy Pincushion made using CQ Pincushion Tutorial at Ivory Blush Roses
This is the second pincushion I made using the wonderful tutorial on Lisa's blog, Ivory Blush Roses.

I made this one for my mother-in-law. She loves gardening and sewing.  Poppies are her favorite flower, so I picked up the central fabric some time ago with thoughts of her.

I pieced the block at the same time I pieced the pink pincushion I made for my mom.

I kept the stitching simple, to leave plenty of room for pins.

You may recognize the seams from my TAST post last week. 


I think I improved at stitching the ribbon along the bottom this time around.  I did love using the black velvet riboon!

One more hand made gift for 2014 is now complete!

Friday, May 9, 2014

My First Change Purse with a Sew-Purse Frame

Change purse made using tutorial at Sweet Bee Buzzings.
Well, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and finally made something with a sew-in frame.

I have wanted to try using one since I discovered the beautiful glasses cases at Humming Needles.

A few months ago, I bought a small sew-in frame at JoAnn Fabrics and searched on-line for a tutorial.


Special thanks to Bethany at Sweet Bee Buzzings for sharing a tutorial, complete with a pattern to help newbies like myself!  (Click on the link above to go to the tutorial.)

In the 5th grade, I made a wonderful friend.  I think I spent almost as much time in her home growing up as I did in my own.  Over the years, we have been separated by distance.  However, our friendship is one of those magical ones where regardless of the number of months or years that may have passed, every time we meet up it as if we just saw each other yesterday.

This friend is also wonderful about mailing me a birthday card and a Christmas card every year.  Sending cards is not one of my strong points.  She is always in my thoughts, but I rarely get a card out into the mail. So, this year, I thought I would surprise her with a gift.  (She should be all the more surprised, as it is arriving quite late.)


I traced the change purse shape onto muslin and basted this creamy white fabric into place. Then I stitched on a monogram. (I traced the "J" in reverse onto the back of the muslin with a very light lead pencil, using a monogram from The Magic of Crazy Quilting: A Complete Resource for Embellished Quilting by Marsha Michler.)


After stitching the "J", I added vines and flowers - hoping they would be far enough from the edges.  (In the future, I will stitch the bottom section one-fourth to one-half inch higher.)
Front of change purse
At this point, my gift had missed its deadline.  So, I gave myself a week to gather my courage to follow the tutorial and make the change purse.  (It was not as hard as I had feared!  Silly me...)

Back of change purse
A peek inside the change purse.
After sewing the frame in following the instructions on the tutorial (although I used size 8 perle cotton because I did not have size 5 in the right color), I went through with another strand of perle cotton and a size 28 tapestry needle to stitch a bead over each of the holes in the frame.

Now, I am eager to attempt more projects with sew-in frames!  (A good thing, as I ordered a couple from CrazyQuiltingSupplies.com that I am anxious to try out!  That is also where I picked up the size 8 pink perle cotton used to stitch the "J" above and the variegated pink used to sew in the frame, as well as the pink and green silk ribbon used on the "J".  Note: I am not affiliated with their website.)

-Renee

Updated 4/20/2015: This post was linked to the Monday Stitchery Link Party #2 at Super Mom - No Cape!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

CQI Heart Do Your Block (DYB) Round Robin: Set 1 Arrived

On May 1st the CQI Heart DYB Round Robin began.  I received my first set of blocks from Lisa and they truly are gorgeous.  In fact, my wonderful hubby took one look at them and said, "Wow, she sews better than you do!"

Sewing is not my strong point, so I could not argue with that at all.  In fact, had I dared attempt to applique hearts on my blocks, my first choice would have been to make a black background with red hearts for this round robin.  But, I was not brave enough to applique.  Seeing Lisa's beauties, I wish I had.  They will be a joy to work on!

To see her lovely blocks in a post on her blog, just CLICK HERE.  You will also see some beautiful work from a CQI Traditional Fan Round Robin.

Happy viewing!  I am off to work on one of those pretty heart blocks.
Renee

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Work In Progress Wednesday 05/07/14

Renee's Winter Christmas "Dream" block progress as of 05/07/14
I am linking up with Sharon Boggon's Work In Progress Wednesday (WIPW) on Pin Tangle again this week.  (To be honest, without the accountability of this challenge, the block above would be stashed away as a priority for another day - which would be a shame, as I really do enjoy working on it!)  To see what everyone else is doing this week, check out this post and its comments.

Tree with wagon from 150 Itty-Bitty Motifs: Designs by Jorja Hernandez
I added the little red wagon from the Leisure Arts booklet 150 Itty-Bitty Motifs: Designs by Jorja Hernandez. (I changed the shade of red to DMC 321.) Beneath the tree and wagon is a stem-stitched carpet or rug. (Pretend it is not weighed down by the wagon...)

Bell Seam
I bought these little bells at Michaels last winter specifically for this project.  I decided to create a seam treatment with them and am quite pleased with how it turned out.  Next time, I will not use rayon floss for the bows over a metallic floss - as that was just begging for the rayon to snag, but I am still pleased.

If you read my last TAST post, you may see what I mean about using the buttonhole stitch so often! Combine that for the garland, detached chain stitch and straight stitches for the bows, and the little bells and you have a fun little seam with a dainty little jingle!

Next week, I hope to finish the block.  I will be attempting my first button cluster, so wish me luck!

Last Week's Goals:
  1. My block to embellish from the CQI Winter/Christmas DYB Round Robin - progress 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
  6. Two gifts I hope to complete by the end of April Both are finished, I will share them soon!!!
  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. Pieced
  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. Mailed 4/30/14
  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. I did complete the row, but determined 32 count was just too tiny for me.  It would also be impossible for me to finish in time for my friend's wedding.  I am still weak though - I started a different project...
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
  6. Complete my April CQJP 2014 block.
  7. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
  8. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
  9. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block.
  10. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
  11. Complete a gift by the end of May.
  12. Embellish one of Lisa's CQI Hearts DYB RR blocks. (They really are GORGEOUS!)
  13. Freebie Santa and the Mouse Ornament - Heaven and Earth Designs chart by Michele Sayetta and artwork by Scott Gustafson. Complete 700 x-stitches by next week. Progress 5/2/14 - 5/7/14 is below:
I have not let my family see the picture for this project nor shared the title, so they have no clue what it is - only that I have been working on it in an almost obsessive fashion.  (My motivation is simple, I want to get far enough along for them to see what it will be.)
Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful week.
Renee