CQI Heart DYB Round Robin 2014 - Set 3

On Friday, I received the next set of blocks for the Crazy Quilting International Heart DYB Round Robin I am participating in.  This set of blocks belongs to Barbara W.

The first block was embellished by Kathy S. (a.k.a. Clothqueen).  I love the buttonhole stitch around the heart.  The SRE is lovely and the charms are darling additions.  The remaining blocks are the ones I get to choose from. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Renee

Random Act of Kindness Swap with Crazy Quilting for Newbies Part 2

Keychain coin purse

On the 21st, I shared all of the wonderful goodies Lesa sent to me with the Random Act of Kindness Swap I signed up for with the Crazy Quilting for Newbies Yahoo! Group.

On July 25th, I mailed a package to another participant in the swap. She likes yellow and hoped to add more trims to her stash.

I have a habit of finding a trim or ribbon on sale every time I go to Michaels or JoAnn Fabric.  I also have a habit of forgetting to use them on my crazy quilting projects (though I am getting better about that!)  So, I snipped off a bit of this and a touch of that, hoping some of it would be to Jo's liking.  And it was SO MUCH FUN.  Again, it felt like Christmas in July - only on the giving end this time (my favorite part!)

I also wanted to make something special to send along with the trims.  I bought an Antique Bronze Keychain Purse Frame from CrazyQuiltingSupplies.com a while ago.  (I am not affiliated with the product or the shop.)  I knew the frame would be small, but once I saw it in person, I wondered if I would figure out how to make a little coin purse out of it.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a try!

I used the same tutorial I used to make my first coin purse at Sweet Bee Buzzings. But, this time, I had to draw my own pattern.  Let's just say, it took me some serious tweaking (and turning the lining/exterior right-side-out and then inside-out at least six times and tearing seams out and re-stitching them three times), but I finally managed to get the top section of the fabric to fit the frame. During the tweaking stage, I was certain this would be the last time I made a coin purse this small.  However, once it was finished, I wanted to order more frames.  (I never claimed I was sane! I still want to order more of these.)

Keychain coin purse

As you can see in the picture above, the lining is yellow, as is the embroidery. Try as I might, I could not quite hide all of the stitches on the inside of the purse from sewing the frame in.  Perhaps with more practice...??? (You can click on any photo for a larger view.)

Keychain coin purse

The photo above gives you a better idea of how small the coin purse is.  My husband insisted you would have to cut it open to get anything back out again.  (He loves to tease me.)  However, slightly pushing the coin from the bottom while holding the top worked like a charm.  Besides, if it were very big, the coin purse (filled) would make the keychain too heavy for car keys.

Based upon an email she sent to the group, I think Jo liked the goodies she received.  I certainly enjoyed putting it all together for her!  Again, I hope Lesa knows how much I appreciate her putting this swap together for the group!

WIP Wednesday 07/30/14

Click on image for larger view.

Have I mentioned how thankful I am that Sharon B. hosts WIP Wednesday? It certainly keeps me motivated - hoping to have progress to share with you all each week!

Click on any photo for a larger view.

This week, I spent an afternoon sewing the top together for my Winter/Christmas wall quilt.  My family loves the way this is turning out.  Kathy B., Donna A., Barbara W., Kathy S. and Melody B. did such a wonderful job embellishing these blocks in our CQI Winter/Christmas 2013 DYB Round Robin.

I pinned the top to the batting and plan to hand quilt the top with additional embroidery.  Beneath each block I want to add the name, city and state of the lady that embroidered the block.  I see this being passed down as a holiday treasure for my family, and thought the names and locations would be fun for future generations to look back on.

I am excited to move on to the next step in finishing this project.  I cannot wait to see how it looks when it is done!

To see what progress others have made this week, go to the links in the comments HERE.

Goodies I picked up at Friendship Crossing in Corvallis, OR.

I also wanted to share treasures I added to my stash over the weekend.  We stopped in Corvallis, Oregon on Saturday and I visited Friendship Crossing, a cross-stitch store I frequented about 20 years ago when we lived there.  I was hoping they might have threads I do not have access to close to home.  I found all of this (and more that I did not splurge on.)  I tried to make sure I only purchased colorfast threads, and I did not even let myself look at the cute buttons and charms on this visit!

Now to see how I did with those lists... It looks like I am down two items, but added two more. I hope to knock a couple completely off the list by next week.

Last Week's List:

Short-term: 

1. The wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. Progress seen above.
2. Make a TAST post. Done.  You can see more info HERE.

   

   TAST 119: Woven Trellis Stitch
3. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
4. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
5. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
6. Complete a gift by the end of May June July. 
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. Exceeded 200 x-stitches.
   
8. Mail a goodie bag out for the CQ for Newbies Random Act of Kindness Swap. Done! I will share pictures once I know it has been received!

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. Embellish block for CQI Hearts Round Robin. 
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. The back panel is complete!
   
5. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
6. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
7. Make a purse with June CQJP 2014 block.
8. Piece July CQJP 2014 block. Done. 

   

   Renee's CQJP 2014 July bare block.

This Week's List:

Short-term: 

1. The wall quilt I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. 
2. Make a TAST post. 
3. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
4. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
5. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
6. Complete a gift by the end of May June July. 
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. 
8. Embellish Barbara's block for CQI Hearts Round Robin. 
9. Complete Fabric Postcard for CQ for Newbies Yahoo! Group Swap.

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. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
6. Make a purse with June CQJP 2014 block.
7. Embellish July CQJP 2014 block.

TAST 07/29/14

Well, I learned a lesson!  Next time I put a TAST post together the night before, I should make sure I use Tuesday's date.  (Last week, my title read 7/21/14 instead of 7/22/14.)  Oops!

This week I only have one stitch to share.

TAST 119: Woven Trellis Stitch

You may be able to tell, I began with the flower on the far left and improved my technique as I moved to the right.

In the future, I know to have my 3 straight stitches begin in the center close together, but not in the same hole.  The overlapped strands caused a few petals to look a bit twisted. 

Overall, I loved this stitch.  It took me a bit longer than I anticipated, but I had to be particularly careful not to catch fine strands of the rayon floss and also of the lace.  I look forward to trying it again with a different floss.  (You may see this seam in black very soon!)

This is a break week for TAST on Pin Tangle.  However, you can see what others have done this week by checking out the links in the comments HERE.

Another Snowball for Rita in KS!

A "snowball" for Rita in KS from Renee Y.

I finally finished making a "snowball" for Rita in KS!  She likes pinks, creams, and greens, roses, birds, and dragonflies.  So, I hope she likes this hexagon heading her way! (Click on any picture for a larger view.)

Rose bush directions are in Embroidery for all Seasons by Diana Lampe.

This rosebush is in the book, Embroidery for all Seasons by Diana Lampe.  It is one of the items in the book I have wanted to create for some time.  So, when Rita asked about swapping another snowball, I knew exactly what the focal point would be! (Note, I am not affiliated with the book or the author.  However, if you go to Amazon.com through my blog and order the book, I do earn a small credit toward a gift card.)

A small white fence stands along the "horizon" behind the rosebush.  And, a light pink butterfly is flying over to check out a rose.

The bottom of the snowball consists of a flower seam, small pink flowers and a beaded pink butterfly.

I really enjoyed watching this block come together.  I do hope Rita likes it!

In case you missed my earlier post, here is the snowball Rita sent me.  It is just darling!  To see more of her work, check out her blog: fibermaidensartwork.blogspot.com.

Rita also sent me a lovely pink heart.  In return, I mailed her a few embellishments that I purchased from Crazy Quilting Supplies earlier this year. (I am not affiliated with the shop.)  I was going to add a picture, but I want them to be a surprise for Rita.

I hope Rita likes her snowball!

Thank you for stopping by.
Renee

CQJP 2014 May Block

CQJP 2014 May Block Completed

I finally finished my May block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014.

You may recognize three of these seams from this week's TAST post.  I truly enjoyed embroidering red, white and blue seams on this block!  (Click on any picture for a larger view.)

Here is what it looked like prior to embellishment:

CQJP 2014 May Bare Block

Below are close ups of the last two seams.

I found this cloth ribbon on sale some time ago on a trip to either JoAnn Fabric or Michaels (I do not remember which.)  I used a buttonhole stitch with a single strand of size 8 #498 DMC Perle Cotton to tack it down.

This seam was created with detached chain stitches and straight stitches using a single strand of size 8 white DMC Perle Cotton.  Red and blue seed beads were used for the centers of these white flowers.

Here are close-ups of the three seams I shared in my last TAST post.

I was itching to make something with a 4th of July theme (that's what happens when I run a few months late on my blocks, I guess!)  But, I needed to complete my May and June blocks first.  Then I realized I could easily use this block for my May CQJP 2014 block because Memorial Day is in May.  It makes my heart ache to think of the lives lost protecting the freedoms we share...

This block will be made into a purse, using a sew-in purse frame.  I am cross-stitching a patriotic heart onto denim for the back of the purse.  Once that is complete, I will use the red, white and blue fabric pictured at the bottom of the block for the purse lining.  I cannot wait to complete this project, as I love combinations of red white and blue.  I will be sure to share more pictures when it is completed.

Thank you for visiting.
Renee

WIP Wednesday 07/23/2014

Progress on my Winter/Christmas Wall Quilt this week consisted of sewing the blue border between the three pairs of blocks.  I just need to hand sew a tiny section near the white bead on the Family block and I will be ready to add the next set of border strips.  (Click on any image for a larger view.)

Here are the three sets pictured together:

I am excited to see this project completed!  We will see how much progress I can make with the other obligations I need to meet this next week.

Thank you for stopping by!  Please stop by Pin Tangle to see the projects Sharon and others have been creating this week by clicking here.  (Be sure to check out the links in the comments.)

Now to see how much progress I made on my goals...

Last Week's List:

Short-term: 

1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks. -See progress above.
2. Make a TAST post. -Done - view it here.
3. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
4. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
5. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
6. Complete a gift by the end of May June July.
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. -Exceeded 100 x-stitches.
   
8. Embellish a "snowball" for CQI Snowball Swap. -Finished and mailing out today - I will share pictures soon!

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. Embellish block for CQI Hearts Round Robin.
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. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
6. Piece June CQJP 2014 block. -Pieced! 
   
7. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
8. Make a purse with June CQJP 2014 block.
9. Piece July CQJP 2014 block.

This Week's List:

Short-term: 

1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks.
2. Make a TAST post.
3. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
4. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
5. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
6. Complete a gift by the end of May June July.
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.
8. Mail a goodie bag out for the CQ for Newbies Random Act of Kindness Swap.

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. Embellish block for CQI Hearts Round Robin.
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. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
6. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
7. Make a purse with June CQJP 2014 block.
8. Piece July CQJP 2014 block.

TAST 07/21/2014

Zowie! Has it really been over a month since my last TAST post?!  I caught up on three stitches to share with you this week. Click on any photo for a larger view.  I had a lot of fun creating these seams!

TAST 118: Beaded Buttonhole Stitch

TAST 118: Beaded Buttonhole Stitch

I used a single strand of size 8 DMC #498 Perle Cotton and a size 28 tapestry needle so the seed beads would fit over the needle.  (A size 26 tapestry needle is easier to thread, but I could not find mine.)  I alternated between short and long stitches along the seam.  I also alternated red, white and blue seed beads. After completing the seam, I threaded a needle with three strands of cotton floss - 1 red, 1 white, and 1 blue.  I used this color combination to add three detached chain stitches to the top of each of the longer stitches.

TAST 120: Double Herringbone

TAST 120: Double Herringbone

Here I used a single strand of size 8 white DMC Perle Cotton for the first row of herringbone.  Then I used a single strand of size 8 #498 DMC Perle Cotton for the second row.

TAST 121: Twisted Lattice Band

TAST 121: Twisted Lattice Band

For the foundation Herringbone stitches, I used a single strand of size 8 DMC Perle Cotton. Next, I laced 6 strands of DMC #498 cotton floss along the foundation stitches.  After completing the Twisted Lattice Band, I REALLY, REALLY wanted to add beads.  The location of the seam for this project made that impractical. So, I added groups of three detached chain stitches along the top and bottom of the seam, alternating between 2 strands of red, white, and blue cotton flosses.  I liked the way that simple touch dressed up the seam.

(Did you notice the red, white and blue theme?  I will share this project later this week!)

To keep my stitches even, I used waste canvas to create each of the seams above. (I am not affiliated with this product.  I added the link to show what I used.  However, if you do purchase a product from Amazon.com through my website, I do receive a small credit.)  I am not sure why I am having tension issues when using perle cotton on waste canvas, but I am.  When I remove the waste canvas, I find my thread is too loose.  I am able to tighten it, but knotting it in the back again to keep it tight is difficult.  So, with these seams, I used long enough strands of perle cotton to complete the entire seam.  And I did not tie the threads off until after I removed the waste canvas and carefully tightened the stitches. If anyone else has had this issue, I would love to hear how you solved it in a comment below.  I am using a hoop and keeping the threads as tight as I can with each stitch...



For any new visitors, welcome!  TAST is "Take a Stitch Tuesday".  Sharon Boggon of Pin Tangle is incredibly generous with her time and uses TAST as an opportunity to teach and encourage others to learn new embroidery stitches.  Readers of her blog that are participating with TAST are able to go at their own pace and share their work by leaving a comment and a link to their blog or Flickr page.  To see this week's TAST post and what others have been up to this past week, CLICK HERE.


Thank you for stopping by!

Random Act of Kindness Swap with Crazy Quilting for Newbies

Crazy Quilting for Newbies (CQforNewbies) is another Yahoo! group I joined some time ago.  I spent a couple of years mostly lurking in the shadows, reading the posts and enjoying the eye candy (pictures of crazy quilted blocks.)  It is a very fun, encouraging group. Every now and then, I began to participate in conversations.  This month, I decided to finally participate in a swap.

It is my understanding that there are two groups of 10 within this swap.  Each participant emailed their name, address, favorite color, favorite stash item, and favorite (small) item that they collect.  The idea of the swap is to send a small baggie of goodies to one of the participants of the swap (keeping it a secret until it is received.) The recipient of the package chooses another participant to send a goodie bag to.  This continues until everyone has mailed and received a package. Mailings are on the 15th and the 30th of each month (though they may be mailed earlier so it will not take the last person so long to receive their package.)

To be honest, I have a hard time with favorites - mine change all the time!  My responses were as follows, with a note to feel free to randomly select any one answer from each category if need be (as that would be my only way to choose only one - lol!)

Favorite color: pink OR blue OR silver
Favorite stash item: charms OR lace OR trims
Other items I collect: ? Nothing I can think of... I do love pumpkins and snowmen

The first mailings were sent out on July 15th.  Imagine my surprise to find a package from Lesa in my mailbox on Friday afternoon.  If I had not been packing for a weekend of camping, I would have shared this post within moments of emptying my mailbox!  Talk about Christmas in July!  It is amazing how much one can stuff into a small Ziploc baggie.

Here are my new treasures. 

CQ goodies from Lesa

 I cannot wait to work these treasures into my CQ blocks!

Snowman ornament and snowman button

I just adore snowmen. I love the ornament and the button!

Pumpkin bell and pumpkin buttons

Fall is one of my favorite seasons.  I think that is mostly due to fall being pumpkin season.  I do so love pumpkin! I am not generally a fan of the color orange, but orange pumpkins are a huge exception! Some of my favorite family photos were taken at the pumpkin patch with my kids.  And, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream (I will have to figure out how to make some dairy-free this year), and pretty much anything else made with pumpkin is a favorite. 

I also adore bells.  The first pumpkin in the picture above is a little bell with the sweetest little jingle.  I cannot wait to use it and these adorable buttons on a block!  (I may have to make myself a Halloween purse. Glow-in-the-dark threads and fabrics and these adorable Jack-o-Lanterns would be PERFECT!)

Needle book

Now, when I discovered this, I decided Lesa must be a mind reader.  At the moment, I keep my sewing needles in a little tomato pin cushion.  Some of the smaller needles push down into the cushion making them hard to find.  Other times, a thread catches and pulls needles out of the cushion.  (I do most of my stitching on our couch.  It is not the best place to lose a needle!)  For months, I have been telling myself I should take the time to make a needle book.  Now, I do not have to!  There are red felt pages within the book to hold my needles, and Lesa already added a few pins and needles for me.  And, although I do not drink soda, I have always loved Coca-Cola themed items. Perfect!

Sticky Note Booklet

This cute little booklet holds sticky notes.  I love it!

Hanky

I do believe this is a fourth of linen handkerchief.  I have been planning to visit local antique shops to find a few hankies for crazy quilting.  Now, I have a beginning to that section of my stash.  (Sorry, I was too eager to share my treasures to take the time to iron.) I love the pattern.  I have a gift I plan to work on soon, and this beauty may make its way into that project.  We shall see!

Trims

I absolutely love each trim Lesa sent me.  I already have ideas for a few! This picture does not do them justice.

Lace

Lace is one thing I am slowly building in my stash.  I love this lace trim Lesa sent me!

Lesa, thank you so much! I absolutely love everything you sent me. :)

Now, I am off to work on the package I will be mailing out by the end of the month.  (Once it is received by its recipient, I will share the contents.)

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

WIP Wednesday 07/16/2014

Time certainly flies by! I am linking up with Pin Tangle again this week for Work In Progress (WIP) Wednesday. To see what other crafty folks are up to, I encourage you to check out the link above and follow the links in the comments.  You will not be disappointed.  Sharon shared some pictures and details from the hussif she is making and it is absolutely gorgeous!

I managed to stitch more than 200 x's on the Heaven and Earth Designs Freebie Santa and the Mouse I have been working on.  Last week, my husband decided to cheat and take a peek at the picture of the project.  The boys have not seen it though.  This week they were both able to guess there is a mouse and a present.  Mutt (my 14-year-old) wants me to work on the section beneath the mouse next, as he cannot guess what it is standing on. He also decided the present makes this look like it is a Christmas cross-stitch pattern.  Smart kid!

I did make a bit of progress on my CQI Winter/Christmas Wall Quilt.  However, as I only managed to pull all of the basting seams out, I decided it was not quite photo worthy.  I will have more to share on that next week.

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

(The following lists are to help me stay motivated! I did manage to knock the size of the list down by one item...)

Last Week's List

Short-term: 

1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks Pulled basted seams this week!
2. Embellish Flora's block for CQI Gardens and Flowers DYB Round Robin. Done and mailed. More pictures may be seen by clicking here.
   
3. Make a TAST post. Did not meet this, but have 3 stitches done and photographed for next week!
4. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
5. Embellish my May CQJP 2014 block. Finished today and will share soon.
6. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
7. Complete a gift by the end of May June July.
8. 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 200 x-stitches by next week. Completed over 200 stitches!

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. Embellish block for CQI Hearts Round Robin.
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. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
6. Embellish a "snowball" for CQI Snowball Swap.
7. Piece June CQJP 2014 block.
8. Embellish June CQJP 2014 block.
9. Make a purse with June CQJP 2014 block.
10. Piece July CQJP 2014 block.

This Week's List

Short-term: 

1. The wall hanging I plan to create with all of my CQI Winter/Christmas blocks.
2. Make a TAST post.
3. Make a purse with my April CQJP 2014 block.
4. Complete back for May CQJP 2014 block.
5. Make a purse with my May CQJP 2014 block.
6. Complete a gift by the end of May June July.
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.
8. Embellish a "snowball" for CQI Snowball Swap.

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. Embellish block for CQI Hearts Round Robin.
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. Have a count of at least 50,000 words for my CampNaNoWriMo novel.
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.

CQI Garden and Flowers DYB Round Robin - Flora's Block

A week ago, I received Flora's beautiful set of blocks for the Crazy Quilting International Garden and Flowers DYB Round Robin. 

I signed up as an "angel" for the round robin.  An angel steps in to help complete a block if life happens and someone in the round robin is unable to complete a block during the rotation of the round robin.  This was my first time signing up as an angel, and I admit, I was quite nervous about doing so.  After all, I have only been crazy quilting for about two years.  I am still quite a novice on so many levels.

This month, I was honored to be able to step in and help out by embellishing one of Flora's blocks.  Below are pictures of the blocks I received and was able to choose from.  Dana completed the first block in the round robin and it is absolutely gorgeous.  I struggle with printed fabrics, and she embellished them so well.  (You can see more of Dana's beautiful work at urbanfrog1.blogspot.com.)

Click on any photo for a larger view.

Dana's lovely work on Flora's Block

I was nervous about working on these blocks, because printed fabrics are not my strong point.  However, the blocks are all so incredibly pretty that I was also very excited to embellish one.  The hard part was choosing which one.  After a day of waffling between 3 different blocks, I opted for the block in the last photo above.  I know the pretty lady is looking at a little bird flying above her, but every time I looked at this block, I saw a tree branch along that seam and a bird flying above.

Dana did such a pretty job without making her block look too busy.  I am afraid my work looks busy. My bluebells and dragonfly wings show I am still a novice.  That being said, my work on this spring themed block is pictured below and I do hope Flora is pleased.

The bluebells, cyclamen, snail and forget-me-nots were all made following instructions in my book by Diana Lampe, Embroidery for all Seasons.  (I am not affiliated with the book.  However, if you purchase it through Amazon from my blog, I do receive a small credit.)

The butterfly above the birdhouse in the photo above is a 6mm Swararovski crystal bead.

I purchased several of these tulip beads a short time ago from crazyquiltingsupplies.com ( I am not affiliated with the website.)  With a spring theme, this block provided the perfect opportunity to use one.

I have wanted to make a dragonfly using one of these lovely red heart beads (Mill Hill Glass Treasures #12082) since I purchased them a year or so ago at Acorns and Threads.  (My wings need more practice.  I do hope Flora likes him anyway!)

I was hesitant to put my spider web on the upper-right section of the block, as that is where Dana put hers.  I almost added a tiny web beneath the tree and added a tiny spider lowering itself toward the birdhouse.  But, this white triangular patch of fabric just screamed for a web.  And, I do so love this spider from Marsha Michler's book, The Magic of Crazy Quilting: A Complete Resource for Embellishing Quilting. (Again, this is another favorite of my few crazy quilting books that I am not affiliated with, but do receive a small credit if you visit Amazon from my site to purchase it.)

The addition of pink roses felt like a necessity, with all of the pretty pink roses in the centerpiece.

Here is the completed block:

I discovered the lace I added to the upper-right-corner at the Button Emporium in Portland.  I look forward to using it again.

I do hope Flora is pleased with the block!  (I encourage you to check out her stunning work at Flora's Bee Crazy Quilter.)

Oh, a very dear friend thinks I should name the spider in my block.  Fluffy is the only thing that comes to mind - lol!  Any ideas?

Have a great day!
Renee