This weekend, I finished embellishing one of
Annette's beautiful mermaid blocks!
Above is a photo of the block before embellishment.
I chose this block because the dark blue triangle in the upper-left corner looked like the perfect place to add a dolphin.
You see, after I saw the gorgeous under-the-sea themed quilt Gina made and shared at Quilts and Cakes, I began toying with the idea of learning how to embroider a dolphin.
I mentioned the idea to Gina and she encouraged me to give it a try.
I also mentioned the idea to Mary Anne at Magpie's Mumblings. She had the great idea of using Gerry Krueger's method to create a felt applique (which I tried) and perhaps even add some stuffing to the dolphin (which I hope to try next time.)
So, I searched "how to draw a dolphin" and chose this tutorial.
He's not perfect, but not bad for a first attempt.
A satin stitched jelly and several small fish also adorn the block.
You would not guess it took nearly four hours to stem-stitch the mermaid's hair, would you?! I loved the texture that the hair and the metallic green fly stitches added to the mermaid's tail added.
The green vines with pink flowers in the photo below were shared with my last Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) post. The vines were created by tracing some of the stem-like shapes from
(I am not affiliated with the templates; however,
I am having so much fun with them that the first set of templates is already on my Christmas wish list.)
This block was SO much fun to stitch!
I loved working with these colors, too. The fabrics were fantastic.
Below is a photo of the 3 embellished blocks together.
The turtle block, embellished by Kathy Semone.
The middle block, embellished by Barbara Nicki Lee Seavey.
And the block I embellished.
I do hope Annette likes her block!
I am linking this post with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #34 at Super Mom - No Cape! I do hope you will visit to see what the free embroidery pattern is and what others are up to. If you have a blog and do any hand stitching, I encourage you to join the party.
Thank you for stopping by!
Renee
Renee your block looks fantastic and I love your dolphin! He is beautiful!! The block is full of so many details it is hard to know where to look.... they are lovely and the overall block is stunning! Christine x
ReplyDeleteOh now you did it.....I love DOLPHINS. I just love seeing your blocks. How gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how you do these--they seem so intricate! And yes, haha, I would believe it took 4 hours to do the hair due to the simple fact that it would have taken me twelve.
ReplyDeleteOh Renee... you have outdone yourself embellishing this block! How you did the mermaids hair is amazing and the fly stitches you added to her tail were the perfect addition.
ReplyDeleteI love the dolphin and will have to see if there is room to add one to my Under the Sea block! If not, I will definitely be adding one to the larger piece when I start designing it.
I had to click on each picture just so I could see all the details. Annette is going to love it.
Thanks so much for linking up to this week's Stitchery Link Party and for the link back. Aloha hugs!
Beautiful block. The dolphin is so neatly stitched and looks great. Your mermaid also is lovely. A joy to see.
ReplyDeleteYour dolphin turned out great! You should be so pleased with him (her). And also with the additions to the mermaid too. The whole block, really!!
ReplyDeleteOh wow Renee - your work is just stunning, so much detail to see & appreciate... well done on mastering the dolphin, & the mermaid hair would've taken me about 400 hours, not your 4!
ReplyDeleteShe will love it! It's an absolutely gorgeous block!
ReplyDeleteSo pretty!
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