Snowball Swap with Donna July/August 2015

Last week, I finished up the "snowball" I made for Donna through the Crazy Quilting International Snowball Swap. 

This was the Halloween themed snowball that Donna made for me. I just love it!

Donna requested a snowball with a flower/garden theme or an under the sea theme. In case you did not notice (I am typing with a giggle), I have worked on a few under the sea themed blocks lately. So, I chose the flower/garden theme.

After stitching the fence (with a stem stitch and perle cotton), I added a tiny little line of buttonhole stitches (with 2 strands of green DMC floss.) These were the stems for tiny dandelions growing along the fence line. Using the same floss, I added a straight stitch to each side of the stems to create little leaves. A tiny French knot (using 2 strands of yellow DMC floss) topped each flower. To give you a bit of size perspective, the fence is about 3/8-inch tall. The little dandelions are 1/8-inch tall.

I had a hard time deciding what to do next. Then I saw a sketch of a tree from the book Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection by Aimee Ray. (My mother-in-law gave the book to me for Christmas a couple of years ago and the trees are my favorites.) I used brown Anchor size 8 perle cotton and a stem stitch to outline the tree and fill in the trunk. (Had I planned better, I would not have had to stitch over part of the fence and a dandelion. Thankfully, you cannot tell looking at the finished piece!)

Next, I added English daisies following directions in Embroidery for all Seasons by Diana Lampe. (This is one of my favorite embroidery books.)

Using the same book, I added English bluebells (which I still need to practice) and forget-me-nots.

Tiny chain stitched leaves on the tree, a small purple butterfly and a small white butterfly completed the piece.

I just love embroidery! I am happy to say Donna likes her snowball and it is on its way to her now.

About the books I used: the following links should take you to them at Amazon.com. I am always curious about what books and resources other people use, so I thought I would add these. Disclaimer: I am not associated with the books, but I do receive a small credit with Amazon if you visit their website through my blog and make a purchase. Doodle Stitching is here and Embroidery for all Seasons is here. 

For readers new to my blog, Crazy Quilting International (CQI) is a crazy quilting group I discovered on the Yahoo groups several years ago through their blog. CQI also meets on Facebook now (as Crazy Quilt International.) The snowball swap is a friendship swap that is open to all members in the group. 

I am linking this post with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #18 at Super Mom - No Cape! If you stitch and have a blog, I encourage you to link up. If you do not stitch or have a blog, I still encourage you to check out what others have been up to this week. There is always a free embroidery pattern too.

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Work in Progress Wednesday 07/29/2015

I am afraid I have no progress to share. In the past 2 weeks or so, I have only had 20 minutes to work on stitching. However, this FUN Halloween block arrived in my mailbox this week. Donna Abrams made it for me and every time I look at it I smile!



July has been a whirlwind of a month and more of an emotional roller coaster than I have ever experienced. That being said, I must admit my heart is full and I am so incredibly thankful to be blessed with such amazing relatives on both my side of the family and my husband's.

The day before my little sister arrived for her visit (it had been 4 years since we last saw one another), we had a death in the family. It was one we knew would arrive within the next few months, but it was still hard to say goodbye. So, I was a bit of a mess with happy tears and sad tears. Making life busier, but more full, we have had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with a Dutch relative that flew out for the services and to spend time with family here in the US. 

Next week, I will have time to sleep and stitch and finally finish up my ICQC 102 class. This month we are spending treasured moments with family we do not see nearly often enough and enjoying every second.

During this insanely busy time, I am incredibly thankful to both Sandy and Donna, as I owe one a UTS block and the other a "snowball" swap, but they have both encouraged me to take my time and focus on family. 

Here are a few close-ups of my wonderful Halloween block from Donna.

I love the black cat!

If you have followed my blog long, you may know how much I love embroidered spiders and embroidered trees. These are fabulous! The moon and eyes on the bat push it over the top!

And I LOVE all things PUMPKIN. (Seriously. It is my favorite food.) This jack-o-lantern is a perfect touch!

After seeing the pictures, I am always surprised to see how small a 4-inch block is. So, I took a picture with a quarter to give a bit more perspective. This is a fantastic tiny treasure and I just love it!

Thanks for stopping by! (Now I'm off to cook dinner for 10. Fun times!)
Renee

Last Week's Goals Week before last's goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #15 at Super Mom No Cape on July 20th. (If you missed the party on the 13th, you may check it out here!) 

3. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

4. Embellish a snowball to swap with Donna A. in July.

5. Piece a pincushion to swap with the Crazy Quilt Divas on Facebook?

6. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

7. Share pictures of Sandy B.'s blocks from the CQI Under the Sea Round Robin. I told her if she did not want them, she could "return to sender" when I mail them to her - lol! She has plans for these babies! Just wait until you see them... This is the last set for this round robin, which means with the next rotation, my blocks are coming home!!!  Done! - If you missed it the post is here. 

8. Share a TAST Week 2 post on July 21st.

This Week's Goals:

1. Complete 250 x-stitches on the HAED Santa & the Mouse chart (which is no longer available, but it is a part of this chart at Heaven and Earth Designs.) 

2. Link up with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #18 at Super Mom No Cape on August 3rd. (If you missed the party on the 27th, you may check it out here!)

3. Finish a project to add inventory to my Etsy shop. 

4. Embellish a snowball to swap with Donna A. in July.

5. Share progress with the ICQC 102 course from Shawkl Designs.

6. Complete and share pictures of Sandy's blocks from the CQI Under the Sea Round Robin.

7. Share a TAST Weeks 2 - 4 post on August 4th.

8. Piece 3 blocks for the next CQI Under the Sea Round Robin that will begin on August 15th. (I have 3 I pieced for the first round robin, but changed my mind and made 6 others, so I did not send them out.)

9. Share pictures of my beautiful Under the Sea blocks that made it home!

Another Snowball Swap with Kathy S. in MD!

Just look what arrived in my mailbox on Saturday! Kathy S. (also known on-line as Clothqueen) and I arranged another snowball swap for this month. I asked for an autumn or Halloween themed square "snowball" this time to begin a new collection and I just LOVE this wonderful block she created!!! (If you missed the ten beautiful snowman/winter themed snowballs I have received, you may check them out here.)

In exchange, Kathy requested a black and white themed square snowball. It is about 4 and 1/4-inches. She emailed me pictures of a couple of blocks she planned to piece this snowball together with and they both had a touch of pink and green. I opted to stick with mostly black and white, but did add a tiny touch of soft pink.

Above is the bare block I created. I wanted more than one section of white fabric, but felt the white in the upper-left made the block unbalanced. Rather than tear it apart, I added a wide black ribbon before I began stitching. Below is the completed block I mailed to Kathy. (I am glad to say she said she just loves it. I was hoping it would work for what she had in mind!)

I cut a square out of a piece of paper and used the paper as a frame for the photo here. (My youngest son could not see my basted seam-lines and thought I had left way too much un-stitched until I showed it to him this way.)

Someone recently asked me how I made something on one of my blocks, so the following photos include information about the floss, beads, and stitches used for each section. (You can skip reading if that does not interest you!)

In my opinion, the black ribbon in the upper-left really helped balance out the block. 

I used a magic chain stitch to create a black and white seam. The seam below that is a cretan stitch with shiny silvery-gray seed beads. Butterflies were created with detached chain stitches (wings), straight stitches (bodies and antennae and for the flight paths), and French knots (tips of antennae.)

White perle cotton was used to create a cable chain stitch and silver seed beads were inserted to dress it up. Two strands of black and white DMC floss were used to make French knots for these little flowers. I used a single white strand of floss to make detached chain stitched leaves.

I wanted the seams to use black or white floss. The trick here was getting the floss to show up on both sides. So, I threaded a needle with two strands of size 12 perle cotton - 1 black and 1 white - to create this alternating buttonhole seam. I added detached chain-stitched leaves with only a single strand of black or white and used small black and white beads to create flowers at the top of each "stem."

The flower motifs also used black and white perle cotton for the detached chain-stitched petals. A clear Mill Hill petite glass seed bead went in the center of each. For the stems, I used a single strand of black or white floss to couch down a strand of black or white size 12 perle cotton. The leaves were also size 12 perle cotton, as were the straight-stitched blades of grass.

This is one of my favorite seam combinations and it is super easy to create. I used a single strand of white size 12 perle cotton to create a buttonhole seam. Three detached chain-stitches top each buttonhole "stem". (I usually make one on the left, one on the right and then one in the center that overlaps them both. The stitches begin centered just above the "stem" created by the buttonhole.) I topped each flower with a light pink Mill Hill Petite Glass Seed Bead. 

The flower is one I purchased from Thearica at Crazy Quilting Supplies. (I am not affiliated with her shop, but am a happy customer! Some of my perle cottons are from her shop, as well.) I tacked the petals down with white floss (careful to only catch the fabric beneath the petals so the tacking stitches did not show on top.)

I found this lace in my stash and thought it would also help balance the white and black in the block. I tacked it down with a single strand of white DMC floss and added a pale pink bead to the center of the flower within my basted seam lines.

This was another fun block to put together! I really enjoyed only using two colors of fabric and floss.  And, I am just thrilled with the Halloween block from Kathy!

Thanks for stopping by! I am linking this post with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #3 at Super Mom - No Cape. I do hope you will hop over to see what others have shared!

Renee

My Winter/Snowman Themed "Snowball" Collection

2013-2014 Winter/Snowman Themed "Snowball" Collection

I am sitting here, grinning from ear-to-ear, eager to share my lovely collection of snowballs with you all!  I am so incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful, diverse collection of winter and snowmen.  This time next year, all of these beauties will be assembled into a wall quilt and adorning my home.  We do not get a lot of snow where I live (maybe up to 3 days of snow every few years), so it will be fun to enjoy snowmen all winter long without worrying about driving in snow or freezing pipes.

Generally, I do not like to brag.  Sometimes, you just have to make an exception.  Just look at how talented the ladies are that were so sweet to swap these little treasures with me!

This post is focused on all of the beautiful snowballs I have received, so I did not include photos of the ones I created to swap for them.  (However, I did add links to those posts, just in case you were curious.) Click on any picture for a larger view.

CQI "Snowball" from Nicki Lee received in June of 2013

1. This collection began to grow in June of 2013 with the fun winter flurry pictured above from Nicki Lee in MA.  The snowman was an earring!  And that winter flower still takes my breath away.  (I sent this under-the-sea themed snowball in return.  I can still remember how nervous I was about this first swap.  I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone.)

CQI "Snowball" received from Donna A. in June of 2013

2. Later that June, I received this wonderful snowball from Donna A. in MT.  I absolutely adore the little charm with the snowman on a sled!  The snowy trim makes a marvelous snowy path for his sledding adventures.  (In exchange, I created this pond-themed snowball for Donna. I can remember how excited I was that the cattails and dragonfly actually turned out.)

CQI "Snowball" received from Rita in KS in October of 2013

3. In October, I received this wonderful beaded snowman snowball from Rita in KS.  I fell in love with the snowman, the lace, and the amazing snowflakes.  (In exchange, I created my first hexagon-shaped crazy quilt block.  Rita was SO patient with all of my questions about the size. I was clueless!)

CQI "Snowball" received from Rita in KS in July of 2014

4. In July of 2014, Rita kindly swapped with me again. I just loved the snowman, the "Let It Snow" beads, and her use of lace and a doily.  (In return, I sent another cream/pink/green hexagon-shaped snowball to Rita.)

CQI "Snowball" received from Kristie W. in IN during September of 2014.

5. This breezy, winter-flurry snowball made by Kristie W. in Indiana arrived in September of 2014.  The photo did not capture just how adorable the little snowman is.  The swirl of snowflakes blowing around the snowman just stole my heart. (In exchange, I sent Kristie a pink and brown themed snowball.)

CQI "Snowball" received from Kathy S. in MD in October of 2014

6. In October, I received this wonderful snowball from Kathy S. in MD. (We have several Kathy's in CQI.  Kathy S. in MD is also known on-line as Clothqueen.)  I just love the feather stitches with the silver beads, the darling silver snowflakes, and the fabrics Kathy chose are absolutely wonderful!  (In return, I made this African-themed snowball for Kathy. I learned cross-stitching with 2 strands of floss over one thread of 32-count linen is a BAD idea.  And, the tree was oh-so-much fun!  I am so glad Kathy's theme pushed me out of my comfort zone!)

CQI "Snowball" received from Donna A. in MT in October of 2014

7. Later in October, I received a second snowball from Donna A. in MT.  I fell in love with the snowman fabric.  All of the embellishments are fabulous - the "O" in snow, the tree and ornament the snowman in the print is holding, the snowflakes and all of the little trees are just perfect!  (In return, I sent Donna a winter themed snowball.  This was my first attempt using water-color pencils on fabric and it was so much fun!)

CQI "Snowball" received from Lori F. in Ontario in October of 2014

8. The third snowball I received in October of 2014 was this beauty from Lori F. in Ontario. The idea of stitching a snowman's face onto a section of white fabric never occurred to me and I was absolutely charmed by this adorable treasure. (In return, I created a winter-themed snowball for Lori and I was thrilled with how well the little tree turned out.)

CQI "Snowball" received from Nicki Lee in MT in November of 2014

9. In November of 2014, this wonderful winter block from Nicki Lee in MA arrived.  The stitching, the star and the fun trim are all delightful.  I just love the way Nicki Lee used lace and beads to create a snowy landscape for the darling deer and tree! (In return, I created another under-the-sea themed snowball for Nicki Lee.  I used crayons on fabric, which was loads of fun, but I still think I was more nervous about making this mermaid than I was when I created my first snowball!)

CQI "Snowball" received from Lynne F. in MA in November of 2014

10.  The final snowball in my collection, created by Lynne F. in MA, arrived just before Thanksgiving in November of 2014. I fell in love with the snowman print - such a lovely winter scene!  I love the way it was framed and how the embellishments let the center shine.  (In return, I created a silver/white/blue winter-themed snowball for Lynne.  The wintery tree was so much fun!)

These snowballs will be assembled into a wall quilt that will pass through the generations in my family.  Each and every one is a true treasure.  However, I gained far more than 10 snowballs through these swaps.   I have made wonderful friendships with very talented ladies, and their themes have pushed me outside of my comfort zone, which allowed me to see what can be accomplished with a bit of faith and perseverance.

Nicki Lee, Donna, Rita, Kristie, Kathy, Lori, and Lynne, I cannot thank you enough for these wonderful treasures! I love them all!

Hugs,
Renee

A "Snowball" from Lynne F. in MA

This beautiful "snowball" from Lynne F. in Massachusetts arrived in my mailbox last week, and I just love it!

The snowman print is so sweet and charming!  And I love the way Lynne framed it with ribbon and beads.  The stitching on the block is lovely and really makes this center piece shine.

Thank you SO much, Lynne!  I love this snowball and it is a perfect addition to my collection!

If you missed the snowball I made for Lynne, you may see it HERE.  I found it quite fun that we both preferred a white/blue/silver color scheme.

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

Another "Snowball" from Nicki Lee

Crazy Quilting International Snowball Swap - made by Nicki Lee for Renee

Just look what arrived in the mail before Thanksgiving!  Nicki Lee made this darling snowball for me.  It is the 9th in my winter/snowman themed snowball collection and the 2nd made by Nicki Lee.  (To see the snowballs I made for Nicki Lee and to see the first snowball she sent me, check out THIS post.)

Don't you just love the use of lace and beads to create a snowy landscape?!  (Nicki Lee hand dyes beautiful lace.  If you have not checked out her Etsy shop, I encourage you to do so!  I am not affiliated with her shop, but I do have a wish list started...)

The details are all so lovely!  The tree and the deer were both from sets of earrings.  (I started looking at seasonal earrings thinking of crazy quilting charms after receiving my first snowball from Nicki Lee.  Such a clever idea!)

Thank you SO much, Nicki Lee!  I absolutely love my snowball!

A "Snowball" for Lori F. in Ontario, Canada!

Winter snowman "snowball" for Lori F. in Ontario, Canada

Earlier this month, I completed a "snowball" to swap with Lori F. in Ontario, Canada.  Lori had requested a snowball theme of my favorite season.  It took me a while to decide, as fall is my favorite season.  I love the crisp cool mornings, the beauty of leaves changing color, and that it is finally pumpkin season!  However, I just love to embroider winter scenes and I was itching to make another button snowman.  Winter won!

Embroidered Winter Tree

This tree was created with size 5 green variegated DMC floss and with size 5 white DMC floss for the snowy evergreen section.  Size 5 brown DMC floss was couched down with a single matching strand of DMC cotton floss to create the tree trunk.  I fell in love with the wonderful texture the size 5 floss gave the tree.

Size 8 and 12 white DMC flosses were used to create the snowy hills and snowflakes.  Mill Hill petite glass beads were added as accents and as additional snowflakes.

Button Snowman

Before I began stitching on the snowball, I used black and orange acrylic paints to create a face on one button and to add buttons to another.  The "twig" arms were couched down, as was the scarf.  I originally planned to add black seed beads to the holes in the large button at the bottom.  However, they were too small.  The larger black beads I found were just too big.  So, I decided this snowman was perfect just the way he was.

Snowman "snowball" from Lori F.

I do hope Lori likes this little winter scene!  If you missed the snowball she sent me, it is pictured above and you may read about it on this post.

What I forgot to mention is that Lori supports the National Inclusion Project.  I had the opportunity to work with some wonderful students in our school district, and I have memories that will last forever from the experience.  However, I was not aware of the National Inclusion Project.  I encourage you to check it out, you may reach their website HERE.

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

A "Snowball" for Lynne F. in MA!

Winter Themed CQI "Snowball" for Lynne F. by Renee Y.

Yesterday, I mailed this snowball to Lynne F. in MA.  Lynne requested a wintery-themed block using blue, white and silver. 

Button Snowman

I love making these little button snowmen, so I had to add one to this block.  I had the perfect silvery-white button in my stash for this one.  The face and small black buttons were added using acrylic paints.  (I paint them first and allow them to dry while I embroider the block.)  I did opt to use size 5 brown DMC floss for the arms - rather than white or silver.

Embroidered Winter Trees

I just loved the little tree seam and the white tree I added to my Winter Stocking last year, so I incorporated similar ones into this snowball.  (The tree somewhat follows the Easy, Breezy Trees Tutorial on Shawkl Designs.) 

Embroidered Snowflake

Although my sky fabric has snowflakes within the print, a few embroidered snowflakes were the perfect finishing touch.

Wintery "Snowball"

Photographs make it so tricky to capture the texture the embroidery creates.  I tried to capture a bit of that with the photo above. (You may click on any photo for a larger view.)

I had great fun making this snowball for Lynne.  I do hope she likes it!

Thank you for stopping by,
Renee

Another "Snowball" for Nicki Lee!

Last night, I completed my second Under the Sea (UTS) themed "snowball" for Nicki Lee.

CQI Snowball Swap - made for Nicki Lee by Renee November 2014

If you crazy quilt, you may know Nicki Lee through her Etsy shop, Raviolee Dreams, where she sells the most gorgeous dyed lace.

My very first snowball swap was in May/June 2013 with Nicki Lee, and I was SO nervous.  She preferred an under the sea/mermaid theme - something I had never tried.  As much as I wanted to make a mermaid, I just did not think I could pull it off.  I found a couple of cross-stitch patterns and made this snowball for her during that swap. (You may read more about it and see where I found the cross-stitch patterns here.)

In exchange, Nicki Lee sent me the wonderful snowball pictured below. (You may read my original post about it here.)

This year, when we agreed to swap again, I decided it was time to try a mermaid.  I had stumbled across a couple of free mermaid embroidery designs at Shawkl Designs (you may view them and more here), and planned to reduce the size of one, trace it onto the muslin back of my block in pencil, and embroider that pattern.

Then, while researching how to use watercolor pencils on fabric, I also decided to look up how to use crayons on fabric.  I passed a demonstration at a quilt show a couple of years ago and assumed the process would require special crayons, but I was wrong.  The technique intrigued me. After reading this tutorial at quiltingboard.com, I decided to draw a mermaid and color the fabric.  I had always wanted to try making a treasure chest, so I decided to give it a go, too.  You can see the bare block below. (The outlines were drawn with a permanent micron pen and heat set with an iron.)

After making it this far, I found myself intimidated.  Did I want to bead the mermaid's fin?  I feared it was too thin for sequins.  In the end, I experimented with a few stitches and used a modified detached chain stitch that opened in a bit of a "U" - I couched the thread down along the waist and then added the "U" stitches, working in rows, using 3 strands of a variegated floss.

Once I progressed to the point pictured above, I kind of froze.  Every time I looked at the block, I wondered how on earth I could possibly manage to add "hair" to the mermaid without ruining the entire piece.  So, it sat in my stitching area for a couple of days.  I would look at it and cringe.  Finally, I decided enough was enough.  It was time to tackle the challenge and (hopefully) conquer my fear.

After experimenting with short and long stitches and with stem stitches, I opted to use a single strand of floss and a stem stitch, because it would easily allow me to make small curves for a bit of curl.  I wanted to add some highlights to the hair, so I alternated between strands of DMC 422, 680, and 3046.  Ironically, the part that scared me the most turned out to be my favorite part of the block.

My first embroidered mermaid.

She is far from perfect, as my drawing skills are at a beginner's level; but, for my first mermaid, I am quite pleased with the way she turned out.

Embroidered/colored treasure chest.

Filling the treasure chest was also a bit intimidating.  I was not sure how I felt about the 3-dimensional beads with the 2-dimensional treasure chest.  But, I do love the sparkle the gold and gems add!

 

I was tempted to add bright colored fish (rather than the variegated blue) and a jelly fish  to the water, but I decided not to draw attention from this mermaid and her treasure.

Nicki Lee, I do hope you like it!  I had a lot of fun working outside of my comfort zone and trying a few new techniques.  Your mermaid will begin her journey to your home tomorrow.

Hugs,
Renee