CQJP 2016 March Block Seam 3 - TAST Stitch 71

TAST Stitch 71: Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole

The alternating up and down buttonhole was a fun stitch to work! 

I opted to add this stitch to the 3rd seam on my CQJP 2016 March block.

First, I pinned 14-count waste canvas along the seam. Next, I worked the alternating up and down buttonhole stitch with a strand of size 8 Anchor green #0225 pearl cotton.

Next, I added French knots with a strand of size 8 Anchor red #00047 pearl cotton. Then I removed the waste canvas.

This is how the block looks with this seam.

(For my own easy reference, each step of this project has been saved to this board on Pinterest.)

I first worked this stitch in 2014. (You may see the original blog post here.)

In 2014, I also created this beaded version of the alternating up and down buttonhole stitch. (The original TAST blog post is here. And you may see this completed block used as the pocket on a tote bag here.)

On another note... I also set up a Hand Stitched Treasure Facebook page. You may find it here if you are interested.

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

If you are wondering...

TAST stands for Take a Stitch Tuesday. It is a personal stitching challenge offered by Sharon B. at Pintangle.com. You may read more about it here. There is a TAST Facebook group where members share their interpretations of the stitches introduced each week and the creativity never ceases to amaze and inspire me.

CQJP stands for Crazy Quilt Journal Project. For CQJP 2016, my goal was to complete a 12-inch block each month with embroidery only (and a bit of lace) while using primarily shades of red, green and black to create a washable quilt. There is a lot of eye candy on the CQJP 2016 blog that you may see here.

CQJP 2016 March Block Seam 2 & Motif 2

Of all of the crazy quilting and embroidery I have done, my husband thinks this bird is, "the coolest thing," I have created.

The seam and the motif were added to my March Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2016 (CQJP 2016) block, back in January of last year. I chose to wait to share photos on my blog until the Summer 2016 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine was released, because the photo was published with the product review I wrote about Sharon B.'s crazy quilt templates set 2. (I am not affiliated with the magazine or the templates. Links are added for your convenience.)

I began with the seam around the heart. 

I traced overlapping curves for the vine.

Next, I created a tree branch using one of the curves on the templates. 

The bird was traced in above that. (I had to use a mechanical pencil to fit in the template to trace the tail feathers.)

Using size 12 green perle cotton and a stem stitch, I created the vines. 

Detached chain stitches were added in the same shade of green to make the leaves. 

A single strand of red DMC floss created bullion stitched buds at the end of each stem. Two small straight stitches (in the same green) were added to the bottom of each flower.

Using single strands of DMC floss, I outlined my traced lines with a split stitch. 

The outlines were filled with single strands of DMC floss using long and short stitches.

I really wanted to work the bird template onto one of these blocks, but I also wanted to keep with the red and black theme. So, I did a google search for images of red birds and decided to try to embroider a summer tanager. I studied several photographs and gave it a try.

From start to finish, this section of the block took about 12 hours to complete. It sounds like a long time, but it was SO fun to watch the stitches bring the image in my mind to life. (Now to finish the block...)

This block is one of 12 I plan to complete for CQJP 2016 - a personal challenge to complete one block a month. My decision to make 12-inch blocks that do not include beads or silk ribbon slowed my progress down, but I am still working to complete this project! You may see what others created for CQJP 2016 HERE. 


OTHER NOTES:
Pamela Kellogg is seeking photos of crazy quilt work involving buttons for the Summer 2017 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine. If you have photos you want to submit, you may learn more about it HERE. I believe photos must be submitted by February 1st.

Katie Bock is seeking submissions for the Spring 2017 edition of Our Quilting Journal Magazine. The deadline is January 20th and the theme is baskets and flowers. You may learn more about it HERE. (I am not affiliated with the magazine. It is a new magazine and it is my understanding it will feature sane and crazy quilts.)

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

CQJP 2016 March Block Motif 1

I had a lot of fun adding this flower to my CQJP 2016 March block!

It was actually embroidered back in January and shared as part of my review of Sharon B.'s Crazy Quilt Templates Set 2 published in the Summer 2017 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly.  (NOTE: I am not affiliated with the templates or the magazine. I do love both, though!)

After tracing the flower petals, stem and leaves, I used long-and-short stitches and size 8 red pearl cotton to fill in the petals. 

Rope stitch created the stem and the leaves were filled in with a tiny straight stitch at each tip, followed by fly stitches worked in the same shade of size 8 green pearl cotton.

I love the way it turned out! (The photo does not do it justice. I cannot get the lighting to cooperate...)

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project a personal stitching challenge. If you are interested in signing up in 2017, please hurry! 

Registration closes on December 28th. You may read about the rules here and learn how to sign up here.

If you register, please let me know. I would love to cheer you on! 

You may view CQJP 2016 blocks and completed projects here. 

This post is linked with Monday Stitchery Link Party #89 at Super Mom - No Cape!

If you have a blog and do hand embroidery, please link up. The more the merrier!

I do hope you will peek back in next Monday. I am incredibly excited about the project I plan to share.  

Thank you for stopping by!
-Renee

CQJP 2016 March Block Seam 1

If you follow my blog regularly, you know it has been a while since my last update on a Crazy Quilt Journal Project block.

This seam was created using Sharon B.'s Crazy Quilt Templates Set 2 as part of the product review published in the Summer 2016 issue of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly. (Note: I received the templates in exchange for an honest review. I am not associated with the templates or with the Crazy Quilt Quarterly magazine, but I do love them both.)

Using size 8 green pearl cotton and a buttonhole stitch, I created the flower stems along the lines I traced (in light pencil) from the template pictured above.

Next, I used size 8 red pearl cotton and straight stitches to create flowers on the tall stems. Colonial knots were used to create flowers on the short stems.

Detached chain stitches made pairs of leaves on each flower stem using the same shade of green.

This was a fun seam to embroider!

You may see my completed CQJP 2016 blocks here.

Now... if you are wondering what CQJP is, it stands for Crazy Quilt Journal Project. 

It is a challenge to create a crazy quilt block each month. (Obviously, I am W-A-Y behind!) You may see the work of others participating this year here.

Sign-ups are now open for CQJP 2017! The minimum block size is 8-inches next year. You may read more about the rules here. The deadline to sign-up is December 28, 2016.





Exciting news: You may know Sharon Boggon has a book being published in 2017. She shared a photo of the cover on her blog today! You may check it out here.

More exciting news: Katie Bock has started a new quilting magazine - it includes all types of quilts. You may learn more about Our Quilting Journey Magazine here.

Submissions needed: The summer 2017 edition of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly will focus on buttons. Pamela Kellogg is seeking submissions of photos, articles, tutorials, or projects with buttons. Content must be new and not previously shared on-line. I believe submissions must be received by February 1st. You may learn more about submitting your work here.

On a more somber note: Pamela Kellogg's husband has been diagnosed with cancer. She has started a Go Fund Me account to assist with financial hardship from the cost of treatment. She is sharing updates on her blog. You may read more here. 

(Please note: I am not associated with the magazines or products mentioned within this post.)

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

CQJP 2016 February Block Finished with Motifs 7, 8 & 9

Living My Dream: CQJP 2016 February Block

Well... it is mid-July and I finally finished my CQJP 2016 February block. Better late than never, right?

I love many of the details, but do regret having the 2 hearts tilted in the same direction on this block. I think this one is a good argument for planning rather than winging it as I went.

Here is a picture of the bare 12 x 12-inch block.

I do love the way embroidery dresses things up!

Motif 7 was a fun one to create. I used the curve that looks like half a heart on one of Sharon B.'s Crazy Quilt Templates from Set 1 to trace the heart on the fabric.

Using size 12 black pearl cotton and a running stitch, I created the heart. I added a few extra stitches curving into the heart to make a little trail for this ladybug button I purchased at Sewn Loverly in Wilsonville, Oregon. 

I love the way it turned out!

(Please note: I am not affiliated with the templates, Pintangle or Sewn Loverly.)

Motif 8 used a different template from Sharon B.'s Set 1. I traced the medium sized tear shape (pictured in the upper-left part of this template) for the upper wings and the smaller tear shape for the bottom wings to make a butterfly.

Using size 8 red pearl cotton, I split stitched around the wings, and then filled them with long and short stitches.

Size 12 black pearl cotton and split stitches created the body. Two straight stitches topped with colonial knots made the antennae. Size 12 white pearl cotton and a running stitch created a flight path.

For Motif 9, size 8 red pearl cotton and 4 detached chain stitches created the butterfly. Size 12 white pearl cotton running stitches were used for this flight path, too.

Here are the January and February blocks together.

Now, to start on my March block...  


Thanks so much for stopping by!

CQJP 2016 is a personal stitching challenge to complete a block a month. You may learn more about it here. If you are interested in joining next year, sign ups for CQJP generally open up in November and close in December.

CQJP 2016 February Block Motifs 5 & 6

Well... it is now July, and I am almost done with my CQJP 2016 February block. 

For Motif 5, I used a strand of white floss to tack down this lovely white lace motif. 

(I am not affiliated with the shop, but I purchased it from crazyquiltingsupplies.com.)

And I was incredibly excited this week when Sharon B.'s Crazy Quilt Templates Set 1 arrived! (I am not affiliated with the shop, but do love the templates!)

I used 3 of the 4 templates to create Motif #6 on my CQJP 2016 February block. 

I traced the stem from the center template, the petals from the top template, and the leaves from the bottom template.

I used a coral stitch and a strand of size 8 green pearl cotton on the stem.  

Using the same green thread and fly stitches, I added the leaves. 

The petals were created with a satin stitch and a strand of size 8 red pearl cotton. (Do not look too closely. I traced one petal a bit too far out and my satin stitching needed some practice!) I added a button to fill in the center of the flower.

I will have more to share (and hopefully a block finish) later this week.

Thank you for stopping by!
-Renee

CQJP 2016 February Block Motif 4

If you have wondered about my lack of Crazy Quilt Journal Project updates, I have to admit that I was stuck.

The problem with just stitching a tree without planning it out first is that I don't always like the shape...

It took me a while to figure out the best way to fix this one. In the end, I added some lower branches and was much happier. 

I used 2 shades of size 8 brown pearl cotton to stem stitch the tree and the branches.

3 shades of green size 8 pearl cotton detached chain stitches were added to create leaves. 

Next, I added 3 green straight stitches to create leaves and a flower stem. A red French knot flower topped each stem.

My next challenge was filling in the upper section of this large triangular piece of the block. I attempted a bird in flight, but was really not happy with it. (Even my boys agreed it just did not work.) Since there are so many flowers on the block, I stem-stitched "Bloom" with a strand of size 5 white pearl cotton.

I have 5 more motifs to finish on this block. At least one of them will be created with the templates I received to review from Sharon B. at Pintangle. 

If you have been considering purchasing a set of these templates, Sharon announced a 6 day sale from June 18th - June 24th. The shop to purchase them will be closed until December after this sale. You may find more details here. Please note: I am not affiliated with her website or her templates. I really like Set 2 of the templates and have finally ordered Set 1. 

CQJP 2016 is a personal stitching challenge to complete a block a month. You may learn more about it here. If you are interested in joining next year, sign ups for CQJP generally open up in November and close in December.

I am linking up with Stitchery Link Party #63 at Super Mom - No Cape! I encourage you to visit to see the free embroidery pattern and to discover what other bloggers have been working on this week. 

Thank you for stopping by! -Renee

CQJP 2016 February Block Motifs 2-3 and Seam 8

With the surrounding seams embellished, I was able to add the spider to the web on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2016 February block to complete the second motif.

Marsha Michler's book, The Magic of Crazy Quilting: A Complete Resource for Embellished Quilting, taught me how to make spiders like this one. They are my favorite spiders to stitch. (Please note: if you visit Amazon.com through my blog and make a purchase, I do earn a small percentage from the purchase.)

The 8th and final seam on this block was embellished with more embroidered flowers. 

Size 8 Anchor #00230 pearl cotton was used to add a buttonhole stitch across the seam and then to add straight stitched "leaves" to some of the buttonhole "stems" along the seam. I intentionally created crooked buttonhole stitches.

Next, groups of 3 detached chain stitches were added to the stems that leaves had been added to, using a strand of size 8 Anchor #00047 pearl cotton.

I am still not sure how I feel about the 3rd motif. (You may click on the photo for a larger view.)

I wanted the text on the fabric to stand out on this section, so I traced a rectangle around it lightly in pencil and stem stitched the area with size 12 DMC #B5200 pearl cotton. 

Using the same pearl cotton, I made a butterfly with 4 detached chain stitches for wings and a straight stitch for the body and then created a flight path with a running stitch.  

Using a strand of size 8 DMC #B5200 pearl cotton, I added flowers to the corners of the rectangle framing the text on the fabric. These flowers were created with 5 detached chain stitches and a French knot center.

NOTE: If you use pencil on your blocks, mark the block lightly. I recommend using a hard lead pencil (rather than #2) so the marks will be lighter and so the thread is less likely to be discolored pulling through the markings on the fabric. And only mark areas that will be covered with stitches, as the pencil marks may be difficult (or impossible) to remove.

I created a Pinterest board so I can easily look back at seams and motifs created on my CQJP 2016 blocks. If you are interested, you may find the board here.

CQJP 2016 is a personal stitching challenge to complete a block a month. You may learn more about it here. If you are interested in joining next year, sign ups for CQJP generally open up in November and close in December.

Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

IHSW and CQJP 2016 February Block Seam 7

For International Hermit & Stitch Weekend (IHSW), I worked on my Heaven and Earth Designs Twilight Duel cross stitch, based upon artwork by Ruth Thompson and on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2016 February block.

The photo above was my starting point with Twilight Duel. This was 1,842 stitches into page 4 (14,776 stitches into the project.) I was working on the 6th color on page 4.

This was my stopping point last night. I added over 900 stitches to pages 3, 4 & 5 (mostly to page 4.) There are now 2,687 stitches complete on page 4 (15,687 stitches to the project.) And, I am working on the 9th color on page 4.

I also embellished the 7th seam on my CQJP 2016 February block. 

This seam was created using a strand of size 5 DMC #4045 variegated green pearl cotton to make detached chain stitched leaves and straight stitched stems.

Next, flower petals were created using criss-crossed straight stitches made with size 8 DMC #498 pearl cotton.

The seam was inspired by 2 seams I found in the book The Magic of Crazy Quilting: A Complete Resource for Embellished Quilting by Marsha Michler.

(The lighting today made it difficult to get a good photo.)

IHSW is sponsored by Joyce at Random Ramblings. Details are here. To see what other bloggers completed for IHSW, you may find links to their blogs here.

I am linking up with Stitchery Link Party #54 at Super Mom - No Cape! I encourage you to visit to see the free vintage embroidery pattern and to see what other bloggers have been working on this week. If you do any hand embroidery and have a blog, I encourage you to link up and join the fun!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

CQJP 2106 February Block Seams 5 & 6

The 5th seam on my Crazy Quilt Journey Project 2016 February block was a fun one to stitch. 

Using a strand of size 12 DMC #699 pearl cotton floss, I followed the seam with a buttonhole stitch. However, I alternated sides of the seam with each stitch.

Then I added French knots to the "stems" on one side of the seam and pairs of detached chain stitches to the "stems" on the other side to create flowers. These were created with size 8 Anchor #1206 pearl cotton - a black and red variegated floss.

I love how adding a few straight stitched leaves or detached chain stitched leaves can add so much to a seam. You can really see the difference in the photo above.These were created with the same green used for the buttonhole stitch.

Seam 6 was pretty simple. I worked fly stitches across the seam using a strand of size 5 DMC #368 pearl cotton. Then I added French knots to the tips of those stitches using a strand of size 8 DMC #815 pearl cotton.

Only 2 seams to go, but I have several motifs to add. I will continue working on this block this week.

It is hard to believe the 3rd weekend of the month is almost here! I will be participating with the International Hermit & Stitch Weekend (IHSW) again this month and I plan to make more progress on my Heaven and Earth Designs Twilight Duel project and my CQJP block. 

IHSW is sponsored by Joyce at Random Ramblings. Details are here and if you would like to participate, sign ups for this month are here.

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

For those wondering - CQJP 2016 is a personal stitching challenge to complete a block a month. You may learn more about it here. If you are interested in joining next year, sign ups for CQJP generally open up in November and close in December.