CQJP 2017 March Block Motifs 6 & 7

Feather stitched vegetaton accented with petite glass seed beads created motif 6 on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2017 block.

Size 12 green perle cotton floss was used for the feather stitches.

Motif 7 was added to both sides of the block. 

Using size 5 variegated perle cotton, I created vines with the barred chain stitch.

The flowers were made with a variegated size 8 perle cotton by making groups of 3 bullion stitches. Straight stitches were placed between the bullion stitches and over the ends where the bullion stitches met the vines.

My progress on this block has been slow, but I am enjoying it!

I am joining the Monday Stitchery Link Party #134 at Super Mom - No Cape! 

CQJP 2017 is a challenge to create a crazy quilt block that is at least 8-inches square in size each month. You may learn more about it and see the blocks completed this year here at the CQJP 2017 blog.

Related Posts:

CQJP 2017 March Block Motif 1 and Seams 1 & 2 - here

CQJP 2017 March Block Motifs 2-4 and Seam 3 - here

CQJP 2017 March Block Motif 5 - here

CQJP 2017 February Block - here

CQJP 2017 January Block - here

My CQJP 2017 progress is all shared on this Pinterest Board.

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

Red, White and Blue Hand Bag

God Bless America Clasp Purse - Front

For the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2014, my goal was to create a purse a month. I fell behind schedule, but did not give up on that goal. This is the 11th purse, so I only have one more to go.

The clutch purse was created with my May CQJP 2014 block. Several of the seams were embellished with stitches from Take A Stitch Tuesday (TAST), which was offered by Sharon B. of Pintangle.com.

Excluding the crazy quilting, the general pattern for the bag was made following the guide shared in this tutorial at Sweet Bee Buzzings for a smaller coin purse.

Last December, I decided to participate with the All People Quilt UFO Challenge 2017. (More details are here.) This block was #5 on my list. #5 was the project selected for August.

The purse has been donated to be auctioned off later this week to raise funds for engineering scholarships in Oregon. 

I do hope the new owner likes it.

Related Posts:

TAST 7/21/2014 - here

CQJP 2014 May Block - here

UFO Challenge 2017 - My List - here

Thank you for stopping by!

Renee

I am joining Monday Stitchery Link Party #132 at Super Mom No-Cape! I do hope you will stop by to see what others are working on and to see the free vintage Halloween embroidery patterns offered today.

QS Red Hearts Update - September 2017

This month, I added 1,187 stitches to my Heaven and Earth Designs "QS Red Hearts" cross-stitch. I have to say, I love Ching-Chou Kuik's artwork and this piece is one of my favorites.

This photo shows how it looked last month.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may already know that I finished page 4 this month!

I am trying to work the rest of this project by filling in the grids diagonally.

Page 4 was sooo close to a finish, I had to fill it in.

Working diagonally, it may take longer to see a visible difference, but I will be able to alternate between pinks and reds on pages 5 & 6 and the darker colors on pages 7, 8 & 9.

I am also tracking my progress in my bullet journal. There is something satisfying about coloring in a square that represents 100 stitches.





The project is now 62.15% complete. (It was 59.62%.)

Pages 1-4: 100% complete.
Page 5: 29.39% complete. (It was 21.46%.)
Page 6: 7.26% complete.
Page 7: 23.05% complete. (It was 14.77%.)
Page 8: 0.09% complete. (It was 0.04%.)

I am joining Monday Stichery Link Party #127 at Super Mom - No Cape! Feel free to join the party if you have a blog and do any hand embroidery. I do hope you will pop over to see what others have been working on.

Thank you for stopping by.
Renee

Pink Zipper Pouch

A (long) while back, someone I know saw my work and asked if I could make a gift for her daughter. I happily agreed. 

She did not care what I made, and insisted she would be happy with anything in any color. Very sweet.

Unfortunately, I ended up with creative block. Most of my work includes beads, charms or buttons. This needed to be something without any choking hazards. There were too many options and too many ideas. Over time, I watched as this friend shared photos on social media and decided pink looked like a good color to use.

Using a stem stitch, I embroidered the young lady's first initial onto pink sparkly fabric with a variegated pearl cotton floss.

This pink butterfly print was used for the lining and the back.

I have one more project to finish up this week so the two items can be on their way to an adorable young lady!

I am joining Monday Stitchery Link Party #126 at Super Mom - No Cape! 

The vintage embroidery pattern shared at the party this week is a covered bridge. I am trying so hard to finish up projects this year without starting new ones, but I have soooo many ideas seeing this embroidery pattern. 

If any of you are interested in embroidering the covered bridge, we could do a little stitch-along, using that pattern in common and see just how unique our creations turn out. (Yes, I am looking for enablers to join me in some stitchy-fun!) Just let me know! In the mean time, I will be working on another finish or two to justify a new start...


Thanks for stopping by!
Renee

Fractal White Tiger August 2017

I am thrilled to share a page finish on my Charting Creations "Fractal White Tiger" cross-stitch that is based on artwork by Ricky Barnard. 

Page 6 is done!

3 of 30 pages and 21,712 of 174,300 stitches are complete. I will be filling in page 7 next.

1,818 stitches were added in August.

This is how it looked at the end of July. (The colors are more true in this photo.)

I seriously LOVE working on this piece. Once I finish one of my other large cross-stitch projects, Fractal White Tiger will be receiving a lot more attention.

(There is a complete photo of this project on the right sidebar.)

Note: There is now a Small Fractal White Tiger chart available at Charting Creations. I am working the regular chart. What is the difference? 
Regular chart: 350W x 498H (174,300 stitches) - 80 colors.
Small chart: 205W x 291H (59,655 stitches) - 64 colors. I believe the colors on the nose are toned down on the small chart, as well. 

Although I began this piece on January 1, 2016 to participate with stitchystart.blogspot.com, this is 71 days worth of actual stitching progress.

I am joining Monday Stitchery Link Party #125 at Super Mom - No Cape! I do hope you will pop over to see what others are working on.

If you have a blog and do any hand embroidery, I hope you will join the party!

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM Blocks 5 & 6

Today, I finally finished adding buttonhole stitches to tack down the applique on Block 5 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month hosted by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy.

This darling block was created by Carol at Just Let Me Quilt. I used Therm-o-Web's HeatnBond Lite to adhere the applique to the block and then used buttonhole stitches to secure the pieces in place for future laundering. Stem stitches were used for the window panes and details on the lobsters. And, chain stitches encircled the middle window.

I really enjoyed paper piecing Block 6 for this BOM. The cute fish border was designed by Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks and the directions included options to paper piece or applique the fish. 

In the quilt assembly stage, I plan to add buttons for the door knobs on Block 5 and for the fish eyes on Block 6.

Now, I just need to make Block 7 - a super cute block featuring an appliqued crab that was designed by Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy. Here is a link to a post on her blog featuring photos of each block and links to their patterns.

This is how blocks 1 - 6 look together. It will be such a fun quilt when it is finished! The ladies designing these blocks amaze me each month, making my first Block-of-the-Month experience amazing.

Related Posts:
Blocks 1 & 3 - here
Block 2 - here
Block 3 Progress - here
Block 4 - here

I am joining with Monday Stitchery Link Party #124 at Super Mom - No Cape! The free patterns available this week include some fun summer fruits. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!
-Renee

QS Red Hearts Update - August 2017

If you follow me on Instagram, you likely saw several updates on QS Red Hearts, the cross-stitch chart from Heaven and Earth Designs based on artwork by Ching-Chou Kuik over the past month. 

Thanks to the motivation provided by The Stitching Hour Challenge hosted by Ambitious Stitches on Instagram from June 1st - August 1st, I made a fair amount of progress in July. 

In August, the New Official Heaven and Earth Designs Facebook Group announced a challenge to stitch 10 grids of a chart in a diagonal or checkerboard pattern with a bit of feathering on each block.

I opted to park my threads along the way. About 4 blocks in, I nearly stopped and worked the parked threads in - I figured I could work the challenge on a project without as many colors. But I decided to keep going.

In the end, I added over 3,000 stitches just completing the challenge and working in the parked threads. Since my last update 7,026 stitches were added to this piece. 1,491 stitches were added in July and another 5,535 were added this month.

I will likely continue working the chart in a diagonal pattern. There is a lot of black in the bottom row that I do not want to become bored with. Working some of the darker colors below and then some of the brighter colors above should prevent that.

If I could keep up this pace, this piece would be complete within 3 months. I do not know how likely that would be, but I am aiming finish as many projects as I can this year.

The project is 59.62% complete. (It was 44.67%)

Pages 1-3: 100%
Page 4: 97.36% (It was 28.22%)
Page 5: 21.46% (It was 7.12%)
Page 6: 7.26%
Page 7: 14.77% (It was 0%)
Page 8: 0.04% (It was 0%)

I am linking with the Monday Stitchery Link Party #123 at Super Mom - No Cape! I encourage you to pop over to see what the free embroidery pattern is this week and to see what others have been working on. If you do hand embroidery and have a blog, I encourage you to join the party!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

Twilight Duel Update #21 - August 2017

On June 30th, this is how Twilight Duel looked. This is a Heaven and Earth Designs cross-stitch chart based on artwork by Ruth Thompson that I am stitching for my youngest son.

I feared the blue in this piece might become boring to stitch, but I love seeing all of the shades fill in the night sky.

5,504 stitches were added in July. Page 7 was completed and a bit of the gap on page 3 was filled in (on the far left.) Progress was also made on pages 13 and 19 along the bottom.

A photo of the full chart is on the sidebar to the right.

44,728 stitches are done. Only 102,872 stitches to go! (Only... I type with a chuckle.)

5 of 24 pages are complete.

Percent Complete:

Project:           30.3% (It was 26.57%)
Pages 1 & 2: 100% 
Page 3:            28.9% (It was 20.95%)
Page 4:         100%
Page 5:             1.83%
Page 6:             0%
Pages 7 & 8: 100% (Page 7 was 46.63%)
Page 9:             2.73%
Page 10:           0.25%
Page 11:           0%
Page 12:           0%
Page 13:         48.18% (It was 42.51%)
Page 14:           3.62%
Page 15:           0%
Page 16:           0%
Page 17:           0%
Page 18:           0%
Page 19:         13.03% (It was 0%)

Last month, I mentioned a potential splurge on a phone case featuring artwork by Ruth Thompson. Well, it turns out that goheadcase.com features a lot of artwork - including work by Anne Stokes and I also love her dragons. So, my son selected a phone case featuring Ruth Thompson's "Coldfire" and I chose "Kindred Spirits" by Anne Stokes. (I am not affiliated with the company, but my son and I love our new cases!)

I have been trying my best not to buy any more cross-stitch charts, because I have enough to keep me busy for the next decade or so (literally.) However, I have been sorely tempted to order either "Kindred Spirits" or "Mini Kindred Spirits AS" from Heaven and Earth Designs. It is such a gorgeous piece of art.

Although it is Tuesday, I am linking up with Monday Stitchery Link Party #122 at Super Mom - No Cape! (We had internet issues yesterday.) There is another adorable vintage pattern available and some lovely work has been shared.

Thank you for stopping by! 
Renee

CQJP 2017 March Block - 2 Seams & 1 Motif

Better late than never? Last week, I finally felt inspired to work on another under-the-sea themed block, so I pulled out my CQJP 2017 March block and added this seahorse.

I traced the shape on the back foundation of the block with light pencil marks. Using the marks on the back to guide me, I outlined the body with split stitches. The body and stomach area were then filled with satin stitches using a single strand of variegated DMC floss. DMC 4077 was used for the tummy and DMC 90 was used for the head and body.

The first seam embellished on the block was created with a strand of size 5 DMC #4020 and buttonhole stitches in various clusters and angles. At a later stage of embellishement, beads will be added to this seam.

The second seam was a quick one. Fly stitches were created with 2 strands of DMC 93 variegated blue floss.

If you have not heard about CQJP, it stands for Crazy Quilt Journal Project. It is a personal challenge to complete a crazy quilt block at least 8-inches square each month. Registration generally opens in November and closes in December the year prior to the challenge. You may read more about it here and see blocks others have created here.

Related Blog Posts

Seahorse Tutorial - here
CQJP 2017 January Block - here
CQJP 2017 February Block - here
My CQJP 2017 Pinterest Board - here

I am linking this post with Monday Stitchery Link Party #119 at Super Mom - No Cape! 

If you have a blog and do hand embroidery, I hope you will join the party!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee

QS Red Hearts Update - July 2017

It has been a while since I shared an update on my Heaven and Earth Designs "QS Red Hearts" cross-stitch project. It is based on artwork by the very talented Ching-Chou Kuik.

In June, I picked this up for the first time since March and worked on it for 2 days. Only 395 stitches were added, but it was visible progress on page 4. 

I had been sharing progress the first Monday of each month. Right now, my focus piece is Twilight Duel, so I will be sharing that on the first Monday and sharing this piece once a month when there is progress to share. (This one is for me, so I hope that is frequent progress to share!)

The project is 44.67% complete.

Pages 1-3: 100% 
Page 4:      28.22%
Page 5:      7.12%
Page 6:      7.26%

I am joining Monday Stitchery Link Party #118 at Super Mom - No Cape!

Thank you for stopping by!
Renee

Twilight Duel Update #20 - July 2017

On June 5th, this is how my Heaven and Earth Designs "Twilight Duel" cross-stitch based on artwork by Ruth Thompson looked.

(I have a confession... I may be splurging soon to purchase a phone case featuring Ruth Thompson's artwork. If you are curious, you may find them here. I am not affiliated with her artwork or this company.)

In June, I added 2,783 stitches. (1,674 of those were added after I shared the above photo on June 5th.)

A full photo of this piece may be found on the sidebar to the right.

39,224 stitches are done, so there are 108,376 stitches to go...

My next update should reach the 40,000 stitches milestone.

Percent Complete:

Project: 26.57% (It was 25.44%.)

Pages 1 & 2: 100%

Page 3: 20.95% (It was 18.94%.)

Page 4: 100%

Page 5: 1.83%

Page 6: 0%

Page 7: 46.63% (It was 28.25%.)

Page 8: 100%

Page 9: 2.73%

Page 10: 0.25%

Page 11: 0%

Page 12: 0%

Page 13: 42.51% (It was 40.87%.)

Page 14: 3.62%

I am linking with Monday Stitchery Link Party #117 at Super Mom - No Cape!

Thank you so much for stopping by!
Renee

A Magical Ride!

Several years ago, I purchased Stoney Creek Collection: Cool Friends Book 211. I loved the snowmen and this darling chart for "Magical Ride" was an instant favorite.

Imagine my delight when I discovered stitching a mirror image of the pattern (and omitting the snowy hills) would allow it to fit perfectly onto a patch of the crazy quilt stocking I am making for my eldest son!

This was my first time using Kreinik Blending Filament (which reminded me of tinsel for the Christmas tree that my mom used to buy every year) and I loved the extra sparkle it added to the metal parts of the sleigh. The fringes of the scarf used the Turkey Stitch, which was another first for me.

(If you are on Instagram, you may find all of my "Magical Ride" update photos here.)

This Christmas stocking is #10 on my list for the All People Quilt UFO Challenge 2017, which was the project selected for June. I will not finish it this month, but am very happy with this darling snowman addition!

My progress on this stocking will also be shared on the 1 X-mas Item a Month blog. (There are some darling creations being shared again this year if you want to check them out here.)

I am also linking with Monday Stitchery Link Party #116 at Super Mom - No Cape! (If you do any hand stitching and have a blog, please join the party!)

New Crazy Quilting Books:

For those of you that Crazy Quilt (or want to learn to Crazy Quilt), you may be interested in knowing Kathy Shaw has published another book. If you order a copy from her Etsy Shop by July 3rd, you may take advantage of a discounted price. You may learn more about it here and there is more info and a few sneak peeks here.

Sharon Boggon also released a great embroidery book. You may find it here. (At the time of this post, Amazon lists it as the #1 New Release in Patchwork.)

Please note: I am not affiliated with either book or shop. Links are added for your convenience.

2020 Challenge

Have you heard about the 2020 Challenge? If you crazy quilt (or want to begin) I encourage you to check it out here at Pintangle. You may also see Sharon B.'s first block for her 2020 Challenge here. 

If you are going to participate, please let me know! I really want to join the fun, but am determined to continue marking UFO's off of my list. So, I would love to follow your progress and cheer you on!

Thanks for stopping by!

Renee