CQJP 2018 March Block

If you follow me on Instagram or if you follow the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2018 blog, then you have probably seen this block.

My theme for this year's Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) is my favorite things. I love the beach and had so much fun creating this block.

First, I colored white fabric with Crayola crayons and set the color. (The process I use was explained in this post.)

Then, I cut the fabric between the sky and water sections and between the water and sand sections. I sewed each section together. 

Next, I traced a heart on the paper side of ThermOWeb HeatnBond Lite and adhered it to the fabric. I cut the heart out leaving 1/4-inch extra. I clipped the curves of the extra fabric and carefully ironed them toward the back of the heart. Then I fused the heart to the black background fabric and used a slip stitch to tack the edges down.

The sandy beach section was a bit smaller than the sketch I drew to plan out the block, but I think it all worked out okay.

Figuring out how to create the foamy waves on the beach was tricky. In the end, I decided to use French knots using 2 strands of floss. First, I used DMC 4020.

Then, I added white French knots.

A bullion stitched starfish was added next, using 2 strands of DMC 4120 variegated floss.

Feeling the ocean needed something more, a few straight stitches were added with size 5 DMC 4140 perle cotton to create a boat.

A straight stitch with size 5 DMC white perle cotton, and 2 straight stitches and a few satin stitches with size 12 DMC white perle cotton completed the sailboat.

Stem stitches with 2 strands of DMC 4020 floss created ripples of waves on the calm ocean.

A single strand of black DMC floss created this island and palm tree. The island was outlined with a split-stitch and then filled with a satin stitch. Stem stitches created the palm tree. (This island was inspired by the one Sandra Todd added to one of my blocks in an Under-the-Sea Round Robin in 2015. You may see it here.)

For the sun, I lightly traced a half circle around a spool of thread with a pencil.

Using a single strand of DMC 4077 floss, I followed the outline for the sun with a split-stitch.

The sun was then filled in using a single strand of the same floss and a satin stitch.

The seagulls were created with 2 strands of DMC 648. Using a needle, I punched holes through the birds in the sketch I had drawn (pictured above). I positioned the sketch over the heart on this block and made light pencil marks on the sky fabric through the holes in the paper. Those tiny marks were the guides used to make the birds.

Using 2 strands of DMC 4160, the heart was outlined with buttonhole stitches. To keep these stitches even, I used one of the templates I received from Sharon B. 

(I received the templates in return for an honest review and I love using mine! The full product review may be found in the Summer 2016 Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine, available at Magcloud.com. I am not affiliated with the templates or the magazine.)

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) is a challenge to create one crazy quilt block each month. The goal is to complete a 12-block crazy quilt by the end of the year. It is a personal challenge. You may learn more about it here. Sign ups usually open in November, if you think you might be interested in participating in 2019.

My block looks more like it is for an art quilt than a crazy quilt, but when the blocks are all assembled, I plan to add a crazy quilted border.

My April and May blocks have both been pieced, so there is hope I might finish CQJP 2018 before 2019 arrives. We shall see...

I hope you all have an amazing week. Thank you for visiting!
Renee


Related Posts:
Embellished CQJP 2018 February block - here
Embellished CQJP 2018 January block - here

My CQJP 2018 progress may be followed on this Pinterest board.

CQJP 2018 Block 2

Earlier this week, I pieced the second block for my Crazy Quilt Journal Project. 

Click any image for a larger view.

First, I colored white cotton fabric with crayons and set the color. (Coloring fabric was explained in this post last year.)

This month, rather than using raw edge applique, I cut the heart a little larger than needed and ironed the edges under. I used HeatnBond Lite (one of the prizes I won from ThermOWeb last year through the Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM) to iron the heart in place. Then, I hand appliqued the edges to the block.

A buttonhole stitched seam, connected with straight stitches along the top, created a fence.

I lightly sketched the outline of a tree on the muslin backing of the block and embroidered it with stem stitches using size 5 DMC #4140 variegated brown perle cotton. 

The second seam was embellished with back stitches using size 8 DMC #954 green perle cotton.

Now to see if I can actually embroidere the ideas I have in mind for the rest of this block...

Thank you for visiting!
Renee

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2018 is a personal challenge to create a crazy quilt block measuring at least 8" x 8" each month of the year. You may learn more about it here and see the beautiful blocks other participants have created here.

Related post:
Embellished CQJP 2018 January Block - here

My CQJP 2018 progress is being saved on this Pinterest board.

Sun, Sand, and Sea BOM 2017 - Block 8

Block 8 of the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month was a challenging one for me. 

Finding a color scheme that would work for the flamingo and still fit with the orange and black theme of the quilt was a little tricky, but I think I pulled it off.

As much as I loved the border option using small squares of various colors of fabrics, I felt this border option in the directions would fit better with the theme and with the other blocks I have made.

"Beach Boy Freddie" is adorable and was fun to work on! This block was designed by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt. You may see her post sharing this block here and the pattern is on Craftsy here.

I used ThermOWeb Heat-n-Bond Lite to attach the appliqued pieces to the block and then secured each piece by hand with the buttonhole stitch and 2 strands of matching DMC floss. The straw was hand embroidered with a stem stitch.

I have 2 more blocks to complete for this quilt top. You may find the blocks I have completed to date on the Sun, Sand, and Sea 2017 BOM page at the top of my blog or by clicking here.

If you are interested, Amy and her friends have organized another Block of the Month for 2018. The theme is: It's a "Wild" Life. You may find the schedule of designers here and Amy shared a post with supplies you will need for the BOM here. Each pattern is free the month it is released.

Thank you for visiting!
Renee

Embellished CQJP 2018 January Block

CQJP 2018 Block 1 "Love You"

If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, you have seen a few sneak peeks of this piece. This was such a fun block to embellish! 

This is a photo heavy post.

If you want to know how each part was embellished, keep reading. If not, feel free to skim through the photos!

The heart was created with white fabric that I colored in with shades of pink using crayons. (The process is better explained in this post.) It was applied to the block with Therm O Web Heat-n-Bond Lite.

After adding basic stitches to the 2 seams, I covered the edge of the appliqued heart with a whipped chain stitch. There were a few fibers along the seams that were not caught beneath those stitches, so I couched down a strand of black perle cotton. That almost solved the problem. Couching 6 strands of variegated pink embroidery floss covered those last few fibers.

I wanted to add the spider web to the pale pink section before adding the flowers to the feather stitched seam. (You may have noticed, I added detached chain stitch leaves first.)

The heart center was created with fly stitches extending from the 3 points of the heart to the edges of the pink section. 4 more long straight stitches were added to give me more spokes to attach the central web to. 

Cast on stitches created flowers along the seam. A spider was made with 2 silver beads (one 2mm and one 3mm). The legs were made like a fly stitch without the tail.  

"Love you!" was added with a stem stitch and black perle cotton.

Raised cross stitch flowers were added beneath the chevron stitched seam.

Straight stitches with 2 detached chain stitched leaves were worked above the chevron stitch, and 2 detached chain stitched leaves were added to each flower below.

Flower petals were created with sets of 3 detached chain stitches or with a fly stitch added to the top of each stem. 

This butterfly was added with detached chain stitches and a straight stitch. The running stitch made a flight path.

A similar butterfly was added to the second motif. 

Beads were added to both seams and a few more detached chain stitch leaves were added to the second seam to complete the block.

I am incredibly pleased with the results! 

Thank you so much for stopping by!
-Renee

CQJP 2018 January Block Seam 1

CQJP 2018 January Block Seam 2

CQJP 2018 January Block Motif 1

CQJP 2018 January Block Motif 2

CQJP 2018 January Motif 3

Related blog posts:
CQJP 2018 Block 1 Pieced - here
CQJP 2018 - 2 Basic Seams - here
CQJP 2018 seam and motif photos are beig saved to this Pinterest board.

Click any photo above for a larger image. (I am not sure if it is a Picassa issue or a blogger issue, but the images are blurrier in the blog posts. The enlarged view is better.)

CQJP = Crazy Quilt Journal Project. It is a personal challenge to embellish a crazy quilt block each month of the year. You may see work of other participants here.

More Happy Mail!

Look at the wonderful mail that arrived from ThermOWeb yesterday!

As some of you know, I am participating with my first quilting block of the month.

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy and some of her very talented blogging friends offered a Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month.

(Here is a link to the blog posts at Sew Incredibly Crazy. 

And you may find my blocks here.

Joan at Moosestash Quilting has finished here quilt and it is here!)

ThermOWeb is one of the wonderful companies sponsoring the Sun, Sand, and Sea Block of the Month.

In October, I won a drawing after completing this block and entering it in a linky party.

ThermOWeb sponsored the drawing and I won all of the goodies shared in the first photograph.

The timing was perfect, as I used the last of my roll of HeatnBond Lite to complete this block. 

 I want to thank ThermOWeb for sponsoring this block of the month. I love their products! 

I also want to thank each of these bloggers - not only for being so talented - but for being incredibly sweet and supportive. 

They have made my first BOM experience SEW much fun!

Amy at Sew Incredibly Crazy

Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks

Carol at Just Let Me Quilt

Joan at Moosestash Quilting

I also encourage you to check out the 2018 BOM. 

The theme is: It's a "Wild" Life.

Details are here and each block is free the month it is released.

Thank you for visiting!

-Renee

This is day 16 of the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge hosted by www.muppin.com.

You may find more details and other participating blogs here.