Halloween Crazy Quilted Glasses Case Progress

Panel of Halloween Glasses Case

My Halloween crazy quilted glasses case is coming along nicely!  It is my hope to have it finished this week. 

There was an ironic moment this morning, when I stepped outside to take pictures to share with you (the lighting on the patio is so much better than the lighting in the house.)  I opened the door to the patio and startled a black cat; he stared at me for a moment and then dashed off.  It still makes me chuckle.  Really, what are the odds of stepping outside to photograph a Halloween themed block and finding a black cat?

(Not so) Spooky Tree

 The spooky tree (which, sadly, is not all that spooky) was made with DMC 801 size 5 perle cotton.  I went by memory to replicate the tree I made on my sister's glasses case using the Easy, Breezy Trees tutorial from Shaw K L Designs Blog.

I LOVE the way the black and orange beaded seam looks.  That being said, if I ever decide to embellish a seam with beads again, it will be a SHORT seam.  I secure every bead with a single strand of floss by looping it through the bead three times.  Then, I make three tiny knots on the back before moving on to the next bead.  I am also alternating between a needle threaded with orange floss, and one with black floss; so, I have to be careful not to catch the thread I am not using while securing each bead.  I think about 10 more beads ought to finish this seam up.

My first beaded spider.

The spider consists of two pearl beads and white straight stitches for the legs.

My broom

For the broom, the handle was chain stitched with 2 strands of DMC 801 embroidery floss.  Long lazy daisy stitches using 1 strand each of DMC 743 and 745 made the bristles of the broom.  A couple loops of DMC 801 tied the bristles to the broomstick.  (This case will be for me.  I told my husband, "I'm a witch, so I need my broom!"  His reply?  "Yep."  I love that man.)

My next seam is going to be fun - if it turns out the way I see it in my head, anyway.  It will be a seam treatment created by my own imagination, so I am excited to give it a try!


Thanks so much for stopping by,
Renee

My First Round Robin Post #5

It is time for a happy dance!  Crystal's block arrived in the mail today.  She made such a romantic block with the loveliest shades of yellows, purples, greens and pinks.  The stitching at the top was done by Hazel and the stitching in the lower-left corner was done by Mardeen. 

Crystal's block after Hazel and Mardeen

Unfortunately, my photo does not do this block justice.  It fails to capture the sparkles from the beads, the metallic flosses and the silvery shimmer of the bow.  The stitches on this block are exquisite.

Ideas for embellishing are rolling through my mind already!

Have a fantastic day,
Renee

Crazy Quilt Day 37

March Naked Block

Yesterday, I kept myself quite busy!  It was time to make my next crazy quilt block.  As there will be 3 blocks per row, and January and February were already finished, I decided to work on March next.

While I was at it, I decided to piece the blocks for a couple more glasses cases I planned to make.  It is safe to say, I will not be lacking items to stitch while unwinding in the evening!

In addition to future gift items I am not posting (as I am not sure if the recipients check my blog or not), I made the following items.

Halloween Glasses Case Panels

October is nearly here, and I could really use a new case for my glasses.  So, this will be for me.  The eyes on the right actually glow in the dark.  Oh!  I also found DMC glow-in-the-dark embroidery floss at Jo-Ann Fabric this weekend.  This will be a fun one!

Black and White Glasses Case Panels

I also plan to make a crazy quilt purse at some point in the future.  I am toying with the idea of using black and white fabrics, so decided to  make a glasses case first.  Whether the embellishments will also be only black and white has yet to be determined.  I think I am leaning toward color with the embellishments.

Blue and purple panels for my niece.

This one will be for my niece.  (I do not think she knows about my blog, so it should be safe to post pictures here.)  Her favorite colors are blue and purple.  I found a few adorable embellishments for this one.  Of all the projects I have, this is the one I am longing to work on.  Having two boys, girly projects are a rare treat.





Thank you for stopping by!

Hugs,
Renee

Crazy Quilt Days 35 and 36

It took longer than I had hoped, but the January block for my first crazy quilt is finally finished!

After using two strands of white to finish the tassels, it was time to finish up the house scene in the lower-right corner.

I used two strands of DMC 3024 to make a sidewalk leading away from the house.  Next, I combined one strand each of DMC 640 and 642 to make the tree.  The trunk was made with small chain stitches.  Straight stitches were used for the bare branches.  The last step was adding Mill Hill Petite Glass Beads (#42010) with a single strand of DMC 762.  The tiny, clear beads made delicate, shimmering snowflakes.

The final touch was the addition of snowflake buttons (Favorite Findings Snow Reflections) to cover the corners of the rick rack border in the center.

Now, I just need to decide which block to work on next.  Oh... and I need to piece blocks for a couple more birthday gifts.  Should be fun!

Have a wonderful week!
Renee

Crazy Quilt Day 34

I am so happy I found time for stitching this week!  Yesterday, I managed to make some progress on my January block.  With any luck, this block will be completed by Monday, and I will be able to begin the 4th of 12 blocks.

First, I added a couple of windows to the house using DMC 3078.  I want the majority of the block to really focus on blue, white and silver, so I chose a pale shade of yellow that would not overpower the other colors.  I outlined the windows with DMC 823, the same dark shade of blue used to stitch around the roof.  A lighter shade of blue, DMC 334, was used to make a front door.  And a French knot of DMC 823 made a doorknob. 

I still have a couple of ideas rattling around in my mind about the next step in this section.  So, I decided to mull them over while adding the tassels to the scarves spelling out JANUARY.  First, I made silver snowflakes to cross the A's.

In my opinion, the end result has been worth the time of adding the tassels.  Only three more letters to go!

On a side note, I have been taking my photos on our patio table because the lighting outside is so much better.  This requires walking past sunflowers my boys planted with me last spring.  Let me just say, the bees LOVE those sunflowers.  And they are not tiny bees, by any means.  These fellows are big, and the buzz of their wings has startled me on more than one occasion, as it is so loud.  There were about five of these big guys buzzing less than two feet behind me while I took my photos this morning.  (I suppose I could say my day began with a buzz...)

Thank you for stopping by! 
Renee