Tatting!!!!!!!!

Motif #14 of the 25 Motif Challenge
Here's a link to the MOM pattern that was used.

Today Hubby and I stopped by the local Palm Frond of the Palmetto Tatters Guild and even though we hadn't planned to stay long we ended up with shuttles and a ball of thread in our hands and learned some shuttle tatting! I did the one with the pink thread and Gerard did the one with the blue thread. His isn't finished yet but I wanted to show off his tatting, it's very fine. I think he's caught onto making the stitches faster than me I still have trouble "walking the little man home" aka sliding the already flipped stitch snug to the others. Even though I finished the 'M' before him that has more to do with the fact that I already understand the basics of tatting because of doing needle tatting. He says he liked it and plans to finish the 'MOM' for his Mom who's going to be coming out to visit in a few weeks! As for my 'M' I think I'm going to use it as a monogram.

Summer Breeze DYB RR: My work on Marie's Block

Finished! Here's an overall photo of Maire's Block you can click on it to see a large version. I really love the way it's turned out! I added some size 11 clear AB seed beads to the lady's hat.

I added Swarovski crystals to the centers of the spiderweb roses, and assorted Czech glass beads and size 15 seed beads. I also added sweetheart roses in sets of three and lots of cream french knot flowers as filler. I added back stitch stems and ribbon stitch leaves. Last I added 3 metal butterfly beads.
For this bouquet I was really trying to get a lot of texture in and push myself. There were a few moments where I wasn't sure if it was going to turn out well, as I finished the flowers it was looking crowded to me but I still had stems and leaves to fill in. The amazing thing was as I added stems and leaves it pulled together and looks just right!

When looking at the photo of this seam I thought it needed a little something more so I added little bees in light gold and cream. I made them with a bullion knot for the body with 2 stitches couching the body, a french knot head, lazy daisy wings, and a running stitch flight path.
On the 'Love' I added a sweetheart rose and 2mm ribbon stitch leaves.

Click Here and Here to see more details and descriptions of how I embellished the block.
Click Here to see all the Summer Breeze posts

Summer Breeze DYB RR: My Work on Maire's Blocks

Here's an overall photo of my progress on Maire's block.

The roses I'm adding in with the spiderweb roses are Cast-on stitch roses. I'm making them with 1 strand DMC floss in each color. This is my first time trying the cast-on stitch and creating this rose I think it's turning out well. You can see the start of the second one too.
I'm really wanting to add a bouquet that has lots of textures in lots of shades of blues.

On this spot there is not enough room to really embellish the lace so I added a point of interest by adding a blue glass heart bead with size 15 seed beads in the stem stitch around it.

I also added a tatted dagger bead dragonfly!

This seam is curved stems done in the outline stitch with bullion knots for the sepals with a smaller sized blue glass heart bead that dangles with a tiny size 15 amber seed bead at the tip, I thought it added some movement and interest to the block. I also put lazy daisy leaves with the same variegated thread but it seemed not heavy enough so I added size 11 seed beads to the middle of them.
I also added the word 'Love' in stem/outline stitch and I will be adding a flower of some sort to the 'L'.

New Pincushion

As you can see my old pincushion on the left is getting overwhelmed! LOL I got it as a free gift with an order one time and have been using it ever since. I thought it was time to find a new one but wanted it to be a nice size and usable. I started searching on Etsy and found Pincushion Alley Etsy Shop. I loved this little white petal bowl pincushion and thought it would work nicely and look nice in my workspace. The lady is very sweet and also added in a gift of a bottle cap scissors fob that works nicely on my small fiskors scissors that I use for snipping fabric and trimming.

As you can see it's perfect! It's larger than I expected it to be but I'm so glad it is because I needed it to be that size! When I'm working on a project I like to have lots of needles to choose from and a lot of times have several chenille needles loaded and ready to use as well as some milliners and beading needles at the ready.

Summer Breeze DYB RR: My Work on Maire's Blocks

Here's the block I chose of Maire's blocks for our Do Your Block RR! I don't normally use a lot of blue but I just loved this block and I loved the silkie lady. I thought the lady was just calling to have embroidered roses on her hat and I also added a feather to it. I used the Twirled Ribbon Rose on the hat and also some colonial knots and small french knots and a single Sweetheart rose in her hair. I've never gotten to embellish a silkie before so I'm having a ton of fun with it. I also added silk ribbon for the tie on her hat using the print as the pattern then I tacked it on and let the tails be free like they are blowing in the breeze. I tacked the very ends of the tails so it will stay in place just like that. I also added the light blue lace I thought it was perfect for bringing the blue color around.
As you can see I'm starting to fill in a silk ribbon embroidered motif that will curve around the lady. I've only added the spiderweb roses so far.

A rose by any other name...

This month I chose the Twirled Ribbon Rose. I found instructions for it Here but you have to scroll down the page for it. I learned mine from the A-Z of Ribbon Embroidery book which is one of my favorites. Click Here for a great tutorial by Leslie S.
My first and second attempts didn't turn out and if you look closely at the photo you'll see what looks like 2 little seed stitches...LOL...those are my first two tries! I couldn't really get the hang of it I think I'd need to practice it more to get really good results. I also tried it in 7mm silk ribbon and it was still just as elusive to me. The other thing I don't really care for is that you have to make tacking stitches with a matching thread so that the rose stays in place. Overall I don't think I'll be using this one very much since I love the sweetheart rose so much and it seems easier to me. I can see that it could have it's uses though.
I always believe that it's good to try new things, but you don't have to stick with something you don't like...that's the beauty of just giving it a try because you never know what you will love or not care for unless you explore!
So go give it a try who knows you may love this rose!

Summer Breeze DYB RR: My Blocks

Here are my six 6 inch blocks all ready to send off for the Summer Breeze DYB RR (Do Your Block Round Robin) over at CQI that I signed up for.
I originally thought that I was going to do a white on white theme but when picking fabrics I saw a print fabric I had bought and loved the rose print on it so I cut six 5 sided centers from the roses print. Each one is the exact same print but cut at a different angle so it looks like 6 different prints! Then I added a gold and light green fabric into the mix of white on whites and I'm really loving the results. I feel like it has a nice dainty, elegant, romantic feel to them.
Piecing these blocks took a lot of work! I always forget how much work it is to do the piecing part of crazy quilting, usually I'm doing the embellishments which is always a ton of fun.
Knowing how much work it takes gives you a higher respect for all CQer's everywhere!
I recently read a post about RR's by Debbie of Needle Lil More Time To Sew and I totally agree with her about always doing your best work. I always do my best hoping that the other ladies in the RR will do their bests too. I also agree that it's not perfection or skill but simply doing your best and putting your heart into it. I'd rather a block come home empty than with half-hearted stuff slapped on it, it's only respectful to the the hard work of the CQer who pieced the block.

Military Formal

Here's my prettied up photo! With the dress that when I bought it a few years ago was tight and when the formal that I intended to wear it to came around was too small! Now I can wear it!!! WooHoo! I created the tatted heart pendant with Swarovski crystals and I cut a length of lace fabric I had in my CQ stash for my wrap.

I love this photo of me and my hubby! We went to Sonic for ice cream afterwards and the girl who served us asked if we just got married! LOL Funny thing is we are always asked if we are newlyweds but we have been married for 7 years! It's because we have so much fun together, my hubby is my best friend in the whole world!

I love this photo too, because you can see my dress and you can see my hubby's medals! He usually has the most medals in the room when we go to the formals, this time there were a few others that had as many but they've been in the Army for more years.

This last one you can see my flowers I picked from the garden, it's a wonderful smelling red rose with a purple clematis and a pink sweet pea all wrapped in a vintage hankie that has net lace edging.

In The Garden RR: My Block

My block made it home! It's so beautiful! I love it very much! Thank you to each lady who worked on it, it is an amazing work of art!
I forgot to take a photo of the finished block before I framed it but here is a photo of it up on my wall! Click on the photo to see it closer.
Click Here to see the block before it was embellished.

Easter Jacket Finished

Here's my finished jacket! I'm pretty happy with it. It doesn't photograph very well. I'll try and take a photo tomorrow when I'm wearing it.

What I did was stem stitched with 1 strand DMC floss some vines and added 4mm ribbon in the ribbon stitch leaves, and to that I added little red seed beads that matched the roses.
The flowers I made spider web roses in burgundy red 4mm silk ribbon with a pink Swarovski crystal in the center. Then I added forget-me-nots in blue and cream colonial knots, and light pink sweetheart roses and colonial knots. Also on the upper area of the collar I added a pink sweetheart rose with 3 ribbon stitch leaves to each side. I'm considering adding a similar tiny motif to the edge of the sleeves.

Baby Nathan

Look!!!!
My nephew baby Nathan is wearing one of the onesies I embroidered for him!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't he SO CUTE!?!
I just had to share this photo! He's flexing and everything!

Easter Jacket

I'm always planning on adding embroidery to clothes I buy but never get to it so today spur of the moment I just started adding embroidery to this jacket! I hope to get it done for Sunday!

Not the best photos but I'll update them with daytime shots when I get more finished.
Here's an updated photo from tonight. I'm not going to work on it anymore tonight, but tomorrow I hope to finish it. The jacket is not wanting to give good photos so I give you 2 to look at and the real thing is somewhere in between. I'm going to be adding some beads to the long vine tomorrow as well.

Needle Tatting: Lots of tatting

Motif's 10, 11, 12, and 13 of the 25 Motif Challenge

I made these dragonfly earrings for my SIL, Echo, since she loved them so much. I had to stiffen them quite a bit to get the wings not to flop. I just put a picot at the tip of the head and added an extra stitch to the head as well and then just attached the earring to the picot. I'm just counting the pair as 1 motif.

This is the Cecelia Doily by Cherie Wheeler I saw a lady doing it at the 25 Motif Challenge blog and thought it would be a good pattern to try with a thicker thread and bigger needle. So this is a thin yarn and the size 3 tatting needle. It's big and reminds me of a granny square in crochet...I think it would make a nice blanket or scarf or rectangular shall. I haven't finished off the ends or blocked it yet either.

I also finally finished this pink pendant with a pink Swarovski crystal at the tip. The pattern is the SweetHeart by Birgit Phelps. I still need to block and stiffen it.

Then since I have a military formal coming up that I'm wearing a white formal to, I created another clover leaf heart pendant with 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals in the outer picot's (37) and also in the joins (12). I added a large 8mm bicone Swarovski crystal to the center of the clover by stitching it on. I still need to block it and stiffen it.