Well my Spring Challenge Block is finally framed and hung on the wall!!!!!!!!
Funny story...
Here is proof Framing doesn't have to be expensive! LOL I always check the bargain stores like Ross in their framed art section and find the prettiest frames that are just shadowed enough for a CQ block. There's no need for one of those deep shadow box frames (which are usually ugly and plain) when these have enough room, it looks like it is about half an inch deep if not three quarters of an inch deep, and it's pretty! This one only cost $11.99 but sometimes you can get an even better price. All you have to do is take it apart remove the art and add in your block (and new matting if needed)!
Today my Prize from the Spring Challenge by Carolyn Cibik of Evening Star Designs came in the mail!!!
Remember my Spring Challenge Block I was working on and finished? Well the challenge has come to an end and today I found out that I Won!!! I'm SO thrilled!!! I won a $50 gift certificate to Evening Star Designs! If you have never shopped there do hop over and take a look around, she has lots of stuff for embroidery and crazy quilting, even tatters would love the prices on the threads she sells!
Yeay I've finished! I'm so proud that I've finally finished a block for myself! And it's a big block too 11x11 inches! I plan on framing it for art in my home! In a way I look at this block and it makes me think of our home here in Georgia, we will be moving soon so I'll always have this block to remind me of memories of my garden and the Ruby Throated hummingbirds that visit. I also kept using butterflies as much as possible can you spot all of them? I've used several things as reoccurring themes like roses and hearts too.
I added vines coming off the finding and curving around with little red seed beads in the vines. I also added a pink butterfly bead.
Around the embroidered butterfly I added little flowers that have pink colonial knots for petals and a tiny gold size 15 seed beads for centers. I also created a seam treatment of curving size 15 seed bead stems with a gold heart beads.
Once I got to a certain point I noticed I did need to add something to the green lace in the upper right after all so I added beads! Pink flower beads with size 15 gold seed beads in the center at each of the leaf repeats in the lace and green Czech fire polished beads in between.
Here is the bouquet motif I had started but didn't like because it had been too round and tight. I tweaked it by adding more sweetheart roses around it being more loose with the placement so it's not so tightly round like it was and more like what I had in mind when I began creating the design. Then I added more stems and leaves and a gold heart charm. I added 4mm green bicone Swarovski crystals to the bouquet as well.
Here's my little hummingbird all stitched in. I don't think he turned out as well as I would have liked him too, but I still think he looks great anyway.
I'm just having an awful time thinking of things to embellish this block, I don't normally have so much trouble! I have to admit I've been avoiding it and working on other projects, and if I didn't have a deadline that would be okay. I allow myself to have space to think on projects if I get stuck while working on something else if I need to, but with the deadline looming soon (15 May) I'm feeling pressure to work on it anyway.
I added stem/outline stitch stems stacking the stitches for the thicker main stem and singly for leaflets. Then I took 7mm green silk ribbon that I bought from Pat Winter's Etsy Shop and stitched in leaves in ribbon stitch.
The deadline for the Spring Challenge (15 May) is moving in quick and I need to get moving on this block! I've been stuck for the longest time! Trying to figure out how to embellish the last few spots on the block. It's been tough because normally I wouldn't worry about it and just set it aside until inspiration strikes, but because there is a deadline I can't do that.
I filled in more on this motif...it's still not finished it needs more stems and leaves around it. I don't really like how it's so round so I'm going to try and "fix" it somehow.
I finally got an idea for this upper area after taking quilting paper and doodling over the spot. I decided on a Melanie rose vine and a hummingbird sweetly sipping. So far I have the Melanie roses embroidered in and also adding on a 3rd row of 3 twisted stem stitch petals, they just looked like they needed and extra row to be more fully rose shaped. I also added a base with padded satin stitching and bullion knot sepals.
Here's a closer look.
I also just got my order of ribbon from Hand-Dyed Fibers and I have to say I'm a little disappointed! Two of the ribbons are way off color to the point that they are 2 completely different shades but they look the same like a third color! The 2 on the left are supposed to be the same color and the 2 on the right are supposed to be the same color with the outer ribbons the correct color and the middle two the messed up ones. From left to right the ribbon sizes are 7mm, 4mm, 7mm, 13mm. I understand about slight differences in dye lots and ribbon sizes but this is WAY off! I hate to say that too since I like her ribbon and prices! Also one of the sizes that is a messed up color was the size I was going to use! The good news is the messed up color actually works with my block! I'm grateful for that, but I had wanted the right shade. I'll be working on the bouquet next.
I saw this little butterfly in one of my Aunt Martha's iron-on transfers and just knew it would work right there! I think it needs a little something in the space around it but I'm not sure what yet. I stitched it in light pink DMC floss 1 strand using the stem stitch. Then I used a darker shade pink DMC floss in 1 strand for the body, antennae, and markings. I worked the stem stitch for the antennae and body. Filling stem stitch for the body and then 2 wrap french knots for the markings.
Since I hated that dragonfly I had stitched in with the button/bead cluster and couldn't make peace with it, I ripped it out and put a button there instead. I'm much happier that I did. The dragonfly just bugged me, I think it's proportions were off or something but I just couldn't stand leaving it there! To me the button just feels SO MUCH better!
Here's more work on my block! I put the feather stitch along the green velvet with 1 strand light green silk floss and I'm adding gold seed beads to the tips.
I added the pink size 15 seed beads in a stem stitch along the grid fabric.
Here's the button/bead trail I stitched in...it just felt like the time to do it since other parts of my crazy quilt "puzzle" haven't come into place yet. When I'm working on a block it's a lot like putting together a puzzle for me and I focus on the area's that I can get together and when so much of it is together the tough area's start filling in easier.
Well I was thinking about my slanted buttonhole seam and was also looking out my window to the back garden and saw several ripe strawberries and thought the stitch looked a lot like the stems to the strawberries! So I ran with the idea and make the seam strawberries! I already ate the ones I had seen but this one wasn't ripe enough so I got to take a photo. Isn't it cute? Next time the garden gives me inspiration I'll try to take a photo right away! LOL
I made them by adding small ribbon stitches in 4mm red silk ribbon and adding fly stitch and a straight stitch at the top to make the little greenery and then added yellow seed stitching on top of the ribbon stitches. Then I needed to add leaves so I thought about it for a while and came up with the scallops with the leaves at the ends. I did the stems in stem stitch and then added bead embroidery leaves using tiny size 15 seed beads.
Speaking of old teachers, my 6th grade teacher loved a Strawberry Poem and we at one time had to memorize it...I can't remember it does anyone know of any famous strawberry poems? I tried to Google search for it but couldn't find anything. I wish I could remember something about it...I think it repeated strawberry or strawberries in a lot of the verses. Wow, really wish I could still have it memorized...I'd know it if I saw it though! I sometimes saved old papers from school I wonder if I still have the poetry papers.
This weekend I worked on my Spring Challenge block and I needed to order ribbon since the colors I wanted to use I didn't have in the right sizes. Do you see that deep red bow? That is 13mm silk ribbon but I'm wanting to use that color in the bouquet on the doily. The bow is not stitched down either I'm still not sure if I'm really going to use it. But it does seem to bring the darker red around more!
Well I didn't want to wait for the ribbon to come in and started fiddling with the bouquet. I stitched in some wavy vines using the stem stitch in three directions then added some feather stitching greenery in 2 other shades of green. I made some folded roses out of the dark 13mm ribbon and tacked them down lightly to see if I would like it. Then I took the other 2 colors of 4mm ribbon I had planned to use with it and stitched sweetheart roses and colonial knots around but it just didn't look right so I removed the folded roses. I didn't remove the other flowers because I'm going to wait and see if it will work with the other ribbon as well and make a nice bouquet before just ripping it out.
Then I wanted to do some seams...and I remembered Jo in NZ suggested the herringbone/straight stitch/lazy daisy combo and I remembered that I've wanted to do that combo so I put in the herringbone with a lighter shade green silk floss (1 strand) and then added straight stitches in a darker green silk floss (1 strand). Then I added 3 lazy daisy at the tip using the very fine YLI light pink silk floss (1 strand). I also added sweetheart roses in a variegated peachy-pink/ecru 4mm silk ribbon, clear AB beads to the base and tiny size 15 pink seed beads to the base of the lazy daisies.
Okay my CQ friends! I kinda like how this doily looks there it seems to be the right color and size and I was considering adding an SRE bouquet to the center. Do y'all think it goes well? I'm debating with myself on whether I should do that or not and just add a seam treatment instead. I think it balances the thick lace at the top right though by adding another thicker lace...and added bonus of bringing the coralish-pink color into the green area too.
Carolyn Cibik at Evening Star Designs created a spring challenge I decided to do it and got the fabrics in Feb. but haven't done a thing until now. The challenge is to create something 100 square inches (I chose a 10x10 crazy quilt block as an easy way to meet the requirements) using a recognizable piece of 5 of the fabrics received. She also put some extra fabric, beads, and threads in that we can use or not. In the above photo you can see everything I got the five fabrics are to the left and the extras are at the top. She will judge and pick a winner who will receive a $5o gift certificate to her website! I really want to win!
I hate to say that I'm not too fond of the colors of all the 5 required fabrics so it is a challenge for me. I went through my stash of fabrics, because we are allowed to add other fabrics and embellishments as well, and pulled the above fabrics to take it in a direction that is more appealing to me. I added some pink and reds as well as another green color.
Then I spotted the little bird fabric I had bought and it went perfect with all the fabrics and it all felt more like "me"! I worked on piecing the block tonight and this is my results! I have to say I am very happy with how it's come together, now I just need to start embellishing! Can you spot all five of the required fabrics?
This is another angle so you can see the green velvet better...it still isn't photographing as well as I'd like it too! I'm sure you all know how it goes...much better looking in person when your eyes can take in the different textures and the way the light reflects! LOL
