Wandering Rose Memorial: Gold Scalloping Chain Stitch

I added a gold scalloping chain stitch on the light gold moire in the corner.  It's very imperfect but I think further embellishment will fix that later on.  I might be ready to move on to the next stage of embellishment and add some Silk Ribbon Embroidery!

Wandering Rose Memorial: Metallic Gold Curving Feather Stitch

I added a Metallic Gold Curving Feather Stitch today!

Wandering Rose Memorial: Little Yellow Zigzag Stitch

Today I added a little yellow Zigzag Stitch!  Not sure if I all out love it but we'll see what I think as I move on and get to the further embellishing stage.

Wandering Rose Memorial: Tiny Vining Feather Stitch

Today I added a tiny vining Feather Stitch in a fine gold silk thread!

I totally skipped a week of work!  That's the trouble sometimes with trying to start a habit sometimes you fall off the wagon.  But as long as you get back to it as soon as possible, it should be okay.  Last week was pretty busy, and I honestly felt a little blocked as well, but if I'd prioritized a bit better I could have still worked on it a tiny bit each day.  Well at least it's Monday again and I've got mission accomplished for today!  LOL

Wandering Rose Memorial: Little Yellow Feather Stitch

Today I did a little seam to make me happy again. It's a light yellow feather stitch! 

♡ 

My plan of doing a little bit every day to start building consistency is paying off with almost all the seams in the seam layer done! It's my least favorite layer, I much prefer silk ribbon and beading layers! LOL But first things first! One step at a time!

I'm going to take a break for the weekends, but my goal will be to do a little bit each workday as possible.  I want to build that habit as an Artist to help me with my further ventures down the road!

Wandering Rose Memorial: Gold Herringbone Stitch

Not sure if I like today's addition of the gold herringbone stitch. It may come out later on. We'll see.

Wandering Rose Memorial: Swirlies!

So I'm trying to start building consistency of working on something every day.  Today I added some back stitched dark green swirlies in silk thread!  I plan on playing with them later on.  I know it seems extreme with the dark against the light but hopefully with later layering it will be balanced out...that is what I do!  I keep balancing the composition as I go!

Lately I also have been thinking about my dream to be an Artist.  And I know technically I already am one and I realize that now.  It's been hard for me to acknowledge that to myself feeling like I'm not a real artist.  But now I am going to start working on heading towards building a portfolio of work that could be considered fine art and be in a gallery.  I still feel like at this point people will totally laugh at me for thinking I might even have a slight chance to do that eventually.  But I think I can do it.  My media is different than traditional artists and I don't totally fit within the Crazy Quilting world for art quilts either.  I still think what I do is just as valid as anyone else, it's just different.  Right now I need to look into copyright issues that could come up with fabrics and materials I use and start working on pieces that are completely free of that issue.  When only working privately for myself and gifts it didn't really matter as much.  With the goal of being a Fine Artist it's important that I create with that in mind.  Also to create things that are the heart and soul of what I do but done in a way that I can allow to leave my possession.  So much of my current work could never leave my hands...including this Memorial Piece!  It has too much meaning for me personally.  So I need to work on things that are meaningful to me but I can let go of.  I also don't need to do this for income, my ultimate goal is *just* to create fine art!  It will only be icing on top of the cake to one day be sold.  If it never happens then I will be just as content having built up a portfolio of art!

I'm now acknowledging that what I do is art, it has emotion in it and people connect with it on an emotional level.  I always have a larger goal of showing people things that bring them enjoyment, maybe tickle a desire to find more details within it to enjoy.  It is meant to be framed on the wall, and has no use for it other than to bring enjoyment to the viewer!  It may be that I use pieced fabric as my "canvas" and I use forms of needle art, other objects, and textiles as my "paint" but it is art.  I'm not sure what genre it belongs in.  I don't think it's even fully crazy quilting because I don't finish it in a traditional way or create quilts.  So this is what I'm trying to hash out right now at the beginning of this new journey in my life!

Wandering Rose Memorial: Fearless Freehand

Almost a year later and I added a new seam treatment detail freehand inspired by the way she fearlessly created beautiful things without fear of imperfections!

I used a light pink swiss made cotton thread that was in my stash and used chain stitch in wavy lines.  When I first set out I thought they were going to inter-cross, but as I worked it ended up wanting to be parallel wavy lines.  No matter it's still overall like the idea I had in mind when setting out and taking the risk to just do something and not be paralyzed by fear.  I just kept remembering how she would be so fearless when creating!  She made such beautiful things all the time and fear of not doing well didn't seem to stop her!  I can see the imperfections in my waves but you know what?  There are no straight lines in nature, there really is beauty in imperfection.  I'm trying to embrace this more and more and take risks.  I want to just flow more!

Wandering Rose Memorial: Perfection in Imperfection

I added a couple more seam treatments yesterday.  I'm not embellishing them more yet but I want to keep getting more seams stitched to really have a solid base layer to embellish over.

I used to have so much trouble with this step, I know I have a tendency to over-think it all and end up getting stuck because I want it to be perfect.  Wendy taught me a lot about the beauty in imperfection.  She would simply find an idea she loved and put it on the block and it always turned out so beautiful!  She completed whole quilts for her kids that were not perfect but were so stunningly beautiful!  I always admired how she simply did stuff and didn't over think it like I do.  If she had been stuck on perfection the quilts would never have been finished.  Sometimes when I see beautiful work I purposely notice the imperfections that create a whole of beauty and let it soak into my heart, that there is proof after proof that there is beauty in imperfection.  Sometimes it's the imperfections that add interest to things that give it a special unique beauty that can't be replicated.

So I'm doing my best to go with the flow, to find a stitch I like and go with what feels right and not over plan it but just do it.  To trust my creative instincts because they usually steer me right, and if not I can always do it over.  Without taking risks we aren't truly living.

I really appreciate each comment left for me, thank you to everyone who is supporting me in this.  Thank you for caring and reading what I write, it means a lot to me.

First I chose a Chevron Stitch and picked a red wool thread and I threaded the needle and just put it in place and eyeballed the placement and spacing.  It's not perfect, but there's something wonderful about it not being absolutely perfect.  Proof that a human made it, and people are imperfect yet beautiful too.

The second one I chose was a combination stitch, a chained feather stitch.  I liked the feeling of tiny rose buds this one gives and I used a fine light pink silk thread.

Wandering Rose Memorial: Applique Quote

 I really wanted to add the quote "Always remember you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagine." because I really strongly feel that it summed Wendy up so well of who she is and what she would want each person to know about themselves that I just had to figure out a way to incorporate it.

I used Microsoft Word to get the Font and Shape and printed it out.  Above is the test print.  Below is the final print onto fabric.

I tried different fabrics and settled on this printed cotton.  I also had to change the type to bold so that enough ink would transfer to the fabric.  I loved this rose print, it's perfect for this!  And it was the last bit of this fabric that I have in my stash so I was really happy it printed perfect onto it since there's always a risk involved with this method of transfer.

The method I used was to simply print it on paper first and then tape a piece of fabric over the print and re-feed and print it onto the fabric.  I then iron it and give it a shot of steam to help set the ink on the fabric.

Here it is after I appliqued it into place, I plan on embroidering around it later on.  I want to work on more seam treatments before I embroider around it though.

Wandering Rose Memorial: Starting Work

Okay here's how the block was left off as way back in 2009.  I guess looking back through old posts I never blogged the last progress I had made which was adding some Turkish Oya up in the right hand top corner.  As well as a few more seam treatments over there too.  Also I had finished the rose garland and added some silk cut out leaves to the center.  I started on some dangling leafy vines at the base of some lace and never finished it up.  I remember Wendy seeing those additions and loving them!  I really miss her!

So today I finished up the last leafy/vine dangle, not sure what to call them, LOL!  I also started thinking over what seam treatments to add next.  I want to make sure I get the depth of layering in this piece so I'm going to focus on getting more seam treatments in before I start adding motifs and such.

It's nice to be embroidering again, I've always loved it and always will.  Even if I pause for a time here and there I know I will always, always come back to it again.  It was very soothing to be focused on stitching.  Also I can feel my creativity brimming with inspiration and I've always loved using CQ as an outlet for that.  I'm always creative in some way.  The last year I've been on a journey to a healthy weight and along the way I've found that I'm a FOODIE!  LOL  And I enjoy creating new things to eat that support a healthy weight and are really yummy!  I even have a food blog!  It's neat how creativity can translate into so many areas of life.  I know that might seem random but I figured it might be nice to update you all to my life right now too.

I believe my CQ has taken a backseat for a while since I was needing to be more active and this tends to be a more sedentary activity.  I'm better able to balance things now so I believe that I can reintegrate this part of my life too.

Wandering Rose Memorial

 

I have a bit of bad news.  My dear sweet friend of 15 years passed away from cancer on Oct. 12th.  I don't know how many readers I still have that also knew her but Wendy aka Wandering Rose also did Crazy Quilting and Embroidery.  I remember when I first taught her CQ and she created her first block and also started a blog.  I was her friend when she met her wonderful husband and in her wedding.  She created a beautiful Wedding Pillow for an Anniversary Gift for me which I treasure very much!  She did beautiful thread painting, and created quilts for her children (that I also got to help her with).  She always amazed me in all that she accomplished and did!  She was a beautiful person and I got to be her friend.  She was there for me when I needed her, always gave the best hugs and made you feel valuable just because you were YOU.  We laughed together and we cried together!  We had bad times and wonderful good times!  If you need a laugh read this story she shared that cracked me up so bad and still gives me a giggle.  It's really hard to write this but I know I need to as part of my grieving process.

The wonderful thing about Needle Artists is that many of us share a common thread of having very romantic hearts.  There's a saying that is very popular in Crazy Quilting that makes an appearance on many quilts and that is this:  "When This You See Remember Me"
I will never forget her, she will forever reside in my heart as the dearest of friends.  I recently saw a quote on Pinterest that I thought was perfectly fitting of Wendy as well as what she would want each and every person to know about themselves as well:

"Always remember you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagine."

I was thinking over what I wanted to do and I thought of a Memorial Crazy Quilt Block to honor her but I had no idea how I would start it when I looked over and saw an old block that has been unfinished for years.  It's from the time before cancer and Wendy touched it and she loved it and the theme is ROSES, roses, roses and the colors are the exact colors I think of when I think of her.  Bright, bold and beautiful.  It's the perfect block to finish into a Wandering Rose Memorial.  I seem to do my best work when it has love and meaning behind it, and that's probably why that block sat for so long it never had a purpose.  But now it will and in my mind I can envision such a beautiful work filled with roses because that was her favorite flower of all time!

So yes I am still here and I do still love Crazy Quilting and Embroidery and everything!  A lot has happened in the last year or so since I've last blogged here.  But now I will be working on this project and blogging it.  Wendy deserves nothing short of the best eye candy I can create!  LOL  She would love that!  And that is what I will do!

Wendy I will always love you!

Wendy Lynn Blake
May 14, 1976 - October 12, 2014