Tale of Two RRs

This is the final block I need to work on for the Fool's Goldwork RR hosted at CQI Yahoo Group. Wendy requested a peacock theme and so here's my peacock. I cut the peacock from gold ribbon, and padded it with felt. I then trimmed the body/feather with gold trim. Rest of body was stitched with 3 different gold threads.

Before I added the peacock I had embellished all the seams with treatments of white (or was it ecru?) perle #8. It would have bothered me if those seams were bare but I also didn't want them to detract from the peacock.  The bottom of the block has some other chicken peacock scratch stitched with various gold threads and beads. I added a butterfly also cut from gold colored organza ribbon and trimmed in gold threads to break up the white space but it occurred to me after I was finished that the butterfly is as big as the peacock and it reminded me of those old Japanese movies where two giant creatures fight each other. Who would win? Butterfly or peacock. Ah, my mind wanders...Anyway...when I thought I was finished I thought that dark brown triangle looked like a tumor protruding from Mr. Peacock so I think I toned it down with a trail of bullion roses made of 2 strands DMC and 1 strand gold DMC antique effects. Some of the leaves are stitched with DMC pearlescent and sparkle more than shown here.

I wasn't sure I would like the fool's goldwork because I'm not a gold/sparkly person; however, I have really enjoyed this, have a book on real goldwork to use for further ideas and have an entire tub of gold stuff I need to use up. So...maybe something will be in the works soon (or not).

Hosted on the CQ4Newbies Yahoo Group is a "Brown Color Study" RR. The block and all embellishments are supposed to be done in brown. Each lady sends her block around to others in their group to embellish and then eventually each block makes it's way back to each owner.

This is Toni's block and it had a lot of rectangular spaces. I find it difficult to stitch seams on blocks made in this style but look at each block as a challenge so..

Since it is hot here and I'm without A/C (I did go to work and experience some today, though) my thoughts of course led to fans. I embellished a long seam with my rendition of chain stitch/buttonhole fans with lazy daisy handles of variegated perle. Below that I added a variegated silk ribbon fan since I needed something to stand out on that striped brown.

Continuing on with fans...Toni's block had an Asian looking dragon in the fabric she used in the middle of the block So, I stitched an Asian lady with fan next to it. (Yes, that's supposed to be an Asian lady with fan and some bonsai in the background.) That's a stray thread near the bottom of the lady's kimono on the right. I think each of my pics has a stray thread somewhere. I also added a feather stitch/bullion seam between dragon and dragon  Asian lady.  Like the peacock block I used two strands of DMC plus one strand of antique effects brown metallic thread on the bullions. That's why they look kind of stripey. 

 And finally...I crocheted a little brown basket and added cast-on flowers/beads to it. And the seam above is satin ribbon, french knots and kiko flower stitches.

And here's what it looks like before it passes on to the next lady to stitch on (except I somehow managed to chop off some of the top half of the block in the photo.

Oh, one last thing...I'm not sure I showed MY brown color study block that is going around for the other ladies to embellish. I wonder what everyone will choose to do.

Fool's Goldwork

I'm in a Fool's Gold RR over on the Crazy Quilting International Yahoo Group. The purpose of this RR is to use faux gold threads and trims with goldwork techniques instead of the more expensive gold threads. Each member of the RR stitches together 6 - 6 inch blocks to send around to each member to embellish one. 

Kerry had some lovely wedding dresses on her block and wanted romantic theme. I started on the block by adding lace and stitching to each seam. What's more romantic than lace? 

Roses might be just as romantic as lace so I added a couple. I first cut felt and then covered it with silk on one and organdy on the other. Then I stab stitched them to the block and added stitching first with backstitch then I wrapped the backstitches with perle 5 gold threads. The outside of the roses are couched with flat gold trim.  Next I laid down a couple of different trims to simulate some foliage and added beads. I also added a few leaves. Then I added some feather stitch of variegated pale pink and white perle and added bullions wrapped in gold thread. The leaves were done in 2 strands of DMC and 1 strand of gold DMC antique effects. I really like to add DMC to all the antique effects threads. More beads and gold trimmed ribbon with french knots finished it off. 

The end. 

Fool's Goldwork

This is my work on Gerry's Fool's Gold themed block. She asked for a Jacobean styled flower. At first I couldn't decide which block to use. I saw so many patterned fabrics that I thought "oh poop" how do I do this! 

So, I decided I had to do some applique work so went off to find a Jacobean flower pattern that wouldn't be too difficult to applique. I couldn't find one in my books that I liked. I finally found one on Mary Corbet's site.  Obviously I changed the butterfly. I thought the one on the pattern was too difficult for me to do nicely and I thought it was ugly anyway but it's probably more in keeping with the Jacobean style than mine. 

I found some cream colored felt in my stash and some different organdy ribbons and silks. Then I stab stitched down the felt and applique shape. Then I couched different cords/threads around the shapes.   Then more embroidery and couching took place on the appliques and in the leaf shapes. I wasn't even going to add a butterfly but it sure was bare up in the corner after I finished the flower so...now there's a butterfly made following the same procedure as the flower. 

One weird thing...that missing thread down that diamond patterned piece bugged me the whole time and my eyes kept going over there. Don't know what to do about that. 

And, the whole thing is more glittery than it looks. 

That's it from this fool! 

Fanning for Gold

This is my work on Arlene's block for the Fool's Gold RR over on CQ International Yahoo Group. I chose a block with a fan on it so I didn't have to rack my brain for a  motif to add. First I added did a feather stitch between the two middle blades of the fan.  Then I added some bullions to the feather stitch and outlined them in gold metallic effects DMC with a lazy daisy stitch. Next I couched some trim along the first fan blade and added some bullion roses made out of perle #5 gold metallic (not the easiest thing to do). The other fan seam has double herringbone, straight stitches and beads. At the bottom of the fan I couched down some cording with dmc that matches the second blade of the fan. I wish I had used some darker thread so it would show better...but I didn't. I couched in a brick pattern. Then I added a black perle8 bullion fantasy flower surrounded by some gold flat trim raised leaves and pistil stitches. Oh, and I couched on the black bullion with gold. Then I added gold rick rack with zig zag chain stitch of 1 strand of gold metallic thread and 1 strand of dark purple DMC. Then I cut some leaves out of gold ribbon I fused with interfacing and made a gathered fantasy flower out of some wired gold ribbon and surrounded it with a variety of gold beads. 

And so...I'm done fanning for gold! ;-) 

All That Glitters is Not Really Gold

This is my work on Karen's block in a Fool's Gold RR. This is not the traditional goldwork but instead is done with cheaper and what we call fool's gold embellishments.  I've been waiting for a book on traditional goldwork to arrive so I could follow some traditional methods but couldn't wait any longer so started right in on Karen's block. I had no idea what to stitch for her but when her booklet mentioned she liked grapevines I decided to give her some.  

I first made a vine from several different gold trims couched down. 

The leaves are two pieces of a couple of different types of organdy ironed together with interfacing in the middle. Of course the gooey interfacing stuck to the iron because the organdy is porous so the second time I put a piece of computer paper over it all to iron it together.  I then traced some leaf shapes onto the organdy and stitched them onto the vines. I also stitched around some leaves in the hoop and cut them out and added them as leaves that are kind of freestanding because the fabric is so stiff. 

Grapes are two different types of purple fabric I had in my stash - one is a variegated fairy frost and the other is gold flecked. Those too were ironed together with interfacing in between to keep raw edges from fraying. I cut out little circles from both fabrics to use for grapes. I first stab stitched down a little cushion of felt then put the grapes on top and buttonhole stitched around them with gold thread. I supposed traditional goldwork would have couched gold around them but this is Fool's Goldwork - a new type of stitchery. 

When all the grapes and such were complete I was left with a blank corner so decided on a fluttery butterfly from some organza wire rimmed gold ribbon. I cut 4 butterflies from two different types of ribbons, stacked them, added a bead body and gold feelers (I almost said antlers). 

I noticed when I cut the butterflies that I had some gold covered wire left from the sides of the ribbon. Voila, I curled them around a crochet hook and had some tendrils for the grapevines.