Winter and Oranges

I've finished my stitching on one of Peggy Sue's winter themed blocks. A couple of different types of yarn to simulate swirling snow in the sky plus some snowflakes, a couple of different laces to simulate snow, snow drifts laced with silver thread, herringbone stitch with shimmery sequins and beads, a sequin flower that doesn't show up very well in lower right hand corner, drizzle stitch snow along the "ground" level and finally a big giant snowball made of spiral trellis stitch which I just learned to do.

This is my work on Toni's orange tone on tone block. We are to use nothing but orange for embellishments so I added bullion roses, orange ribbon, fly stitch leaves and a few french knots.

I also added some herringbone stitches, rick rack, eyelet lace with beads and some buttonhole stitches along the bottom, a crocheted butterfly (hey, it look like I stitched her feelers in the wrong place), and feather stitch with french knots.

I do not really like orange but with this RR have built up some orange embellishments and have a greater appreciation of what can be done with tone on tone.

+27=48 (A Heartstrings Finish)

I finished 27 more blocks to add to the fall themed pile of 21 I made in the last two weekends. So that makes 48 - the total number needed for an adult sized quilt for the Heartstrings Quilt Project.  Next I will start on blocks for a child sized quilt with turquoise centers. That should use up some of my novelty scraps.

TAST - Chain

 The Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge at Pintangle brought to you this week by chain stitch.

I love Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers.

Celebrate Life Challenge - My Grand Finale

I participated in a "Celebrate Life" challenge over on the CQ For Newbies Yahoo Group. Basically we learn new stitches or a different way to apply old ones. I've finally finished my 12 inch block I call Midnight Fantasy Garden.

To recap..week one was outline and and stem stitches.

Second week was buttonhole stitch.

Third week was cast-on stitch.

Fourth week was whipped spider wheel and whipped chain. I also challenged myself to make some angelina fiber leaves.

Fifth week was herringbone and...

...chevron stitch.

Sixth week was turkey work (or is it knot?) so I made some thistles with it.

Sixth week was also spiral trellis. I had a difficult time seeing where I was to put my needle for each stitch so you can see a few little holes where I missed a few stitches (or was that where I decreased stitches and shouldn't have?)

That was it for the required stitches but we also had to add two extra elements from a list of several. I did a spider and her web and it looks like the albino spider has a broken leg. There is a black spider hidden in there too. Both of them made the web but I think they were into the booze when they made it. The other element was a silk ribbon motif so I added some silk ribbon roses.

So that brings me to the finish of this block. The fairy body is painted with glow in the dark paint and I may also add stitches over the paint in glow in the dark thread. Or then again, I may not.

And that brings me to the end of this "Midnight Fantasy Garden". I have several others in the works, though.

Oh, Horsefeathers!!!

I joined SewCalGal's 2012 Free Motion Quilt Challenge and what a challenge it was this month. This month's tutorial was feathers by Diane Gaudynski. I've had Diane's book (maybe she has more than one) for a couple of years but have never quite gotten the hang of the feathers. Maybe I just don't like feathers. I can't draw them no matter how hard or how many times I try. I've drawn on paper, I've sewn on paper. I was going to cheat and resort to tracing some feathers on tissue paper and then sewing over the tissue but decided that would not be a challenge. So, I don't see any feathers in my near future - not until I retire and have more practice time to wile away on feathers. Anyway...this is my not quite completed hotpad (need to bind it yet) for Feb.  And I'll keep it for my own collection. 

The don't call it a challenge for nothing!  And I'm definitely feather-challenged! 

Scraps and Leftovers

I made a tiny dent in my fall strings and added 16 more blocks for a total of 27 so far to the 48 needed for one quilt for the Heartstrings Quilt Project challenge.  I'm using tangerine for the centers. 

And this is the start of something using even the smallest of my 30s reproduction scraps. I have 31 of these wedges and need 128. I'm not going to say what they are for until I know I've got the 128 finished. Then I know I will actually make the quilt. 

I wonder if I sewed for a living if I would get tired of it. And what would I do to alleviate stress then? I only have 5 more years until retirement. I keep telling myself that. At least in these hard time I still have a job and for that I am thankful. 

TAST - Chevron and Lazy Daisy

These are my lazy daisy stitches for the Take A Stitch Tuesday Challenge over on PinTangle. This is the first stitch I ever learned to embroider. My grandma taught me to embroider on a stamped dresser cloth over 50 years ago. She taught me lots of things. I miss her. 

This is last week's stitch and I just got around to getting a pic taken of it. Actually I have avoided even trying this stitch because I thought it might be like the cretan stitch. I just can't get the rhythm of cretan. This chevron isn't bad. I like it and will start using it more. 

And these are my sampler blocks sewn together so far. A TAST lapquilt draped over the back of a folding table in my messy sewing room. One of these days I will doodle stitch in the margins. And one of these days I'll clean the sewing room.