Contests and Pinkeepers

Was very excited to learn that my block had won 3rd place in the CQ4N group baggie swap contest. In this swap, each person made up a baggie of fabrics and embellishments. The baggies were swapped out and each one had to make a block using all the things in the baggie. The finished blocks were then voted on.



It was interesting to work with choices made by someone else. Fortunately Amy did a wonderful job of coordinating her colors and provided a generous variety of embellishments. Thanks, Amy, for a great baggie.



I got a second baggie of lovely goodies from Ira in Israel. That block will be posted later, as I was unable to complete it before the time limit ran out.

My second theme was Under the Sea. I used a dark blue lame for the water. I appliqued a cream seashell and worked spider web roses centered with pearls on it.



I used a satin centered organdy ribbon for the background seaweed and overlayed it with feather stitching in floss and silk ribbon. The floss is tipped with seed beads.



Pins are pushed between the layers around the edge. A interesting and fun experience.

My SRH group decided to recycle unwanted CDs into pinkeepers. So we did a swap with two themes.

This is my In the Garden pinkeeper.

I am still working at learning the different SR stitches.About the only thing I do well is a spider web rose. So this gave me a chance to try something new.

I have been using The Silk Ribbon Embroidery Bible by Joan Gordon as my training manual. So I decided to use one of her motifs with my own twist.

As yet my supply of ribbon is very meager, so I embroidered the fence, tree branch, stepping stones and birdbath with floss. Since I love irises and purple, I added those instead of more french knot flowers. The spider web (which doesn't show up too well) is silver metallic, and the little black spot is a floss spider. AHHH, but the cardinals do look like birds!!

Eagle charity block

Several ladies in my CQ group decided to submit blocks to be made into a wallhanging for a charity auction. Since the receiving group provides live cam coverage of nesting eagles, the theme of the hanging was easy. As we spoke of it as the Regal Eagle project, I decided to move away from the traditional CQ block.

I have recently discovered landscape quilting and thought that this would be perfect for showing the awesome beauty and gracefulness of the eagle--a very worthy choice for our national bird.

It took fussy cutting from three diferent fabrics to provide the background. The eagle, cut from a fourth fabric, was appliqued and embroidered to make it the focal point. There is a distant eagle to the right (you can just see the wing tip) that is machine embroidered with touches of hand stitching for further accent. Sorry about the cramped photo-my camera is on the fritz and I had to scan the block, which was too large for the scanner bed.

Although it does not show well in the pic, there is hand stitching on the rocks and grasses, with a few beads added for some bling. All in all, I felt pleased with my results. The other blocks I've seen are wonderful. This hanging will be a stunning piece of art.

It has come back home

Was so excited to get my finished block from the Green Color Study RR. Thanks to all the lovely ladies who so freely gave of their talents to make my block a truly beautiful piece of art.

The purple study block will soon be finished, and I'm looking forward to the naming of the next color. These block will make a lovely wallhanging when all are finished.

Purple, purple, purple!!!

Had the pleasure of working on Wendy's block in the CQ4N color study rr. Wendy had worked a lovely peacock on her block, so I decided to stay with that theme and I chose to do a peacock eye feather. I used a design from Cindy Gorder's book Beaded Crazy Quilting ( a great book of ideas). The eye and spine are worked in beads. The barbs are worked in a couched varigated thread .



I'm sorry to know that only 2 more blocks remain in this swap, but there will be another color and more fun for all!

My second block was for my CQI rr. We had no theme, so Debbie chose for passion for purple. My kind of gal!!!

I am learning to do needle tatting and had made a piece which was to have been oval shaped. NOT!! Mine turned out to be rather rectangular (can't imagine why). When I saw the ciggie, I knew what to do. I dyed the tatted piece a pale lavendar in a uneven shading to give it an antique look and framed the lovely lady. I laced it with a muticolored ribbon. Along the lower edge I used various shades of purple to make spider web roses and looped straight flowers with bead centers. A Victorian look button in gold-tone filigree with a pearl like center work well to pull everything together. Ahhhh, just can't get enough of purple.

Purple color study RR