FINISHED R1

I am now behind again on the TAST instead of working on the next stitch, I made a ribbon rose pin and I finished my last block for the Three Sisters round robbin.

Now I am thinking about round two. Still have not decided what to do. I have been surfing, and I still think I want ribbon embroidery. Just can't find a pattern that I would like to use.

TAST

This is what it looks like all together on the block. I am going to start the next stitch today or tomorrow.

Then I need to get back to the Sisters round robbin.
I have my last one to finish for this round. Now just to wait for them to send me the quilt tops to add it to.

You can see all the photos from the TAST and the Sisters round robin at my flicker site. Just look to the right and find the TAST link and the Quilt Pictures link and it will pop you on over.

TAST-CHEVRON

Here I used the chevron stitch for a border. I don't know why, but I had a real hard time with this stitch. I bet I had to rip it out 3 times before I got it right.
I think I have it now, not real crazy about how it looks but it will have to do.

TAST-CRETAN STITCH

I used the cretan stitch for the large leaves of the ribbon roses. I really liked how it turned out and I have never done the stitch before or the ribbon roses.
I am having a great time :)

TAST -Herringbone, Detached chain, Buttonhole

Here is the first pictures of my TAST

I decided to use CQ blocks to do the stitches on, so that when we are done I would be able to use the blocks. I have never done CQ before and think this is a great way to start, and to learn some new stitches at the same time!!

If you look close you will be able to see the Herringbone stitch used for the backdrop.

I used the detached chain for the flowers and leaves and the buttonhole stitch for the vine.

TAKE A STITCH TUESDAY

I have been working on the TAST all day, trying to get caught up. I have finally gotten caught up!! I will post pictures on my flicker page tomorrow. It is a great chance to learn some new stitches. If you get the chance take a look at the favorite links bar at the right and check it out.!!

EMBELLISHMENT DONE

I have finished Kathe's quilt embellishment, now I just need to wait for Terry to send it to me. Now I am looking for a silk ribbon pattern, I think that is what I want to do next. Maybe something with crazy quilting on it. I just love crazy quilting and would like to try a small piece. Maybe a heart? Not sure but I will come up with something.I still have mine to get done for R1 and have not wrote out Terry's tags. I need to get to that soon. I did finish getting my craft room cleaned out this week, so that is a good thing. I also got my TV hooked up in there so when Larry is out of town I can stay in there and leave all my mess out of the front room. I am trying to get so much done before I have to go back to work. Got to get in as much as I can in the next couple of weeks. I have seen what Terry and Kathe are both working on and I think both of them have great ideas!! I am just so excited about this quilt top that I can't stand it. We are all going to have a great heirloom from all of us. It is going to be so wonderful.
Well I guess I will quit rambling on and get back to my quilt top

Quilt on

BLOCK FINISHED

Well I finished the embroidery last night. I decided to add some beading to the flowers, I think it turned out fairly nice! I just hand washed it this morning, Now to wait for it to dry and I will add some batting.
I am not sure how I will attach it to Terry's fabric, I want to do some applique so I can go around the flowers and not just have it squared off. But my applique skills are very lacking and I don't want to make a mess of it and have to do do it over!! By the way the K is for our maiden name. Because we all k's at heart.
I will just have to think on this awhile. Hmmmm
I now have it finished blocked and ready to add to Terry's fabricHere is the photo, I am in the process of sewing it to the fabric now.
Quilt on

I have started the next item for the sisters, it is going to be a photo of all three of us with some embroidery at the top. I saw a pic of Kathe's tonight It is beautiful. Can't wait to see Terry's tomorrow.

A GREAT IDEA: A while back I decided it would be great to have a quilt that both my sisters contributed to, but wanted all of us to be able to have something when done.So I thought a Round Robin, A little different from your normal round robin in that we would not use blocks but use a whole cloth. With it being a whole cloth we needed to make it big enough that we would have space to work but not so big that it would be expensive to mail (as one of the sisters did not live close) I decided about a yard would be good, it did not have to be a strict yard but around a yard would be close enough.The next step would be to contact both the sister's to see if they would be interested. They both thought that it would be a great idea, so now to decide what I was going to do. I decided that I would go and look for some cheaters cloth and just build around that.
THE NEXT STEP OFF TO THE STORE:I picked up two one yard pieces of fabric, I was not excited about what I had found. Went home to play with the fabric. It just did not work in the direction I wanted to go. So disappointed that night I decided to look at some of my quilting books.
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD:After going through several books (I have an extensive library) I came across the book titled Memory Quilts in the making by Leisure Artshttp://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3695636129535&isbn=0848718720"THAT'S IT!! I FOUND WHAT DIRECTION I WANT TO GO."A quilt titled Connecting Threads, that is the look I am after, so now all I need to do is go to the store tomorrow and find a table linen that has embroidery around the edges.
OFF TO THE STORE FOR THE SECOND TIME:Of course again disappointment. They did not have what I wanted, so I decided I would go to the thrift store and see if I could find a linen there. NO SUCH LUCK. This is turning out to be a pain, well back to square one. Headed back to the store again and decided I would get a yard and half of white muslin, then look for a iron on pattern. I picked out the muslin and headed toward the iron on embroidery patterns, slim pic-kins there. I finally decided on one that I thought would work.
HOME AGAIN:Well I have the idea, the fabric and the iron on. I am just not excited about the iron on. I just remember I have somewhere in my library an old book with tons of iron on's.I Found one that I like, decide I do not want to iron onto my fabric because it will not wash out so I copy the pattern with the computer it spits out 4 copies I cut them apart. Measure the fabric so I can get a 4" border around the fabric. Mark with a water soluble penFind a pleasing way to lay out the pattern,lay the pattern under the fabric and copy the pattern again with the water soluble pen.
LET'S GET STARTED:Ok now I have to do the thing I dread the most: pick out colors for the embroidery, I pick out a green for the leaves, pink for the flowers and a darker pink for accent.Get my hoop and off to do some embroidery. Work Work Work, it is getting late I am almost finished with the center medallion. NOT HAPPY!! I DO NOT LIKE THE COLORS!! go to bed maybe it will get better in the morning.
I AM OBSESSED:It did not get any better, now what? Ok take start taking out thread, start with the accent, not yet, pink, no. Take out all but the green, I love the variegated green so I guess I will go with one color. I can't pick colors so stick with something easy.
THE FIRST MOTIF IS DONE
FINALLY FINISHED THE EMBROIDERY:It has taken me a week but the embroidery is done, and I think it looks great! (even though I am not great at it)Now to wash out the pen marks, "O NO!!" I have used a thimble and it has left metal marks on the fabric. "Please wash out!" First try, Damn they are still there, I will use a tide to go pen and scrub it with a small tide scrubber, being careful that I don't pull up the threads."THANK GOD, IT WORKED" Now to iron and get a photo on it.
BACK TO THE COMPUTER:I played most of the day with editing photos of My Great Grandmother, Grandmother and My Mother. Finally got the three photos layered into one. With my Great Grandmothers doily as the back ground. I used the Microsoft Digital Imaging program, I really like this program it seems to do most anything I want to do.

On to making the Heading for the quilt and the Quilt labels. After playing on the computer most of the day I have my picture and my labels, printed onto iron on paper.Tried several layouts on the quilt and finally decided on the one I would use.Cut out my fabric squares for the iron on's and ironed them on. Pin them down where I wanted and on to the hand sewing.
HERE IS THE PICTURE OF WHAT I AM SENDING TO KATHE TO WORK ON





Now to get it sent on to the next victim
Live to Create, Create to Live