SRE completed Crazy Quilt Block

I completed my Beginner Crazy Quilt Class with Kathy Shaw!  Fantastic Teacher ~

 

 I have had a needle and thread in my hands since a small child, and Kathy still has taught me some wonderful things in the beginner class!  This class was inspirational and the instruction was presented in a step by step approach with enough limited access to what was in the next class to be inspired and not fearful.  It kept me from feeling overwhelmed and I had the confidence Kathy would assist us all the way through to completion if we were interested in learning/mastering the skills. 

Watching fellow classmates along the way was not only inspiring, but I learned from them as each shared their wisdom with fellow classmates along the journey.  Their encouragement was an extra gift from those willing to invest in sharing such words and for which I am grateful.

It has been a great adventure in Beginner Crazy Quilting, and I thought you might like to see the completed block. 



My Beginner Crazy Quilt Block

I am now off to join Kathy once again in the next level, the intermediate crazy quilt class, with a ream of paper, binder in hand and silk ribbon on order :)   This is not your grandmother's embroidery class either ~ Kathy your work on Color theory is knock-your-socks-off wonderful!  I was laughing while I was reading it, and my husband ask me what was so funny, and all I could think of was if you saw me doing the study of color earlier this month with my embroidery threads and monochromatic color blocks, you had to be laughing to know how deep a study in color you would later take us on if I only could stick it out!  The scientist in me LOVED the information I have received so far.  Thank you Kathy~

Godspeed
mary

New Dress with Woven Ribbon Roses completed

Woven Ribbon Roses 

Little Pink Dress is DONE ~
Task # 7 is  completed !

 

I used my new laminated templates of the circle/spider web for the Silk Ribbon Embroidery and they worked GREAT.  I was able to see where I wanted each rose to go and then penciled in my dots using the templates.  These templates were especially helpful in getting the roses to match on the collar of the little pink dress I was practicing on for my little granddaughter.

 

Little Pink Dress for my granddaughter with woven ribbon Iris on the bodice and roses on the collar.

Here is a photo of my precious granddaughter who recently learned to walk (she just turned 1 year old) in her new dress.

This is a photo of my woven ribbon roses on my crazy quilt block

Our Crazy quilt class with Kathy Shaw is almost complete.  Next week I will blog about the final 5 crazy quilt blocks  (5 out of the 12) I created  as part of  my color study, and also my adventures with the assortment of hoops I am using for this class.

Godspeed,

mary

 

 



Tutorial ~ how to make a spiderweb rose template

Tutorial for making pattern stencil for SRE of the spider-web rose motif.

 

How to make a round spider-web/circle pattern that is clear that allows  you to see object for pattern placement.

 

I first took a sheet of my laminate product and put it through the "HOT" laminator machine sealing two sheets together.

 

I laid the clear laminate on my white binder so you could see the shiny edges

While the laminate cooled I collected assorted circle shape sizes from around the house.

medicine cup, bottle tops, washer, curtain ring, and toy shapes

 

I then took a permanent marker and traced the circles, inside and outside the circle when able to, to create my patterns.  

 

eyeballing and marking centers while drawing circle helps with lining up for placement

Next I drew in the "Y" shape inside the circle, then added two more straight lines to make the web shape.  I then drew in assorted circles within the circle keeping an eye out for equal distance, that the circles now look like targets.

 

Y seam drawn then 2 more lines added then target circles drawn in

I then took a large chenille needle and poked holes in the center of the target, and then wherever the target lines and spiderweb lines meet.  This allows each circle to be a pattern that has many sizes within itself.  Because of the clear nature of the laminate, and the permanent nature of the markers, I can now use a sharpened pencil and mark my circles for SRE rose motifs more accurately for what I was looking for and have many sizes to choose from.     

 

Even this thick permanent marker can be seen through the laminate

Even though the laminate is thinner than stencil plastic, I will be using this technique in the future for making my pattern stencils for seam embroidery  as well as for Silk ribbon embroidery patterns, as it gives a much larger and much clearer reference to the seam for more accurate placement of your design than just the little cutouts I was looking through using the solid white paper.  Vellum, although clearer than paper and provides for  more accurate computer printed pattern, this having to draw/trace the stencil pattern onto the laminate allows you to also "write" the pattern (so to speak) in your brain.  

Loving learning from Kathy, would recommend taking her classes if you get the opportunity.   She is a very inspiring teacher!  Way to go Kathy.

Silk Ribbon Embroidery (SRE) .... Practice

Time to learn some Silk Ribbon Embroidery stitches

Practicing my ribbon embroidery on a little pink dress I bought for my granddaughter who just turned 1 year old.  Don't you just hate to throw away your pretty doodle flowers.   Here is a photo of my first attempt at Iris flowers in a rayon/poly washable ribbon with some bead embellishment
for a little bit of bling

Embroidery Completed on CQ Block

Embroidery is completed on my Tan Crazy Quilt Block for the class.

  Have I learned some things from Kathy and classmates! 

A phrase I have read in the class chatter that certainly can apply "this ole dog is learning some things"; sure is fun when we come to class with a teachable spirit :)  Some of us who have been doing CQ (and embroidery) for years are having a good time (and success) learning these techniques from Kathy.

Thanks Kathy and classmates.  Having a wonderful time on this adventure. 

Let the Silk Ribbon Embroidery (SRE) BEGIN ~

Godspeed,

mary

Color ~ CQ Beginner Block

Having a fun time learning as I stitch this Crazy Quilt sampler block on a palette of tan colors.  For this block I am working on one of my rectangle clip hoops.  As you know (if you have been following my blog) I thought it would be fun to challenge myself a bit more and expand what I am learning in the crazy quilting class  to include a little bit of a study on "color" as I stitch along with Kathy and fellow quilters.   The acronym KISS (keep it simple silly) just doesn't fit my personality and is part of the problem that feeds the collection of UFO's (unfinished objects) that fill my design wall.

 

So far I have created 7 monochromatic crazy quilt blocks with hopes of making at least a dozen to do embellishment on.  Maybe one day I will stitch them out with a theme completing one block for each month of the year ~ or one for each member of our family now that we are twelve, or even one for each holiday of the year and include some seasonal embellishments as well.

As I set out to stitch a few lavender flowers on a piece of linen one warm summer morning last week before doing seam embellishment work on my crazy block I looked at my array of skeins of embroidery floss and decided to arrange them by colors, light to dark, the blues, then the greens, yellows, etc... and after I battled with a few of the  off-whites/ tans and browns trying to decide which pile when the thought came in to try to lay the solid colors out like a rainbow.  I then expanded that thought further by trying my hand at sorting them from light to dark to light again as each skein went from one color family and blended into another.  Oh my ~

Here is a photo I took after some time playing with the threads;

eventually I sat down to do seam embellishment.

 

 

Love a day when I get to create and play like a child with a new box of crayons.

 

 

Godspeed,

mary



Let the stitching BEGIN, CQ beginner Class

Let the stitching begin!  Enjoying the beginner crazy quilt class with Kathy Shaw and fellow students.  Kathy is doing a wonderful job teaching us her techniques for crazy quilting and keeping us moving toward the goal of completing our blocks by Septembers end.

Having laminated and cut out my stencils, I began lining up each one on its corresponding seam and marking so I would know where each base stitching was to go.

The seams are all marked with the pattern dots for placement of stitching, and the 's' curve has been penciled in as well.  If you look closely you will see I numbered on the muslin the row numbers that correspond with each stencil pattern.

 

For the seams that are 'landlocked' that do not touch the outside muslin, I have numbered those as well and have drawn in a double pointed arrow in the direction of the seam so I can line it up correctly with the stencil.

 

With my BIG 3 ring binder notebook in my lap, it helps to hold the embroidery frame so one hand can get underneath my work allowing me to use the stick-n-stab method for embroidering these patterns.  You can see I have the binder opened to the class pattern sheet (on the right page) for easy reminders of which pattern I am working on for each seam.