Embroidery from the past

  
I've left yet another empty space in my blogging. I've just been lazy. My apologies to those who keep checking. At least that's what the hit counter keeps showing. 

I don't really have anything new that I'm working on that I can show you. I am plugging along on an incredibly boring knitted pi shawl. I'm too far along to let it go, so I have to finish it. I get maybe one to three rounds done in a day. It actually is progressing well and I think I have about 25 or so rounds left, with about half of them plain knit stitch only. Not too bad. Because it's all bunched up on circular needles, there's nothing that would show up in a photo. You can be sure you'll see it when it's finished!

I looked up at the wall a few days ago in my sewing room and noticed a past project (from 1999) that I would like to show you. You know how when you have something hanging for so long that it's part of the decoration and you don't notice it anymore? Anyway, Mary Corbet of Needle 'n Thread posted last week about her experience with the  bullion embroidery stitch and thread twist. So, I was reminded of this project.

I guess it was about 12 years ago that a friend who was a member of a small mailing list I belong to shared some photos from her garden. One close up of a flower from the garden really grabbed me. It's called a King Protea. I felt the need to duplicate it in embroidery.

First I enlarged the photo and printed it out on a plain white fabric in order to embroider right onto it. The center is made of really long bullion stitches with straight long stitches as fillers and French knots in the middle. I used the turkey stitch to make the long green and white things (there's got to be a better, flower related, word for it) that surround the center. For the pink petals, I took a wide organza ribbon and machine zigzagged (or maybe it was buttonhole stitch, I can't remember) down all of one side of long lengths. The whole piece is about 8" in diameter. 

Enjoy!

Debbie

My quilt in a book

First off, don't forget to enter my blogiversary giveaway. Only comments made on the giveaway post will be counted towards the drawing, which will take place at the end of January 10.

In January, 2007, Myrah Brown Green put out a call on the Quiltart list for people to make quilts for her soon to be published book. I answered the call and was sent some foundation paper piecing patterns that Myrah designed for the book. My quilt did make it into the book, which finally came out this past summer. The name of the book is Pieced Symbols: Quilt Blocks from the Global Village.

 

Don't forget about the giveaway! Good Luck

Debbie

The 4th night of Chanukah

I made my Chanukah quilt in 1999. It's been hanging in our living room and every year since then, when the others are lighting their real menorahs, I add a fabric flame to my quilt. It hangs all year with all the flames and right before Chanukah I take them all off to add them back on once a day. 

The custom is to place the chanukiah (Chanukah menorah) in a public place, in order to publicize the miracle. Some actually place theirs outdoors. Some place it in a window for passersby to see. The background of my wall hanging is meant to resemble a window.

 

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My friend and fellow hexagon junkie, Mary Anne, is celebrating her birthday on her newly designed website, Sewing and Beyond, with the most fun giveaway contest I've ever seen. You must go to her website to play!

About the banner + Geta’s giveaway to enter

I just realized that it’s already been two weeks since I posted! Too long. I don’t have any progress to show on anything from the past few weeks, so I dug around and decided to show you the quilt where my banner comes from.
In 2005, I took the Firework’s workshop with Helen Marshall at Quilt University. I made a smaller version of the class project, with the intention of using it as the center of a round robin in the IJQ quilting group that I belong to.
Every year Quilt University has a virtual quilt show of students’ works made from QU classes that they took. I entered this quilt in 2007 and it won an Honorable Mention in it’s category.

Title: Celebrate!               Size: 40"  by 40"                                                        

Round 1: (from the center): Rita in NV (now in CO)                     

Round 2: Ellen in MA                                                                                 

Round 3: the late Carole Zelcer from England 

You must check out Geta’s beautiful work at Geta’s Quilting Studio and sign up to win the wonderful little quilt that she is giving away!

Enjoy!

Debbie