Susan: June Reveal

A week late, but here it is. I didn't have time to take a picture of all the blocks together, but I will tonight, and then I'll add it at the bottom.

Sorry the right seam doesn't show up. It's a knotted cretan that I laced.

My friend called the top, bugle-beaded seam "chicken feet." At least it isn't flowers! LOL! In this picture, it does look a little like the exploding fireworks I was hoping to achieve.

Susan: June Block Finished

Here are the six together, not necessarily the way they will be, just together. It's a Gathering of Fairies, for sure. This is as big as I can get uploaded right now.

Judy ~ Bonnet Stitch and Sue's Wardrobe

Thank goodness Sue has sleeves that are just waiting to be decorated! The Bonnet stitch worked perfectly on the curve of it.

Last week Debra asked us to post all of our stitching thus far, so here is Sue in 6 different outfits, enjoying her stressful life.  For the rest of this project, I plan to continue in the same fashion, using each week's new stitch as best I can to embellish each month's block. The challenge is kind of fun.  In the end I hope to put all 12 blocks together as a quilt.  We'll see!  It's been very inspiring to see the wonderful stitching of this group.  Additionally, I hope to get around to doing a bit of crazy quilting and finishing some of the many cross stitch projects that are languishing in my stash along with countless balls of yarn and fabric. Oh, if only there were more hours in a day!

Cy - Reveal - TAST & June CQJP block

TAST Week 26

The green and blue spirals that follow the blue bead line in the middle of this mandala are Palestrina Stitch with a very short "arm" so that the knot is the prominent part.

The pale turquoise outer ring is Whipped Spider Wheel, with straight stitching and V's in dark blue.

And as a seam treatment on my crazy quilt.

The top wavy line is with alternating "arms", and the other three lines are evenly stitched and overlapping each other.

And this Palestrina Stitch experiment could be 'mistaken' for a tree 

(one for you Connie, lol).

CQJP June

I just about managed to get the June block finished in June.

I added Fly Stitch to the seam that I started last week.

Lots of lovely texture

And the butterfly of course.

There are some close-up photos on my blog

So that is block number six finished. Half way there. Wahoo!!

Also.............

I have an announcement to make about the completion of a major, and somewhat secret, project that I have been undertaking over the last couple of months.

But you will have to wait until I blog about it tomorrow because I am too tired to think straight right now (aren't I a tease, lol).

Your comments and feedback are most welcome.

Happy Stitching

Carol - Palestrina Stitch - June Reveal

Sarah in the Mediterranean - enthralling cultural heritage, dramatic and beautiful coastline, mesmerising views, sunshine and serenity

Buttonhole Wheels with French Knots - Butterfly Stitch and Detached Chain

Embroidered Butterfly

Machine embroidered Butterfly and Mediterranean patch

Chevron and Herringbone

Detached Chain and Knotted Cretan

Half Buttonhole Wheels, Palestrina with French Knots

(Jewellery from an unwanted admirer?)

Flower motifs with Buttonhole, Strait Stitch, French Knots and Beads.

Stem Stitched Leaves with Running Stitch veins

Barred Chain combination - embroidered Butterfly using one strand of silk thread

Flower Buttons with silver beads

Facing page

Pocket - Machine embroidered Leaning Tower of Pisa, three Palestrina interpretations

Main page - Buttonhole Wheel explorations (TAST weekly highlights) and Palestrina Wheel

Although happy with my June block it did not turn out as intended as I changed my mind at the very beginning and didn't realise the knock-on effect.  
Well, my six months learning curve list is long and I thought quite boring to all but me so I will sum up by saying that to be sewing along with such a talented group of ladies is a major achievement, thanks to everyone, but most of all to Debra for her support and encouragement.  My goal is to complete the TAST Stitches and make a Fabric Book to treasure.

Sarah is becoming quite lonely!!!

Susan: July CQJP & TAST

There it is! Not beaded yet, but mostly stitched. I have a little more to finish on the birds block, and a lot of beading, but I'm surprised I got this far. I stitched about 5 or 6 hours yesterday to catch up.

Here is a close up of the Palestrina I didn't mind too much. I used two threads (Sassa Lynne) together because it seemed a stitch that needed fatter threads.

And the other place I used it, with only one thread and a "leg" - didn't care for this much. Also more V-stitch fun - just doodling. Still needs the beads to be a complete looking design, though.

Judy~Back in the Saddle Again~Cable Chain and Palestrina Stitches TAST and June Block

Being gone for 10 days made June feel like an extraordinarily short month! Lots of stitching happened this week both to catch up and then finish the June block. I made it, and Sue doesn't look the least bit frazzled, does she?

Once I got the hang of the cable chain, thanks to Debra's french knot hint, I actually grew to enjoy this stitch. However, I sure was glad Sue's bonnet wasn't any bigger!

All the while I was fiddling with the Palestrina stitch, I was wondering whether this was the same music-Palestrina-person. (Note to self: look this up!) My attempts were pretty feeble, sadly. This stitch just isn't designed for 2 strands of embroidery floss. In case you don't recognize it, the stitch is on the edge of her sleeve and on the watering can. I got a little carried away with french knots there. I did have fun with the star stitch on her sleeve though.

So here she is, June's Sunbonnet Sue, working hard in her garden. I had great fun with the daisy-like flowers. The edge is two 24-wrapped bullion knots couched down. To tone down the satin stitch filling I used a single strand of floss and made some fly stitches. The leaves are done with fishbone stitch, another fun one if you've not yet tried it. On to July, I wonder what stitches Sharon will assign this time?

Barbara's June CQJP and Cabled Chain Stitch

I'm posting late as I had to help my daughter move yesterday.  She's moved into a very cute house with a girlfriend from work.  We're getting this moving kids thing down to a science.

I finished my June CQJP block early.  We had a couple of days of rain last week--heck it's raining now--so I just kept stitching.  Now that Mad Men and Game of Thrones are done for the season, I picked a new series to watch on my computer while I sew: True Blood on HBO, a campy vampire saga.  Tell me I'm not the only one who likes bad TV.

At the top of the block in pink is the cabled chain stitch, the TAST from last week, which I did in zig zag.  

I did a bullion rose cluster above the cardinal.

I may re-do this pigeon's outline from feather stitch to something that stands out more, otherwise this block's done and I've reached season 2 of True Blood.

Cy - TAST TIF & quandry - some CQ seams

Just as I wrote "TIF & quandry" in the title box I thought it sounded like a special hair style treatment  that you can only get from an upmarket hair salon haha. "Good-day Mrs Llewellyn, would you like your usual TIF and quandry today?"

Lol - I digress. Back on topic now.

TAST - Buttonhole Wheel TIF 

....Taking It Further....   ....and my Quandry....

A MUG RUG

I had this idea to imitate a quilt block using the buttonhole wheel,

and to put a whole lot together to look like a quilt.

And then I stitched the 'whipped-back-stitch' in black, padded it, bagged it out, and finished.

And I end up with what you see above.

It's exactly what I could see in my head before I started, and exactly what I set out to make.

Now here's my quandry - 

I don't like it.

How can I get exactly what I wanted and yet not like it? I am puzzled.

Has this ever happened to you? If so, what did you do about it? 

Do I need to give myself permission not to like it, or do I just fling it in the back of the cupboard and let it stew?

CQJP Stitching Time This Week

I've not got much to show for the week, apart from a weak chest from coughing too much, a sore nose and throat from sneezing too much, and a hungry family because I've been snoozing too much and not done the shopping.

It's flu season in NZ. and it's a "knock-u-for-six" stinker.

Anyway, I did manage to get 3 seams on my June CQJP done before flu stopped my play.

A crochet trim I made especially for this seam.

I made a Celtic styled woven braid for this seam.

And a weird combination of stitches here, including a V stitch exploration row too.

Hoping the flu goes away soon so I can get more stitching done next week instead of falling asleep every five minutes. 

Hope you are all keeping free of the flu.

Happy Stitching

I'm going back to bed now! Feel free to talk about me while I'm gone.