The yak is finally done, so the ABC embroidery is complete. Now all I have to do is sew the last two rows together which I thought I would get done this weekend, but it didn’t work out. Looking back at my first post of the alligator block on May 18, I realized that it’s…
Month: August 2009
Vintage Vogue 1253 – Focus on Embroidery
All that stitching on the zebra block made me think of a another satin stitch project from the past. I actually made this poppy dress twice (and the green one once for my sister). The first dress I made in the 70’s and I ended up giving it away to this crazy girl who lived…
The Book of ABC
Since “Y is for Yak” is not finished, I thought I would post one of my vintage picture books. I love to collect ABC, nursery rhyme and fairy tale “linenette” books, mostly from the 1940’s. The books have heavy-weight, textured pages and are usually pretty thin, with around 12 pages although some have as many…
ABC Embroidered Quilt Block – Zebra
When I started this quilt, I intended to embroider the blocks primarily with outline and back stitch. I hadn’t thought I would use much satin stitch, but I couldn’t figure out any other way to do this zebra — the stripes just wouldn’t look right. Also, I couldn’t find a DMC or Anchor variegated floss…
Pieced Butterfly Quilt – Block 2
I’m still working on the zebra block. As a break from all that satin stitching, I decided to stitch another pieced butterfly — this time in pink. It’s really fun to select the little fabric swatch prints for these butterflies. The original pattern had 3 small curved pieces on the wing. In order to fit…
ABC Embroidered Quilt Blocks – Violin & Xylophone
As you can see, I made a couple of additions/changes to both of these pictures since I thought they were a little blah. My violin bow looks sort of big, but I think they actually are longer than the violin. I had a hard time coming up with something to put in the letter x,…
Embroidered Circus Quilt – WIP
Here are the fabrics I’m going to use in my next embroidered quilt. I guess this isn’t quite a WIP yet, except that I am sketching some design ideas. The adorable circus fabric is “Circus Time” in periwinkle, and was purchased from superbuzzy, a store with the cutest Japanese fabrics. It’s decorator weight (70% cotton,…
ABC Embroidered Quilt Block – Well
The well just didn’t seem to have enough detail, so first I changed the roof….then the bucket….and finally the rocks. I got pretty tired of stitching those rocks, but I do like them. Just 3 more to go and I’ll be done with the embroidery.
ABC Embroidered Quilt Block – Fall
This is the last of the seasons blocks. “W is for well” is done, “V is for violin” is in progress, “X is for xylophone” (I know, but the x-ray machine was pretty weird looking) and “Z is for zebra” are yet to be stitched.
Happy Anniversary Gordon!
Quilt-in-a-Day — Baby 4-Patch
I’ve never been much interested in the quickie quilt thing and could not imagine why anyone would want to make a quilt in a day. What would you do with all the quilts you were making unless maybe they were being made for a hospital or a charity. I already have more quilts than I…
ABC Embroidered Quilt Block – Summer
Getting close to the end now — I’m working on fall and I still have to stitch v, x, y & z — then I’ll be done with the embroidery. I was sort of hoping to do a yellow summer block, but it didn’t work out since I was using a beach scene. My daughter…
Pieced Butterfly Quilt Block – WIP
I have always admired this old Alice Brooks/Laura Wheeler pieced butterfly pattern — I think it’s from the 1930’s. I have seen several different versions of this pattern, but I like the one with solid colors and coordinating prints — I also like the two wings to be mirror images of each other. A couple…
Floral Patchwork Table Topper
This topper was made with vintage floral scraps. The fabrics are probably from the 40’s and the weights vary, but they are not as heavy as bark cloth. Most of them had been curtains, drapes or pillows in their previous lives. The fabrics are so busy that I just noticed when taking the photo that…
ABC Embroidered Quilt Block – Winter
Apparently I am going to finish the four seasons blocks before the alphabet. The snowflakes on this block have traveling threads behind them, and I thought I would give you my little tip on how to reduce the appearance of these strands from the front. Of course, the embroidery always looks pretty good until you…