Before and After Blocking

I did the  post on blocking for Beryl and she sent me the before and after picture.. The color is a little off as it was two different cameras but you can see what a difference the blocking did. It is all smoothed out and ready for finishing or framing.

Progress on Ritva's Artist RR.

I have been working on some off beat blocks and then all the somber colors of the suffrage quilt so doing these flowers is a real treat...  I think I'm off to a good start and will continue to build layers and layers of smaller flowers and foliage filling in... then some beads for overkill!!!

I really like the green lace as a background and decided to add a little brown lace to balance it out...  I bought some hand dyed Valdani pearle cotton from Maureen Greeson and it was all variegated shades of earthy greens.  She was closing it out last spring and I'm so happy I got some as I love the soft feel and texture of it... It was only sold by a "collection" so there was 12 balls of it... I can't imagine I'll ever run out.

I'm vacillating on whether to do the birds on felt or directly on the block...  They are quite small and would probably be fine doing direct.....but I love the dimensional effect of doing them on felt and they would complement Gayle's birds.   I have time to think about it.  I survived the bullion roses and it became easier..  Worked out bracing the needle against my stub was the best... BUT if you ever get anything from me with bullion roses on it, you KNOW I really love you!!!!

Just a side note:  Every time I get close to a relevant # of posts I think I will celebrate and then promptly forget until it's history...  But I figured out that probably in early September I will be doing post number 1000 and WILL do something special to celebrate... People who talk to much are referred to as talkative... I think that makes me blogative!!!

How I "block" a block..

This post is in answer to a question from Beryl....  How do I block a block to make it look its very best when finished?  I not only do this process at the end of working on a piece, I do it several times during work on one of my own projects.  I always "block" any RR piece I've worked on before I send it out...  I have several small, old  bulletin boards from thrift stores (but a piece of styrofoam works just as well..).  They are not on the wall so I can use both sides...

I start by pinning the four corners as square as I can and then start pinning from side to side and top to bottom....gradually stretching and pulling until it all is flat...  Sometimes it may take 6-7 pins on each side..  I leave it pinned like this at least overnight or even a day or two..

Then I take it down and put it face down on a thick towel and press lightly on the back to set the shape.....  That used to be my last step but since Allie has changed my life I now add a lightweight fusible KNIT to the back as the last step... It stabilizes the shape and secures all threads..  You won't believe the difference it makes.  Allie puts a layer of the knit on before she starts embellishing and after as well.  I'm doing that on my suffrage quilt.

In answer to Laurie's question... I buy it at JoAnn's fabric store..  Be sure it is the fusible knit not the fusible web...  It is very light and gauze-like and a dream to stitch through,

My digital Woe or "A Real Gardener is Willing to Sacrifice a Body Part!"

Someone asked how I managed to cut off my finger and I had actually posted about it several years ago....  My digital Woe or "A Real Gardener is Willing to Sacrifice a Body Part!"

I am very accident prone and yesterday I had to fill out some forms because I am going to a spine clinic tomorrow...  They wanted all previous surgeries listed and there were only four spaces...  I could easily count nine and all have been accidents except one..  Does that make me an overachiever?

Ritva's block - Artist RR

I wanted to get this started as it is a small and easy   project to carry along.... I have the flower pots done and even on a hoop the satin material puckered a little so  foliage will be necessary to camouflage it... I couldn't resist adding this delicate lace I dyed.  It will be in an area where there's a lot of foliage so I couldn't help myself...  No one  else had added lace but sometimes it just happens....

I have some lovely new cotton perle thread that I bought online from Maureen Greeson before CT and am anxious to work with it...

I'm hoping to do a lot of bullion roses on the left and maybe other bullions elsewhere.  I have to admit to being incredibly slow and clumsy doing bullions... I was standing stunned watching Sharon whip those threads around the needle.  I've decided I have difficulty because I am trying to do it with my middle finger.  Does anyone else use their middle finger to wind the thread?  Of course how many other people cut off their index finger?  Anyway I am going to really concentrate on speeding up the process or give it up...

Tonight I let the time slip by and it was really really dark when I went to check on all the sheep and shut gates etc. The trees and foliage are dense between the house and where the remaining sheep are locked up...  I heard a noise in the brush and my heart had stopped until Morris came bounding out... He had probably gone in after a rabbit...  I can tell the cougar has been back every night  cleaning up his last kill... so it will be looking for fresh food soon...  I'll not be going out when it's so dark ANY MORE!!!!