ICQC, Task 9

We are getting close to the end of the ribbon embroidery class, and I am using up my ribbon quickly.  It is so much more expensive than regular floss that I hate to buy more.  So I'm using up what I have.  My ribbon lady's dress is green because I have a lot of green silk ribbon.

Her dress is embellished with beads rather than the ribbon roses called for on the pattern.  To me the ribbon roses were way out of scale with the rest of the motif.  They were as big as her head!  Plus, I was afraid that stitching though the green dress would  leave a mark if I didn't like the roses and decided to pull them out.  Beads were a safer choice to me.

Linking up:  http://www.supermomnocape.com/vintage-embroidery-monday-stitchery-link-party-126/

Odds and Ends, Stash Report

I completed one more task in my ribbon embroidery class.

Have I mentioned that the way this class works is that you don't get the instructions for the next assignment until you have completed the previous tasks?  So you can't skip around and stitch the motifs you like the best, are the quickest or look like the most fun.  That is good for me because I know I would finish all those that appeal the most to me first and leave the rest, which I might never get to.  Sometimes this way feels a little like work, but I have learned a lot by doing each task in the correct order.  I am getting a little burned out on silk ribbon, but there are only a couple more steps to go.

I also wanted to get in this stash report before fabric I have on order comes in.  

Used this week: 0
Used year to date: 98.75 yards
Added this week: 3.0 (white for Joe's quilt)
Added year to date: 171.0 yards
Net Added yards: 72.25 yards

In previous years, my goal was always to use more fabric than I bought.  Just by looking at these numbers, I can see that won't be happening this year.  But I am finishing more quilts than I ever have, and because of my new job, none of the money is coming out of our regular family budget.  I have 2 quilts at the longarmer now and expect one of them back this week.

As for quilting, I've been working on Urban Nine Patch, a pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful.  I am using a fat quarter bundle of Blueberry Park.  I have run out of my gray background fabric and have ordered more.  Right now I'm not crazy about the color balance in this quilt.  I am thinking about adding a little green or another color, but I'm not sure yet.

ICQC 105, Task 7

One more task done!  My bird's body is raw edge appliqued wool.  I am happy with the way he turned out.

 I am less happy with my dragonfly but didn't want to buy new beads for one little motif.  I think smaller beads would have looked better, more in proportion to the wings.  I wish the wings were a different color too.  Maybe I should just redo my dragonfly!

ICQC 105, Task 6

Here are the next 3 motifs in my silk ribbon class.

I bought the biggest chenille needles (sizes 18, 20 and 22) I could find last week, and my embroidery was much easier with them.   I wish I had had them earlier! 

Linking up: http://www.supermomnocape.com/vintage-embroidery-monday-stitchery-link-party-125/ 

Two Tops Done, Stash Report

I finished the two quilt tops I've been working on this week:  Arrow Point Path and Voila Fish.

Arrow Point Path is made leftover batiks. The background is almost the same color as my carpet.

I ordered fabric for Voila Fish's border, but when it got here, I knew it was the wrong fabric.  I will have to make a couple of pillowcases to use it up.  I ended up buying more of the blue batik for the border, and I think that was the right choice for this quilt.

I also started another quilt today.  This is the first block in my version of Sew Kind of Wonderful's Urban Nine Patch.  My block has a few errors in it, but it is good enough to put in my quilt.  I hope to get more accurate as I make  more of these blocks.  The fabric is from the Blueberry Park line.

Used this week: 9.0 (APP and Voila Fish)
Used year to date: 98.75 yards
Added this week: 16.0 yards ( Claire's quilt, Be Inspired FQ bundle, APP backing, VF border) 
Added year to date: 168.0 yards
Net Added yards: 69.25 yards

Arrow Point Path Progress

I ended up adding 4 rows (20 inches) to the bottom of Arrow Point Path.  The original quilt was 60 x 70 inches, which is not long enough to be a nap quilt for a tall man.  My quilt will be big enough to use on a twin bed.

My next challenge will be to add the side borders so that the design on the border hits the middle section of the quilt in the same places on both sides.  I am not sure if the design is printed evenly, so this might not be possible, and even if it is perfectly even, I might not be able to get the borders on the right. I'm planning to use a lot of pins.

Linking up:  http://tweloquilting.blogspot.com/2017/08/puzzling-times-and-link-party.html

ICQC 105, Task 5

I completed another ribbon embroidery assignment last night.  From the front, it looks ok.  The backside of my work is a mess!  I would like to get neater because it is difficult to get a needle though the ribbon nest on the back of my work.  The harder it is to pull the needle through the fabric, the more the ribbon in my needle abrades.   I am using short lengths, which helps but doesn't entirely solve my issues.  I am going to look for a sharp needle with a bigger eye.

Yesterday I also finished piecing the inside of Voila Fish and ordered fabric for the border. This is a quick quilt that looks more complicated than it really is.  The whole thing is pieced in rows, not on point.  I could have done some more trimming to make my points better, but they are ok.  I was not happy with the turquoise fabric (Quilting Treasures Color Blend Seafoam) because it frayed, and frayed, and frayed.

Linking up:  http://www.supermomnocape.com/vintage-embroidery-monday-stitchery-link-party-124/