I LOVE talking about blocks, studying blocks, and playing with them in Photoshop... I am always on a quest for great blocks and trying to figure out what makes them so great ... So I started this companion blog that will be devoted to this quest. But also check out my regular blog at http://olderrose.blogspot.com

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Quick RR Tune Up and My Two Cents..

 
 Susan B. joined a "Butterflies & Dragonflies" RR and she came up with this innovative design for her block... a lace butterfly within a silk butterfly..
So obviously the block was to return encrusted with lots of butterflies and dragonflies... and it did.






We all like to add to our blocks when they come home so Susan and I were discussing what she could do to finish the block off... But at first glance I felt the metal dragonfly at the top must go... It just didn't fit with the rest of the needle work..

It is my personal policy that anything I remove from a block either goes somewhere else on the block OR goes into a special bag to be used on another block in the future.  I'm sure there will be the perfect place for that dragonfly...

Then I studied the block a bit before I touched what was missing...  The lace butterfly was well embellished and had a body.

But the large butterfly had lost its definition as a butterfly...  All butterflies need a body. This one needed a spectacular body to anchor the entire composition.

Susan's large butterfly has this  void in its center where a body should be.  And the two pink leaves were lost at the bottom of the wings.  I felt they needed to be integrated into the overall design somehow...

With all the lovely floral and ribbon work, what a perfect opportunity to give this butterfly a body worthy of a Paris fashion runway...





So by expanding and building on the existing work, a gorgeous body could be added with just adding a lot more pink floral and lace work..  I moved the two pieces of pink lace leaves and integrated them into the floral cluster.  At the same time I would use either pink cording or ribbon to add some swirls to echo the fancy antenna at the head...  Other than moving the two lace leaves, no one's needle work has been disturbed.







And that is my................

2 comments:

  1. What a unique block. I love it. And adding the body makes the whole butterfly look stunning.

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  2. I am a follower of olderrose, but just found this blog. Love it - it's like a stitcher's Dear Abby.
    Smiles,
    JoeyLea
    http://www.thelocustblossom.blogspot.com/

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