You can thank Cheryl.....

  At the Adventure in CT in April Cheryl A. brought this green block to show me.. It is from a tone-on-tone RR and was made by Cathy L. 
She wanted to know what I would do with this all green block... It would be a great exercise in using contrast without depending on color. After she showed it to me we weren't able to connect again to discuss it but I kept thinking about it.... That night at dinner Cathy K, Diane M and I began discussing green plants, animals, etc. to use as a focal point...  and we thought of alligators, frogs, turtles, lizards and various bugs....I even suggested a John Deere tractor.

But if it were me doing a the block I immediately think of birds and a parrot or parakeets would be at the top of my list.  Then I would begin finishing the seams in as many ways I could think of using stitches of vines and leaves wandering here and there on the block... starting to work on another contrast...texture!

To further these steps I'd add the largest leaves using heavier threads, ribbons and textured threads and maybe even weaving some leaves attached only at the branch. As the final steps why not including a dragonfly with green organza wings and a jeweled body...and maybe a hide a lovely tree frog and even a salamander...So to sum it up only greens have been used but have added variety and interest with contrasts in dimension, size, and texture... 

Solutions like this are like puzzles for me and force me to think outside my comfort area...  my blog Olderrose is like a personal journal about my needlework and life on the farm and I thought wouldn't it be fun to have a blog where I can talk about other stitcher's blocks and solutions.... hence...  Block Talk with Gerry.... Thanks to Cheryl who by the way found a fantastic solution to her block with a green man!!

This is how roses should look on CQ

Well after I ranted on machine-made roses Cheryl posted this picture of a tone-on-tone RR block she just finished doing for Ritva on CQI.  This is how roses should be done on CQ  She lavished handmade roses on this block and it is absolutely stunning....   There's rolled ribbon roses, spider roses and all the tiny fargo  ones (sometimes called farago) at the top of the heart....

So sure you can now buy cheap ribbon roses to glue or tack  on, but nothing looks as good as the real thing. A genuine, handmade rose has far more detail and texture

I really like the textured effect she put under the key. The entire block is classy and elegant and I liked everything about this block except at first I was sorta on the fence about the daisies...  They grew on me...

Although the block looks just as great without them they do add a spark of light and life to the block.   But there is one thing I would recommend.... it's repetition in some way of the fan shape upper right... and if it were me I'd use it on a seam treatment lower right...

Cheryl did a little block modification with her larger clump of roses.. as you can see in the naked block it is covering some design in the fabric...

All in all this is a block well done and will surely be treasured by Ritva...

I'm having no trouble at all finding great work  for this blog but I am having trouble finding time to get them all posted...

Working on returned blocks....Part 2 -My Guidelines

Judging from the emails I received this is a topic of interest so I will proceed.  This is another block in the same Seams Only RR I showed yesterday and it is still just as it returned home... 

Sometimes it is what I (or you) have written in the booklet that is part of the problem...  In this case I specifically asked that seam thread colors match the colors in the block.... and they did just that but they just don't show up... my error.  So I have lots of room to improve on this block.

 And sometimes I've requested something that may be out of participant's comfort zone... I really try to avoid that now.  So do really give some thought to what you ask for....

But in any case I have developed certain guidelines for blocks that come home....

1. First I always wait a bit.. I pin the block up and look at it for some time ...  And occasionally it grows on me or I change an opinion...

2.  My first option is what can I add...?.  I think about this before I think about removing anything and sometimes I can solve problems that way... embellishing and modifying.

3.  Then if I do remove something I try to see if I can use it somewhere else on the same block...  If I can't, I save it (or parts) for use on another block in the future...  So a motif removed from one block may appear on another down the road... I have a bag  of such pieces I keep handy... Reusing them does make me feel better...

Now having said all that there are two exceptions.... I do not like plastic charms or "doodads".  I remove them and they are gone...

The other thing  that I especially dislike are the little machine-made roses sold in craft stores...   Beautiful handmade roses (either with thread or ribbon) are the hallmark of CQ.  Nestle's chocolate used to have a jingle...."Care enough to send the very best"...  Well when I see those machine-made roses I think "Someone cared so little they send the very worst."  So they are snipped off  and discarded with NO regrets!!!

Expanding what stitchers have done....

Since I had just posted about adding to blocks after they come home this fits right in... I use this technique often when I work on returned blocks that I would like more "encrusted" and don't want  to change the look of the block..  I try to expand what the stitchers have done...

This little 6" block was stitched for me by Cathy LaBath in a "Seams Only" RR last winter.. Cathy's seams sorta morphed into motifs..and I love them. By the very nature of the RR there were some open areas in the bottom patches....  I have something special planned for this piece and wanted those areas filled in with some surface texture... more encrusted...

I chose to use what Cathy had done and just add more of it to fill in...  I matched the thread the best I could and am happy with the result. 

Answer to question on RR etiquette

 When you work on a block do you infringe on another's work to make it flow??? Or should the owner of the block..... add the extras? ......Linda in NM

Well personally I rarely disturb anyone's work...But on a couple occasions I have needed to move something but I ALWAYS contacted the stitcher and owner for permission. 

On my left is a good example of teamwork in just that kind of situation..  (This is my block  in 2008)  In the top photo Leslie had done bead work and added a button cluster just above the silkie.... When the block got to Ati that is where she wanted to do a floral spray...  She contacted both Leslie and myself for permission to move the buttons. (second photo) She added her floral spray and moved the buttons lower left.

And it all mattered not as when the block returned home to me I replaced the button trail with a trail of hearts... I used the smaller buttons here and there and painted a rose on the largest one and put it by the silkie.

This is just a small section of that block and one day I will do a critique on the entire block as there is a lot to learn from it and it was an incredible bunch of stitchers...

So in answer to your question....Being last to work on the block before it goes home certainly give you a little more freedom and allows you to add here and there overall to bring things together before it goes home.  But the general rule is to not to infringe on other's work and do leave the final design decisions to the block owner.... But if you need extra space or for some other reason, CONTACT the stitchers..  Teamwork and communication are absolutely vital in RRs.

Now having said all that I DO often work into, mesh with, and extend stitching of others... and on the left is a good example... I needed a lot of space for my hummingbird vision and wanted to use that worrisome little corner  so I worked all over and through someone else's seam work.



..

My two cents worth for Ruby!!!

Whenever I receive a round robin block home I add to it...  After all it's my block and I'm part of the team... Sometimes I might also move or remove something...but I ALWAYS add something.  So I received the following note from Ruby with a photo of her block... (FFT#15 worked on by Katy Johnson, Pam Pincha-Wagener, Linda Mageske, and Judy Rychnowski.) 

"Hi Gerry! I immensely enjoy your block talk. I have just received my fabulous first timer block home. There are a few small spaces that might allow me to do some stitching. I would appreciate any comments you'd care to make." 

Well of course I always can put in my two cents worth but keep in mind that it's just my opinion and it may only worth two cents.

First there are three small optional areas..
1.  I'd add a few leaves to this flower in the lower right corner...

2.  I can't quite tell from the photo you sent but it looks like a rambling rose behind the tatted lady... If that is the case I'd let it ramble a bit farther into the empty blue patch.

3.The are some really interesting seams on this block and this one upper left could use another pass or two added to it..

4.  Now for a bigger impact I'd take advantage of the marvelous white flower spray by the pink roses (upper center) by echoing some of that white and greenery going out the other way into the empty pink block..  making it an arc shape.

5.  But here is you chance to make a huge impact on this block...  At the moment the lace upper left, the tatted lady and the fan all occupy about the same visual space.  I would focus on the fan and make it the main focal point.. Leave the lace on the side but add a larger, fancier  piece across the top of the fan and then with stitching and beading I'd embellish the heck out of that fan.......

Of course it would be great finished with a burgundy border with some lace in the ditch and some fancy beaded fringe across the bottom.....

Now whatever you decide to do you must send me a photo when you're finished...  Great Block..... Happy Stitching!

Subtle repetition.

I have a dear friend whose home's interior is modern/shaker/primitive... She's extremely adept at mixing the very old with the very modern...  I love to visit and just sit in her house..  It is so healing and relaxing...  That is how I feel about visiting Lisa's blog and about her work... Her photography, her home, her garden, her sketch book and her philosophy are all reflected in her work...  It's all is very healing and relaxing for me. Even among her list of favorite words are peaceful, serenity and contentment..

This is a small DYB block ...only 6" but how lovely it is. Lisa does the most beautiful ribbon flower, especially pansies but for a different reason I am posting this particular block...

Sometimes repetition in the smallest and most subtle ways can unify a block.  And in this block it is the little flowers with the bead pedals and the similar shaped beads repeated in almost all the seams.. When you look closely you see it throughout the block  And notice the button with the beads filling the little worrisome corner lower left...

In addition the most elaborate of the seams form a strong triangle which captures your eye and hold it in the block..  So in essence even though the pansy is the showstopper, it is the seam work that is pulling the load.  Enjoy!!

As a contrast my favorite word pairs on my blog include handy man, hired help and thrift store... Hmmmmm maybe I had better rethink my word philosophy....

More happy dancing

I just can't tell you how pleased it makes me to see my "birds on felt" tutorial being used...  I do mention that it is suited just as well to bunnies, kitties, etc. and now even dragons.  Cathy Labath did this marvelous Asian dragon on green felt... It is quite large....12" and is the focal point of her block... Great job Cathy.....

What's most important is what you send out - not what you get back!

What's most important is what you send out - not what you get back OR "Why I love round robins!" ...  Every time you work on someones block during a round robin, you are working outside your comfort zone and I guarantee you will be a better stitcher for it.  You will use themes, colors, and fabrics that would have never have been your choice and you benefit  every time you complete one..  Any time you can work outside of your comfort zone, go for it... It is so easy to fall into a rut with your "own thing." Many like the Mari Gras and the "purple and orange" blocks were really challenging for me.

Not only that, in the process you will get to handle and examine work by others in a way that will expose you to new ideas, new materials and different techniques..... and along the way make new friends..

You may or may not get back the blocks of your dreams but, heck, they're your blocks and you can change them as you like.....and I do...  but that's another whole subject I'll get into this fall.

Here are just some of the round robin blocks I have done for others over the past few years.  I always commit myself to do my best for others and do my share and plus some...

And it is so pleasing to know work I have done is now in homes around the world...  That is so much better than working in my own little rut!!!

So I urge anyone new to CQ or CQI to jump right into round robins... YOU have everything to gain.

Another round of Artist RR blocks....

Unless I travel to a retreat I never get to fondle CQ by others except for round robins.  It's a special treat when a big envelope arrives and there is often work often from stitchers...  I'm usually in several round robins at a time but because of circumstances this year I'm in only one..  So the big envelopes are few and far between and the one that arrived yesterday was really special..... 

This was sent by Gayle S. and the blocks were assembled by Ritva for the Artist DYOB RR.  The
Finish artist was Ferninand Von Wright  and Ritva chose a collection of his paintings of Finish birds in their natural habitat.

I was really doing a happy dance because Gayle did her birds on felt using the tutorial on my other blog....and they just so plump and happy...     She used wool for the nest.  Take a close look at her tree as it is creased fabric from a jacket.  I immediately ran out to the barn and pulled out some very similar tan fabric out of the discard bin. It  will dye beautifully.   Cathy and I both looked at it and never thought trees... I will have to send Cathy a piece.  And to think I could have thrown it away.

I love all seams but have a special fondness for clever seams that are pictorial.... so please note the seam Gayle has done resembling a row of houses...  In the background of the painting that Gayle was using as inspiration there are some buildings...  This is how she chose to represent them......very clever.

Gayle's piece not only captures the spirit of the painting it is very compatible with the work Helina did before her.  This is a really important part of the teamwork in DYOB round robins.

I'll also  be doing birds on felt but my piece will also have a lot of flowers in the composition which I haven't done for a while..  I've been wanting to do a floral surface ever since Sharon's class.. and this will be something easy to carry along.  I'm finding it impossible to take the suffrage blocks to lots of places...like to have the car serviced tomorrow.

Elegant blocks - elegant seams!

Sometimes I happen across blocks that the block itself makes the seam treatments sing... These are two blocks from a 2007 CQI round robin, *Summer Breezes."  The blocks were assembled by Jo Newsham in New Zealand and are the perfect background for some spectacular stitching..  Please notice on both blocks the  extended seams   fill some patches..  It is this kind of seam work that keeps me inspired.

Make special notice that often it is not ONE treatment down the seam but a different seam treatment on both sides of the seams and then merge into one treatment visually...

The first is by Leslie E....

The next one is by Maire....  Also please note that clever little thing she did in the corner of the white patch at the bottom...