Now the butterflies!!!

I have made some progress on Lisa's RR block.  I decided I'd better do the butterflies  before I add any more flowers or foliage...

No matter when vision I have when I start I ALWAYS  modify and change as I go along.  I wanted simply-shaped black and pink butterflies elaborately stitched or beaded.

But in reality they are going to have to be much smaller than I had originally thought so will not be as detailed as I had hoped.... 

I love all the glitz in this block and so have decided to use Krenik metallic threads in black and 2 shades of pink for the butterflies.  I am doing them off block and will applique them on...  Then I will go back in and fill in the floral motif... 

1,2,3, prick did the trick!

This worked so well I am cross posting this tip from my other blog!

In order for my suffrage quilt to qualify for entry in some shows it must be quilted through at least 3 layers... so I set about to do that.
Goals:
To have virtually NO stitching be visible on top of the quilt.
All the stitching showing on the back of the quilt to be tiny, even, and visible.
Problems:
I haven't hand quilted like this for 30 years...
My hands are crippled and my eyes are shot.
When I inserted the needle in with teeny stitch on top I couldn't see where to come up. (I started using transparent thread but it reflected light so I took it all out and went to black thread.)

So here is what I did:

I decided to use tiger tape (9 stripes to an inch) as a guide as I use it on my CQ seams and love it.
At first I tried using my thumbnail on the reentry mark. But if I lost focus and moved my finger at all I lost my reentry point...

So after I brought my needle up, I counted over 3 strips and made a prick... went down on the next mark and up on the mark with the prick.  Even if I left the frame I could always come back and see where I was. 

At first I actually counted 1,2,3, prick but soon it came automatically and the quilting went quite rapidly.  You can see a strip here with the pricks and how visible they are.  I could reuse a pricked strip 2 or three times.

This morning I took it off the frame to rotate it as I have problem stitching vertically and am quite pleased with the result. There is NOT A SINGLE QUILTING STITCH visible on top of the quilt but all the quilting on the back of the quilt is even and tiny. Well quite good enough considering....

With my eyesight problems I can definitely see a use of pricking strips in CQ seam work.

Which way is up????

 Once I have an idea  (like the bird on Judy’s block)) I post it on the blog before I stitch so the block owner has a chance to see it and to give any input.. I wanted Judy to see what I was going to do before I actually did it. 

 

 The question arose if the placement of the bird affected the directionality of the block..  When I posted the block "on point" it looks like it might have done just that... But in actuality  it mattered not what position you put the fan..  I think it is because birds aren't "grounded" and are fluid in space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  I always try to run things by the blog owners if I’m doing anything that might need approval.. ex:  I recently contacted Lisa Alff about adding colors besides black to the center of her block... good communication never hurts.

 How you are going to use your RRs is important.  Is it going to be a gift to someone else, part of a hanging etc.  If you know this may affect what stitchers do. I speak from experience that the more explicit you are in your booklet the happier you are with the results.

 

When I get a block returned that I'm not happy with it is always because I wasn't specific enough in my little booklet about what I wanted... 

sometimes you don't know until it happens... It is never too late to add to your directions...  On the same note things can be changed as a   block goes along...or when it comes home.  My most important advice:  "Remember the last person to work on any block is the owner and we don't want her to feel guilty about any changes she makes!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the pink!!!

Lisa's block has arrived... She put 4 fans on one block so since there are 5 in the RR someone gets to work the center and I am looking forward to doing it... I'm thinking flowers and butterflies and want to bring in other colors as well as use the dramatic black accent that Judy started... 

I remembered seeing a sane quilt pattern that had butterflies with fan-like wings on black which will be perfect... 
If others follow the black on the fans, the finished block should look something like this!!!   I think it will be gorgeous.  I will have to wait a week or so to start until I finish the suffrage quilt...

Judy's Block in Fans2 DYB

I am always disciplined in sticking close to the colors that the block owner has chosen...in this case lots of blues.  You can be assured that whatever you do will not disappoint them.. There are times I may want to try something wild and crazy but I do it on my own blocks to be safe...  I mention this because I have had blocks returned that will be unusable because of the colors used... When in doubt.... play it safe!!!