Lots of Embroidery for Pierre

I've added a bunch of embroidery to Monsieur Pierre. After I put on the blue-grey border it looked terribly grey to me, like it didn't match the braid at all. I thought, "How about some pink hearts to temper the grey, my Bernina can do that!" I even had some ancient water soluble stabilizer on hand. Nearly 3 hours later I had hearts marching all around the center panel.A few days later, I thought, "This background looks too barren. Wouldn't it be cool if I could make it look like striped Victorian wallpaper?" hmm, I could embroider tiny ribbons in a grid, then later, vertically quilt through the centers of the ribbons. Nearly 3 hours later, have I got ribbons, and so much Saran wrap-like stabilizer it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "quilt sandwich". lol Here's a closeup of the embroidery. The stabilizer makes it hard to see the tiny ribbon, and being pale pink on off-white doesn't help much either. 8)

I embroidered 31 ribbons in staggered rows 2 1/2 inches apart. The centers line up, so I should be able to put a line of stitching right through the centers.

I'm really excited by how well it turned out (so far, that is, I'm really worried about getting the raw edges wet to dissolve the stabilizer prior to quilting - remember this?) I'm trying to think if I've ever seen embroidery and quilting combined to form an embellishment that looks like wallpaper. I don't think so. In fact, I don't recollect seeing embroidery and quilting combined to form a single pattern at all, though I can't be the first one to do so.

Anyway, I've really been having fun with it so far. Coming up with all these embellishment ideas has been a blast. I've decided to quilt angled tiles into the floor to separate it out from the wall, but I'm still deciding if I want an embellished baseboard or not. I'm starting to feel like I'm pushing my luck with all this complicated embroidery. lol Maybe I should just put on the braids before I decide.

PS Ladies, you were right, the blue feet were definitely the way to go. Thanks for the positive encouragement. 8)

Quilt of Valor Complete!!!

Virginia finished binding the Quilt of Valor in record time, and I think it looks absolutely terrific!
This quilt was a huge stretch for the Blanketeers to accomplish. In hindsight, we picked much too difficult a quilt to make. Our skill set really had to grow to encompass the challenge. I know there were times many of us wondered if it would ever get finished, but look at it now! My heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked on this quilt in any capacity; you can be very proud of the result. Happy times!

Pierre Lapin - Applique Complete

My Pierre now has features and a big bow, not to mention blue feet. Everyone at the bee on Sunday was very sure he needed blue feet. ;) I'm pleased with the way the bow turned out. God bless tracing paper and stabilizer! I must have auditioned a dozen bows. This bow is made out of a single piece of fabric, which went on very easily. I used a simple blanket stitch to give a light effect to all the blue fabric accents.
I'm looking forward to putting on the borders and seeing Monsieur Pierre finished. I have a pretty solid plan for the rest of the quilt top, but no idea how I should quilt it. Stippling is always my fallback option, but I'm not sure it's right for Pierre. Any ideas?

Fiber Friday - Farm Play Mat Update

I got another field done, and most of another one complete as well. I decided the pale beige would count as khaki yarn; perhaps it's a wheat field. 8) I decided that the yarn I have harmonizes well together, so matching the pattern colors isn't crucial. I want to use as much yarn that I have as possible, instead of buying more.
These are two of my oldest horses, the core herd as it were. I can't for the life of me remember their names, but the one on the right is the boy and the left is the girl. Anatomically correct horses in the 60's, radical!

The Gift that Keeps on Giving!

I had another look at the package Martha sent me yesterday and this fell out!

How on earth did I miss that last night? I must have been so excited by all the Laurel Burch that I got giddy. Moda Wildflowers. Yum!

Gift from Martha - Laurel Burch Fabrics!

Look at the wonderful package I got in the mail today! My blogging buddy, Martha at Quilt Contemplation, posted an offer last week to send some of her Laurel Burch stash to anyone who wanted some. I said "Sure!" and this lovely collection is the result:
I love all these fabrics, especially the doggie montage. I've long been a fan of Laurel Burch. I have a mug, a t-shirt, and a tote of hers, and I once did oodles of siggies in a Christmas swap with one of her fabrics. This was a "Pay it Forward" endeavor of Martha's, so I'll have to consider my next move. Thanks Martha, this has been a rare treat!

French Braid Quilt Update - Pierre Lepin

I got the applique all sewn down for the french braid quilt. I decided my bunny needed a name, and a french name at that. I hope I have translated correctly, may I present to you, Pierre Lapin. I used my Bernina's triple blanket stitch for the applique. I think it accents the stitching and gives it a country touch. The stitch took forever to sew, and it was a bear to corner, but eventually it got done. Pierre still needs features, but I can't decide whether or not to add some extra stitching to give him more contours.

I'm late with this update because we just watched the Green Bay Packers win the 45th Super Bowl. GO PACK GO!!! The Lombardi trophy is going back where it belongs, to Titletown, my home town. What a relief, now they won't need a grief counselor in every tavern. ;)

Fiber Friday - Farm Play Mat with Animals

Apparently there is some confusion over the farm play mat. I thought maybe an animal would help give it some context (and make it look less like the start of a really ugly afghan). Fortunately I had my entire collection of toy horses to choose from, so here's Sparky enjoying the plowed fields.
Doesn't everyone have their childhood toys lining the top shelf of their closet? Really? No one? Well, right about the time when Secretariat was tearing up the Belmont track, I was at the height of my horse-craziness. Let's just say Sparky has plenty of company on the top shelf. 8) The dark brown square in the middle is the newest field, and I started a second one just like it.

English Garden Sampler Update - Snow Day Progress

There's nothing like having a snow day to get lots of stitching done. I finished the left border down to the bottom of the whitework, almost finished the left font, and made good progress on the right font. It's good to be making progress again.
I'm sick of this weather, though. I hate ice. It's not supposed to be that much better tomorrow either, so I may end up taking another vacation day to stay home. I do need to get the binding sewn onto the back of the Quilt of Valor; maybe I can work on that instead of going to work. 8)