Spider and butterfly

Here's the best pic I've been able to get of the little spider and her web. If you click on the picture to get it bigger, then look just to the left of the big cluster of tomatoes, you'll see an orange spot. That's the spider, and right below her is the web. Keeping in mind that she's the size of a pinhead (the tomatoes are yellow pear tomatoes, about the size of grape tomatoes), her web is about 2" across, but as complete in every detail as her larger relative's 10" web.

On CQInternational, for the second year, we are donating blocks to be put together for the Making Memories organization to auction off to benefit breast cancer charities or research. Last year the guidelines were to use the bridal gown fabrics as the patches, and to embellish in mostly whites and creams, with small amounts of pastel green, pink, and metallic gold.
This year we are to use the bridal fabrics, but to embellish in jewel tones, with butterflies and dragonflies (and flowers/plants). This is part of my block for this year. The butterfly is done in 3D by cutting out two motifs from fabric, stitching them together right sides together, then turning right sides out. They then are stitched down to the block just along the body area, leaving the wings to move up and down. This looks incredibly realistic, in my opinion. When I pick up the block to work on it, the wings move and it almost looks like the butterfly is going to fly away!

Here the wings are pinned in the up position. They won't stay this way unless pinned, but this is how you see butterflies at rest.

My golden year quilt; one motif down....

...forty-nine to go. Well, maybe. I hadn't really planned on doing exactly 50 motifs. We'll see.

This is a motif I found in Dover Publications clip art sampler that I get in my inbox every Friday. I think it's Korean and I think it's a pheasant. After taking this picture, I added a ring to its neck because the pheasants around here have rings and are called, oddly enough, ring-necked pheasants. I do think it's kind of funny how the bird in the drawing looks angry and my stitched version looks happy.



A recent challenge issued by Lesa of CQ for Newbies was to "fill in" an embroidered motif. In other words, not just a line drawn motif, but to fill in the area inside. So I did that somewhat on this guy. His feet, beak, and parts of his head feathers are done in satin stitch. His tail feathers are done in long and short stitch (the longest tail feather) and the ones to the side are done in stacked fly stitches, which work really well as feathers, though I probably should have done them facing the opposite way. I used a variegated DMC perle cotton in size 8. The color number is 106, but Corbin and I named it "melting red popsicle". I also added a few beads to his head, and may add more to his wings. Gotta think about it....

More spiders, again...

This block belongs to Simona in Italy. I did the silk ribbon spray using some 7mm ribbon that I dyed myself for the roses. The dark flowers are French knots done in burgundy variegated 7mm from Bucilla that perfectly match the colors in the darkest print on the block. I hope this is clear enough when you click on the photo that you can see the tiny spider and her fantasmagorical web. Wonder where she learned to spin a web like that?

And speaking of spiders, do you remember the big orange-ish hump-backed orb weaver that we had living in our front flower bed last summer?

Well, there's a baby one, perhaps her daughter, living on one of my tomato plants out back. She's a perfect little replica of the large spider, same color, same bumps on her back, but the size of a pinhead, and she weaves a perfect little orb. Where the big spider's web was 10" across, the baby's is about 2", but just as beautifully woven. I wish I could take a picture, but I think she's just too small. If she hangs around long enough and grows, I'll try to take a picture.

Using painted patches

Here's the block I made for the county fair. It was done, except for the painting, in exactly one week. I had a big project that I wanted to do for the fair, then decided that wasn't going to get done, so I started the smaller black and white project with the angel drawing in it. Then I decided that wasn't going to get done in time, so I started this and determined to finish it come hell or high water. It is in the hands of the county fair judges now.

This is my summer block for the Seasons block share on CQ for Newbies. We piece a block and embellish about 1/2 of it, then it gets swapped for another stitcher's block and we finish theirs as they finish ours. I called this "Hot Summer Night" then realized I used morning glories in a night block. Oh well.....

Painting on fabric

I finally tried out a new medium for embellishing CQs; been meaning to try this for some time, but apparently I needed a push. Lauri offered a challenge to our CQ for Newbies list called "Out of Your Comfort Zone" in which we were to first define our "comfort zone" in CQ, and then do a block within that zone. Then we were to pick some aspects of CQ that were outside that zone and make another block using them.

I just reread that sentence, and I'm afraid it may only make sense to CQers, but hopefully pictures will help explain. This is in my "zone"; lots of seam embroidery, and just a few in-the-patch motifs, because I like the beauty of the fabric to show.


So here is "out of my zone", with more....everything. The carousel horse is painted, which is new to me, and I did lots more motifs of other kinds. Still not what anyone would call encrusted, but I just can't seem to make myself go that far. Maybe someday.

Here's a block I made using an owl I painted on black Dupioni silk.

A chipmunk done on cotton.

A cabin and a squirrel, both done on cottons.

A morning glory done on black silk.

And a pansy with lilacs, also on silk.

I've had a lot of fun with this, but obviously need more practice, especially with the flowers.

Clouds

We've had some unusual weather this year. Spring was long and cooler and wetter than normal. We still haven't had any triple digit days yet. This was the view out our back door yesterday evening....



...and a few minutes later.

A project almost done

Here's the finished blue block. It will be the cover of a scrapbook/photo album. This is the front.

And this is the less-embellished back.

It finally got warm enough to get the little pool out for the boys, and they have had some fun in it. I've been letting them play in it after lunch, and it has made it very easy to get Zack to take a nap.