Details 27 & 28

I didn't really have any fun doing #27. I just couldn't get the angles straight even though I did mark out the row. If it was on a small block I would definitely have unpicked, but it's on this 4' x 2' 6" hanging that I'm doing, and from a distance it looks OK! #28 doesn't look like much either, but in reality is quite pretty. The bugle & seed beads and lazy daisy stitches are all gold!

Falling Behind!!!

Maybe some of you have noticed that I haven't posted any new details of the "100 Details in 200 Days" in a while. The problem has been that I have run out of seams to work on. I have no blocks "on the go". Since I started CQing in March I have accumulated six completed blocks (which I think will make a nice wall hanging for my bedroom), but I don't want to start another block unless it is for a gift or RR. So this evening I decided to begin my big wall hanging for the living room, just so I could get some seams to work on. I hadn't planned on starting this big project so soon, but, hey, I 'm up for the challenge!

It will be 4' x 2' 1/2". The maroon bit that I have laid out above is about 8" wide and should provide plenty of seams for the next month of details.

Ready to send

Just a quick note to say that my Favourite Things RR block is pressed and ready to send to Sandi in Pleasanton California. Before it arrives back in Canada it will have passed through Springfield Ohio, Anaheim California, Plympton Massachusetts, Earlville Illinois and West Ipswich Australia. What a lot of miles!

Added on Monday 28th. Well it's on it's way to Sandi. At the last minute I removed the large pink bead that is the body of the bottom right angel. I thought it would be a bit bulky to go through the measuring thing at the post office. I'll sew it back on again when it comes home. Or....if any of my "Mums" group has something flat that would fit, please add it if you want to.

Shoulder bag

This bag came about because I was running out of seams for the 100 details in 200 days. I had bought a pattern at the Quilt Show in Lancaster PA in April and I was anxious to have a go at it. The front part of the bag is CQ and the back plain, and because there are only three pieces making up the CQ part, there weren't many seams, three, that's all! One of them is Detail 25 from the 100 details, another is a row of angels for the Christmas Motif at CQ4Newbies, and the third is one I made up. In the spaces I did some fern, a whirly thing and a fan which I really like. But now I am out of seams again for the 100 details.

It came together fairly easily except for the lining which I made with a nice piece of polished cotton, and cut the same size as the outside. It was just a bit too big and I had to trim it down a bit. Now all it needs is a chain or cord and some kind of fastener. The instructions call for velcro, but I want to use something else.

My favourite things RR

I've joined this round robin on CQEmbellishes. It's my first RR so I have been thinking about it for a few weeks, wondering exactly what my favourite things are that can be worked into a CQ block. Two things that I want to include are cake decorating and flowers. But I kept thinking that there was something else. It suddenly occurred to me when I was working on a seam for the Christmas motif for CQ4Newbies, that Angels are my other favourite things. My Christmas tree is covered in angels, my girls have kept them coming every year for ages! So, I'm hoping that my RR group, the "Mums" (chrysanthemums) will just fill my block with angels, cakes and flowers!

Here's my first little angel on my RR block. I think she needs a halo!

Just for interest's sake I took the bottom photo without my light box. Both were taken in full sun. The box works well. There's a photo of it under "Taking Photos" on July 1.

Detail 25

I enjoyed doing this one for a few reasons! The first one was that my order of threads arrived from Evening Star Designs. Beautiful variegated threads, and lovely to work with. Second, I found some gorgeous buttons in the button boxes at my Seniors Club, and third, I did this detail on the front of an small shoulder bag which I think will be very nice when it is finished.

Details 23 and 24

Both are supposed to be wisteria but could be mistaken for grapes! Detail 23 is done with 2mm silk ribbon and french knots that I wrapped either two or three times around the needle; detail 24 is the cast on stitch.

Detail 23

Detail 24

Cake detail

I made a large slab for a combined mother/one year old son's birthday. As a decoration for the mother I made a small bouquet of roses and for the little boy I made a blanket and teddy bear from gumpaste and used some sugar cubes for blocks. Looked cute and filled a big space on the cake.

Storing the stash - continued

I worked for a couple of hours last night and more this morning and I'm pleased with the little tab system. In the photo there are two plastic containers, one behind the other, and they are pretty much full of my stash of seed and bugle beads in one and buttons and charms in the other, so NO MORE SHOPPING Diane!!

Detail 22 of 100 details in 200 days

These are details 22a, 22b and 22c and the finished block. Can't seem to get it to click to the large size. It's on Flickr too, click on Flickr at the right. And these are the last of the details that will fit on my current block. As you will see above it is jam packed full, not room for anything more. Now, maybe the CQ encrusters and embelishers could fit more on! I'll take any suggestions for more beads, buttons or braid from you guys.

Detail 21

Here is Detail 21.

Storing the stash

Jeanette on CQforNewbies asked how do we all store our beads and trim. This question made me realize that mine are stored separately in small plastic bags and I am somewhat organized, but it still takes time to find what I want when I'm looking. I suggested to Jeanette to use paper labels as tabs. So I tried my suggestion myself. I have sheets of old diskette labels from the 80's (I save everything!)which worked just fine. Here's how I have been storing on the top, and here's just a few baggies with the labels on, in the bottom photo. You'd have to remember to keep the bags shut, but I think it would work.

New Project

I'm just thinking about it right now, but it's taking shape. I have a lot of Asian/Indian stuff in my living room. For instance, some furniture from Pier 1 that have touches of rattan, curtains that look like sari material, a decorative wall hanging that I made on the lines of one from Pier 1, and a wonderful hand hooked rug in the colours of my curtains. Well, my sister was visiting this weekend past and put the idea into my head that I should make something for the wall behind my sofa in crazy quilting. It would have to be quite different from the wall hanging. It would be a huge project. The piece would need to be 4' x 2' 6" and I would have to do it in one piece. All I have done so far is to get a piece of plain newspaper print the correct size and roughly mark a grid. I have a piece of muslin the right size too. I'm going to think about it awhile before starting just so I don't make any silly mistakes. Has anyone else done a hanging in CQ this big?

Details 19 & 20

These are yesterday's and tomorrow's details. This is the first time I've used 13mm silk ribbon, and it's lovely to work with. The rose is a bit more than

1 1/2" in diameter.

Detail 18

Not the neatest of work!

Garden update

Just look how well the lettuce have come along. I'm already picking them for sandwiches. They are so tender. I planted some more in the same container and they have already sprouted. The tomatoes too are so much bigger and have lots of flowers. Just hope there are enough bees to polinate them.

In the last few days my friend and I picked a couple of buckets of strawberries and the same day hulled, washed and made most of them into jam. There was enough over to freeze several containers of whole uncooked strawberries. To be eaten later with Nestles cream.

Detail 17 of 100 details in 200 days

Keeping up the pace! Here's number 17.

Detail 16

I still haven't mastered the bullion stitch. I have this thread under the bullion that shows. Am I doing it wrong?

Josh

This is Joshua, my youngest grandson, and me.

Taking photos

Here's a simple way to take close ups of your work. I saw the idea in either a message board or someone's blog, but I haven't been able to track it down.

What I have is a small opaque bucket from the dollar store. My handy friend made a round hole in the bottom the exact size of m camera lens so the camera sits level on the bucket. I use the "macro" setting.

Here are two comparisons of photos taken using the box and me holding the camera. The box has two advantages, one being that the camera doesn't move. The other is that the opaque plastic box seems to produce a truer colour eliminating the glare. In each case, the photo on the top are without the box, the bottom ones are with the box. For me the main thing is that I am not holding the camera, just pressing the button.

July 11/08 - Just a quick note to say that if you know where the original idea of the opaque bucket came from, I would really like to give them credit.