creativity over the holidays SAHRR center block start, scrap and pink love

 

The online challenge Stay at Home Round Robin ( at  https://quiltinggail.com/ )  starts soon with a parade of our center (starting) blocks. I could have found an orphan block to start with but who wants to open that can of worms and see all the UFO's? 

I love Mary Englebreit, get her calendar yearly, and have a stash of her fabrics

I had browsed through my applique books, liked one by Piece O'cake but eventually chose one from the book here. The pattern was VERY small so I enlarged it. My thought is to hand embroider the center with many stitches and build out from that using each row prompt of blocks made often with the stash of prints. 

I apporached it like a paper collage, tacking down the motifs with glue or a bit of fusible web. The background fabric is light blue with teacups in white. 

I think I'll start with the house outline in black  or a strand of black and one of red, buttonhole stitch. 

I tend to keep a cart open at Dick Blick art supplies, adding items for fun. DH bought me all the items in my cart for Christmas, whee! In there was an embroidery kit so I'd have an easy way to hand stitch when I am in so much pain I can do nothing else. 

Stitching takes me out of my self and pain sometimes. I hope this will eventually pass but not sure. 

Sometimes just surviving becomes your life

I punched holes in the picture card, and am looping the threads by color with a slip knot. It starts with the bird outline, 3 strands of black. Why don't kits give you a needle threader? 

My friend Kathleen (link to her blog ) sent me a gift box of her scraps and it was Christmas all over again! Like a stocking of little items I sifted through the scraps by color to wash ( I ALWAYS wash fabrics before using and pressing, as I'm SO allergic to chemicals used to process them)

put small pieces in mesh bags to wash

then, enjoy all the prints. She also sent a ball and pretty card)  I'm an addict with scraps, keeping really small ones. These were gorgeous and enormous mostly... regular stash worthy but I am going to put them in my scraps stash since that will encourage me to use them. I'm just so excited to have an influx of material!!! just a small example of the pinks she sent...

Kathleen has no idea how much she raised my spirit and boosted my creativity with these. 

I wonder what I could gift her with to spread the love? 

sharing in link parties: 

linking with

patchwork Sunday   

oh Scrap Sundays

 slow stitching Sundays

https://melvalovesscraps.blogspot.com/

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts

https://songbirddesigns.blog/

http://www.inquiringquilter.com/ Wednesday wait loss

Midweek makers wednesdays  

http://www.myquiltinfatuation.com/

finished or not

https://superscrappy.blogspot.com/