Round Robin work on Laura's Block

Laura's RR - dbl run cretan w/gold flower sequins
Originally uploaded by lasassone

This is the 2nd of the two blocks I worked on for our local group's recent round robin. I was last to work on this block also. This picture is on a double run of cretan stitching I did with a varigated pearl cotton thread. Embellishment was done with seed beads and gold flower sequins I recently purchased from Cartright's.

Laura will be turning this block into a pillow for the couch in her newly decorated "Old World" style family room. It's really going to be a lovely pillow!

Below are 2 more picture of the work I did on Laura's block. The first is a row of hearts and alternate designs I did in the center are of her block. The hearts are made of fly stitches. The 2nd is a seam with herringbone stitchinig decorated with straight, fly and detached chain stitches.

Round Robin work on Sandy's Block

RR work-Spider on Sandy's
Originally uploaded by lasassone

Today I finished my work on two blocks in our local group's latest round robin. I was the last one to work on these two blocks. This post is about the first block which belongs to Sandy.

I did this spider and web on the back of Sandy's block which she will be making up into a small album cover. I don't usually use a bead when I embroider spiders, but I tried it with this one. Not sure I like it, but it's different from what I usually do and I was trying to make it unique.

Below I have added 3 more pictures of what I did on Sandy's block. The first is a row of a cretan/Chevron stitching embellished with beads and copper flower sequins. The 2nd picture is of a row of Wheatear stitch I did on what will be the front of Sany's album cover. the 3rd picture is a double run of cretan stitch done with the same varigated cotton pearl thread and embellished with beads.

Anniversary Flowers

Anniversary Flowers
Originally uploaded by lasassone

Yesterday morning this is what I found waiting for me on the kitchen counter. What a guy! 41 years and still the sweetheart I knew him to be back when we were dating.

We actually celebrated with a dinner out at Olive Garden last Saturday night, so this was a good surprise. He actually bought the flowers the night before on his way home from his sub job and hid them in the garage!

I'm enjoying the flowers because Fall in our garden is rather drab. We have one tree that will change color later before Christmas. Mostly everything out there in the beds, both in front and back, just needs an incredible amount of trimming. I'm building up steam to get some of that done this weekend.

Meanwhile I'm stitching like crazy to catch up on the last couple round robin blocks from our local group's recent round robin. Then I have Leslie's Breast Cancer Wedding block to finish and get in the mail. I'm having trouble finding some heart motifs I KNOW I have here somewhere. Picture me going through drawers and boxes tossing stuff left and right!

LOL!

Stitch On!

Fall Block #1

Fall Block #1
Originally uploaded by lasassone

Well, Fall is definitely in the air here in No. California. G has been trimming our neighbor's huge tree that hangs over the fence and shades our side patio in the summer. This time of the year it starts to lose it's leaves and it's a daily, almost hourly, chore to keep up with their disposal.

He was doing that this weekend while I took to my "bed and bath" with a 3 to 4 day flu bug, of which I was very glad to be rid of this morning! All the leaves made me remember and search out the four large autumn-themed blocks I pieced over a year ago. I got started on stitching the seams with "Golden Glow" YLI Pearl Crown Rayon thread. I love that color of the YLI Pearl because it has such a vintage look. On these blocks I think also that it blends well, but doesn't distract your eyes from the fun fabrics.

The fabrics I used to piece the four blocks were given to me a few years back when a decorator in a local town closed her business. I've plenty of fabric still to piece more blocks, but when I had the 4 done, I decided perhaps I would just make a 4 block wallhanging, so I started stitching the seams. About the same time I was in Wal-mart one day buying some DMC thread for another project and I found the leaf appliques in a bin drastically discounted. I knew they would match the blocks, so I bought them all! I have a lot more of those too!

The beads you see scattered on the block are some I had purchased to embellish the stitches. I have others, including a few colors of seed beads, but these beads were in the project envelope with the 4 blocks.

I thought this was a fitting project to show for an Autumn blog post. And I also wanted to let you all know that I'll not be posting again for a week or so. I'm going to Arizona to visit my brother. My niece from Alaska will be visiting him and I haven't seen her in years, so I look forward to catching up with her and her husband.

All of us plan on going to some community organized garage sale extravaganzas while we are there, so perhaps I'll have some wonderful things to show you when I get back mid-month.

Until then.......Stitch On!