whats old is new

I call this block whats old is new, the reason for the name is this,

the bird on red silk is a part of the first (?) OK second)
cq block i ever made, as is the bit of stripey green and lavender under (in this case next to) it.

I had long ago chopped away at pieces of this block because it was not designed very well to begin with
but I couldn't get rid of that bird or the strip below it.
That part, at least looked like it belonged together.

and after almost 20 years of being shuffled from place to place being neglected and abused i finally figured out what to do with it.

make it into a whole new block! of course, duh!

anyway it's the perfect showcase for my fiddly fumbly beginning cq to my now cq. also the ribbon showed up one day in a package from my mom that was perfect for framing the seams.

so by now your wondering about the rest of this block.

SO! all along the top left hand side is a dragonfly out of dagger beads and bugles,

seam 1 a zigzag feather stitch with black lentils and lazy daisies and seam 2 a double herringbone with glass flower beads.

in the left bottom corner a red felt mushroom with a gnome peaking out from behind it.
to balance all that orange
I made a daisy chain curly-q in the upper right hand corner, added a few purple flower beads and a blue bird to balance the big blue patch at the bottom right
where I stuck a pink(ish) lace flower motif that I dyed myself and art deco-y looking satin stitched swirls and more lentils.
 whew!
now that I look at it I need to practice satin stitch more, those swirls are lumpy!

so anyway, old and new.

Black Byrony Faerie

lest you think I have lain Idle whilst eating bonbons and watching endless reruns since i last posted, I have been busy, it just doesn't seem like it from blog posts.


I have finished sewing a a few things

and started a few more


 when I have this many projects I tend to do them in tandem and it seems

(to  me) that nothing is getting done.

 when in reality a lot is being accomplished it just seems like slow motion

 the Black Byrony Faerie is an example

didn't the swans turn out sweetly?

I took this piece to work on when I was in India last year and finished it at home.

don't ask about the trip it was great and awful at the same bewildering time.


 I haven't quite wrapped my head around it yet.

but this block turned out well so I'm a bit pleased, chuffed even, with myself.

and if you are here for the grow your own blog party you can find it here,

or just scroll down a little more, it's not far....