More Tumbling around

More Tumbling Blocks are afoot
I am even sewing them all together

Here we have a sword pierced sacred bleeding heart picked out in satin stitch and goldwork, a basket of SRE flowers and a nosegay of blue SRE posies

Turkey-work moth, an Antique Tatted purple glove surrounded by SRE flowers and a Bullion Bee, Lacy Bead Owls ,seam treatments with more beads

Phases- Goldwork in couched Silver passing thread and couched braided silver flat cord, Glass Bead Pineapple,
Stumpwork Swan and lily pad

All seeing Eye made with Beads, Fairy in satin stitch with goldwork wings,

Satin stitch mouse climbing down a branch

Satin stitch cat, split stitch fox, Yellow SRE flowers and a woven wing butterfly.

 

Beginning the blocks

Here they all are so far sewn into blocks

And arranged on the floor

This is about 1/3rd of them, 

I haven't finished the rest yet.

So you will be seeing more as I get around to them 

but unless they are stunning 

I don't know that I will be showing the individual diamonds 

as much as I have been 


Below are the individual tumbling blocks if you care to peruse them

I wish I could bunch them up a little more 

but Bloggers, gonna Blogger

 

CQ Tumbling Blocks so far so good!

So here we are again in update land I am trying to get at least 2 of these blocks done a week

I have finished making and binding all my diamond blocks so after they have all been embellished I can just sew the blocks together

I'm now in the process of adding lace, ribbon and what-not to each piece 

before starting to embroider and embellish the individual pieces that will make up each 3 piece block

I Embroidered two Bullion Birds and a bird bath 

with some fancy ferns made from curl of stem stitch

 and lazy daisy stitches  followed by

a seam made from 2 Cretin stitch and beads

This one is a bit plain (For me) >

 I added a line (Lump?) of daisy chain stitches

to continue into the block, then added the spray over each bead cluster

I embroidered a feather stitch along the seam and layered the metal flower onto a lace flower and the fern is from a bigger piece of lace

Placed a bit of ribbon to the seam and a seam treatment of chevron stitch over that with lazy daisy and beads

On this piece I used a satin stitched Bird, was started on felt cut out and tacked onto an embroidered branch

with french knot hydrangeas which were embroidered separately on muslin 

cut out turned under and tacked on. The leaves are silk ribbon and I'll finish the seam treatments with beads later

The Feather was embroidered with variegated silk thread in steam stitch I placed a bead at the top

The seam treatment above it is picked out in alternating button hole with lazy daisy and red glue on beads that I drilled a hole in and sewed on (After all I'm not a heathen!)

The feather stitch is laddered down the yellow seam and there is another bit of slanted button hoe below it I'll embellish those a bit more later

On this piece I ran out of thread for that alternating button hole stitch one or 2 stitches from the end and covered it up wit a bit of daisy lace there are rice shaped plastic pearl beads and yellow glass beads for embellishment

I completely covered the cretin stitch seam treatment with silk ribbon rosebuds and leaves and some glass flower beads

The other corner is a bit of lace and a piece of sequin embellished ribbon lace

 the wings of the dragonfly were done separate on a bit of gauze with gold thread, they are my first attempt at stumpwork wings and not great but good enough for a first attempt I think. the rest of it are a real pearl and a glass button followed by fake plastic pearls.

 I just didn't have the spoons for this last one, I threw a bunch of loose odds-n-ends at it, tacked it on and called it good enough.  

 And thats ok. 

I figure I have 75 diamonds, making up 25 blocks. 

I can fudge a few here and there, and not feel bad about it.                  Right?

I'm still working on that last bit.

It's all about giving yourself a little grace.

Diamonds Forever Tumbling Update

I have also spent the entirety of last weekend piecing 64 more tumbling blocks so I have them to hand, when inspiration strikes

 

The bluebird is sewn in dmc floss

I intend to add som beads but we're not there yet

Dandelion Phouf Dmc and Glass beads

The all seeing Eye in Glass beads on felt sew on with more glass beads

And vines in DMC cotton floss with rayon floss for the white cast-on stitch and french knots, glass beads and "silk flowers" 

A few new Tumbling Blocks

The Sacred Snake is satin stitched with size 12 double twist variegated cotton thread and outlined with thick silver passing thread thread for a little sparkle

Lily of the valley is picked out with 3 strands of dmc cotton thread 

7mm and 4mm silk ribbon leaves and glass beads

Spring and fall sheaves are picked out with 

7mm silk ribbon leftovers from other projects

Spring Branches are picked out with 3 strands of dmc cotton thread, 

4mm silk ribbon for the branches, silver passing thread for the web 

and glass beads for the dragonfly and spider

The Tumbling Blocks stitch-a-long is still on Sharon Boggins Blog if you want to partake or just go look

CQ Tumbling Blocks

I am so behind on this project

Oh well, 

I'm only a year and 5 moths late in starting!

This is my latest block so far

It needs more cowbell

Here's the first block I completed

with SRE daisies 

and a good starburst seam treatment

The Tumbling Blocks stitch-a-long is still on Sharon Boggins Blog 

if you want to partake or just go look

And a cloudy moon for the full moon that just passed

I think This is going to be an ongoing difficulty with this project.

I want to do it, but other things keep getting in the way

I have 20 or so dark blocks made and a few ideas beside the 3 I've done so far.

I may even revisit some older Ideas but no theme has yet revealed itself to me 

And if I ramdomize myself too much I may not finish the project at all.

One 6"ish block a month is enough right? I don't have to finish right now, EVEN THOUGH

I started it late. I keep telling myself that, in between the times I wonder why I haven't finished yet.

Now that the studio is, mostly, finished and moved into I can start finishing projects that have been on hold for forever.

I just finished Quilt about 9 of the 14 flimsies I found in random piles some I put aside because they were too big for the space I had and some that got lost in the constant shuffle.

I also picked up 10 charity quilts for the guild I belong to, we have such a backlog of quilts that need quilting 

and as I was nominated and voted in as secretary, I feel honor bound to get as much done there as I can.

I also have my own projects here and there that I want to do, It's hard to keep myself tethered.

Flights of fancy are all well and good, but there is a limit to what one can accomplish on your own. 

As my DDH tells me all this pressure is self inflicted...... 

This Years Wrap up

 This post is just a reminder to myself that I did manage to get some things done this year

All the way back in January and february I finished my frog sized frog

This is also a reminder to try one in a smaller size

And I also made this tiny "Casket toy" glove of flt ribbons and gold passing thread

I also finished this Chatelaine Purse in January, Though to be fair she was started in november

All the Tarot cards were begun and done during this year

I have in my head to do more of these

They were fun

Started and Finished My youngest daughters Crazy Quilted Ellie 

Helped put together costumes for a play in march

Not these ones, I somehow managed to forget

to take any pictures of the ones I worked on

Though it's understandable we had the usual 

2 weeks to complete 3 Robe a la Frances dresses for men from scratch including underpinnings!

It'll be fine!

Went to our quilt Guilds Retreat in the mountains 

just so I could finish this one!

She was my first foray into making an entire 

English Paper pieced Quilt with scraps from my pile

I'd say that was successful!

Finished 2 Rainbow Scrap flimsies

And a Quilt for my SeaStar (Step-Sister) 

As a gift for when we went to visit family in April

After the Eclipse

Plus a couple of silly little projects 

The ongoing garden Cleanup 

Numerous Quilt group things

The shophop quilts I just posted about 

and the studio renovation backadagarage

I got a lot done this year!

So whenever you start feeling like"ungh! why can't I get anything done?"

go through you're photo roll and take stock

You'll be surprised at how much you actually did get done!

No wonder you're so tired all the time!

CQJP Elli Phant is finished!

 Lest you thought, I have fallen off the face of the earth,

Fear not! I'm here.

It's gardening season so when it's not raining, 

i'm outside playing at muddy mudskipper.

And I have finished the Ellie!

Yay.

Here's her left side front

                    with ears

and her left side back

I even remembered the tail this time!

 the right side front

And finally right side back

Now to get it to my kiddo and hope she likes it.

now back outside