Eleven and Counting

Another block down!  This one is without family photos and such, but still filled with special stuff.  I must admit, though, I'm just not feeling the love for this block.  It doesn't feel right, but I really don't know what to add.  It's awkward, like the geeky kid in the family that no one knows just what to do with.  Hmmmm.  I think I was that child.  Oh, well.  I was loved and included, so I guess block 11 will be, too. 

The center is a scrap of satin and lace from my wedding dress.  My aunt made my dress, decorated a teddy bear for me from the scraps and gave me the rest.  I've been hanging on to them for 21 years.  Not sure what I'll do with those pieces, but I'll probably save them for something for my kid's weddings. 
The rose is for the United States and for England.  Funny story about this one.  I couldn't get a free hand made (ripped out twice), so I finally decided to trace/draw one on some water soluble stabilizer, embroider over the lines, and then soak it off.  Some idiot didn't think ahead far enough.  I used a ballpoint so I could see to embroider.  When the stabilizer was soaked off, the ink was left all over the satin and lace.  I almost cried.  But with my trusty hair spray, I was able to get it off.  Whew!  That was close. 
The ribbon embroidered bluebonnet is hand dyed silk ribbon and is for the Great State of Texas.

The last piece of interest is Jesus and St. Joseph.  I left the upper edge of the lace frame loose and will sew it down on the adjoining block when I put everything together.

On to #12!

I'm in the Double Digits!

Woo-hoo!  Block #10.  Only 2 or 6 or 10 to go.  I just can't decide how many I'm making.  I really think it will be 16.  I laid out the 10 that are finished on my bed the other night and wow!  Even I was impressed and I'm my own worst critic.  I can't stop at 12 because there are some more pictures that I want to include, along with some other pretty things.  My poor husband walked in and almost dropped his jaw.  He's seen me working on blocks (everyone has seen me working on blocks), but I don't think he realized how much work I've done.  Or maybe I just didn't want him to know how much time I've spent on this.  After all, it's not like my family has missed a meal over it. 

This is Papa and Nano.  She taught me to embroider when I was probably 6 and is the grandmother whose passing made me finally start this whole process in the first place.  I credit Papa (and my dad, too) with my attention to detail.  When we were watching the roustabouts (he worked in the oilfield), he would tell me "you watch 'em, baby, and make sure they do it right."  Like I would know.  He's been gone 23 years, but I can still hear those words.  Anyway, the picture is from right after their marriage.  She was 16 and he was 18 and had always been childhood sweethearts.

The block doesn't have as much embroidery as the other blocks.  I'm not sure why, but it just didn't seem to want much.  Maybe it was because of the brightness of the block.  There is a lot of chartreuse and bright pink, much more than the pictures capture.  This one of "before" is probably the closest to the real colors.  I hate how the pictures are so clear in their folders, but never look the same on the blog.
The yo-yo flower garden will be extended to cover the seam when this block is attached to another.  The last time my grandmother was lucid enough to watch me sew or talk to me during a visit, I was making yo-yos.  So I made some special ones for her block to remember that afternoon. 
The Easter lily is important because Easter is my favorite holiday.  And on that note, a very Happy and Blessed Easter to you all!

Block #9 (I think)

As usual, I didn't accomplish nearly as much during my days off as I had planned.  It wasn't a total waste of time, though.  I did get my studio cleaned, among other things.

I also didn't work on this block while I was off and I must say my elbow and shoulder are feeling much better because of it.  But here it is now, in all it's splendor:

This is Pa & Granny on their wedding day in 1939.  The picture doesn't do justice, he had the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen.  Pa is my Bohemian link.  Granny is mostly Scottish and American Indian.  She nurtured my frugal nature.  They were married by the parish priest in his home (office?) in Houston because my grandmother was not Catholic.  I am the proud owner of her wedding dress.  It is a light blue green organza with flowers on it. 

The music is the first few bars of "Amazing Grace." Makes me cry just thinking about that song.  The doily was the last thing I added.  It was in a bag of lace that Lisa brought me last week.  I think it looks like a spider web.  I'll probably put a spider on it someday.  The lace I made the frame with is more of the stuff from Childhood Memories.

The picture is off-color, sorry, but I wanted to show off my live oak leaves and acorns.  I said a while back I wouldn't satin stitch again, but these called for it and actually went pretty quickly.  Before anyone says they don't look like oak leaves, I traced them from the leaves in the oak trees in my yard.  There are 3 acorns for my 3 kids.
Until next time!