Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Second Hand-Embroidered Block or Now I Remember Why I Bought an Embroidery Machine

I was ready to toss this out when I finished last night.
Adding to my already abyssal embroidery skills, I ended up drawing most of this freehand because the stabilizer on the back made it difficult to trace the pattern.  I didn't have that problem the last time because I forgot to use stabilizer on the first block.  On top of that, my new fading ink pen fades really fast!  The manufacturer used to say that it would last 24 hours, but I always found that the ink lasted much longer.  I could go back days after and still see the lines.  This new one fades within hours!  When I came back to this after dinner, the leaf area was gone.  I'm glad I did the flowers and butterflies first!

Judging this on its own rather than comparing it with the other participants' blocks, it's okay.  It is, after all, only a four inch block.  In the scheme of things, it will just be a bit of a blur in the corner of a big quilt--way in the corner, on the other side of the bed, against the wall;-)

I'm thinking that I might start substituting some of the many yo-yos I make when traveling for a few of these blocks.  That would like nice, right??

7 comments:

  1. I actually think that's quite lovely. It's like a sketch in embroidery form, if that makes any sense. Simple, yes. But colorful and the shapes actually look like what they're supposed to be.

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  2. I think you're too close to it to appreciate it - all you can see is what you think are imperfections, but to those of us looking at the photo, it's a sweet embroidery. And far better than anything I could do! Don't forget - the more you practice, the more comfortable you'll get with it!

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  3. Your work is just beautiful ! Did you gt one of those fancy machines that does it all ? They just fascinate me every time I go in Joann's. I tried it one by hand and enjoyed it, but it seemed to take forever for me. I haven't sewed since HS !

    You are very clever and I like your blog !

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  4. I think it's lovely! And I've always loved the idea that handwork will remain long after I'm gone and this will be a cherished piece of art made by your hands :)

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  5. I think it's pretty! Transferring the design can be difficult with the stabilizer though... Have you considered a water soluble pen instead of disappearing ink? The lines stay on until you remove them. I like the blue one by Dritz best!

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  6. Your block is lovely! Your tree trunk is very realistic and the flowers are too cute!

    For the last quilt along, I, too, used a disappearing ink pen. I had to sew like mad to finish before it disappeared. I didn't like that so I splurged on a water soluble pen and that worked much better, but I was disappointed in how quickly the ink dried up. It is like a regular felt pen that only works for a few minutes before drying up and you have to let it sit for a day to get moist again (do you know what I mean??).

    For this block I tried a Frixion pen. Wow! I will never go back to disappearing and soluble pens. The lines are crisp, clear, and never disappear until you touch an iron to them. The ink truly magically disappears with that hot iron. I was floored when I tried it on a scrap first. I see a few more colors of Frixion pens in my future!

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