January TIF Challenge finished !

I sat down after lunch today and finished assembling my little crazy scissor case from the TIF challenge block I made. It morphed from an MP3 player pouch because the foundation square was too small, that'll teach me to plan better !! I'm quite pleased with it actually, only my second ever CQ block made (the first was a kids' workshop project scroll down to post for picture.)

The photos show the front, back and the inside of the project with my "best" embroidery scissors beside it. I found a co-ordinating cotton fat quarter in my stash of small florals which I'm using for 2 different hand pieced quilt WISP's. I think I might have overdone the beading a bit, and the beaded tassel is not so practical, but a girl has to have pretty things around her all the time, doesn't she, LOL? The scissor case measures 18.5 cm including the tassel and is 11 cm wide at the top. I think I used a stitch called football stitch to join the front, must look that one up to confirm that, VBG. Bob the Quilting Cat and I look forward eagerly to the first of February for the next challenge.

January TIF Challenge NEARLY finished

Here is my January TIF challenge block, decorated some and bagged out with a nice floral lining, just before I turn it into a scissor case. It's so hard to know when you've finished with decoration on a CQ block, isn't it? Usually my projects tell me when, but this one hasn't yet. I have to stitch it into the kite shape, then I'll probably make a tassel and add a closure, and perhaps one or two more beads on a couple of bare spots I've just noticed as I loaded the photo..... Bob the Quilting Cat deserted her post after lunch, leaving me in the jumble of laces, ribbons and beads in peace. I have several other sewing projects that need my attention tomorrow, so I'll probably finish this before I retire for the night and will post the final picture on the TIF blog, see sidebar link.

Progress?

Bob the Quilting Cat and I have been trying to add some decoration to this little CQ block for the January TIF Challenge, but neither off us are very imaginative. I see so many lovely CQ blocks around, but I've never had much success myself, even with Sharon's excellent stitch dictionary and TAST stitches in 2007. Do other stitchers do as much reverse embroidery as I have been doing, I think the US stitchers call it frogging, you know rip-it, rip-it!!? Bob is no help just now, she likes to play with the ribbons and beads, but eventually she has nodded off, leaving me to wade through books looking for the perfect stitch and bead combination. And I've realised the square will be too small to make my MP3 pouch, so I'm now leaning towards a little kite shaped scissor case for my best embroidery scissors. This CQ block might be the only one I ever make at this rate, LOL, it's a lot harder than everyone tells you. Or is it "Secret Women's Business" and I haven't learned the secret handshake yet?

TIF Challenge, January, the research continues.

Today Sharon B., see sidebar link, has posted about a great online exhibition featuring illustrations and writings about women's relationships with nature. Of course I spent quite a while browsing the site, and found this lovely coloured rendering of Clematis which just happened to be in Sharon's January TIF Challenge palette. I seem to be leaning more and more towards the colour palette for my January Challenge so now I just have to decide
1. Threads or fabrics
2. Form of project
3. Size of project
4. How to present it

Now you know why I say I have a Black Belt in Procrastination, one decision made leads to several more pending ! I think my Goal for 2008 will surely have to be F..O..C..U..S