Peace Doves block

Well here is the second attempt at my latest hand needle turn applique project. Aren't they lovely? This block is part of the Christmas in July/August swap I have with my New Zealand quilter friend. This was a liquid embroidery image on a sweat shirt in an add that I just enlarged and then made up the dove freezer paper patterns and found some actual leaf fabrics and cut them out and embroidered the stems and that swirly thing - not sure what that is supposed to be - ribbon maybe or some straw or other nesting stuff! For the doves I used batiks so I could get the colour variations and then used my own ideas for the fabrics for this 12.5" block. Now I sure hope it gets to Sandra sooner than later!

This should have been completed earlier but in one of my two June quilting retreats Aie Rossman (fellow retreater) was missing her hand applique and wished she had some to work on. Well I mentioned I had a project here if she wanted to work on it! AND talk about surprised when Aie asked to give it a try and she actually did applique the lower dove on the first block, even though the technique I used is alien to her! Needless to say I'll finish this one off and make a small wall hanging as a keepsake for myself. Gotta think of an appropriate title and write up for it too. I have a couple of her smaller patterns and one of these days I will do them for myself.

Well tonight I finished embellishing and sandwiching three fabric postcards that have to get into the mail this week - also a little late! I can tell I'm letting loose with my freehand embellishing and was very pleased with the end result. Now to continue making the rest of them and hopefully keeping ahead of the list - that would be great!

Tomorrow night I'm hoping to search for some fancy cream and pale green fabrics to stitch up my hearts and have a few ready for Saturday's PJ party at my local needleworks shop. I figure it will be easier to work on embroidery and maybe even some beading than my hand applique that I took last time. I made so many mistakes I had to totally "rippit" and start again. LOL!

Well CU, till the next update!