Fabulous First Timer RR#5 - IS HOME!!!

Yeppers, my FFTRR#5 CQd heart block is HOME - (pardon me Debbie but I just must) and it is "just a Go-a-jus block!!!" Now excuse me for stealing a CQI member's special saying (better in her American accent I'm told) but I'm just at a loss at describing this block. It has surpassed all I'd every thought how it would come home - especially for my first CQd RR! AND there's even "TWO" patches not touched at all!!! WHAT gives girls??? Thought you gals said it was filled??? Guess I've learnt ONE main lesson and that is "never never never" put your favourite fabric in a block unless you put a note with it to "add some spice" to it! chuckling See I inserted a treasured piece from my sister's fancy stash which JUST fit in for the centre patch of the heart and then some precious hand dyed Venice Lace from Sandy W (Aust) but no one touched either! That's okay maybe it's as how it should be too - both are so lovely by themselves!

Okay, here is what I sent with my block and you tell me if they didn't follow it to a "T"!!!

- My first block within CQI – well a heart actually
- I love nature’s colour palette – bold and rich – mossy greens etc
- I love tatted motifs and edgings – still befuddles me but will keep trying
- I also love Venetian lace motifs and edgings – trying to build a stash to use
- I love all types of stitching, SRE and other embroidered embellishments
- Chunky buttons/charms are fine as long as they “enhance” and not detract
- Will probably somehow incorporate this heart into a wall hanging as I love minis
- I’ve included a piece of fabric that I would LOVE you all to sign as it will be part of my label for the back, Thank You!

my "naked" block

And here's some of the excerpts from their writeups in my booklet:

#1 - Ritva of Finland: "At first I was quite afraid of starting to work with your beautiful block ... soon the green folded green patch shout me to sew some vines on it ... a mossy stone in the forrest which was ready to get some wild vine cover ... added tatting on a seam on the left and embellished it with beads and some detached chains ... made Bullion roses on the brown patch."

#2 - Margreet of The Netherlands: "put some stitches along the lace on the right top ... embroidery along the brown fabric and pale brown beside"
Thank you Margreet for your cut paper butterfly in my booklet!!!

#3 - Diane of LA, USA: "I had to stop myself from working on your beautiful heart block ... started bottom and ran a leafy vine with bead buds up and around the beaded heart motif I made ... worked on top of the stitches on the top cream patch putting little green leaves with single charm stitches and pretty yellow flowers ... added the little butterfly charm and a bee on the green patch at the bottom"
Yes Diane I love your heart - you picked all the colours from in the heart!

#4 - Shari of CO, USA: "wasn't a lot of room left to get real creative - trying to bring balance to the block ... did the SRE and bead flower cluster on the upper left adding twisted silk stem work in straight & fly stitches with pink butterflies with Bullion body and pistel stitch stamens ... dark seam on the gold velvet with long detached chains with fly stitch filling with puka shells from Hawaii and added the black butterfly ... added the ecru lace flower motif and yellow butterfly next to gold heart button already there ... had a lot of fun creating the dragonfly from beads with wings of organza ribbon but looked lonely so added one more small butterfly"

NOW GIRLS (BTW, I'm not shouting, just exclaiming) HOW CAN YOU NOT THINK I WOULD "LOVE" MY FINISHED BLOCK!!!

Okay Okay Okay I hear you, you want the pictures now - enough yakking about it, alright here they are!!!

after Ritva
after Margreet
after Diane
after Shari

And here are four closeups if you want to check it out more so!

lower half
top left
close up
top right
and the centre

SOOOOOO, I think you can gather that I just LOVE my first CQd RR block and am anxious to see my other heart RR when finished it's rounds in another group!!! Yes, thank you very much Ritva, Margreet, Diane and Shari for all your precious hand work, embellishing or whatever you want to call it! It's just beautiful! THANK YOU! And whenever I get this idea of an appliqued CQd heart blocks wall hanging finished I'll for sure be posting it with more heart warming thanks I'm sure!!!