Flower Fairy Blocks Arrive Home

The Flower Fairies I Round Robin (a "Do Your Block" RR wherein everyone completes one full block for each other) concluded in February, any my pieced blocks returned home.  The other participants were from all over the world, and their work was gorgeous.

The Apple Blossom Fairies by Wendy in Alabama

The Chicory Fairy by Marci in Missouri

The Willow Fairy by Cobi in The Netherlands

The Lilac Fairy by Karrin in California

The Yarrow Fairy by Ritva in Finland

The Tansy Fairy (my favorite) came back empty for me to do.  I'll probably re-stitch something very similar to what I did for Karrin on her Tansy Fairy block, which you can see here.

Thank you, ladies, for all your beautiful work!

Flower Fairy Block - Honeysuckle

This is the final block that I worked on for the Flower Fairies DYB Round Robin at Crazy Quilting International.    It belongs to Cobi in the Netherlands, and she asked for meandering vines on the block, plus roses - in addition to any theme flowers we wanted to add.

This block is the Honeysuckle Fairy.  I added a silk-ribbon stitched Honeysuckle to the right of the printed picture.  I embroidered the white lace to color it, as the other ladies in the RR had done the same.  The butterfly at the top was stitched with Eterna silk.  This block was a fun one to work on!  Now, I just get to wait until my blocks return home.

Flower Fairy Block Finished

For the last several months I've been participating in a round robin at CQ International. This is actually a "DYB", or "Do Your Block", where each person in the RR completes and entire 5" block for the owner, who pieced them. This block is for Ritva in Finland.


There was a printed blue patch under the green on the lower left area. It bothered me and didn't seem to fit, so I covered it with this lovely silk, tacking it here and there to create some texture. I love how the tree seems to nestle in.. The venice lace trimmed with a variegated orange/purple thread sits over and in front of a needlelace trim that I salvaged from a scarf I got earlier this year at an estate sale. The rest of the trim and scarf was shared with the ladies at the CQI retreat in September.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to introduce any pinks into this, but I figured a little bit on the variegated ribbon for the spider web rose was OK. My DH said it looked good, so I was immediately wary. He's an engineer. Enough said.

I've crocheted a lot of these little baskets in my time, but I THINK this one was from a swap. The button in the lower right was painted with alcohol inks by my friend Donna Johnson, who sold a lot of these at the CQ Retreat in Omaha this year.

So, this block will go in the mail tomorrow to The Netherlands, its final stop before going home to Ritva in Finland.

And my giftie for National Tie One On Day is baked.

This is a loaf of whole wheat bread, posing (see, it's smiling!) on a vintage tea towel. I've also got an apron for Lisa Sue - it's one I made last year from vintage and modern fabric (didn't sell in last year's boutique, and it fits her personality. It's the one on the left.

That's it for now! I hope to get in one more post before Thanksgiving. More bread to bake tomorrow (for us for the holiday weekend), some email to answer, and then back to stitching.

Life is good!

Z is for Zinnia Flower Fairy Block

I finished the work on this Flower Fairy block for Wendy in our CQInternational Round Robin. All Wendy's blocks were in shades of pink, and she wanted only that colorway with other colors in the fabrics and white (no ivory). I selected the Zinnia Flower Fairy because I'd never done a zinnia before. This is a 6" block.

It's a pretty straight forward piece; stitches include fly stitch lace, twisted herringbone, chain, herringbone, straight stitch, cretan, and feather. The Zinnia is just silk ribbon layered in two rows and two colors with variegated cotton french knots in the center.


One flower is an oya, another a piece of vintage rayon tape which I gathered into a double flower. Some are dyed lace and some are crocheted; flower centers are buttons (some vintage) and beads. I enhanced her tiara with beads and added lots of German glass glitter to her wings. Her petaled skirt matches the flower.

Our Challenge for September in CQI is to try a new-to-us flower or technique. I'll be able to post this picture in the Challenge album because it was my first zinnia.

Until next time,

Another Flower Fairy Block

I finished my work on Marci's Flower Fairy Block in this round robin we're doing. Most of Marci's blocks were in blues, which is a challenge for me. But I selected the Cornflower Fairy because I wanted to do at least one "male" Flower Fairy block. Not that it's masculine, really, but what the heck - it's different!

This block was so much fun to work on. His wings are Angelina fibers with stitched & inked "veins". The cornflowers are eyelash fibers, and the bird nest is made of a nubby fiber. It looks to me as though the Cornflower Fairy is rather delighted to see the nest, don't you think?? I sewed in beads to represent eggs (robin eggs, I guess), but then I felted a bluebird. Hmmmm, go figure THAT one out, LOL. (don't you think that bluebirds should have blue eggs??) The bluebird has a fancy fiber in his mouth that leads your eye down to where the snail is traversing the rock path. In the lower right corner is a little patch of blue fantasy flowers.

I really had fun with this block and hate to part with it, even though it's blue, LOL. Next, I'll be doing one of Wendy's blocks, but I haven't selected it yet.....

Flower Fairy - Tansy

In the Flower Fairy round robin I'm in for Crazy Quilting International, I have just finished up a block for Karrin H. In this RR, we get to select one of six fairy blocks she pieced, then stitch and embellish it for her. Because the Tansy Fairy was one of my favorite fairies, and one that I included in the blocks I pieced, I just had to select this one. Such possibilities! Such happy colors!

So........... I stitched her garden area for her

And of course, while I labored about stitching on the block, she finished another coat!

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Don't forget to enter my Lace Giveaway to win one of two lace prizes. See yesterday's post for details and pictures. Remember - you must comment on THAT post to be entered, OK??
Hugs,

Flower Fairies RR Starts

I have always been enamored with the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker. About three years ago I bought a book (published in 1996) that was a compilation of all her books originally published in the 1920's and 1930's. And after seeing one of the members of Crazy Quilting International use a Flower Fairy print in one of her blocks, I knew I had to do Flower Fairies blocks - and a round robin was born.

There are six of us participating in this round robin, and technically it's a "DYB" or "do your block". That means that each of us pieces six 6" blocks and send them around. When a package gets to you, you embellish one complete block then send them all on to the next person, who does the same. Eventually they return home to the owner, and five of six blocks are completed - the block owner gets to complete the final one.

Here are my "naked" blocks:

I decided I would eventually frame or finish each block separately so that I could move them around at will. I plan to do at least a half dozen more on my own.



This first block is The Apple Blossoms Fairies. I couldn't resist these two cute fairies sitting on the flowering branch of an apple tree. Did you know that Cicely Mary Barker modeled her fairies on actual children? The models were students in her sister's nursery school.





This block is the Chicory Fairy block. I wanted to do a block in most every pastel color, even blue (which is not one of my favorite colors, LOL). For each of my blocks, I decided to keep the palette not only pastel, but monochrome (primarily). In other
words, I took my cues from the colors of the fairies.




This is my favorite flower fairy - The Tansy Fairy. See her sitting there, diligently stitching away? She's sewing tansy "buttons" on a fairy coat! In the book that accompanies our round robin blocks as they move from stitcher to stitcher, I added the poem that goes with each fairy.




This is The Lilac Fairy. I had a bit of trouble piecing this one because the brocade was heavy and that was supposed to be a curve. Hopefully the person who stitches on this will cover up that seam with some nice stitching or trim! CQ is so forgiving that way, isn't it??




The Yarrow Fairy. I think this painting (these were all originally done as oil paintings) is so beautiful. Once Cicely Mark Barker finished her paintings, she would compose a poem to go with each one. Paintings and poems were published in groupings, such as "Flower Fairies of the Spring" or "Flower Fairies of the Wayside".





And finally, The Willow Fairy. I love greens, and she is so lovely, dipping her toe into the stream in some willowy glade. Mary Cicely Barker made (sewed) all the costumes for the children as they modeled for her. The wings were made from twigs and gauze. She was so talented - sewing, writing, painting!



I think it will be fun to see other other women's blocks as they arrive for me to stitch on. Of course, I'll share pictures! In the meantime, I've got to narrow down the remaining Flower Fairies to another half dozen. There are over 130 to choose from!

Hugs,