March 2012 CQ

I know. I am getting to this post a little late and it has been a while since I published a new post.  Sometimes, I just don't know where time goes.

Here is a picture of my March 2012 CQ project block.



March 2012 CQ Project

 It looks a little bare in the picture above, but I am crocheting some small butterflies to add to all of the blocks.  I mean to use the butterflies as a unifying concept.  You'll see what I mean later.

For me the best part of this block is the basket of flowers.  You should have seem me on breaks at work cutting out all those little white flowers from a salvaged piece of lace.  I do think they work rather well with the organza spider web roses.

The fan in the upper right hand corner was crocheted from size 20 crochet thread.  Size 10 is more common but I wanted a daintier feel and also I didn't want the finished fan to be too large.  It is really funny that the older I get, the worse my vision, the smaller the thread I want to use. The fan is decorated with bullion roses.  Mary Corbett of Needle n Thread has a nice video tutorial for the bullion rose. The seam treatment is done by whipping two rows of chain stitch which was featured in her series Stitch Play.

What isn't working so well is the V-stich hearts and what is supposed to be the overcast stitch on the lace. The hearts do not make a statement and the overcast stitch looks like a poor example of crochet. The white valley and peaks created with french knots and the pink straight stitch are bold enough in the right hand corner but would have looked better if more care had been taken with getting the original line better defined.

I still struggle with marking my fabric.  I have been using a variety of techniques such as tissue paper, waste canvas, marking pen and patterns. Different needs work better with different methods.  I should also mention that I have created a prick and pounce kit  but I haven't yet made any patterns to use with it.  One thing that concerns me is that the pattern needs to have enough space around it that loose powders are prevented from spilling onto the fabric.  I do have a couple of pages ready to go to the printer for printing on vellum.  I'll let you know how well it works for me.

Business Card Holder



Business Card Holder Group Picture



I particpated in a fun project at StitchMAP.  If you are interested in learning more about needlework see the right side bar for a link.  The project was for a Business Card Holder.  It was meant as a case for my member business cards but is also perfect for credit cards or gift cards.  We had a due date but no other parameters.  We could be as creative as we wished.

I had recently found some linen at a thrift store.  Nice big pieces of both pale pink and cream.  I knew I wanted to use my pink linen.  My first thought was to do a cross stich motif, but after 3 or 4 mistakes I abandoned the idea.  I was having too much difficulty with spacing. 

 The light bulb went off when I thought that this might be a good opportunity to use the bullion stitch and make some roses.  I pulled out my reference book, "A-Z of Bullions".  I had been excited to win the bid on this book on an e-Bay auction.  I won for $23.95 and I had seen the book at Amazon for over $100.  It contained some nice motifs that I knew I could adapt.

I had to practice the stitch, but I succeeded in making recognizable bullion roses.


Card Holder 1


My goal for the first one I completed was to have a design that did not need an orientation as I wasn't sure what the front of the holder would be.  One of the mentoring tips I received was to baste a large X on the front of the piece to find the center. That worked very well but I should have measured and gridded for the other elements.  I added the rose buds at the end hoping that it would distract  from the uneven placement.  Also, there wasn't room for a button closure so I settled for a velcro closure.
 

Card Holder 2

 

 On the second one, I chose a spray pattern.  It was a good opportunity to add some bullion loop flowers to the roses.  I added some yellow french knots and some detached daisy chain leaves.  I think it looks very dainty.



The third has more elaborate foliage.  I wish that it were more symmetrical but I have learned not to scoff at preplanning.  I used more muted colors and I believe that it does make it look older, more vintage.  This card holder has a special meaning for me. One of my girlfriends has survived a divorce. I am so proud of the actions she has taken to improve her life including her health and her social life.  This cardholder will hold little personal cards that she gave give out if she meets someone she would like to know better.

Card Holder 3

Here are some articles about calling cards.

Calling Cards and the Etiquette of Paying Calls

Days of Elegance

Images of Victorian Calling Cards

Victorian Calling Card Etiquette