Opening design for memories albumn

Wrist ruffles

I am afraid I can't call this wrist warmers as they are more decorative than what they are for keeping the fingers warm.  The patterns is fairly simple it involves worsted weight yarn, size 4.5 mm crochet hook and a few measurements.

I measure around my arm, just above my watch, make a chain and then work in continuous rnds until it reaches about five inches.  I then try it on to make sure that it will fit.  At this stage I change to double crochet and work a double crochet in each stitch around.  Next row work two dc and skip one, work 2 dc,this allows for the eyelet row.

Now work a complete round, and then start increasing first every second, then every third until you get the ruffle that you want,  and then add a decorative edge.

After working I then thread a long satin ribbon through and tie a nice bow.  These can be work as is or as in the ones illustrated below where the cuffs are turned down.

I made a series of these as well as neckwarmers and boot tops one year, and will try and write a proper pattern for these and share.

A few different fillers for blocks in their final stages.

 I did this on a block for a friend Pam in England, the spray was used to unite the blocks together for sparkles.  I first drew the main swag,embroidered with caron  wildflowers pine.  Went back in and added back stitches with wildflowers followed by back stitches with yli candelight in black verigated.  I used a crewel needle so the threads were easier to work with.  The sequins were added as an autumn type touch and held in place with a single bead.

When Pam's block arrived at my place there was not a lot of room left, but I knew from her previous posts that she wanted victoriana, so I took a two inch wide wired ribbon and sculted it to form the pen flourish above and held this down with seed beads.  I then added a special button and real feathers from a craft store packet.  It made me think of feather pens and also the encrusted beauty of a victorian hat adornment.

I loved using ribbon for embellishing and as shown in the picture below it can be scrunched and scattered overt a simple block and give it a look of elegance.  

The above block was donated to Leslie for her Making Memories wedding quilt raffle.  I used a lot of bridal type flowers and trims.

Blocks Finished Kathy's class 2014

This was one of the most interesting blocks to work on, it sort of told me what it wanted on it, and as you can see it is all embellished no seam work at all.  I truly loved this challenge.

 This was my, " I can't figure out what to do with " block, and it also turned out to be one of the focal points as I pushed through the course.  I tried to add different embellishments and this one does have a line of stitching to add a five point border with beads

This block was so challenging.  It made me smile in the beginning and then it made me work hard to get it filled in.  I am still missing the lettuce for the bunny, and I have intentionally left the corners as is for a reason.

I have another block that I made a long time ago and it has the silks of the babies from it on this one and it will be worked with a lot of stitches.

I also have one that will have the embellished silkie on it, and have one of the little girls in ballet that should fit on a large green on green block that I did not finish.

I loved this journey with Kathy.  I also was able to get a new sewing machine this weekend and will try and get used to the fancy stitches but first we crawl through the threading etc.  I had an expensive electronic and it lasted me almost thirty-five years of sewing clothes, quilts and everyone's mending.  On the day it came to do applique in relief it gave up the ghost, so to speak, and I picked up a small inexpensive machine rather than the caddie that I would love to own, but time will tell.

Embellished silkie

Kathy's roses. Loved working these on the course.

The pearls have to be re-attached and there is a lot of detail left to be done.  This is my favourite block thus far.

Updates on Kathy's class