Stitch Me Up - My Turn!

It is my turn for the Stitch Me Up Blog Hop!

May I extend a big Thank You to Madame Samm and Jane as well as our sponsor, Colonial Needle.

Here is what you came for ~

I was excited for this Embroidery Blog Hop, for I had a project on my "I think I should make this..." list for several months that would fit perfectly into this hop. I used to embroider a lot before I had kids and when my boys were really young. I loved crazy quilting and really enjoyed embroidering a variety of stitches and even would accent the embroidery with beads.
Here are a couple of bears that I have crazy quilted.

More about this project - I would make these hearts and sell them at crafter's markets and bazaars.

When unpacking from my move last spring, I happened to come across a bucket full of 44 finished crazy quilted hearts, fully embroidered and ready to be made into these hanging hearts that I evidently had made many many moons ago. I realized that I most likely would have NO outlet to ditch these hearts onto people who would never pay me enough money to cover for the time I put in to them, so I thought perhaps they would look good in a quilt. I mapped out the plan for the quilt and decided then that crazy quilted borders would look good on this to tie it all together.

I put the picture on my design wall, bought some simple muslin to put the hearts on, cut them into squares, sewed a few onto the squares and then the project sat in another bucket waiting for time/desire to continue. When this blog hop came along, I had a reason to start and finish this project!

And now the project ~

First of all, here are the "required" elements: I incorporated a few of the embroidery designs that were given to us in the crazy quilted borders.

Now for the other stuff ~

One of the hearts

Quilted with a light lavender thread outlining the hearts and then in meandering circles and hearts.

Borders before embroidery and quilting

My personal favorite of all of the embroidered designs features tatted flowers that I had made and saved for who knows what.

Here is the complete project (as of today).
I still need to finish the bottom border and then get the binding on, but here it is so far.

I placed several tatted pieces in the crazy borders. Believe it or not, these pieces of tatting are part of my test samples. My rejects, if you will, like the patterns that I was trying to figure out, but they didn't quite become really what I was looking for as I made them up. Yes, I am a tatter. Regular shuttle tatting, none of that fat needle stuff that then doesn't look like tatting because it isn't dainty enough. Learned from a friend of mine in college as payment for me sewing some bridesmaid's items for her. Best payment I have EVER received. As for the projects I have made with my tatting, that will have to wait for another blog post.

This quilt will eventually go on my 11 year old step-daughter's bed once I get it completed. (It is my Spring Break now, so hopefully I will have some more time this week to get it closer to completion).

And now for my Giveaway!

For one lucky winner, you will receive one of my hanging hearts in either blue, green or pink tones as well as a small bag of some of my "tatting scraps" for you to do with whatever you like. Please leave a comment below telling me what YOU would like to do on your Spring Break (whether or not you get one) and tell me what color of heart you would prefer.

HAPPY BLOGGING, EVERYONE!

Lavonna ZWB

Here's the other bloggers to enjoy!

Isabel @That Other Blog

Jeanette @That Other Blog ( no show) 

Just Let Me Quilt

MacDonald’s Patch 

Pots Pans Pins and Prayers

GrandMama's Stories

Stitch, Stitch, Stitch

Needled d

Tomorrow's Treasures Today ( no show) 

Lemur on a Stick 

 Life In Every Breath

Zellerwear 

 Bumbleberry Stitches

threads on my socks

Hanging On By A Thread

Fresh Cut Quilts