Block of the Month 15—Acorns

Thank you for your interest in our Flora and Fauna blocks! They are no longer free but will be part of a future quilt pattern.

This post was almost called "Throwback Thursday" as the acorn is such an autumnal symbol, but technically it is still fall. The weather here in Germany has certainly become winter-like, but there are still a few days until the official start of winter, therefore the acorn is still in season. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

This acorn picture was taken early in the season, as you can tell from the green leaves. I (Kara) loved the yellow-orange color of acorn that was just beginning to change colors. I pass a couple of beautiful oak trees on our walks, and I was able to snap pictures of them at different times during the season. I also was brought to my knees (literally) by the acorns, as there were so many; it was a little dangerous walking on them, thus the mighty acorn had to be included in our block of the month.

Early Fall

Now

Mid Fall

 Cotton Block

Once the block was traced onto the back using transfer paper, I was able to get started on the appliqué.

Transfer paper (shiny side up), background, and pattern.
The order from the bottom up.

Traced image on the back of the background.

I began by appliquéing the leaf, then the branch, and then the acorn bottoms. Once those were finished, I could start on the acorn caps. These are a bit small to appliqué, but by turning under just a little bit at a time, they were manageable. When appliquéing small pieces, I like to switch to a smaller needle—usually a size 10 or 11 between.

Just one acorn cap left to do

My basting stitches are smaller because of the little piece.

Starting on the straightest side.

The curve of my nail helps guide me
as I turn under the curve.

Once all the appliqué was finished, I decided to test out my brand new Inktense Pencils by Derwent. I had heard about these pencils that allow you to get a watercolor-type finish and could be used on fabric. After watching a few videos on the internet about them (this one was very helpful), I thought I would give them a go. There will be a post in the future that goes more in-depth about these tools, but this acorn was the first time I tried them. Once I had practiced a bit, I used a light tan to do some shading on the bottoms of the acorns. It's very subtle, but I really liked the effect. The only embroidery on this block is some stem stitched veins on the leaf, some woven straight stitches for the acorn cap and a few chain stitches for the stems.

Stem stitched veins with pearl cotton

A little shading at the bottom and a woven acorn cap.

The finished block

Stitches and Threads Used (Cotton Block)

Leaf—Valdani #12 pearl, O539, stem stitch

Acorn caps—Green linen embroidery thread, woven straight stitches

Little stems—Valdani #12 pearl, P12, chain stitch

Wool Block

One of the things I love about wool is how quickly a project can go together—especially after needle turning the cotton block. Also, the look of wool is so completely different from that of cotton but Teri and I love both! I was able to find all the colors I needed in my scrap drawer. Do you save your wool scraps? They sure come in handy. I whip stitched all the pieces down except the branch and for that I used an angled blanket stitch, creating a V shape down the center of the branch.

Pieces stapled and ready to stitch.
I am starting an angled blanket stitch on the branch.

The finished branch.

Once the pieces were all stitched down, I used the same stitches for the leaf and the acorn cap as I did for the cotton block. The leaf was done in a #12 pearl cotton, as was the acorn cap, but by two different manufacturers—the leaf by Valdani and the cap by House of Embroidery. They may be the same size, but they definitely have a different look from each other. All the more reason to collect ALL the threads!

Valdani thread and stem stitch.

Beginning to weave the stitches.

A finished acorn cap

The finished block

Stitches and Threads Used (Cotton Block)

Leaf—Valdani #12 pearl, H201, stem stitch

Acorn caps—House of Embroidery, pearl #12, woven straight stitches

Branch—Valdani #12 pearl, P12

Little stems—Valdani #12 pearl, H202, chain stitch

There we have it! A last, little remembrance of fall before winter settles in. Hopefully you will enjoy stitching these acorns, in addition to the other blocks in this series. All the links for the past blocks are below. Next month will be the last block before we put it all together. If you have made any of the blocks, we would love to see them. You can share them on our Facebook page!

A Few Teasers—Birds and Bees, Flowers and...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you figured that instead of stitching, you would rather sit at the computer and fight the cyber world gremlins? Me neither, but that's what I (Teri) did for most of the week. Still, I'm happy to say that our website, which was abysmally out-of-date, is now pretty current. Web design is really NOT my thing, but I try to approach it with the mindset of "I'm designing a quilt." Sometimes that works, but not always... I applaud those who choose to do this for a job—it is an integral part of our world today—but I would much prefer to work with people. Or needles and thread.

We would love for you to take a minute or two to check out our humble little site  (www.needleseyestories.com) and see what is going on in our needle-world. Our list of class offerings in now updated, with lots of additional options for workshops. But enough about websites. On to some more fun news!

Over in our Facebook world, we celebrated reaching 2000 likes on our page with a little giveaway of some of our favorite things. It was such fun to read about everyone's favorite stitching spots. It appears that many of us stitch better with a little birdsong as background music. It sure works for me! Our Facebook page is a good way to follow our antics, and sometimes get a tip or two. To see what is going on there, you can click here.

My passport's packed and I'm ready to go...well, I guess I should wait until I have my bags packed. Where, you ask? I'm off to meet my partner in crime stitching! First, we will meet in Birmingham, England, to attend the Festival of Quilts Exhibition 2018. We may do a bit of English countryside exploring when we are not eyeing the quilts or visiting the vendors. Then we will have about a week, during which my tour guide, Kara, will take these tired bones everywhere we can pack into one week. Of course, we will be "working" the entire time—everything we see will be a source of inspiration, or at least an opportunity to talk about inspiration for new projects!

Fall is looking busy, with several local workshops and a trip to Long Island, NY. There is little better than meeting new people and sharing our stitching passion. To find out more detail about these classes, you can check our website!

 

The third block in the series I am teaching for the Baltimore Appliqué Society, based on Mildred Tahara's quilt, In Praise of Jane Austen, is Lyre Wreath in Bloom. Mildred's block is on the left, and my rendering is on the right. There will lots of options for embellishment in stitching this lovely block. (Pattern by Elly Sienkiewicz from Baltimore Elegance.)

I will be teaching this Flower Basket workshop again this fall, this time at Patches Quilting and Sewing, in Mt. Airy, Maryland. (Pattern by Elly Sienkiewicz from Spoken Without a Word.)

I am thrilled to be able to teach this block again. This elegant block is based on one from a quilt in the Lovely Lane Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. (Pattern by Elly Sienkiewicz from Spoken Without a Word.) The workshop will be held on Long Island, New York, with the Evening Star Quilters. I've met several of the guild members in classes at the Academy of Appliqué, and I'm looking forward to what I know will be a fun weekend.

The original block—you can read more about this quilt in our blogpost, Lovely Lane. 

Now, that brings us to our really exciting news—something we have been working on tirelessly for months. A new quilt! But what is most thrilling about this quilt is that we will be teaching it next March at the Academy of Appliqué in Williamsburg, Virginia. It is always such an honor to be invited to teach in this special venue, surrounded by people who love what we love—appliqué and all things needle. The class catalog comes out on August 3: that is next Friday! Be sure to check it out. Registration opens on Labor Day, and classes can sell out pretty quickly, so you'll want to be ready.

We cannot divulge the whole scope of the wonders we will have in store for our students this coming year, but here are a couple of teasers to get you pondering. It would be our honor to meet you in class and stitch with you! 

      

If you know anything about the work we design, you can probably imagine what some of the other elements of our blocks will be. 😊

Be sure to check out the class catalog for the Academy of Appliqué next Friday,  August 3, to see the entire projects. We are planning a lot of fun!

Well, that's about all for now. The Flora and Fauna block for July may show up the first of August, but it is coming soon—promise. I am ready to close my computer and pick up a needle. Won't you join me?

The Great Garden Giveaway!

Kara and I have been having such a wonderful time on our journey together with you, telling stories through our needles' eyes. We are amazed by the number of subscribers to our blog, as well as those who follow us on social media. What a community we quilters are! There is no better way to learn than to share, and we have heard many inspiring ideas from you over these past few years. Almost three, already! Wow.

We thought it might be fun to do a bit of celebrating over on our Facebook page. Just click the link and hop on over to our page to leave a comment for a chance to win the first four patterns of our In the Garden BOM series. Yes—all four patterns, with ribbon needed to make the flowers—will be given to one random winner!

The four patterns thus far are Cornflowers, Oak Leaves and Acorns, Violets, and Cardinals and Holly. All are pictured with a detail below.

Cornflowers detail 

Cornflowers

Acorn detail

Oak Leaves and Acorns 

Violets detail

Violets

Cardinals and Holly detail

Cardinals and Holly

Our In the Garden patterns are wool appliqué patterns, embellished with embroidery, ribbon, and beads. What could be more fun? We are just a week or so away from our fifth block, which will be a perfect garden block for Valentine's Day! I'm sure you can guess...

So help us celebrate by joining the party over on Facebook. Like our page (if you haven't yet), and leave a comment telling us what garden flower or critter you might like to see stitched, and you'll be entered for our giveaway package. Tag a friend or share our page, and you'll get an extra entry! Easy peasy!!

We will announce the winner next week on Facebook...and right here. See you over on our page! (Click here to get to our Facebook page, Through the Needle's Eye.) We are having a garden party!