Hopeful Flowers Week 3

After a two-week break, we are ready to jump back in to our Hopeful Flowers Stitch Along. It has been great to see all the progress that has been posted in our Facebook group—especially when we see how you have been putting your own touches on these little patterns. This week we are going to be focusing on the turquoise flower.

This block has some interesting stitches that create a lot of texture—the Palestrina, wheat ear, Cretan, and seed stitch. While they look complicated, we think you will love these stitches once you get the hang of them.

Block 3: Turquoise Flower

As in the previous blocks, we marked our stems using a light box or window and then hooped our block when doing the stitches for the stems.

Stitches used:

Palestrina, wheat ear, Cretan, stem, and seed stitch

The wheat ear stitch is a great stitch to use for a stem because it gives the illusion of thorns. It is basically a chain stitch with straight stitches on either side.

Bring your needle up a little bit
below the top of the line.

Make a small diagonal stitch
to the right of the line.

Make a small diagonal stitch
to the left of the line.

And then make a straight stitch
from the top of line to meet the others.

Bring your needle up on the line
a bit below the previous stitches.

Now take the back of your needle
through the previous stitches.

Bring the needle down to make a 
chain stitch.

The first wheat ear stitch.

Now make a diagonal stitch to the 
right of that first chain stitch.

And then make another one
to the left.

Come up on the line a bit below
the previous stitches. 

Bring the back of your needle through
the previous stitches.

Then down on the line to complete the chain.
Continue on in the same way to
the end of the line.

The next stitch is the Palestrina stitch, which is done around the center cutout of each flower. It creates a knotted effect that can add dimension, but also secure the appliqué to the background.

Come up in the circle at the edge of the wool and 
bring your needle down in the wool at a diagonal 
and then back out inside the circle.

This creates your first diagonal stitch.

With the thread to the right, take the back of your needle
down through that diagonal stitch.

This creates two arms.

Now take the back of your needle down through the top arm
and over your working thread.

This creates your first knot.

Come across a bit and make your next diagonal stitch.

Bring the back of your needle down through that stitch.

The two arms.

Bring the back of your needle down through the top arm
and over your working thread.

Continue working your way around the circle.

The last stitch we are going to do is a Cretan stitch variation. This stitch is often used in crazy quilting and is usually done in a straight line. We will be doing it from top to bottom and angling our stitches to create the veins for our leaves.

Draw two lines on your leaf as shown.

Bring your needle up at the top of the leaf,
and down just below the top on the right side,
and out just below that on the drawn line.

Now do the same thing on the left side.

Continue down the leaf following the lines.

A nearly completed leaf.

A close-up of the wheat ear and Cretan stitch.

The last stitch, but certainly not the least, is the seed stitch, which is a simple stitch (small straight stitches placed randomly) that can pack a lot of punch. It can add contrast or subtle texture depending on the type of thread you use or the color. In the case of this particular flower, we wanted to add a little pop of color along with some texture. 

To get your free download, follow these instructions:

1. Click on the link below that says Hopeful Flowers Block 3.

2. You will be directed to our What's Happening Page. It may ask you if you would like to go to that page, and if so, click the link provided.

3. Scroll down until you see the Hopeful Flowers wallhanging.

4. Follow the directions there for downloading your free pattern.

And that completes Block 3 of our Hopeful Flowers Stitch Along! We hope you will like trying these unique stitches on this week's block, and as always, we have linked a few videos as an added help. 

Links:

Hopeful Flowers Block 3

Hopeful Flowers Block 2

Hopeful Flowers Block 1 

Hopeful Flowers Supply List

Hopeful Stitchers Facebook Group

Mary Corbet Needle N Thread video—Palestrina Stitch

Mary Corbet Needle N Thread video—Wheat Ear Stitch

Updated: Hopeful Bluebird Stitch Along—Week 3

Updated: We have enjoyed our Hopeful Bluebird Stitch Along! While the pattern for this lovely wall hanging is no longer available for free, it is available in our web store. It's never too late to join our Facebook group where we have been inspired by all the beautiful work that has been shared.

No deadlines...just jump right in! 

And just like that, we are on our last week of this Stitch Along. We hope everyone is having fun and enjoying making this block. This week, we will work on the bluebird and finish up the embroidery. Also included will be the directions to piece the border and turn it into a wallhanging. 

Here we go!

The bluebird has four pieces that are positioned with the right wing first, the breast next, then the body, and finally the left wing.

Ready to be stitched down.

Once you have stitched your bluebird down, it's time to bring him to life with a little embroidery.

If desired, mark the eye and beak.

With 4 strands of black floss, make a French knot for the eye.
With 3 strands of dark grey floss, make 3 straight stitches for the beak.

Straight, stem, and fly stitches embellish our little bluebird.
Use one strand of dark grey or black floss to stem stitch the banner hanger.

The poppy center is created with a woven wheel stitch using #8 green pearl cotton. I used the same color for this as I did for the fly stitches on the leaves. To make the center, start with 5 straight stitches arranged like a star as shown in the picture below.

Five straight stitches arranged in a star shape

Bring the needle up close to the center of the star, and between two stitches. Begin weaving the thread over and under the spokes, snugging them up closely. This works best if you use a tapestry needle because it doesn't have a sharp tip. If you don't have one, using the eye end of your needle will work as well. Continue going around until you can no longer see the spokes, and then take your needle to the back and tie off. (To see a video of this stitch, go to Mary Corbet's video HERE.) 

The finished woven wheel center.

With 2 strands of black or dark grey floss, surround the woven wheel with straight stitches to complete your poppy.

The poppy is all done!

To stitch the word "welcome", I used the Press and Seal™ plastic wrap method. The Press and Seal™ has one side that is sticky and adheres slightly to the wool. If you don't have access to this product, tissue paper works as well. Start off by tearing a piece of the plastic wrap and position it over the word "welcome". Then take a sharpie or gel pen and trace over the words. I used a white gel pen, as that is my go-to product for marking most everything.

Plastic wrap positioned over the pattern

Once your words are traced, center the plastic wrap on your banner and pin. 

Ready to stitch!

To stitch the words, I used a dark grey #8 pearl cotton, but 3 strands of dark grey floss would work as well. I used a chain stitch for the thicker parts of the letters and a stem stitch for the thinner parts. Stitching through the plastic takes a little bit of getting used to, but this method allows you to use many different fonts for your stitched letters. 

Once you are finished stitching, carefully remove the plastic wrap by holding your finger down on the embroidery and then tearing it off. Use a pair of pointed tweezers to get the small bits out.

These Martelli tweezers are great for removing the tiny pieces.

The finished lettering!

The link for the border directions is below, and hopefully you will find them easy to follow. This was the first time that I had big-stitch quilted anything and I loved it! I used Valdani #12 in a shade that blended with my background. First I quilted around the block, and then quilted in the border about an eighth of an inch away from the seam—this accented the secondary star that formed by using the background fabric in the border.

Big stitch quilting around the border

Squares all ready to go for the border

All quilted and bound!

I chose to turn this block into a wallhanging, but you may have other ideas for yours, and we would love to hear what those plans are! 

We hope you have had fun on our first ever stitch along, and we hope to do more of these in the future. The pattern and the instructions will be free on the blog for the next month, and we will keep the Facebook group open so you can share your progress and finished blocks with everyone. Sharing your work is encouraging for your fellow stitchers, and it is great to see the different color palettes everyone chooses. 

It is hard to keep our distance from the people we love, but hopefully it won't be long until we can welcome our friends and family back into our homes—this wallhanging will be hanging on our door waiting for that day!

Hopeful Bluebird Week 3
Hopeful Bluebird Border Directions

BOM Block Two: Meadow Cranesbill

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.

We are excited to continue our free block of the month Sew-Along. If you are new to the blog, this free BOM will consist of 12 relatively simple blocks based on the German flora and fauna that I (Kara) see on my daily walks with our dogs. Last month's block was based on this butterfly that was gracious enough to allow me to take his picture.

I decided to do two different blocks to show a little variety in the materials that could be used; one with just fabric, and one with a combination of wool and fabric. You can read more about them here.

I do a lot of creative thinking on my walks about which block to create next, and lately, the weather has been perfect for a little pondering. The dogs even seem to enjoy it and have stopped pretending we are racing in the Idatarod. The leaves are starting to turn, the apple trees are loaded, and the asters are outdoing themselves in a vivid display of color.

The Autumn colors should be spectacular around here.

Flowers that are blue to bluish purple will always catch my eye, so this month we are highlighting the Meadow Cranesbill or Storchshnäbel in German. This lovely blueish, purple flower is a member of the geranium family and can still be seen in a few places around here, even though the cooler temperatures have arrived.

I'm guessing the name may have come from
the seed pods.

Notice the delicate lines on the petals.

At the beginning of this series,  I hadn't planned on making two blocks each month, but I like the idea of having one block in wool and one in cotton.  I wasn't as diligent this time about taking pictures throughout the making of these blocks, but they are pretty straightforward and simple. 

Cotton Block

All the threads and fabric used in this block.

When I was in France a couple of weeks ago, I searched for just the right color fabric for the flowers and found this rainbow gradated piece that was perfect for the cotton appliqué block; the faint lines in the fabric mimicked the lines in the petals. I appliquéd the petals on the larger flower individually but used one piece for the smaller flower.

Five individual petals

I used one piece of fabric for the smaller flower.

Stitches and Threads used (cotton block):

Green #5 pearl cotton by Painters Threads for the stem-stitched stems, straight-stitched calyx, and bud end. 

The Gentle Art Simply Wool in Parchment for French knots in flower center.

The Gentle Art Sampler Threads (3 strands) in Licorice for bullion knot anthers.

Edmar rayon thread in Lola (171) for straight-stitch pistils.

The pistils and anthers are place randomly around the center. 

The finished cotton appliqué block

Wool Block

For the wool block, I prepped the pieces using Soft-Fuse fusible, with the exception of the bud, which I stapled. As I was looking for threads to stitch down the flowers, I came across some #12 pearl from House of Embroidery, out of South Africa. If you would like to read more about these threads, Mary Corbet, over at Needle 'n Thread just blogged about these threads here. I have a large variety box and the purply-blue was perfect with this piece of wool. You can purchase the threads from Akonye Kena.

I love the variegation in this pearl thread. 

While the color wool I used for the wool version flower was great, it didn't have the lines in it like the fabric did. To create those lines, I used another of the House of Embroidery pearl cotton to make stem-stitched lines on the petals of the big flower.

I eyeballed the three lines for each petal. 

Stitches and Threads used (wool block):

Green #5 pearl cotton by Painters Threads for the stem-stitched stems,  straight-stitched calyx, and bud end. 

The Gentle Art Simply Wool in Parchment for French knots in flower center.

The Gentle Art Sampler Threads (3 strands) in Licorice for bullion knot anthers.

Edmar rayon thread in Lola (171) for straight stitch pistils.

House of Embroidery pearl (34A) for stem-stitched line on flower

House of Embroidery pearl (15A) for blanket-stitching around the flowers

Again, the pistils and anthers are place randomly around the center.
I was a little overzealous with the French knots in the center, but there were
no embroidery police around  to make me pull some of them out!

And the finished wool block

All the threads and wool used for this block

Have you started the first block yet? If so, we'd love to see your progress; and remember, for every block picture you share, you will receive an entry for our grand finale giveaway! Please join us for the fun and let us know if you have any questions.