Snowflake Sampler :: Patchwork Quilt

What a block to end on! The final chickenscratch block assignment in the Snowflake Sampler block-of-the-month, was a big one at 21" square. SO many star stitches in this one - 456 to be exact - and then a variety of weaving in three different variegated threads. Let's just say it was an enjoyable week of handwork. Sorry it doesn't photograph better!

Here's a close-up of some of the stitching so you get a better idea....

And I couldn't resist putting all the blocks up on the design wall for a glimpse of how they're going to look together in a quilt. Pretty good, I'd say! I'm hoping to get a quilt back pieced before we get our final assignment of putting the blocks together at the end of the month.

3 Star Flowers   +   3 Posies

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Classic Star   +   Simple Woven Flower

Favorite Coffee Mug   +   Small Classic Star

Five Diamonds + Flowers with Borders

Flower Pot + L'Orange + Lacy Star

Snowflake Sampler :: 3 Star Flowers + 3 Posies

Whew. It was really close whether or not I'd finish this month's Snowflake Sampler blocks before month's end, but I made it! There were two 11" x 21" blocks. The Star Flowers were exactly that, composed of plenty of snowflake and star stitches, weaving, and then finished off with backstitched stems. I really enjoyed that there was a good mix of stitches intermingled for this block, as it definitely made me feel like I've learned something about chickenscratch embroidery this last year.

Then I especially enjoyed stitching the Posies block, though I did run out of my primary colored thread, and luckily had a different but contrasting variegated thread that let me finish in a way that looks cohesive.

So, just one more block to stitch in January, and then it'll be time to piece a quilt top!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Classic Star   +   Simple Woven Flower

Favorite Coffee Mug   +   Small Classic Star

Five Diamonds + Flowers with Borders

Flower Pot + L'Orange + Lacy Star

Snowflake Sampler :: L'Orange + Lacy Star

I got a little late start on my two block assignments for the Snowflake Sampler this month. Both were 11" blocks, and the first, L'Orange, stitched up pretty quick. Throughout this block of the month, we've mostly been stitching the base stitches in white perle cotton, and then weaving in variegated Aurifloss, but both of this month's blocks switched things up. For L'Orange, both the star stitches and weaving were done with the Aurifloss, and just the tiny tack stitches were in white perle cotton. Really makes for a rich colorful block, doesn't it?

Then for the Lacy Star block, the "snowflake stitches" were done in colored Aurifloss, with the weaving done in white perle. I find the Aurifloss, where I use all six strands at once, to be slightly thicker then the perle size 8, so that felt a little different, but I do like the result.

In case you missed my previous blocks, here they are!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Classic Star   +   Simple Woven Flower

Favorite Coffee Mug   +   Small Classic Star

Five Diamonds + Flowers with Borders

Flower Pot

Snowflake Sampler :: Flower Pot

Right off, I'll admit that this month's Snowflake Sampler block was supposed to be a coffee pot, but I decided to change it up a bit and instead, made a "Flower Pot." I kept the block size the same - 21" x 21", and used the same stitches, just altering the design into a diamond.

That way, I actually was able to place five flowers in the center, rather than the originally intended three, and I liked that.

I feel just a little naughty for forgoing the proposed design, but I think this will suit my desired finished project better. Plus, it was fun to kind of make things my own.

Snowflake Sampler :: Five Diamonds + Flowers with Borders

September saw two new blocks in the Snowflake Sampler block-of-the-month. First up was Five Diamonds, 11" x 21".

The "oval" weaving was especially enjoyable. And then on to the next block, Flowers with Borders, which was also 11" x 21", and boy did the variegated floss do its thing on this one. 

I think the scale of the stitches was part of it, but this just may be one of my favorite blocks yet. Also, there were four different stitches, which kept things very interesting from the beginning stitch to the last.

In case you missed my previous blocks, here they are!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Classic Star   +   Simple Woven Flower

Favorite Coffee Mug   +   Small Classic Star

Snowflake Sampler :: Favorite Coffee Mug + Small Classic Star

The latest Snowflake Sampler block-of-the-month assignment consisted of two 11" blocks, a coffee mug and a small star. The weaving on the mug felt different than what we'd done before, and I really really enjoyed it.

Actually, both blocks felt like they had a triple layer of stitching. The first had the basic star stitches, the 'X' weaving, and then the flowers. Then the star had star stitches - in both white perle and variegated floss - and then straight stitches before the 'circle' weaving.

So yeah, these were most enjoyable. The base star stitches are a little ho-hum at this point, but the weaving - always worth it.

In case you missed my previous blocks, here they are!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Classic Star   +   Simple Woven Flower

Snowflake Sampler :: Simple Woven Flower

Another block in the Snowflake Sampler block-of-the-month, this month's design was easy to follow once I got comfortable with it. I may not have ever actually said this, but for each block, it's up to the maker to mark the gingham squares with the stitching design, at least the foundational stitches. I've been using a Frixion pen to make a tiny dot in each square that needs a stitch, per Blair's suggestion. The dots are usually covered by my stitching, but I also press the block once I'm done, which has taken the dots completely away. I don't usually use these pens for marking on the right side of a fabric project, but it seems just fine for this particular use.

Again, most of the work on this block consisted of star stitches, so by the time they were complete, the variegated weaving was a treat for sure. Once trimmed, this block will measure 10" x 20".

In case you missed my previous blocks, here they are!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Classic Star

Snowflake Sampler :: The Classic Star

At 21", this month's Snowflake Sampler block was one of the largest, and will be a key focus in my finished chickenscratch embroidery quilt. 

With all the embroidery I've done this last year, I don't think I've ever used up an entire spool of any one color of perle cotton. But in this one block, I used an entire spool of white perle 8 and then some.... stitching over 400 white star stitches.

Even so, this was a really enjoyable block to stitch. I chose to stitch one complete 'point' at a time, to break up the stitch type monotony.

I thought it was about time to share all my blocks together, so you (and I!) could see the size variations. They don't photograph well, but still. I think it all looks very promising!

 

In case you missed my previous blocks, here they are!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake   +   Woven Star   +   Pearvocado

Snowflake Sampler :: Woven Star + Pearvocado

Lucky me, there were TWO new chickenscratch embroidery blocks in the Snowflake Sampler this month! The first, the Woven Star, was plumb full of the white eight-pointed 'stars' used in two of the previous blocks. The weaving felt unique though, and was a pleasure to stitch.

The second block was the Pearvocado, and it's definitely a stand-out among my blocks so far. For one, it was a first for the green floss I chose; then with the weaving, I had to be extra careful with the tension, as afterwards, the woven threads were stitched down with bar stitches. Filling in the shape with three different stitches playing together made things pretty interesting, both to stitch and in the end result.

In case you missed my previous blocks, here they are!

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Large Snowflake

Snowflake Sampler :: Large Snowflake

Well, I just finished my latest Snowflake Sampler block, and it's the biggest one so far at 21" square! I used the same variegated blue floss as in the Tiny Snowflakes block due to the snowflake 'theme.' A couple of new stitch designs were included in this block so that added to the enjoyment.

Sadly, I tried several times to get a good photo of my block, and wasn't too successful. But here are a couple of close-ups!

In case you missed my previous blocks, I'll keep a running list as I stitch along:

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes   +   Lacy Flowers

Snowflake Sampler :: Lacy Flowers

Just finished stitching this month's Snowflake Sampler block! I learned a new stitch - the white ones used throughout the block - many of which supported the weaving that became the 'flowers.' 

I chose my own thread palette for my Snowflake Sampler, and this block shows off my MOST variegated thread. Fortunately I had a nice dark purple in my thread stash from one of those Aurifil mini thread samplers, and I used that for the accent stitches. They're the same double cross-stitch as used in the Tiny Snowflakes block, and like the white stitches, were the foundation for those flowers. For me, the smaller stitches were enjoyable enough, but that weaving and seeing the variegated floss do its magic was the most fun of all.

So here are my three blocks so far. It's hard to see the detail, but I feel good about them and am looking forward to what's next.

In case you missed my previous blocks, I'll keep a running list as I stitch along:

X and O Star   +   Tiny Snowflakes

Snowflake Sampler :: Tiny Snowflakes

Once I had the X and O Star block done for the Snowflake Sampler, I immediately started in on the second block! I was excited to try my hand at the Basic Star Stitch sure, but I was even more anxious to do the subsequent weaving. So far, on both blocks, that has been the most fun for me, I'm sure because it feels new and definitely is a way of stitching I haven't tried before. And obviously it adds so much  to the white 'base' stitching.

This block is also 11" square, though it'll get trimmed up before final quilt assembly. The spool of Aurifloss I used for this block was variegated blue, with a good bit of white in it, so some of the snowflakes look 'frostier' than others. But all's good, and I look forward to the next block being released in a few weeks.

Snowflake Sampler :: X and O Star

After waiting weeks and weeks for the Snowflake Sampler to begin, it's finally started and I have one block finished!! It's my first time using Aurifil Cotton Floss, and it's felt great so far. I'm using a variety of variegated floss paired with #8 white perle cotton, and I've found my size 5 Bohin Embroidery Needles are perfect for this task.

So this is chicken scratch embroidery. The base of X-stitches felt oh-so-familiar; and the weaving with the floss, new and exciting (you know, for handwork). I did make a tiny little goof, as I got so in the groove with the weaving that I didn't leave the center four squares open for the orange weaving per the pattern instruction. Oh well, I added my own little detail and I'm happy enough with the result. The X and O Star block measures 11" square, and I've got one more block assignment yet this month, so I expect I'll be back before long to share it too. I was just too excited to wait!

Still Stitching

So it's a few more weeks before the Snowflake Sampler with Blair Stocker begins, but I'm ready!

The main supplies we need are several yards of 1/4" gingham, some white perle cotton, and a selection of Aurifil Cotton Floss (AKA Aurifloss). Blair suggested using variegated floss, so I went ahead and selected a mixed palette - basically green, blue, and gold. I haven't really used these threads before, so I'm looking forward to that, along with learning chicken-scratch embroidery, of course.

With a new major hand-stitching project looming ahead, you can bet I'm working like crazy on my current Dropcloth sampler, ABC Max.

I'm making good progress, and am enjoying incorporating some new threads, but it's still going to take a while. I'm not sure if I can get it done by month's end - in fact, I'm thinking probably not - but I'm giving it a serious effort. It's been motivating to include a few new threads, both variegated and plain, and I'm still totally stitching on whim when it comes to thread color and location on the sampler. Whatever, it continues to be a relaxing diversion at day's end.

Snowflake Sampler

One of the most satisfying things about this long stay-home time has been that I've picked up hand-stitching again. With all the Dropcloth Samplers, and Stitch Club, I've been wondering what could/should be next. And then Blair/wisecraft announced this....

At first I didn't know what I was seeing. But after reading Blair's post I was seriously mulling over if this just might be it. I didn't even know that this kind of stitching was called Chicken Scratch Embroidery (AKA Snowflake Embroidery) but it looked vaguely familiar. And it led me to the hooks in the laundry room where I keep my aprons, and lo and behold, look what I found!

That pretty much settled it. This vintage apron was stitched by my husband's paternal grandmother, Caroline, for his mother, Dorothy. I'm pretty sure it was handed down to us after Dorothy passed away. At any rate, I knew at once that I wanted to experience that kind of stittching for myself. So yes, I signed up! And if you are even vaguely interested, go take a look, because you can sign-up at a nice discount until December 17.

So stay tuned! It'll be late January before I actually get to stitching, but I'm looking forward to it!