Erica's Stitches

My "band" sampler is getting closer to done.  It's been a long and winding road. The bands are supposed to be 2 by 6 inches.  MIne are 2 inch squares.  Part of the decision was to use up scrap linen.  Another part was to make the stitching go faster.  Finally, it was a challenge to shrink the designs. Initially, I was going to sew the 6 squares together to make cubes.  I thought a pair of stitched dice would be a good idea.  I changed my mind.  The ground fabrics turned out to be of different counts and it seemed like too much work. Instead, I pondered the idea of sewing the squares into a quilt.  I almost scrapped that because it also seemed like too much work but I didn't have any other ideas. I was planning on more than 12 squares, but when I started arranging the squares some didn't fit in with the others (they'll go into something else).  I replaced them with other squares that fit in better. Next challenge was to pi...

I'm continuing work on a mystery band sampler .  To make things more interesting, I'm stitching 2 x 2 squares instead of 2 x 6 bands.  Most have been geometrical and easy to scale down. This one was a challenge as it included motifs for all four seasons and used up every bit of the 6 inches.  I had to be selective about which parts of the designs I used.  I think I captured enough of each season to make my square work.  The season band was designed by my friend Pat who is starting the year with a creative endeavour with her daughter.  They are posting patterns all year long using various needlework techniques.  The first one is an embroidered Valentine's Day princess and is available here . I can't wait to see what else they come up with as the year progresses.

I'm working on a mystery band sampler for the 35th Anniversary of my EGA Chapter. It started last January and I'm only slightly behind instead of really behind.   That's because I'm stitching 2 inch squares instead of rows.   When the band of the month is a repeating pattern, I can simply stitch one of the repeats, but for bigger designs like Pikes Peak or the EGA Logo I need to crop the pattern to make it fit in the square. I've been using scraps of leftover linen and basting the 2 inch squares.  Recently I basted 6 more squares so when I have a spare moment I can fill in the squares. I'm probably going to end up with more than 12 squares.  Some bands will become multiple squares.  I've also come across some patterns I'd like to include just for fun. Originally I was going to sew the squares together into cubes but now I think I'll add small fabric borders to each square and make a wall hanging. I'm hoping that this idea works o...