By now I'm sure you know... Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson are running the biggest star-studded quilt-along ever and it's called The Splendid Sampler.
{ Block No. 1 by Pat Sloan and Block No. 2 by Jane Davidson }
They invited 82 friends to help design -- There are 100 blocks -- Two block patterns are released each week -- They're all free until next year (Feb 2017) when they'll be put together in a book -- And the coolest part? Pat and Jane asked me to join the design team and today's my day to show you my block!
It's hard to see in this pic, but little Mia is snuggled beneath four quilts here. It was just that kind of morning and I'm so happy to have so many quilts in every room throughout the house. All are completely different, but all made with love of course. Because quilts are. "Handmade" takes so much more effort than a quick trip to Target but it provides a timeless ritual of love, mathematical equation, and color masterminding ~ it's a soothing busy-ness and all-around chicken soup for the soul. But you know that ;) I took this pic weeks after I designed my block and turned it in, but I thought it was so cool how Mia resembled the child I'd drawn in Snug As A Bug.
Such a sweet and simple embroidery block, right? Use the back-stitch, stem-stitch, or whatever you like. I made the design very simple on purpose. Besides my love for unfussy embroidery, I think it's a block that anyone can stitch, even those who have never embroidered before. Using six-strand embroidery floss, I used one strand of floss for the finer details and four strands for the rest ~ although I went back in, adding stitches, to vary the width of my lines.
{ Use your hand to cover one bunny at a time to see the difference best. }
In the above sample, I've used my new favorite 12 wt. Aurifil. I embroidered a single stitch line on the left, and on the right side I went back in and thickened the curved lines with extra side-by-side stitches. Both bunnies are cute, but there is a subtle difference and sometimes I prefer the more dynamic look. Another embroidery tip: never work with more than an 18" length of floss (to avoid knots and mayhem) and try out these Tulip Embroidery Sharps: thin assortment and thick assortment. I really like these needles!
I have tried a lot of different brands, but I find myself reaching for these gold-tipped needles first. Whatever you choose, I encourage you to have fun with this pattern and enjoy making it "your own". (I love seeing what people are doing with the "quilt".) Happy stitching!
See you along The Splendid Sampler!
xo amy