Once Upon a Story Row Along - Show and Tell Day

Today is the last day of the Once Upon a Story - Seams to Be Sew Row Along. Today a few designers do a Show and Tell of what they made with their rows. I have a guest designer on my blog who is showing off what she made with her adorable row! Take it away Lydia!

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First of all a very big thank you to Becky Smith for hosting me on Show and Tell day.

I had such a fun time deciding on what each mouse participation would be. Once I designed the ribbon mouse on the left of the clock...the rest came easily to me. For the clock, I needed a grandfather clock to stand tall with the mice. 

When I was looking for fabric to use, I wanted my block to have that look of grandmother’s house. Northcott fabrics kindly gave us a yard of fabric to use. Don’t you like the feel the background fabric gives to the overall effect of the block? The ground fabric was a piece I had in my stash. You must have a few of those pieces that you save for years until the right project comes along. This piece has a nice texture to it. When I quilted over the lines, the texture really pops.

I have been using felted wool applique for many years. If you have not tried it, this block lends to trying it. The mice’s little pieces were a breeze to cut out and then stitched with two strands of pink floss. I have found using heat-n-bond light makes placing and holding the pieces to the background easy. I have found that the tiny pieces need to be stitched first otherwise they begin to fall off as you handle the piece. Little applique pins help if the pieces begin to loosen. Don’t get discouraged if you lose a few of the littlest pieces, just make another one!

When stitching the face of the clock, I used the press-n-seal product that you can find at the grocery store. There are several great youtube videos explaining this method. My advice to you is being sure your marker  lines are dry before stitching. Remember to be careful when removing the plastic after stitching. I use the sharp point of my stitching needle to help remove the tiniest pieces that get hung up under the stitches.

The ladder was stitched with the blanket stitch going across the entire rung. I like the stitch to be stitched from the top side of the rung. This gives a defining line across each rung. As for the sides of the ladder, I went up one side and down another using the same stitch points in the middle of each side. Here is a close up of my stitching.

The leaves came to life when I added the stem stitching to denote the veins. Variegated threads adds so much interest to these leaves. Investing in a few variegated threads for your projects will give you that little extra others will wonder how you accomplished the stitching.

Thank you so very much in participating in the wonderful Sew Along.  I look forward for our paths to cross in the near future!

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Thanks Lydia!

Don't forget to check out all the other Show and Tell Bloggers

Just Let Me Quilt
Words & Stitches
Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Ursula Prandtstetter at Tuning My Heart Quilts
Elizabeth Coughlin Designs
Linda B Creative
Seams To Be Sew - Layout Tutorial

There is also some fabulous giveaways associated with this Show and Tell day!

C&T Publishing
1 $100.00 Gift Certificate
Coupon Code Delivered In Email

Anita Goodesign
Christmas Blocks and Borders CD/DVD
You Must Own An Embroidery Machine To Use This Prize
Value = $179.95
Shipping International / Winner Pays Shipping

Northcott Fabrics
2 Northcott FQ Fabric Bundles $20.00 Each

1 Winner Per Bundle
Shipping International / Winner Pays Shipping

You can enter these giveaways here.

For more information, rules and details, please visit www.seamstobesew.com 

Thanks so much for visiting and have fun quilting!!