WIPW - Tandem Blocks Completed

 Hello and welcome to my Work In Progress Wednesday report.

Crazy For Crazy

I have now completed the last two blocks for this quilt, which I worked in tandem.

On the red purple block I attached the Buttonhole Petal ring I had made earlier, inserted a paste jewel in the centre. There are cut beads inside the holes of the tatted arch, too, and a sprinkling of sequins. The gimp that I couched down a couple of weeks ago looked a bit dull. I changed the couching thread to a raspberry one, but the difference is not that spectacular.

I decided that this block had all it needed, so simply declared it done without adding anything more.

Next week I will take out the other 18 blocks and play around with how to arrange them for the quilt. Furthermore I need to find some suitable fabric for the triangles I need to fill in the gaps between the blocks - they are octagonal and don't join beautifully as hexagon blocks do. A big planning mistake on my part!

Log Cabin Quilt

The five units I showed last week were stitched together, then joined to the previous length. I now have 120 blocks and you can see how much of the daybed they cover.

Saturday Sightings of Spring

More on this progress on Saturday, here is just another glimpse of the Kantha quilting.

Tatting

I am following the instructions of Rusti Kate to make a cross, but haven't had time to finish it yet. Too many other things get in the way all the time.

Hardanger

Norway has a wealth of fantastic folk costumes. The district of Hardanger is famous for its beautiful dress. The apron has a wide border of Hardanger embroidery. There are plenty of pictures on Pinterest. 

This Norwegian embroidery style from Hardanger has long been on my bucket list. 

Several of my friends have been an inspiration - Margaret in the UK starts her work spontaneously somewhere in the middle of the fabric and just works from there, totally without planning. The result is always spectacular. 

I also admire another Margaret, in New Zealand. She is a Hardanger wizard and makes lovely Christmas ornaments and angels. 

I have a Norwegian aunt who once gave me a pillow case, then some years ago a friend in the UK gave me 'The Anchor Book of Hardanger Embroidery', and today in the post I found some charts for Hardanger designs sent to me by Pamela, another lover of Hardanger. Look at the beautiful brooch with added beads.

she once made.

So you see, I just have to get started on my own Hardanger project. Before that I want to finish the Saturday Sightings of Spring silk cushion, though. Watch this space.