Apple Blossoms RR - Gails block

For Catherine (the lurker) an explanation about RR blocks . RR stands for Round Robin. That may explain it for you, but in case not, a RR is where a group of people, usually 5 or 6, get together, we all make a block which is then posted around each member of the group in a set rotation, and we each contribute to the embellishment of that block. In our RRs we each have a month to work on, and then mail on the block. They are a lot of fun, and with CQ and embroidery, I get to see alot of techniques and ideas up close and personal. The work is ALWAYS so much better in person!

Now to the business of the day. Gails block. I added the hand dyed lace across the top right corner and the pearls and bugle beads below along the seam below it. I also did the SRE ( Silk Ribbon Embroidery ) roses. This was a large patch, and I had to think hard to fill it. A simple seam treatment would of left the block looking rather empty. Under the SRE I did a seam using the up and down buttonhole. Love this stitch. It gives a nice little scalloped effect along the seam.
Here is the whole block with my work , and Bonnie's.
Here is a close up of the SRE patch (click and will get even bigger). The SRE is interspersed with pearls and beads, and the leaves are a 'woven picot' stitch. I have bought the feather stitch vine down into the lower patch, a) to fill it, and b) to break the long seam treatment. This is one of SharonB's tricks to keep the eye moving around the block. This also needs to happen with the handdyed lace. Because it is wide and long, the eye will be drawn to it, so it need to be 'broken' in some way, to allow the eye to rest and see what else is happening around it.
Once the SRE and the vines were done, the patch still looked a little empty to me, so in went the little spider and web. I used Lesa's holographic thread again. It is great for webs, and sews really nicely, good and strong.

I have read a few comments lately that had made me think I should mention Bloglines. This is a great tool for checking your favourite blogs, without labouriously clicking thru all you bookmarks. Once you sign up - which is free- you check in whenever, and it tells you the blogs that have been updated since your last visit. You also get a handy little button in your toolbar that you can click on to blogroll new blogs you as you come across them. I'm sure there are other blogroll thingies out there, but Bloglines works great for me, and it will save you a heap of time and frustration (in checking blogs that aren't updated) but, be warned, it won't save you time when you get up to about 200 blogs that you just HAVE to check. LOL.