And, now....a third...

... almost completed.  Having the "master sheet" already made up and just being able to cut each piece out and embroider and trim makes it go a lot faster than beginning a new one each time.  Not that it's a race.

There is now just the last row of buttonhole lace stitching around the outside to do.

Wow... that is one of the things that takes me quite a long time and is very tricky.  The thickness of the edges makes it hard to get a needle through it ....and I end up using my haemostats to pull the needle through on many stitches.... it took me an hour's stitching last night just to do about 3/4 of the edge... not that I'm complaining...just sayin' ... and, so ... that means about another hour and a half to finish.  The second row will be simpler, of course, and not difficult to pull through.  It is more just stringing the thread through each stitch now... to finish off the outside neatly and prettily... it makes all the difference in the world to the overall appearance.

See the little soft cotton piece of my vintage hanky with the tatted edge?  Right there along the lower corner?  I still have more left...and I love how it works so well with the embroidery on the pillows... I will continue to use it all ... I may even have enough to do all 6 pillows that will come from the master sheet.

My idea to use a couple small bits of my lacy fabric that I won in Karen's giveway didn't go as easily as I was thinking it would.  I cut some some, placed them and promptly went blank... they didn't look like much and I had no clue what to do ... but, as the days passed...I had a few thoughts...and did a few stitches in other areas while I tried to puzzle it out.

Here's how it looked the first day....

Then, I wondered about just using one and some other stitching.... but, no.....

So, I continued to puzzle and stitch.... and here's how they look now...

They've come a long way baby!  French knots to hold them in place as well as bulk out the edges; bullion knots to surround them and make them stand out; more French knots as tiny daisy flowers ...

Another little bit of folded lace ( my new stuff I got in the village of Armstrong, B.C. for $1.50 for 5  metres) ... . ... and hey... a second little not so dangly thing-me-bob. I attached it a bit too close to a corner....live and learn.  It then sort of flipped up and looked more like a tab or handle.. so I had to stitch it down after the fact... not an easy feat..  nor is doing a few French knots when you can't get to the back of the fabric...but, I did it...hiding the beginning and end of the threads beneath the lace... tricky that.

The next one?  I make darn sure I remember a few lessons I already learned on my first three pillows.... the fourth should be a little less hassle..... but, ...maybe not.  You know how it goes... try something a bit different yet again and hey...more tricks to learn...  good thing old dogs can so learn new things.

Jumped up ...

... to the seam where the piece of fabric joins Harley's piece.... and tried a line of bullion stitches.















I looked at a lot of Karen's bullion edges... still can't quite figure out how she does something that looks sort of random and yet gets it to look great.  Maybe it is not as random as I think it is .  I unpicked quite a few bullion stitches before I hit on this configuration ...and, I like it.   Looks like regular criss cross, but that's okay.... it gives a nice look to the seam I think.

The embroidery thread is my new Coton a Broder which I finally found.  Once I got busy stitching with it I discovered it is quite creamy coloured even though it is called Blanc.... (white) .... I wasn't really checking different whites at the shop... must call the gal and see if there is a whiter white .... hahhaha....   I need stark white for some areas..

What I'm doing..

Still working with various techniques we are learning in Karen Ruane's Embroidery, Embellish and Create class....

Funky puffs... sorry, not for eating, Twig... but they do look good enough to do just that don't they?....
They are little circles, drawn up and stuffed.  One just has some French knots on the surface and the other has been cut away, some lace inserted, buttonhole stitch done around the cut area... so many possibilities with these little guys.  They are tiny, ...same size as my Chinese knots...and can be used on the surface of our wrapping cloth, or as trim around an outside edge...well, if a person made many more that is.....two won't exactly cut it as a trim...

I made Rosebud several years ago in a class that was about learning to do bullion stitch.  We each made our bears more or less outside class time..after learning the stitch... but, that's another story...

Let's just say, this class of Karen's that I am now taking is so much more than it was advertised... not at all like other classes I have done in the past.. if you ever decide to take one of her classes, you will be glad you did.  Worth every penny and then some ...and such fun too... especially ours.  It's been great.

The bullion flowers on little Rosebud were my inspiration... but, quite honestly?   I did have to refer to my A ~ Z of Embroidery Stitches to do the first two 'cuz I totally forgot how I did them back then.  I  did the third pretty much without referring to every picture of how to make it happen.. but, they are a bit tricky til you do a few...

My cloth is going to be all whites and off whites...and mostly whites for embroidery threads as well...but, have now decided to add some yellows and a lovely soft green...

Embroidered bullion rose...on the corner of a dainty, almost fragile, fine cotton hanky given to me by my Mom many years ago...I was only about 15... so....it's definitely vintage...hahahhahah....

Today, I'm playing with clay ... and Lin....I will try for legs for Ms. Goosie sometime this week....honest.........

She so busted me on the last post....