Ola's Under The Sea Block

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I finished my part on Ola's Under the Sea block this morning, which means that I am now finished with this particular round robin!  Nice to get something big checked off my list!  

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When Ola's block arrived, I wasn't sure at all how or where to begin with it.  The motifs had been stitched in three different orientations, making it difficult to find a way to pull it together in a cohesive whole.  

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I decided to focus on seamwork as the majority of the seams had not been embellished with the exception of the lovely seagrass seam done by one of the other stitchers.  The first seam I did was the scalloped seam under Velia's whale. 

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I've had this seam in my little inspiration book and have wanted to stitch it for ages.  Bullion stitches have been one of my nemesis for a long time, but I seem to have finally figured them out.  Some lovely "cameo" variegated thread (Caron Wildflower Thread) was perfect for the bullion's!  

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Along the left side, I stitched a sea-weedy variation on one of my favorite feather stitch patterns.  I also stitched the blue seam above the whale.  


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I used some variegated thread that picked up colors in the block to stitch a seam along the right side of the yellow brocade piece.  There is still a little room for Ola to stitch a seam and add a motif or two if she chooses!   Hope that Ola enjoys her block! 

Just a few thoughts for to add about working on round robins based on things I encountered on this one.  
~ When mailing blocks, please, please, please put the block and booklet in a plastic zip-lock bag inside the envelope to help protect the block and keep the contents together.  In this round robin I received two different blocks in badly torn up envelopes.  One was in a ziplock and came through very well despite the outer envelope damage.  The other, came through ok, but if there had been anything small in the envelope, it would have been lost.  That block was somewhat dirty, but thankfully was able to be cleaned up easily. 
~ Unless the block owner specifies working in the round or otherwise, all motifs should be done in the same orientation.  This block is a perfect example of a block that is nice but could have been fabulous if the focus wasn't so scattered.  
~ It really helps if the block owner can give some guidance as to what they would like for their block. 
~ Don't be afraid to stretch your wings and try something new!  

Comments

Laurie said…
Hello Lisa! After a long break from blogging I'm back. I have enjoyed catching up with you, and love the round robin's you're working on. I too had some orientation problems on ones I had worked on, making my part a challenge. You brought it together beautifully!
Leslie said…
Your stitching is gorgeous, as always. A shame people don't pay attention to obvious things like block orientation. But the block owner also has a responsibility to include some guidelines if they want it to come out well. Hopefully she'll like it regardless. Colors sure are pretty.
Boy, there is so much to crazy quilting, it is mind-boggling.

Your stitches are lovely as always.

Thank you for being such a wonderful source of inspiration.

FlowerLady
traderslostart said…
Lisa, as usual you have outdone yourself. Just looking at your stitching is such a joyful experience, and always an inspiration.
God Bless you.
Hugs,
Sondra
Debbie S. said…
Your stitching is wonderful. I always love your sharing, and you are right on all cases of round robins. Knowing the top is so important at the very least. Thank you for sharing your thoughts as you speak for many in the round robins for this.

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