Designing Happy: Poinsettia's

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Poinsettia's - Day 1

I found my Camera!!!!
Yay!
I've been searching for it since the 14th of November after the baptism of my daughter

...my camera was left in the church building.
I couldn't take anything but phone pics of my sis boom blocks and now my phone is dying and I can't even get those off.
My fireplace has been torn out of the wall since the week of thanksgiving, we're "fixing it" It will be better but at the moment it doesn't feel like it :)
I traced a gorgeous embroidery pattern out to do before Christmas and then left it in MO at Sarah's quilt shop. She's now embroidering it. Ah, sisters :) Yes that smiles still pasted on there :D

So I'm terribly sorry I've been so missing in action things, as they say, have been crazy. though I'm sure they could have been worse. The happy things recently?

My little son turned 1

I cried, and my husband started a job after 10 and 1/2 months of unemployment.

I'm thinking we Celebrate!
How about a twelve days of Christmas from the stash!
I like these I think I work best under pressure :D
Now my stash is fairly limited, lots of precuts not so much on the yardage but a little.
I also have mostly girls but I will be trying to force out a boy thing or two and I'll be doing mostly Christmas gifts and projects since that's what we (I) need right now! there are currently 14 days until Christmas so I get 2 days off.... hopefully I'll make those Christmas and Christmas eve :D

To start, I've been working on this silly flower for a week now

and by working I mean watching it sit on the ironing board spreading guilt and frustration because it's not done yet so today I'm finishing it!

You all basically know how to make one of these I'll assume.
Very basic steps, say them with me know, Cut a template, cut the leaves & petals, stack & sew!
Very good people!
OK, now for the quirks of my particular flower.
I cut a five point template that I used for the green leaves and the top 2 layers of petals.

It's a bad pick but the template has 3 1/2" long petals. I traced the template onto the green once and twice on the red then stitched around it three times each, I then free handed a smaller template in the same style (not perfectly!) for the center petal set.

After cutting them all out, I did a running stitch from the center end of the petal to about an inch from the tip

and gathered it just slightly to give a little texture.

I stacked the flower with the leaves at the base, then the ungathered large petals, the gathered large petals, and last the small petals.

I sewed them together with a pile of ribbon french knots. Pull the ribbon through from the base.

bring your needle around so its pointing toward the ribbon going out of the fabric and wrap the needle 1-3 times depending on the thickness of the ribbon and how fat you want your knots. I wrapped mine twice.

Then go back through the fabric almost in the same place as where you came out.
Continue until you have a pile of french knots filling the center of your flower. If desired attach a clip, safety pin, clasp, velcro, or whatever to the back of your flower