#17 Strange Flowers

#17: Strange Flowers
Finished: 4/29/12
Techniques: Hand Embroidery, 3-D, Curved Piecing, Creative Use of Zippers, Yo-yo's, Buttons
Size:12 1/2" x 14 1/2"

Description: So if I'm going to finish one mini-quilt per week, what do I do when I'm out of town on vacation? I don't usually do hand sewing, but in this instance it was appropriate. I just packed the supplies I needed and because it's mini, it's portable!

Actually, I did do some machine sewing before leaving, piecing the background, adding a simple quilting grid using a wobble stitch, and attaching the binding on the front, but the rest was done by hand. The stems of the flowers are zippers, which I've seen done before and thought it was clever. The flower heads are "yo-yo's" created by cutting out a circle of fabric, turning under 1/4" on the edge, hand sewing a loose running stitch around the edge and pulling it tight. The result is a circle approximately half the size of the original circle, with folds creating a three-dimensional effect. One of a kind buttons from my stash sewed on as centers.

The hand embroidery added a little flavor to the overall design. I used a running stitch on the stems, a blanket stitch around the yo-yo's, a lazy daisy stitch for individual flowers on the ground, and a stem stitch to create the leaves. I think more embroidery stitches would have added to the design, but I ran out of time.