Alex Anderson's Hand Embroidery 101 Class Roster...Please sign in

[jrgermain]

Hi, Janet signing in from the Boston area where we are visiting our 2 daughters and their families for the holidays. We’re certainly enjoying our 4 grandsons. This has been the perfect project for me since it is so portable! After Christmas we’ll be heading back to our home in Oceanside, California, north of San Diego. I’ve enjoyed seeing everyone’s projects and getting ideas. Thanks for doing this Helen, it’s fun to read about where everyone is from.

[Helen W.]

Hi, Janet signing in from the Boston area where we are visiting our 2 daughters and their families for the holidays. We’re certainly enjoying our 4 grandsons. This has been the perfect project for me since it is so portable! After Christmas we’ll be heading back to our home in Oceanside, California, north of San Diego. I’ve enjoyed seeing everyone’s projects and getting ideas. Thanks for doing this Helen, it’s fun to read about where everyone is from.

Janet, I was amazed at how beautiful your circles are. Looks like you are a fast learner or have been doing this for a while.
Do you start on the outside and just keep doing smaller circles? The thread color placement really makes the stitches show.
Have a fun time in Boston, 4 boys is a real handful. HelenW

[Carol G.]

This is Carol from southwest Michigan, where we currently have no snow on the ground. Very unusual! I have been a member of TQS for many years and enjoy the shows. I do not participate in any BOMs.Too large and complex. Started following Alex on Facebook and did make the red basket quilt. Now doing this embroidery class. I sometimes forget how much I love hand embroidery. Never worked on silk before and have always used a pattern, so free form is different! I have done quite a bit of redwork when we travel, because I don't have to worr about thread color changes LOL Been quilting since about 2004 I think.

[Linda L.]

Hi, I am Linda from Southeast Michigan. Today is cold but a little sun is peaking out. I was a member of TQS back when it first started, but rejoined in May this year. I am so glad I did. Love trying the new techniques from Alex & Ricky.

I am very nervous to start the Garden Party Down Under 2022 BOM, but so glad Barbara Black will be there to guide our way. Never did EPP before.

I was away from sewing & quilting for about 8 years and just got back into all of it this year. Really enjoying Alex giving us her time every week - I’m looking forward to learning more.

[Helen W.]

This is Carol from southwest Michigan, where we currently have no snow on the ground. Very unusual! I have been a member of TQS for many years and enjoy the shows. I do not participate in any BOMs.Too large and complex. Started following Alex on Facebook and did make the red basket quilt. Now doing this embroidery class. I sometimes forget how much I love hand embroidery. Never worked on silk before and have always used a pattern, so free form is different! I have done quite a bit of redwork when we travel, because I don't have to worr about thread color changes LOL Been quilting since about 2004 I think.

Carol G, Thanks for letting us know about you. We have had a very no snow Nov. and Dec. until 2 weeks ago in North Idaho.
Seems like we are making up for lost time. So I sew in the morning and shovel snow in the afternoon. Life is good. You might
reconsider the BOM projects. You could get your feet wet by just taking the month pattern and make a small project using it
as a stand alone or several months combined. The first month of Garden Party Down Under is the center applique block.
It would make a beautiful little wall hanging. You could use all the applique stitches you are learning to embellish the block
or you could just trace the the outline of the blocks applique on a piece of fabric and use hand embroidery on the whole
outline piece, much like you did redwork. Hope you will be participating and posting on the forum, the more the merrier.
Your embroidery piece is looking great. Especially love the C initial. HelenW

[Barbara B.]

Helen is exactly right about the 2022 BOM. Month 1 and 2 finish at 35” square, a great size for a small wall hanging and a great size to play with appliqué and/or embroidery. The shapes are easy and fun to sew, by hand or machine.

[Carol G.]

Thank you Helen and Barbara for the info on this year's BOM. I may give it a try. I remember Janet Stone's BOM and the letter F I attempted ended up backwards! LOL But I am a more experienced quilter now.

[Helen W.]

Hi, I am Linda from Southeast Michigan. Today is cold but a little sun is peaking out. I was a member of TQS back when it first started, but rejoined in May this year. I am so glad I did. Love trying the new techniques from Alex & Ricky.

I am very nervous to start the Garden Party Down Under 2022 BOM, but so glad Barbara Black will be there to guide our way. Never did EPP before.

I was away from sewing & quilting for about 8 years and just got back into all of it this year. Really enjoying Alex giving us her time every week - I’m looking forward to learning more.

Hello Linda L from Southeast MIchigan. Welcome back. You have missed a lot of wonderful shows in your absence so when it is snowing in
Michigan you can binge watch back episodes. Garden Party Down Under should be really, really fun. I have a bad habit, or should I say just
a habit of wandering off in a totally different direction when I start a quilt. See what I mean with this years Color My World. I did it in flannel
at 60 percent size, tried to get a country look, instead of the city look. Sure had fun. HelenW

[Paula S.]

Your quilt is wonderful. It is so fun to see people take an idea and run in another direction. I love the replacement of the skyscrapers with fir trees.

[Linda L.]

Thanks. I love what you did with the Color My World BOM Quilt. I enjoy seeing everyone’s projects!

[Becky A.]

I love, love, love this quilt!!! What a beautiful interpretation of the original.

[Helen W.]

Thanks Barbara B & Helen W for the clarification! I just didn’t want to add to the wrong group.

Thank you Linda for reading what I wrote. I totally was thinking embroidery when my fingers typed in applique. HelenW

[Helen W.]

I'm trying again to upload a picture. I click on upload attachment and it shows an icon of my pic = I click on Fullsize and look at the preview and nothing appears. Please let m know what I'm doing wrong.

Donna, The forum will only accept small pictures. I make mine 60 % the size of the camera picture that shows up on my computer.
Are you using a phone or a computer to upload. I have an iMac. If you go to page 7 of Make it for own embroidery show your work, Barbara
has a link to uploading pictures and I have a post on how I do it on an iMac. I talked Suzanne thru how I do it. It worked for her. HelenW

[Barbara T.]

Hello from both Illinois and Arizona. I live in Rantoul, IL most of the year and Amado, AZ for the winter. We have a 5th wheel trailer at an RV park south of Tucson and while there I sew in a shed. The pandemic made me reluctant to go to the small community sewing room and the shed turned out to be a perfect solution. I’ve watched all of Alex’s lives but this is the first one I’m actually making. I might have done some others but got involved in Ricky’s Kool Kaleidoscope which just needs binding.
The timing of this was perfect as I needed a hand project for traveling back to IL for Christmas! I’m of the generation that used and made embroidered pillow cases and kitchen towels so some of the stitches are familiar but this is much more creative.

[Helen W.]

Hello from both Illinois and Arizona. I live in Rantoul, IL most of the year and Amado, AZ for the winter. We have a 5th wheel trailer at an RV park south of Tucson and while there I sew in a shed. The pandemic made me reluctant to go to the small community sewing room and the shed turned out to be a perfect solution. I’ve watched all of Alex’s lives but this is the first one I’m actually making. I might have done some others but got involved in Ricky’s Kool Kaleidoscope which just needs binding.
The timing of this was perfect as I needed a hand project for traveling back to IL for Christmas! I’m of the generation that used and made embroidered pillow cases and kitchen towels so some of the stitches are familiar but this is much more creative.

Barbara T, Thanks for telling us a little about you. I too did Ricky's Kool Kaleidoscope but you are ahead of me. I still need to quilt mine. Be sure to post some progress shots of your embroideries. I loved your idea of the practice piece. I immediately made one
after you posted that picture. Have a safe drive back to Illinois. We have been having some ugly weather here in north Idaho.
HelenW

[Suzanne F.]

I have yet to start my embroidery. Dragged my feet on getting the kit, so I lost out. Decided later I really wanted to do this so I ordered the fabric from TQS and was able to get the thread directly from Wonderfil. Just rec'd my fabric, now I'm waiting on the thread. Can't wait do get started. Love Alex's classes; not always able to participate.

[Helen W.]

I have yet to start my embroidery. Dragged my feet on getting the kit, so I lost out. Decided later I really wanted to do this so I ordered the fabric from TQS and was able to get the thread directly from Wonderfil. Just rec'd my fabric, now I'm waiting on the thread. Can't wait do get started. Love Alex's classes; not always able to participate.

Suzanne F, Never too late to get started. Where are you stitching from. I am Idaho. HelenW

[Peg]

Peg from central New Hampshire - still getting used to the different tabs on the Forum. I've tried embroidery before with limited success - OK but not great. This project is going better than before as I'm sticking to simpler stitches and working on variations and layering. First time working with silk. Love the look, though will probably not jump on that wagon as I have a lifetime of cottons to get through first!!! I'm also doing the 2022 BOM so keeping very busy with my hands.

[Helen W.]

Peg from central New Hampshire - still getting used to the different tabs on the Forum. I've tried embroidery before with limited success - OK but not great. This project is going better than before as I'm sticking to simpler stitches and working on variations and layering. First time working with silk. Love the look, though will probably not jump on that wagon as I have a lifetime of cottons to get through first!!! I'm also doing the 2022 BOM so keeping very busy with my hands.

Peg, Thanks for checking in. It is so fun to watch everyone putting their own spin on the classes and patterns. Looking forward to seeing your progress both with embroidery and Garden Party. It is all so much fun. HelenW from Idaho.

[Kyla V.]

Hi from Torrance, CA. My mother taught me to sew (on my grandmother's avocado green Kenmore) when I was 10 so that I could make Barbie doll clothes. She is also a member (Sheryl B.) and has been quilting for a long time. She is the reason I got started quilting - well, sort of, as I have yet to complete a quilt - by taking me to Road to California.

To prevent this post from turning into a novel, I will skip over the acquiring of a lot fabric and supplies, a husband, and two kids. Eight years ago, we (me, husband and two kids) "temporarily" moved in with my mom when my husband lost his job. I moved into the bedroom that was the sewing/crafting room, and so all of the quilting/crafting supplies from both of us got put into storage.

In September 2019, my youngest started Kindergarten. My mom and I's New Year's resolution was to clean out the garage and turn it into a quilting/crafting studio. We were half way done when the pandemic happened! My husband, who is a middle school history teacher, needed a place to do his Zoom classes. So, we lost our studio.

This year's resolution is to turn the space back into a quilting/crafting space (the sewing machines are already set-up) and actually finish a quilt! I have been watching The Quilt Show for a year now but I am a bit overwhelmed with where to start. So, I have started a small practice piece for embroidery which I will post in the other thread.

[Helen W.]

Kyla V, So nice to have you sign in. Glad you decided to wade into the shallow end of the pool and stitch some hearts.
Your stitches are beautifully even. You said you don't like. Just keep adding more stitches. You said you feel overwhelmed.
Why not try a small wall hanging. The 2022 BOM center block would a great stand alone project. You could learn applique either hand needle turn, or turned edge stitched by machine or raw edge applique. Lot of techniques to get to the same end.
And then do the dog tooth border by paper piecing to learn another technique if you do not already know how to paper piece.
Pick fabrics you love. That would not be much of an investment and would let you get started. Do you have a picture of the
quilt you started by did not yet finish? Looking forward to more posts on you heart embroideries. Valentines is just around
the corner. You could convert your hearts into a valentine project. HelenW