Carolyn's Pansy block is done!

Sometimes I think I just don't know when to quit and this is an example of one of these times.  I just loved this block so much I had to keep adding one more thing... and one more thing.... and one more thing!  I hope Carolyn likes it and doesn't think I went too far over the top.  Without further ado, here is the finished block!

I had so much fun with this block and tried several new, or nearly new things.  I had a great time with all the seams - I seem to be developing a "thing" for detached chain stitch.  They turned up all over the place! lol  I think my favourite seam is the one that runs up the left hand side - it is a feather stitch done in green perle cotton with flower buds made of three side-by-side bullion knots in a pink varigated perle cotton.  Each flower bud has a clear glass bead at its base. 

Then again, the seam across the top was good fun too!  That one is a crossed herringbone (is that an actual stitch or did I make up that name? lol) and a chevron stitch, one on top of the other.  There are trios of detached chain stitch on the tops and bottoms of the chevron stitch and trios of little beads at the tops only of the herringbone.  All of it was done in perle cotton.  All in all, I think I went a little colour crazy on this lovely monochromatic block that Carolyn was silly enough to trust me with!

This is my second attempt at a velvet pansy.  I learned how to make these at last year's CQI Retreat and then never quite got around to making another until now.  It was fun - I need to collect more velvets so I can play more with this technique.

Here is how the button cluster ended up.  I posted about the decoupaged pansy button in an earlier post.  To it, I added a green silk covered button, a small mother of pearl button, a vintage rhinestone button, two more common buttons - one yellow and one green - and those two I attached using beads on top. 

These little pansies at the bottom of the block came straight out of A - Z of Embroidered Flowers.  They are easy little things:  buttonhole rings in two colours, a detached chain stitch across the middle of each, a yellow french knot in the center and a few black highlights.  The leaves are simply more detached chain stitches.  All done in perle cotton again except the french knots and the black highlights - those are good old DMC cotton floss.

Last but not least, this cute little pansy is half of a set of earrings I found at the thrift store.  Isn't it sweet?  I pried the back off and then glued it to felt.  After the glue was dry, I trimmed the felt and then sewed through the felt from the back of the block to secure it.  Hopefully it will stay put!

Well, that is it for this block.  It was so enjoyable to work on with its pansy theme.  I am the first one to work on Carolyn's blocks in this round robin so I got to have my pick of all the blocks and also got to choose the shared block.  We decided to each stitch 1/6 of the 6th block in this DYB, so when the blocks go home to their owners they will all be done.  I'll post a photo of my share on the 6th block later on - it's getting to be bedtime now!