My "Loser" CQ Purse!

My entry in CQI's annual CQ purse contest! I  LOVE it and will use it for sure. After signing up to participate in this contest,  I realized I really didn't have enough time (working takes up entirely too much time in my creative process!) to do anything intricate so on to plan B. I removed all the silks from one of those treasured sampler books from my friend Ann's niece, Pinky, and designed a CQ done-my-way purse. I stitched all the squares & rectangles to a foundation first with a centerpiece area. My dilemma was how to get the stamp image (heart & wings were separate clear acrylic unmounted stamps I got in a set at Michaels, don't recall the maker) onto the fabric without using any visible marking utensil.

So I stamped it onto tracing paper, pinned to fabric and machine stitched, in matching thread for invisibility, all lines so I had the entire heart and wing design "transferred" and ready for my machine thread painting. I know, not very traditional, but oh-so-me!

The back side was another opportunity for free motion pebbling, one of my favorite things to do on my machine.


And a peek at the inside! A beautiful shade of blue recycled from a $2 silk blouse from Sally Ann's! Notice the velvet ribbon binding around the top edge....love that idea! Already did it again on "Kyra" in my previous post.
Well it came as no surprise I didn't fare well in the competition! The top 3 winners were spectacular and time consuming extravaganza's!(I know 2 of the 3 have no 40 hour diversions to contend with any longer.....yes, I am envious!) Apparently they aren't on the QI website yet so I will post that link when they are. They need to be seen. Awesome, talented woman and they are CQ Queens worthy of our adoration!

My friend Nicki won 3rd place. Her Mermaid bag is adorable and I know how many hours she put into it. I just checked her blog and she has posted lots of close-up pics. Do have a look!

Kathy's was voted 1st place. A very intricate depiction o "The  Queen's Garden". It is also posted on her blog.  Take a look at her bag and you will see she is having a give away to celebrate opening her online shop.

I am hand stitching hydrangea's with french knots for an ATC swap I am doing on HEN Embroidery Network A Spring theme.We will see how it turns out by Sunday since I must mail it on Monday!

I have my plan for finishing up Denise's books pages. Just need a block of time to get in the mode. Hoping for Saturday. This is undeniably my favorite collaborative project, ever.

My guild friend Vinny has invited me to view her sewing/craft room tonight! Her house is also a 1 1/2 story and I can get some idea's for my dream space......

Which brings me to my contractor conundrum. I haven't heard from him for 2 weeks. I did say I was flexible on time since he seems to have overbooked himself. BUT I am so anxious. I want my studio. I want it bad. Ugh. "Patience is a virtue" as Aunt Molly used to say. Patience is over rated. But instilled in these Irish bones!
I will give it a few more days.

I have learned:

1. My 27 year old daughter, Melissa, has officially finished grad school!!! She has her Masters in Special Ed. I am VERY proud of her accomplishment. It is a big deal. First in both my family and her fathers family.Good hard work.
2. My 21 year old son, Michael, has officially finished his junior year of college with a 3.75 GPA. Good hard work.
3. Our brains are 80% water.
4. I won a blog give away of RED embellishments from Vivika DeNegre. Check out her blog. She does wonderful work. Thanks!