Papertrey March Blog Hop Challenge

The 25th of the month means it's PTI blog hop time! This month's challenge is all about embroidery floss.

"For the March Blog Hop we are challenging you to use embroidery floss in a fun and inventive way on your project. This could include stitching, wrapping it around and tying it like ribbon, braiding, accenting tags, embroidered patterns or anything else you can dream up!"
You can check out all the details and list of participants here.

Because of my 30 years of  teaching, certain pieces of literature became part of me. I cannot think of embroidery and sewing without thinking Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and this quotation. " It was the art--then as now, almost the only one within a woman's grasp--of needlework."  Let me date myself even more my saying, "We've come a long way, baby!"

Besides my artistic attempts with crayons, embroidery, learned from my mother and grandmother when I was quite young, was my early artistic expression.  I still have some of my first pieces along with beautiful  pieces embroidered by my mother and grandmother. One of my treasured pieces is a baby quilt  made for either my sister or me which hangs in our upstairs hallway.

This challenge meant it was time for me to hone my embroidery stitches.

The inspiration for this first simple card was a crisp white embroidered pillow case.

I traced two Cuttlebug flower die cuts, punched holes, and embroidered with a simple back stitch. I stamped the small leaf from Beautiful Blooms 1 which is conveniently a series of dots, so easy for punching holes,  and embroidered it. I added a Golden Harvest button and some twine. The Edgers # 2  die creates a romantic eyelet edge. I may have to embroider some crisp white pillow cases now-- minus the buttons and twine, of course; the impressions would take all day to disappear from this aging skin.!

For a second card the embroidery floss is used on the embellishment.

After cutting Harvest Gold felt with the Dienamics Rolled Rose die from My Favorite Things, I embroidered a blanket stitch along the edge before rolling the felt. I cut a couple of small leaves from Simply Chartreuse felt and stitched the vein down the middle of each leaf. (One of the leaves is hidden in the shadow. Obviously, my photography skills need some work)
The base for the flower was made using the scalloped die from. the Limitless Layers 1 3/4 Collection  I strategically cut a doily pattern  from patterened paper from October Afternoon's Thrift Shop. Even though the die is solid, you can hold it and the paper up to a light to aid in placement of the pattern. The bottom layer of the base  is Pure Poppy cs cut with a die from the Doily Details Collection.

The front panel is more patterned paper from the Thrift Shop collection. The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Basics. After adding some Aqua Mist grosgrain ribbon, I attached the front panel to a mat of Pure Poppy.  The card base is Vintage Cream.

Enjoy the hop!