A couple of weeks ago I shared with you the cute little piece of furniture we bought for reading materials in the guest bathroom of our home. It proved to be the inspiration for another hand-needlework project to take with me to the hospital while waiting for Beloved in surgery.
One craft I can't ever seem to get enough of is applique. I seldom do it because the projects I sew often require that the finished product be able to withstand machine washings and loving (i.e. rough) handling, as with the many baby quilts I've sent off to family and friends. But this topper is destined to do nothing more than lay there and look pretty.
If, like me, you are a Mary Engelbreit fan, then you will recognize this style of flower which I captured years ago from one of her magazines or books in a design for a throw pillow. One doesn't really need a pattern to copy this, just a steady hand with the scissors. The gentle curves lend themselves well to the classic Buttonhole embroidery stitch. This picture (above) is the top of the piece.
Before starting the applique on the front, I practiced a similar design on a piece of scrap fabric and then decided to transform it into a label for the back. I have used my iPhoto program to blot out private information on the label (for security reasons here on the Internet), but you can see that I recorded the name of the designer, the occasion for the piece, and the date. Labels are a priority with me. One day my children may go through all of my needlework, noting the information on the labels, which will tell a story about my life and what was important to me.
I so enjoyed seeing your table topper project. Oh my, you are so talented; energetic; and productive. Your family will go through your things and see the story contained in the labels - my family will go through my things and see a collection of projects that never got finished and many that never even got started. Wish I was more like you!!!
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