"Flower Dancer", Brazilian Embroidery

Get ready for some incredible embroidered eye candy! This piece was sent to me by Freda, in Florida. She had asked if I could quilt the background. Of course, I said yes, she mailed, and I proceeded to stare at it for a few months because I was simply overwhelmed by it's beauty. I will also admit I was somewhat intimidated by her meticulous stitching and was afraid to even start!The original piece is 18" x 24" and the background is more of a cream color than white. Pictures never show the depth of color, but trust me, this one is amazing!The pattern is called, "Flower Dancer", and you can see from the photos it is absolutely stunning without doing anything else to the piece. You can order the kit at JDR Brazilian Embroidery. I finally felt the mood one day and decided I'd better get started!I like to quilt the outline of an embroidery before I do anything else. Using my ruler, I rest it against the hopping foot and move around the embroidery.I begin the design process by dropping flower motifs around the embroidery and a few butterflies to mimic the embroidery. I always like to duplicate an element from the embroidery or fabric, if quilting a quilt.After all the motifs were placed, I used a whimsical fill of paisleys, swirls and bubbles, to give the feeling of movement or dance to the overall embroidery. One more picture since the sun was shining just right later in the day!There you have it! A beautiful piece, enhanced even more with quilting! Freda plans to create a small, crazy quilt border. It will be a wall hanging for a special granddaughter. I hope you enjoyed my Flower Dancer adventure! YES, even I ordered the kit and will be checking Mary Corbet's video library for the new stitches I need to learn! Have a fabulous weekend!