Latest Quilted Hankie--Up for Auction at the Kaw Valley Quilters Guild Show, Lawrence KS

This weekend, Saturday, April 7 and Sunday, April 8, is my guilds quilt show, Kaw Valley Quilters Guild. I've finished a fabulous hankie to put in the silent auction. I'll share a few pictures from the process, beginning to end result. I'll admit these pieces are hard to give up once they are finished!

This beautiful hankie is bordered with exquisite lace. I couldn't resist re-purposing this one!

I started with my backing, then 2 layers of Hobbs 80/20 Heirloom, and a piece of satin on top, about 20" square.

My first order of stitching is to "ditch stitch" on the inside edge of the lace. This gives me a 'frame' to work with.

I use this Kelly Bean, notched ruler, to work around any shape or embroidery. Only on a longarm, just nest your hopping foot in the notch. Use one hand on your handle and the other to move around the ruler and hopping foot, magic!!I love to use Cindy Needham's Ultimate Stencils for designs in negative spaces. She has a fabulous E-book to go along with the stencils which I highly recommend. You can start to see the design take shape in the following photos.At this point I have finished all of the inside quilting. I leave the lace loose and will use beads to tack down where needed. Lace lends itself nicely for embellishment!

I usually choose a simple piano key border. It calms your eye and doesn't take away from the focus of the lace.

I love handwork of any kind and can spend countless evenings, watching TV and stitching. This piece required 3 solid nights of handwork. I used glass beads, pearls from a broken vintage necklace (my preference), and the tiniest of Hotfix Swarovski crystals. I like the glimmer, but I also want it to be subtle.I love to frame these pieces or make into a pillow. With the heavy amount of beading, I decided a frame was in order!You can find this on the silent auction block, this weekend, in Lawrence, KS. Here's the flyer. It doesn't say Lawrence, but it tells you everything else. Hope you can make it if you live in the area!