"Quilt Poetry" Pattern And Hardanger Runner

I have been drooling over this pattern for almost a year and finally bought it today.  I have her other pattern almost done.  It's in the UFO pile because I'm stuck on how to quilt the little circles without mashing them.  I should have waited to outline the edges for quilting instead of doing it before.

She always does wilder fabrics than I would choose and I wanted a softer look.  It may need more contrast, but I'll work with it as I go.  You can never have enough fabric.  I still need to pick out some green but will find that from my stash.

I'm just not sure I can trace and fuse pieces right now with my back still sore.  Despite how difficult the pattern looks, it's SO simple to make as she makes everything in layers that sit on top of each other.

I got my Hardanger runner yesterday in the mail and started working on it:

It's kind of hard to see the stitches of the design but it's coming along beautifully. The darker thread is for marking purposes so you don't lose you place.  I can't count to save my life so having this marked out really helps.

I still have this one to finish.  I got lost on the flower embroidery and gave up.

 This was my second Hardanger project and I think I over estimated my ability to to it.  I will get the design done someday when I feel more confident.  The cutting for later is easy, those stupid flowers are not.

Hardanger Doily Done

I haven't had a chance to post in over a week.  I did get my Hardanger doily done today after working on it for two weeks.  

I ordered the delica beads and those things are WAY small.  I couldn't choose one color and bought several.  I loved them all when I put them next to the fabric I was using but settled on the transparent light rose/gold colored ones.  By the way, buy containers to put the beads in and label them.  My sister helped me pick out some as she and my mom do some beadwork.

I am SO glad I bought the DVD on doing Hardanger as well.  It was much easier to do the beadwork as I knew the stitches the directions where talking about.  Plus, when I got stuck a couple of times, I could refer back and watch her do the stitch over and over and over and over..LOL.  

Here's the doily:

From Blogger Pictures

And close-ups of the beadwork.  Click on them to get the detail work of the beads and their color:

From Blogger Pictures

From Blogger Pictures

Truthfully; the pictures still don't do it justice.  I still can't believe I got those tiny beads on and did the picots and the dove's eye stitches to keep them in place.  

I've enjoyed this so much I ordered a kit to make a table runner.  What was I thinking??