Pick a Pear

Last week I reported that I raided my stack of works-in-progress and targeted a stack of pieced pears ranging in not-even-started to near-complete stages.

This past weekend, and during my daily morning sewing sessions, I managed a little dedicated sewing time and I finished making all the pears. 

The pattern for the block is from Farm Girl Vintage by Lori Holt. I started the project a couple years ago as my participation in a monthly club that met at the LQS.

I don't know what possessed me to cut the fabrics for SO MANY pear blocks, but I did, and it's time to finish them. I'm determined!

With the blocks sewn, some of them, meant to represent a pair cut in half, needed seeds.

Applique or embroider? My friend, Gail suggested filling each shape with a tiny chain stitch, and it was decided. I started by placing a bit of Face-It Soft on the back where the embroidery would be for body and stability. 

By the way, did you know that Face-it Soft comes in 1-yard packages now? Personally, I love the stuff, and I used it a lot to back fabric for embroidery, or to add just a bit of body to a bag lining. But I digress . . .

For the seeds, I free-hand drew the seed shape with an air-erasable marker. . . 

 

. . . then started my tiny chain sittch just inside the outside edge of the shape. . .

 . . . Until I completed the outline loop. Then filled in the center with more tiny chain stitches.

For a little variety, I started some with a chain stitch in the center of the drawn shape - after all the beginning of a chain stitch (or a lazy daisy) is kinda seed-shaped.

Then I worked outward, one row of chain stitches at a time.

 

And of course, each of the 'inside' pears has two seeds, repeat. And repeat, and repeat. Until all the seeds were sewn onto the appropriate blocks. 

And . .. it was time to sew them together randomly. Some up, some down, different greens mixed with yellows, you know the drill.

I had enough pairs for two placemats and one nicely-sized table runner.

I was on a roll!

And then I had to put this one aside. The FLOCK delivery for February is coming up quickly so that project is calling! While it's hard to tear yourself away from any progress, I enjoy working on that project too!

I really do like when a project like this - one that has been in and out of the to-do pile, dormant and active for several rounds - gains momentum. It's energizing and the project practically gets a life of its own.

Once I finish up some specific tasks, I'll finish this one up. All it needs is some fun border treatments, quilting, and binding.

Yay!

Happy Stitching!
Joan