Embroidery Challenge

The Pomegranate Guild announced last April-ish a year-long embroidery challenge.  The idea was to "make a pie" with 12 segments, and embroider each, or something to that effect.  Shirley has been faithfully sharing with us at our L&S meetings embroidery stitch videos from the internet.  Some of the stitches I knew. Some I never heard of, and being inherently lazy, some I will never learn or use.  Since we're approaching the March meeting reveal, I figured I better get cracking. 

My "pie" is actually a structured crazy quilt circle with 12 pieces.  I took an embellished crazy quilting course online years ago with Sharon Boggon.  I was uncomfortable with putting together the fabrics with a piece in the middle and adding on one side at a time because you don't know what what the "naked" finished block will look like.  I prefer to know in advance so when I do crazy quilting, I use an existing pattern (thank you, internet) or make my own. 

I also decided to use my wedding dress stash as the background fabric.

So I based my circle on a 14" embroidery hoop which is how I will display it.  I drew a 14" circle on freezer paper, divided it into 4 and then divided each of the 4 segments into 3.  I now had 12 pieces.  I cut out each freezer paper piece, ironed it onto the fabric, cut it out adding a 1/4" seam around each piece as I cut, and then sewed together The pieced circle was then sewn around the perimeter to a piece of batting.  I like to stitch with a batting layer so that you don't see my sloppy stitches and improper knots through the top fabric.  Don't judge me.

So this is my first pass through of the embroidered seams.  I will continue to build up the seams with embroidery and perhaps some beading. 

I have two yellow seams which can barely be discerned.  Will have to remedy that. 

And the needle at the bottom is stuck in a piece of my wedding dress fabric.  For a mini dress, I'm getting a lot of mileage from that fabric!