I prefer a color that stands out at a distance, a darker shade. My current one is red but I've seen some in dark blue that were striking. Your quilt, your choice. I do find using 12 wt sulky cotton much easier to deal with than floss and it makes a nice, clean line.

I'm very excited to see what you come up with. I know you'll do it justice. Be sure it's labeled for your boys to have someday.

Linda

Oh, that sounds wonderful! You certainly are an inspiration. Can't wait to see it.

Faye

What a charming idea and I agree it will be a wonderful keepsake.
I also believe that a deeper blue or red make for more interesting embroidery as I feel the lighter colors tend to wash away if used alone.
As to the text, have you given any thought to experimenting with one from you computer? If you found one that appealed to you,
you could write your text and then transfer it to you block by "window traceing" or any technique that would work for you.
Will be watching to see how you progress. Good luck. Jayne

It happens that I already have 2 colors of dark blue in the Sulky 12 wt. thread and lots of blue/white fabrics for sashing, borders, etc.

I think I will cut the bleached muslin blocks about 10.5" square and then cut them down to 9.5" or 8.5" after they are hand embroidered. I've got to draw and re-size the blocks before I do the outline with black Sharpie pen and then transfer by my low-tech "glass-storm-door" method.

My work computer has a Consolas font that might be my choice to use. Or I might decide to skip the text altogether - after all, I know the meaning behind each image. And would it look alright if some of the blocks didn't have any text on them?

Just thinking out loud here.... Thanks for your input.

Teresa

What a wonderful idea!! And I love redwork style. I hope to do some one of these days. I like the idea of some simple text just to give the blocks more meaning, but I'm horrible with words, so I won't even try to help there! I'll be looking forward to seeing how your project progresses.

Robbi

What a wonderful memory this is going to be!

I like the idea of dark blue...takes your favorite blue and 'beefs' it up a bit...more substantial from a distance.

I think cutting larger backgrounds to start is the best plan...you're right on target.

I think it'd be okay to have only some blocks with text, but then distribute them throughout the quilt. You won't have this option if you plan to put the designs in a particular order (timeline) though. what comes to my mind is a 'preschool' font like Comic Sans MS, a standard on most machines. I think a 'title' for each block is important because no one but you will know the meaning... but this information could be on the label or back.

I think it's a wonderful project! more power to you...you know how much I hate to do handwork!!! Are you going to set the embroidered blocks with anything else? Can't wait to see your progress.

I can surely see your project in my mind's eye. I have a similar plan, only mine shall be text only. I'm a genealogist, a passion of mine with about a ten year head start over my quilting and I'm going to make a family tree quilt. Prolly data embroidered on 'leaves' and then appliqued onto the quilt.

I am, however, working on a washday sampler, putting an old English nursery rhyme to stitches and I used the 'french script' font on the puter sized up to 36 points, printed it off and then used carbon paper to trace it on muslin. I can come up with the decorative stitches around it, but didn't trust not having a pattern for the cursive.

Your ideas are so great, and it's going to mean so much to you.

Love all the suggestions! I'm thinking about a nice sashing between the 9 blocks (wall hanging) - something similar to what Carol did with her redwork blocks that she worked on at the retreat. Then I think I might do a pieced final border to set it off. I'll think on alternating pieced blocks with embroidered blocks, but I'm afraid it might be too busy.

I'm not going to do a timeline for this, but may put the family block in the center of a 3X3 arrangement. I've also considered doing machine bluework on the sashing and/or a border - just a simple decorative stitch in the blue thread on white. This will be a wall hanging for my bedroom and the living room space I have alloted for a rotation of wall hangings.

Teresa

This sounds like a wonderful project Teresa. I agree that you should use your favorite color as long as it is dark enough to stand out. Are you going to do it on ivory or white? You mentioned something about muslin which I think would be very pretty with blue.

Thanks, Fran! I found my "vintage" white by Chanticleer fabrics when cleaning up my sewing room. So that is what I plan to use. It is white, but a softer white, not a stark white.

Teresa

Teresa that sounds like an heirloom in progress!!! I read about using Transfer Eze to copy your pics.

I have been wanting to do a Cranapple Hill 'winter wonderland' for ever lol!!!

Thanks for the tip about the sulky, I bought DMC to practice and it bleeds.

I ordered 'over the river' and it should come in any day now, I'll post a pic of the lettering. All of their text is an outline stitch.

I love all colors of *work!
Rosa

Here is a link that might be useful: OverTheRiver

Teresa,
I like the idea of not having text on each block but on some scattered through out the quilt. I believe that would be more interesting.
It would be nice to have your story written and placed in an envelope on the back of the hanging for future owners to enjoy your memories.
You are giving this a lot of meaningful thought and it will be fun to see the results.
Jayne

Teresa, your project sounds beautiful. I have no suggestions, just encouragement! I will be anxious to see it when you finish (CC next year??)

Sue

Rosa, I love that "over the river" pattern! The last house my parents built was literally over the river (ok, a pond) and thru the woods. I always sang that for my boys when we went there. Thanks for that web site link!

Teresa

You're welcome!!! She does have some cute patterns, I'm waiting until I'm better at embroidery to get the pricey $25 Wonderland.

I found the River new at ebay for $9 and free shipping, but I haven't found Wobderland any cheaper than $25 + shipping.
Rosa

This morning I spent a few minutes using PhotoShop to resize a few of the images I had saved from the internet. I saved them to approx. 8"x8" and cropped them where it was needed. I may have to "clean" up the images before I trace them onto fabric, but that's not a huge chore to do by hand. I can do some things in PhotoShop, but not everything. I usually make more of a mess trying to erase lines using the software than is worth it. That is the joy of hand embroidery, you can add more stitches or leave off some very easily as you finish up the piece.

I have some lines of text decided on, but may leave some blocks that are self-explanatory free of text. I can always add or remove text easy enough. But I have the text in a Word file to print out when I'm at that point.

Teresa

Today I transferred three of the drawings; a couple were pretty easy, but the log cabin was a bear!

Just now I had a thought: what if I did the embroidery in black? Must have originated that thought from looking at the black on white line drawings all morning. Any thoughts on using black instead of dark blue or red embroidery thread? It might be that the black would look better in both my bedroom and living room. I've got some b&w toile that could go in the sashing or borders, plus, b&w old fashioned prints would be pretty easy to find.

Teresa

Have you considered using more than one color? Or does that make it plain embroidery and not redwork or bluework and not traditional?

Look at the quilt in the following link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Embroidered quilt

I like the idea of black especially with the toile. Truth be known I like it better the either of the others. Reminds me of silhouettes which I am fond of. Jayne

I love the old silhouettes too, Jayne.

Guess I am considering the color fitting in with the colors in my house. I don't have much, if any, black in my decor but I consider the black and white to be more of a neutral that would go with anything. I think I will order some more Sulky colors and include a black.

I love toile, so I'd love to see it in black and white!!

Robbi

I think black embroidery is gorgeous! Marsha I saw that quilt and I am amazed at her talent the faces look like a portrait!
Rosa

Have you thought of doing a search on Blackwork quilt images? That might help you decide.

Gwen

Here is a link that might be useful: blackwork

Gwen, I am impressed with the Blackwork. Not sure I have seen it before but I like it much more then other embroideries. Thanks for the site. Jayne

Soooooo......I've been googling images and scrolling through countless children's book illustrations on flickr and emailing very talented people like Hillary of Wee Wonderfuls, Sarah Jane of SarahJanestudio, and Tasha of A Little Sweetness to ask if they will custom design a couple of blocks...and.....no....they aren't doing custom work at this time.

But today I did purchase a PDF pattern from Sarah Jane today that will help me with at least one block. And, I found some nice vintage images on flickr to save to my computer and then I can resize them on Photoshop. It looks like I may end up with revising a little boy to be a little girl, making a little girl into a bigger girl, and putting a man's head in one image onto the body of another man's image. I'm determined to get this how I want it!

But I am finding lots of cute images for future projects and web sites of some wonderfully talented people.

Teresa