Hearts & Wreaths

While I was at retreat in November, I chain stitched the embroidered circles on 4 background blocks of Hearts & Wreaths.

The hearts have been appliqued on the centers of these blocks, ready for leaves when I return home.

I'm using 3 strands of black embroidery thread which is more than the patterns suggests. I like the boldness the extra strand adds to the chain but it doesn't overwhelm the leaves.

Some of the fabrics look similar but they are all different.

The background fabric is a soft yellow but it's not as washed out as it looks in these pictures. Here is a link to the more true color. You'll need to scroll down to where I show the bolt of fabric.

I mark for the leaves differently than a lot of people. I don't trace the whole leave on the background, I draw a V where it will be covered by the leaf. I know the top point of the leaf touches the chain stitching. The bottom V shows the angle of the bottom point. This works for me, I never have to worry about covering up markings and I don't have to spend as much time marking.