Exchange

Each month my friend Heather in Australia and I have a exchange.  Some months it a pattern from a magazine, other times it's been a fat quarter of material.  At the beginning of the year we make a list that of what we will would like to do. And then  alternate each month who chooses what it is going to be. The heart above is one that I send to Heather in January but did not want to post it here until she received it, and then I forgot to do it.  I used heirloom sewing techniques to make the front of the heart using French lace & Swiss lace  alternating  with entredeux and the back of dupioni silk.  I hand dyed the venetian laced to embellish  and the photo is  a reproduction of a cigarette silk from the mid 1800. Last step was to sew pearls on. I left a small opening for stuffing once it arrived in Australia.