May block continued

I have been working on my May block, with hopes of finishing it soon so I can get working on my June and July blocks! Good thing I have more time in the summer to play catch-up!

I added the piece of lace to the lower left side. I think it adds so much to the block. I also added a piece of off-white ribbon to the upper right patch. I added the year we took this trip to Italy and Greece using acrylic paint and rubber stamps.

I'm done with my embroidery. Next I'll be adding beads and buttons.

Here's a close-up of the stitching in the upper left side. I was only planning on doing the two darker wavy lines, but I spaced them too far apart. I added the middle line with variegated silk ribbon to tie the darker lines together. It was a happy accident, and I like the look of it.

This is the ribbon I added to the upper right side. I couched it with a straight stitch, using "Wisper" thread (it's 70% kid mohair and 30% nylon). The thread is a bit fuzzy, but you can't see that in the photo. The French knots are silk ribbon. The straight stitches will have beads added to them.

 This is the lower right seam next to the center white patch. I used gold metallic thread to couch some "Very Velvet" thread. I love that velvet thread, but there's not enough color contrast with the satin fabric. Live and learn, right?

 Embroidery thread to couch the right side of the lace down.

More embroidery thread to make herringbone stitch for this seam. You can also see a close-up of part of the year.

Happy stitching!