Reading glasses

This is my block-a-day for September 4. I’ve had a wonderful time reading, but a frustrating time trying to design this block. The first block pattern had thirty six (36) different patches – in a 4-inch block. It didn’t work. The second foundation pattern had only twenty (20) patches. It didn’t work either. The patterns would have been suitable for wall hangings, but not for such a small format.

I scanned page 149 in the book My Life in France by Julia Child (what a splendid book). I printed the page on fabric using Epson DuraBrite ink. I wanted the text to appear in the reading eyeglass lenses. It worked

This is not a paper pieced block. It uses a machine satin stitch to outline the eyeglass frame. The lenses are cut away and novelty fabric is placed behind the openings. You could use the 4-inch glasses block for different things, for instance: “rose colored glasses,” or driving glasses with scenic fabric in the lenses.You can click on the small graphic below and print out a full size template for the glass frame embroidery to use for your own personal creation.