Moira is a member of my quilt guild, an online-only group called Sunshine.
Moira sent me eight blocks made with an embroidery technique called "candlewicking."
I learned from wikipedia that
"Candlewicking, or candlewick is a form of whitework embroidery that traditionally uses an unbleached cotton thread on a piece of unbleached muslin. It gets its name from the nature of the soft spun cotton thread, which was braided then used to form the wick for candles. Motifs are created using a variety of traditional embroidery stitches as well as a tufted stitch. Subject matter is usually taken from nature—flowers, insects, pine trees, and so on, Other traditional motifs resemble Pennsylvania Dutch or Colonial American designs.Modern designs include colored floss embroidery with the traditional white on white stitching."
Moira's Mom's designs all include this off-white stitching, often in the form of french knots.
Some of the blocks were also printed with this pretty blue background, making the central designs really pop.
I knew I would need to carefully quilt around all the stitching, so I decided to also add flanged borders around each block to frame them. Flanges also require a lot of tip-toeing around. In for a penny, in for a pound! I set the blocks in simple pale blue background to let them really shine.
Here is the finished quilt, full of softness and crinkles after a good wash and dry. I loved working with these special blocks. Many thanks to both Moira and her Mom for sharing them with Covered in Love!
Covered in Love is a 501(c)(3) charity that donates quilts to patients dying in the hospital, over 1700 so far! The Winter 2026 block drive is live now. Check out the main post HERE if you want to get involved. 
