My Journey

I have decided to put my other blog (Mary's Journey) on hold until I either leave work, which hopefully will be in June or start my Art and Design Foundation Course in September.

As explained in the blog I am taking redundancy this year as much of our work is being outsourced to Sri Lanka. I am not quite 50 yet but I feel it is time to take a new direction in my life whilst I am still young enough and able to do so.

Luckily I have a wonderful, supportive husband who as explained in my profile, "lets me witter on", but also does take a certain amount of interest and is encouraging me to take this journey into "finding myself!". I know that sounds like a cliche but that is what the Art and Design foundation will enable me to do, by exploring many mediums, techniques and studying other artists. So hopefully at the end of the year I should be in a better position to see in which direction my Art/Textiles will take me.

I really cannot wait.......but meanwhile I am very busy doing my full time job which does not leave a lot of time for the creative me, so my journey blog is on hold and all postings will now be directed here and/or to my my Flickr account.

Embroidery: TAST Cretan Stitch Background

Laura Lea asked me if I marked my leaves first on my Cretan leaves picture posted on Flickr

Well I started by doing the 2 large leaves freehand, but I was not happy with the outcome. So I sketched (in pencil) a stem on the back then added leaves as per the sketch here.

I then found that I could not see through the fabric, so I then went around the outline in black biro and on holding it up to the light I could then see the outline. The use of pencil or biro is not ideal as some of this could come through to the front with the stitches. If you look closely on the final version you will see that at the top I started to do a cretan stitch for the stem and after I unpicked it, as well as pin holes marks were left!

As yet I have not investigated fabric markers but if anyone out there has experience of these and could recommend one or two that would be appreciated.

Below is the back so that you can see where I stitched.
(click on either images to see detail)

Embroidery: TAST Cretan Stitch

Well here is my first attempt at Cretan stitch for TAST week 4 and I have found that I really like this stitch, but I do need to some more linear samples. I have taken this photo at night with a flash so I will look at it again tomorrow to see if a more natural will show the colours better and repost the picture if necessary.



The fabric was the other half to the piece I used for Week 2: Buttonhole, so if you want to know how I dyed the fabric please see blog below.

Some of you may wonder why I have managed to do so much in the last couple of days, well I have been off work with a streaming cold and unfortunately it has gone to my chest, and as I am an asthmatic that is not good news. Oh well hopefully I should be out and about very soon, in the meantime it is extremely late and I am shattered, so Good Night all.

Embroidery: TAST Detatched Chain

TAST Week 3 - Detached Chain

I decided to plan this design, and during one lunchtime (when it was very cold and snowy so I did not go out) I sketched a brief outline - quite easy really as I am always doodling flowers.

I used a natural linen fabric and DMC Perle No5 thread and every single stitch is Detached Chain







I really enjoyed doing this and will be a good edition to my book of stitches.

So onward with Week 4 which is Cretan Stitch
which is a stitch that I have never used so will be exciting challenge!

Embroidery: TAST Buttonhole

Only just onto week2 of Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday (TAST) - well here it is a very freestyle buttonhole.

First I lightly dyed my fabric, bargain curtain lining from Dumelm (or Dullelm as my 15 year old son calls it!). I have a palette of Koh-I-Noor Brilliant Waterbased Dyes that I got from Art Van Go at the last Harrogate knitting and stitching show and I just use them like watercolours. I lined the fabric with some medium vilene, and put the fabric into a frame.

All the stitches are a variation of buttonhole, and are all what I would call freestyle, that is just going with the flow.



I have an idea for TAST week3 detatched chain stitchso I had better get a shimmy on!

Embroidery: TAST Herringbone

Well here is my Herringbone sampler for week1 of SharonB's Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge.

I have had great fun. Top row is a double herringbone stitch (DMC 5 perle) interlaced with some Twilley's silver crochet thread. The middle was a fishy free font that I found on dafont.com then infilled using a freeform herringbone stitch, and the last row was just a closer stitch over a hand dyed silk ribbon.



I still have loads of ideas to further explore this stitch but I am also eager to get going on week 2 - buttonhole stitch.

I am sure Sharon is delighted by the amount of people who are joining in with this challenge and I would recommend any readers to take a look at all the exciting variations being created either on Sharons blog In A Minute Ago or on the Flickr Take a Stitch Tuesday Group

Embroidery: Beaded Mini Tote

Sorry I have been out of circulation for a while. The winter season does take me a lot of effort to keep up with the festivities, work etc.

Anyway, here I am making my first post of 2007, although it is a small token of some work I finished last year.

Onward and upward I am now working on some art work for my Journey about my major career change in 2007.

However, tonight we commence a new term at the sewing club so hopefully with this kick start I will be able to finish some UFO's or maybe have a new project to get our teeth into.