Snippings

Kay Susan posted her TAST Fly sample last week and I was quite pleased to see that it isn't only me who keeps snippings, Kay has used some to great effect in her sample and Patchworkgandalf admits to keeping all the bits as well!

Here is my current pile which are in a small tray next to my chair. I think they make quite a nice photo, anyway they will get used eventually, maybe in a TAST challenge soon.

I think we creative types tend to be like Wombles (little furry creatures that collect and utilise items that humans discard). Luckily for me I live in quite a large house for the moment, but in a few years time we will have to downsize. Goodness knows what I will do then?

Breaking in!

I am sure that it is not only me, but I just love new things that are just too good to break into.

Here are some pastels that I bought last week and as soon as I took the wrapper off I just thought "no way can I start using them!"

It is also the same with a new pad of paper - what do I do, I procrastinate for so long that I end up loosing my nerve and do something else.


Here are some scrummy threads that I recently got off e-bay, its the same I just have to hang onto them and drool.

Oh well it is one of those nights when nothing gets done.

Embroidery: TAST Fly Stitch #2

Further to my previous blog on TAST Fly Stitch, I have now completed my idea of dandelion seed heads to fabric.

I used a single strand of white stranded embroidery thread and 3 strands for the stem stitch.

I am extremely pleased with the result and will definitely use this again in future creations.


Anyone reading this who does not know what TAST is then you can read about it here on Sharon B's In a Minute Ago blog or see the links on the right hand side to Flickr and to the Webring. Join in and enjoy!

Bargain

Bought some cleaning cloths (16 in pack) in Poundland that look like fine synthetic felt. So I thought I would give them a try.

I have used one as a backing to an embroidery and this appears to have been a success. As you can see I have also painted on one with fabric dye and I am quite please with the result. Obviously I do not think that they will retain their shape with washing but could be useful for those embroideries that are for decoration and not for everyday use.

Embroidery: TAST Fly Stitch

I cannot remember ever doing Fly stitch before, but I am finding this simple stitch facinating.

I have found that the more I doodle on paper the more patterns I keep finding. I have
posted a couple of pages (at the bottom of this blog) and am quite excited with the Kalidescope approach, but it does involve counting stitches and I do prefer freestyle.

I would like to bring all the designs to life with the introduction of fabric, thread, colour and arrangement, however, as per usual I do not currently have the time. So by having transferred my ideas to paper and some to my sampler I will be able to refer to them at a future date.

My first doodle was that this stitch reminded me of a floating seed head from a dandelion or similar plant (OK yes you may have realised by now that I love flowers and plants!) - so I started there and added the dandelions (design not shown), if I have time this will be my design submission to TAST

However, I am now racking my brain to find another non plant application!

I think I am coming to the conclusion that patterns or plants/foliage are the best interpretaion of this stitch. Early days! who knows something may come to me when I least expect it.

Anyone reading this who does not know what TAST is then you can read about it here on Sharon B's In a Minute Ago blog or see the links on the right hand side to Flickr and to the Webring. Join in and enjoy!

Embroidery: TAST Feather Stitch

Here we are week 7 and this weeks challenge from Sharon is Feather Stitch.

I started by drawing a selection of flowing patterns and decided on this design, I then dyed some fabric by painting it, using Koh-I-Noor Brilliant Waterbased Dyes (as described in Week 2 Buttonhole)

I used 3 threads, one was an Anchor stranded thread (1216) which is shaded - pale to a dark green, another thread was a cotton perle thread by House of Embroidery (8B Bush) which is green, brown and beige. This is quite a fine perle for me as I usually use a 5 but this is an 8. The third thread was a bulk standard stranded dark green that I had in stock. With the stranded thread I only used 3 strands. The lighter shades I used to represent new growth at the top and the browns on the outside and below.

The finished sample is 13 by 9.5 inches (33 by 23 cms).

I think this could do with some flecks of colour - maybe reds, purple or pinks so I will put it to one side and perhaps add some as flowers for a later challenge.

Anyone reading this who does not know what TAST is then you can read about it here on Sharon B's In a Minute Ago blog or see the links on the right hand side to Flickr and to the Webring. Join in and enjoy!

'Woolly Bully' in the Wolds

It has been a beautiful winter day here in sunny East Yorkshire and we took this opportunity to travel through the Wolds. We stopped at a beautiful part called Millington Pastures where there were Scottish Red Highlander cattle all sunning themselves. They looked wonderful with their coats of lovely rusty hues.


Here I applied an effect using colours taken first from the grass then the second from the coat:



This picture shows how lovely and tranquil this area is.

And this is a picture taken of a gate with the same effect I used for the cows, again taking the main colour from the surrounding greenery.

Brand New Camera

For my birthday last week I got a Digital SLR camera - Canon EOS 400D - wow! Well it is one of my treats for giving up work this year, and I will need it for my new chosen career. Anyway it is the business!
Last Sunday we went out to the coast at Scarborough, well we were off to Robin Hoods Bay but the road was closed, so we ended up in Scarborough. The day was very cold but quite sunny, as you will see the sun is quite low. I took loads of pickies and this week have been manipulating a few using Adobe photoshop.

The first is of Scarborough harbour looking inland - I just love the seagull.

This one is fishermen fishing off the pier - goodness it was cold...One caught a small flat fish whilst we were watching.

The rest are studies of Lobster Pots







I will be publishing a few more on my Flickr site soon.

Embroidery: TAST Eyelet

Week 6 of the TAST challenge I decided to do a freestyle (as per usual) Eyelet stitch.

I started by painting the fabric with light diagonal strokes in yellow, using Koh-I-Noor Brilliant Waterbased Dyes (as described in Week 2 Buttonhole)

The main threads are Anchor Perle, and I did not plan this but went with the flow.

Below you will see that I did some digital drawing in Excel for Algerian Eye stitch which could be a useful tool for times when you do not have any canvas or want to plan ahead.

I started with a row of full stitch, then gradually went down the page reducing stitches. Now I have a basic sample I could rearrange them into a design.
(Click on picture to see better view)

Anyone reading this who does not know what TAST is then you can read about it here on Sharon B's In a Minute Ago blog or see the links on the right hand side to Flickr and to the Webring. Join in and enjoy!

Surprise

Yesterday we had our guild meeting and it was manic for me as I had so much to see and people to meet – I am going to have to start going earlier.

Anyway, the big surprise was for Elizabet whom I met via Sharon B’s blog ‘In a minute ago’ and to those of you who do not know, Sharon is based in Canberra, Australia and myself and Elizabet are based in York, UK. As a surprise for Elizabet I bought 2 of Sharon B’s excellent mugs that are available on Sharon’s CafePress retail site.

Elizabet was certainly surprised. Thank you Sharon for your excellent Blog that brings like minded people together from across the globe.

Embroidery: TAST Chevron

It's a beautiful sunny day here and it's my Birthday! and if you want to calculate my age I was born "The day the music died!". But I am very much alive and raring to go - York Embroiderers Guild meeting this afternoon and I am really looking forward to it. There is to be a surprize and I will blog about that later.

Chevron - not sure if I like this stitch much as I found I kept catching the thread when coming back through to the mid point on the final part.



I used some linen fabric, which I doubled over. The design is based on a sunray, from my favourite period of design - Art Deco. On reflection I think I should have filled in the yellow rays with another stitch - who knows I may use the design again for another TAST challenge. The sun is detatched chain edged with buttonhole and I just couched some thread to frame the edge. The main threads are from Oliver Twist One-Offs no. 013 that I got off E-bay, where I get most of my threads cos we are short of good suppliers here. I also used some yellow and orange DMC Perle for the sun and yellow rays - again from E-bay.

Anyone reading this who does not know what TAST is then you can read about it here on Sharon B's In a Minute Ago blog or see the links on the right hand side to Flickr and to the Webring. Join in and enjoy!