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?

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!

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!

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!

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.

Beadwork#2

Just a quicky blog - here are an evening version of the Christmas tree earrings

Beadwork

Yesterday I went to a workshop held by my good friend Ann Pearson. There were about 13 attendees and we set to to create Christmas beadwork ornaments including: stars, Father Christmas's, trees and earrings. Many of the attendees were new to beadwork and found it fiddly to begin with. Even though Ann was run ragged trying to keep up with the demands at the beginning, great fun was had by all and the outcome was fantastic, everyone went home happy with the treasures they had created - me included. Here are the earrings I created using fine wire taken from an old electric flex.


Whilst I had my beadwork box I also mended a necklace I made over a year ago - the trouble was I kept fiddling with the lovely dangly beads and eventually one broke. I must not fiddle...I must not fiddle...I must not fiddle...



I also finished a victorian style drop lace necklace that I had bought at a show last year. The reason I did not finish it was that I did not like the clasp that came with the kit, preferring instead magnetic clasps.



So all in all yesterday was a good day for learning new tricks and finishing UFO's

Embroidery: Ribbon

Here is a card that I made at a ribbon embroidery class that my good friend Ann Pearson gave for the local WI. I did make another one of a cluster of wine and pink coloured flowers which I liked better, but I gave it away before taking a photo - never mind.
I really enjoyed using the silk ribbon and found that it was quite easy on this type of open weave fabric. However, I did try some on my crazy quilt but unpicked it as I did find it more difficult on cotton.
Soon after I took some pictures of sunflowers down at the allotments, so next time I will have some pictures to refer to. I just love this bee!

(Category: embroidery)

Embroidery: Old Design New Technique

After a visit in 2005 to Coats Crafts UK Archive by a couple of our committee members a challenge was made to re-work an old design by using new techniques.

This was indeed a challenge to me as I was a new member to the Guild and had yet to explore not only traditional techniques but also the vast array of new materials and techniques that are now available.

I started by scanning the original design into my computer, then I created a basic pattern for my design.

After a lot thought and deliberation I came up with an outline as shown. The foundation of the design is layers of organza over net embellished with traditional freehand stitches, as however you look at it these traditional techniques can never be replaced.

I then did a lot of research and by accident came up with ‘Tyvek’ stitched with ‘Fab Film’, then heated to create the ideal scrunched effect for my centre pieces. The metallic clusters of multi coloured beads provide an ideal base to these to allow the centre pieces to stand away from the fabric to add another dimension. Liking the idea of rag rugging; but being allergic to hessian, I found that the rubber underlay that is now sold to protect tables as well as being a new material this was an ideal substitute. These small pieces using strips of the base organza fabric for the rugging are used to lift the centres like fluffy covered seeds from a seedpod. Finally the work was quilted to produce a raised effect.

At times I almost gave up but with the encouragement of fellow members I persevered and produced the final piece in time for the City of York Branch ‘Visible Threads’ Exhibition in June 2006. The piece was also exhibited in the recent Pocklington Art Exhibition.

So here I am, even though I feel the piece is naive I have now gained invaluable experience and feel more confident going onwards and hopefully upwards in my work.


(Category: embroidery)

Embroidery: Crazy Quilt Block update

Well I have managed to get started despite being so busy!

Using DMC Perle 5 I started by attaching some lace (cheap from the Market) using buttonhole stitch then basic herringbone embellished with silver lined beads. I have also applied some feather stitch which I have layered.
In the centres of the flowers I have done some french knots in both DMC Perle 5 and Anchor 3 stranded embroidery threads.
Along one seam there are some half buttonhole wheels and have started some grape embellishments using french knots
Today I am back at the exhibition so I maybe able to get some more done there.

The 100 details for a 100 days stitch-a-long was created by SharonB and for anyone who has not seen this blog it is well worth a visit.

(Category: embroidery)

Embroidery: Exhibition

The York Embroiderers' Guild had an exhibition in June at Askham Bryan on the outskirts of York. This is a triannual event and my first - it blew me away.
Anyway, I entered a competition and I will blog that at a later date but here is a taster from my piece.

After the exhibition some of the items were kept to one side and are now showing at Woldgate College, Pocklington, which is literally down the hill (Wold) from where I live. So for the next 2 weekends I have volunteered in the afternoons to go along and look after the exhibits and be on hand for queries etc.
Busy, busy, busy I also have to do the books and produce invoices for our local afternoon school club - no time for housework this weekend!
(category: embroidery)

Embroidery: Crazy Quilt Block

Well here it is - my first attempt at a complete block. Upto now all I have done are a few ATC's, which I was very happy with but because I was in a rush for a meeting forgot to take a photo before I swapped them.
Anyway, tonight I have created a nude block with a digital print on percale of some osteospermum (Cape Daisy) flowers at the centre (of course from my Mums lovely garden).
So now I can join in with Sharon B's 100 details for a 100 days of which I have been an avid follower, but because of other commitments have not been able to join in.
(category: embroidery)