SMockerySmArt - my embroidery blog

Tag Tuesday Challenge

2012-01-19T20:01:00.000Z

This week's word is White.

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A scrap of silk, machine quilted to felt. Wrapped wire arms and legs. A fabric painted face left over from making spirit dolls, outlined in trellis stitch on a foundation of buttonhole. Knotted fringe and two tiny buttons.
Instead of adding a hanging loop, I think I might put a pin on the back!

A challenging time

2012-01-09T16:52:00.000Z

Feeling a bit stale after Christmas. The weather doesn't help. Cold and grey, short days and long nights. Britain at it's best!

To try and pep things up a bit, I've signed on for a couple of challenges.
First of all, Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday to keep up the embroidery, it sometimes get neglected in favour of the doll-making.

Secondly, to keep the little grey cells active, I've also signed up for
Tag Tuesday. Each week there is a new theme or word to use to design an art tag.

This week's word is SNOW.

Here is my effort:

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Very simple. Drawn in coloured pencil and pen on paper then bonded to felt and machined around the edges. I'm planning to use these designs next Christmas in applique or fabric painting.

New Year and those UFOs

2012-01-01T13:13:00.002Z

Compliments of the Season to one and all! Have you made a reluctant resolution to finish off those UFOs? Know that you are unlikely to do it? Have no fear, go here!

It's a project to find out why we have unfinished pieces and to find a way to use them! The submission date has been extended to 31st January so if you have a UFO and a story to go with it, there is still time to send it in. If your UFO is too precious to part with, you can also send in digital photos.

I wish I had come across this sooner, I just read about it in Embroidery magazine.

Price of handmade goods

2011-11-19T19:55:00.000Z

How many of us have suffered like this blogger, I know I have:

http://whatthecraft.com/overpriced-cant-afford-handmade-pricing/

Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday

2011-11-18T15:22:00.002Z

Sharon B is asking if people would like to have another TAST Challenge next year.

I had such fun with the last two that I started a separate blog for all the samples I made.

If you want to practice your stitches, learn some new ones or need an incentive to keep your hand in, click on the first link to read all about it and leave a comment to register your interest.

2012 Santa

2011-11-09T22:12:00.000Z

Here's this year's Santa decoration. I make just a few of these each year, some for gifts and one or two for sale.

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Lots of stitchery, sequins and beads:

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This year's Santa has stuffed appliqued arms and felt hands.

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Signature III at The Greenstede Gallery

2011-10-14T19:56:00.001+01:00

I went to an excellent exhibition by Zero3 in East Grinstead today. Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

I had seen some of the pieces on the Zero3 website but the work is so much more impressive in real life. The Greenstede Gallery often has textile exhibitions at this time of year. It's a good space for textiles, there is plenty of parking at reasonable rates and there is a nice cafeteria in the adjacent Chequer Mead leisure centre.

Keep going! Ottoman inspiration

2011-10-13T17:48:00.000+01:00

You know how it is - you get so far with a project and you can't wait to see if it has worked. I couldn't wait to take this off the pattern and hold it up. So I kept on filling it in, and here it is:

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Nothing fell off! But I think I've said before, it's not as neat as I would like. I plan to stitch a shiny washer into the round hole at the bottom. Not sure what I will do with it after that.........

Ottoman Inspiration - WIP

2011-10-04T21:11:00.000+01:00

I may have bitten off more than I can chew here!
You can click on the photos to enlarge.

This isn't as neat as I would like, and I'm finding it difficult to start and end threads tidily.

Making the Lace sample

2011-09-22T17:42:00.001+01:00

I had no instructions for doing this, so I just reversed the method I used for the stitching on the bee box, working from the outside in, rather than from the centre outwards and using detached buttonhole stitch.

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I started by buttonholing all around the outside foundation thread in cotton perle. Then I laid in a metallic thread with detached buttonhole stitch along the first row. I made two or three rows like this, then buttonholed the last row to the second line of foundation thread to make a border.

Then I started to fill in an enclosed area of the pattern in the same way, laying down a metallic thread with detached buttonhole stitch worked all around the foundation thread.

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This is time consuming. You need to use a blunt tapestry needle and make sure that you don't stitch the detached buttonhole stitch to the fabric of the pattern. Using a closely woven cotton helps.

Continuing inspiration from Ottoman Art

2011-09-21T11:00:00.001+01:00

The article I found was by Virginia Churchill Bath. I have been an admirer of her lace work for a long time. A picture of a piece of her work from "Stitchery and Needle Lace from Threads Magazine" formed part of the inspiration for a box I made based on the cells in a bee hive:

Here, the buttonhole stitch was worked into the fabric on the box, but now I wanted to make a piece of free standing lace. I made a pattern for the design:

The design is drawn on closely woven, fine cotton. This is backed with a piece of craft vilene (pellon) and another piece of cotton on the bottom. This is all machine stitched together around the edges. This method of making needle lace was published in the same book and was written by Eunice Kaiser. I adapted it slightly to make my piece and I used a permanent laundry marker for the outline, so that I can use the pattern again, and wash it if necessary. It remains to be seen if it works!

Foundation threads are stitched along the pattern lines. These tacking stitches are taken out when the work is finished and the lace is lifted from the backing.

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This proved to be more time consuming than I had thought and some careful planning is needed in laying these threads to ensure that there is always a support for the filling stitches. By the time I'd laid half the foundation threads I was wishing that I had chosen a smaller and simpler pattern for my first attempt!

Inspired by Ottoman Art

2011-09-19T17:17:00.001+01:00

I saw an item featuring pieces of Ottoman art and it reminded me of an article I had seen in this book:

I've had this book for a good ten years and it's still a favourite.
The article I remembered was by Virginia Churchill Bath. The author looked at various pieces of Ottoman art and interpreted them in contemporary embroidery using different techniques.

I decided this would be a good project for me right now. I'm not fit enough yet to spend long hours in the workshop, but I can easily sit and stitch quietly in the conservatory! I got out my Grammar of Ornament and selected this motif to start with.

I simplified it like this:

Next, I need to decide how to interpret it.

Another UFO comes out.............................

2011-09-07T19:19:00.000+01:00

Back home from hospital and slowly recovering. I can potter around a bit and I came across this UFO in the workshop. I started it a while ago back here:

Today, I made some legs:

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Those felt balls are the pollen baskets.
Here's how it will fit together:

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And here's a side view:

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A Nice Day Out.......

2011-07-26T20:30:00.001+01:00

We went to a sculpture event at Borde Hill Gardens, Near Ardingly, Sussex, yesterday and with my predilection for making things out of bits of old tat that I've mangled together, I have to say I found some it quite inspiring.

This was my favourite:

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Rodney Chameleon. I think he must be made of old chain saw parts. Extreme steampunk!

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A stag beetle.

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A samurai fighting a spider. The samurai was 7 feet tall. Look at all those layers.

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There were some pretty things too. Pink flowers with copper leaves.

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And this was called "Unstitched". My excitement was a little bit dampened when I finally found it on the sculpture trail!

The sculptures were made by Anvil Ironworks.

Using up samples 1

2011-06-15T21:37:00.006+01:00

What to do with some of the bits and pieces of samples that accumulate and you can't bring yourself to throw out. Make one into a little gift bag, of course:

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This has a bit of an "indian influence"

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A small piece of machine quilted fabric machine appliques to a larger piece of silk and bordered with trellis stitch on a buttonhole foundation. Further embellishment with straight stitch, french knots and beads.

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Back and front sections cut out, backed with felt and machined together with zigzag stitch, simultaneously attaching matching machine wrapped cord. Edges finished with trellis stitch on a buttonhole foundation in cotton perle thread. Measures around 7 x5 inches.

Catching up with the WIPs

2011-06-02T22:33:00.014+01:00

I've cancelled all my committments to attend craft fairs with the Creative Co-op until after Christmas because I'm on a hospital waiting list for later this year. In the meantime, without the pressure of stocking a table, I can play around in the workshop when I am able to. Currently I'm catching up on some WIPs.

Starting with this:

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I backed the piece with thick cotton curtain interlining and added some running stitch for texture.

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Here I have machine stitched the piece to some natural linen, the original fabric that I hand dyed. I've fringed it back to the stitching line. Now I just have to decide how to finish it off.

The inspiration for this piece came partly from a fabric postcard internet challenge, 6 x 4 lives, started by Sharon Boggon. At the same time, Jo in New Zealand was getting us all fired up over paisley designs. I was following an internet course, Develop A Personal Library of Stitches (no longer available), also by Sharon Boggon and many of the stitches got incorporated in this piece, Paisley Postcards.

You can revisit previous posts on this piece by clicking on the label "paisley" in the right hand sidebar.

Same old song

2011-06-02T22:30:00.004+01:00

I think this is about finished...........

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...although I'm not entirely sure about the pink in the border. I'm keeping it pinned up above the sewing machine in the workroom for now, while I think about it.

It's the same old song......

2011-05-28T21:20:00.007+01:00

It's been a year, it's time I finished this one off:

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Stitched to blue ecofelt. Layered onto pink ecofelt, wadding and muslin. Raw edges covered with trellis stitch on a buttonhole foundation. Further embellished with buttonhole and cretan stitch.

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Next step is to face with calico, with a hanging strip. This is a small quilted piece with many personal memories, so there will be a pocket on the back to hold mementos.

Lids and luck

2011-05-17T20:07:00.006+01:00

I made a couple of pots a while ago. I made enough "embellisher" fabric for the pots, but not enough for the lids. When I came to make the lids, I couldn't find the last piece of the fabric.

I just found it, while I was looking for something else!

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The sides of the pot are made from sections of cardboard tube that carpet is wrapped around.

I decided to make the lids from unwanted CDs and picture framers' board.

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I've covered the lids, lined them and stitched on the side pieces. Now I'm embroidering them ready for beading.

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Sketchbook Challenge - May

2011-05-05T12:44:00.010+01:00

The theme for May is RESIST. Lots of possible interpretations for that!

I've been RESISTING still life drawing because it is definitely not my forte. I need to be faced with a living thing, whether directly in front of me or a photograph I've taken myself. I have a real problem drawing inanimate objects. Fruit and flowers are fine, because they grow and they have a flavour and a scent and I get a "feeling" from them.

Anyway, I decided to use a glass of wine and try a still life with that as a starting point. But I couldn't RESIST, I have no will-power where a good red is concerned and I drank it. And then I drank another...............and then the last half a glass.

Of course, then I'd had enough wine to be easily distracted and I got interested in the reflection of the bottom of the glass in my spare pair of specs and the reflection of the window blinds on the glass table.

So, after failing to put up any kind of RESISTANCE, here's the empty glass!

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Coloured pencil on white cartridge - A5 size.

Sketchbook Challenge - March/April

2011-04-18T12:49:00.005+01:00

I do love this time of year. Everything bursts into flower and blossom spills over garden walls and fences everywhere. I was prompted to move out of my comfort zone and branch out to try painting blossoms on dark coloured canson paper with very soft coloured pencils instead of my usual fine, meticulous style on white paper.

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Apple Blossom Time
Dark green Canson paper. Koh-i-noor pencils. A little under A4 size.

Me and my bird

2011-04-04T14:31:00.003+01:00

Birds get friends:

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Birds of a feather.........................

2011-03-16T22:52:00.004Z

I'm still playing with birds. I had in mind a flock of brightly coloured birds to decorate the craft stall. I finally settled two shapes: my "chicken" shaped bird and one other, courtesy of Nellie Durand. I've used Nellie's pattern before, but I gave my birds nice big feet to make them stand up better.

Here's my flock of bigfoot birds:

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They are made from left-over scraps of quilted or "embellisher" fabric and have needlefelted beaks.

This one is my current favourite, made from my "chicken" shaped body pattern with Nellie's wings.

Bird brained

2011-03-16T18:05:00.005Z

Still trying out different bird shapes, again all stitched together by hand because it's still too cold in the workshop:

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This one has a slightly different body shape and a three-pointed tail. It is made from left-over scraps of quilted fabric.

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Not sure about that tail.

Again the seams are buttonholed together and embellished with trellis stitch. I added embroidery in coloured threads to help co-ordinate the different fabrics.

Out and About with the Creative Co-op

2011-03-14T17:41:00.004Z

It's British Tourism Week, with a particular focus on traditional seaside resorts and their piers. The Creative Co-op organised an Art Out on the pier. The plan was to have artists and crafts people sketching, painting, photographing and if possible demonstrating for a couple of hours on Saturday. Work would then be finished off as quickly as possible, ready to be exhibited during the week as a venue became available. Fourteen people came along to take part and generated quite a bit of interest.

It was a bit difficult to think of a way to demonstrate textile work on the pier, especially as it is always windy. I decided to take along some small pieces of fabric and some dye sticks and do rubbings of interesting textures.

Here are some of my bits:

and here's what I did with them when I got home:

Cut up, layered and bonded to a dishcloth made from recycled plastic bottles.

Some simple stitches added

and finally stitched to a backing. Measures about 12 by 8 inches.

The View from the Pier. (The sea, the beach, the cliffs and the downs.)

It's been a long time since I did anything on the art quilt front. I did this very quickly and I wasn't best pleased with the result, but it has given me some ideas for later!

International Womens' Day

2011-03-07T16:07:00.006Z

March 8th is International Womens' Day. There's a Post a Photo challenge on Stitchin' Fingers to show something made in the suffragette colours of purple (for dignity), white (for purity) and green (for hope).

Here's mine, its a pin doll:

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There's a fat bird in my sitting room....

2011-03-01T17:15:00.004Z

and it's not me. Well it is! But there's this one too:

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I've been playing around with different bird shapes. I cut this out from my usual "embellisher" fabric and sewed it together by hand, because the sewing machine was outside in the workroom and it was just too cold to go out there. I buttonholed all the raw edges together, decorated it with hand stitches and finally finished off the edges with trellis stitch. The beak is needlefelted.

Saints alive!!!!

2011-02-24T20:56:00.003Z

I was just browsing through The Blurb Bookstore and I came across this book. It amused me, and I thought some of the quilters out there might find it interesting.

You can preview a few pages here.

More foolery

2011-02-20T13:29:00.007Z

I've been busy using up scraps to make more embroidered cuffs.

This is how they start off. Small offcuts of fleecy fabric, tiny scraps of silk and wisps of wool sliver (roving) meshed together on the embellisher, machine quilted to a backing of eco felt and hand embroidered. Then made into a "sandwich" with a pelmet vilene (pellon) "filling" and a felt or fabric bottom "slice" and machine zigzagged together.

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Then they get buttonholed all the way around and further embellished with trellis stitch and beads. I like to fasten them with beads and buttonholed loops.

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Here's a couple that are finished:

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The larger one has "tiles" of constructed fabric appliqued by machine before the hand stitching.
The one that is threaded through is made in the same way as the pieces in the first photo.

This one is my current favourite!

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You can see the beads and the buttonholed loops in this photo. These last two have a top layer of printed chiffon embellished to the fleecy fabric, I like the way the barbed needles "distress" this fabric.

It's all humbug!

2011-02-15T22:20:00.005Z

Messing about with humbug shapes using scraps of needlefelted fabric, I made these two pincushions. I always need another pincushion!

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I made the first, the red one, with the seams to the inside, the second with the seams on the outside.

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It's a tube, made from one or two rectangles (my pairs of rectangles were the same width but different lengths, so the seams are not lined up. Altering the proportions of the rectangle(s) changes the shape of the humbug). For the third side, put the seam(s) in the centre, for the fourth side fold the other way and put the seam(s) at the side. Don't forget to leave a gap to turn out.

I was playing with these because I was thinking of making some small bags and toying with the idea of using this shape for feet................

Sketchbook Challenge - February - Opposite

2011-02-07T19:18:00.006Z

Complementary colours, opposite on the colour wheel. A clementine drawn on blue card.

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Not one of my best. Coloured pencil. I should have used a better support, but instead I used card from the Pound Shop and it wouldn't take enough layers of pencil.

Having said that, it was a challenging subject to draw. Trying to keep the luminosity of the orange fruit, with all that white pith was very difficult. I'll probably try it again with harder pencils and a better support. My own challenge was moving out of my "comfort zone" to use a coloured ground.

Second try on purple Canson paper:

I'd had it in mind to draw this last year, but I didn't get around to it. The image was posted on an internet challenge, Virtual Sketch Date. A photograph was posted each month for people to draw and leave a link on the virtual sketch date blog. The challenge finished early last year, but the blog and the images are still available here.

On the subject of "opposite" I did these a while ago, whilst following Illustration Friday.

Day

Night

The Illustration Friday word that week was "Remote"

Paisley UFO

2011-02-03T15:13:00.002Z

Here it is, stretching on my batik frame. I'm not sure if it's finished or not. I want to keep some of the dye markings clearly visible, so I don't want to fill it completely with stitches.

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No idea what I'm going to do with this. I always have this trouble when I make anything "flat"!

Revisiting a UFO

2011-01-28T19:32:00.007Z

It was too cold and wet to go out so I was sorting through the UFOs and picked out this Paisley Post as You Go:

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I started this whilst I was busy with Sharon B's Develop a Personal Library of Stitches on-line course, so lots of the stitches got incorporated. At the same time, NZJo had a thing going about paisley and I got enthused! Sharon's course is no longer running, but she does offer some good alternatives here: details on her blog, Pintangle.

I worked on it for weeks, experimented with lots of stitch variations, unpicked and rearranged it a few times, so I think it qualifies as another slow cloth.

I've taken out that dark grey and white horizontal band near the top and filled in a few more motifs.

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I had to take off the washers and sequins to roll it around the stretcher bar and I couldn't find them, so I've put some stitches in their place.

Now it is being damp stretched on my batik frame, so I can look at it and decide whether or not it needs anything more. Then I'll have to decide what I'm going to do with it.

Sketchbook Challenge - Highly Prized - family

2011-01-11T13:24:00.003Z

Another word from my list for Highly Prized - family.

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Title: Saturday Afternoon.

The Boss settled down on the sofa to read the New Scientist but his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

Coloured pencil on textured pastel paper. 10 x 8"

I started this as a life drawing, but took a reference photo as well to work from later. I have to say, this portrait means more to me than a photograph ever could.

Sketchbook Challenge - Highly Prized

2011-01-11T13:04:00.005Z

I've taken another word from my list - memento.

This poor dessicated bunch of flora is what remains of my corsage for my daughter's wedding almost eleven years ago and I'm not making a good job of reproducing it in coloured pencil. I didn't realise it would be such a difficult subject, even though I've simplified it a little!

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Lightly placing the various bits and pieces and starting with the dried flowers.

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Beginning to fill in the details.

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Strengthening the darks and adding some highlights. I think I'll leave it here. The cheap paper I used won't take any more pencil anyway!
Not one of my best efforts. Clearly I haven't been "keeping my hand in", but that's the reason I decided to follow the Sketchbook Challenge.

Another result - that faded wedding finery puts me in mind of a good character for a doll. I'll have to read Great Expectations again now. No real hardship!

Thoughts of pieces using tea and coffee dyed and natural fabrics with an old and faded look also spring to mind.

Inspiration from The Sketchbook Challenge already, and in the first month. Just what I was hoping for!

Sketchbook Challenge - Jan 2011

2011-01-05T20:35:00.004Z

I "wordled" highly prized.

This was the result.

You can "wordle" too click here.

Sketchbook Challenge - Jan2011

2011-01-05T20:08:00.005Z

Highly Prized - Gifts from Grandchildren! When they saw this little china badger in the second hand shop, they KNEW that I would want it. It's funny how the things they REALLY LIKE always seem to be exactly the things that they KNOW granny would want! And of course granny treasures each and every one.

Here it is sketched in ordinary graphite pencil with light touches of colour and a little black felt tip on plain white paper:

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not quite right, something wrong with his nose!

But badgers are nocturnal animals, so I tried it again on a sheet of cheap black card in coloured pencil:

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Ah! That's better!

Having studied and drawn this I realised that for a cheap, mass produced china animal someone has gone to a bit of trouble with the pose. He's sleek, stealing along quietly, sniffing the air because he has scented something on the breeze.

The grandchildren were quite right, I do like him!

Sketchbook Challenge - Jan 2011

2011-01-03T19:28:00.003Z

The first challenge theme for the year is up - Highly Prized. This didn't really suit me - I would have preferred something a little more "concrete" - a word maybe, like "rust" or "decay" or "marine" - but hey, I'm always prepared to have a go. Stretch yourself the challenge says, maybe I can stretch the theme!

I started here, by making a chart:

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Want to know more about the Sketchbook Challenge, click on the button:

Happy New Year Everyone

2011-01-02T15:39:00.003Z

Well, here we are in 2011. From my point of view: some tears for the year just gone by, a few fears and lots and lots of hope for the year to come. No New Year Resolutions, because I can't keep them! In any case, if what I would have resolved was good, then I should be doing it anyway!

First affirmative action this year, I've decided to participate in the Sketchbook Challenge.

Find out all about it here:

And a quick thank you to all of you that read my blog over the last year and left me comments, and thank you to all the authors of the blogs that I have read and been inspired by, way too many to list here. Long may we continue!!!!!

Greetings!

2010-12-25T10:12:00.002Z

Bells and hearts

2010-12-03T20:22:00.003Z

Some of this year's handmade christmas tree decorations. For the Christmas Craft Fair and for personal presents. I like to make a few each year for family and friends.

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Scraps of synthetic fleece fabric layered onto ecofelt with wisps of wool tops (roving) and run through the embellisher machine. Then machine quilted and hand embroidered. Finished with a machine wrapped cord and wooden beads.

All cut up about it!

2010-12-01T15:20:00.003Z

I'm fed up with constantly buying new embroidery scissors. I must have spent quite a lot of money over the years and I have a drawerful of blunt scissors. I've tried the "manual" types of sharpener and been totally underwhelmed by the results. I've been looking at what else is available. Has anyone got, or tried, a really good electric scissor sharpener you could recommend? I'm sure it would save me money in the long run.

Tom Foolery Joolery!

2010-11-25T22:30:00.004Z

A little light relief. I've had it in mind to try making an embroidered cuff for a while, so I had a go, using up some odds and ends.

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It is a "sandwich" of needle felted and embroidered fabric, pelmet vilene (pellon) and commercially produced felt. I used velcro (hook and loop) as a fastener, but I wasn't very pleased with it. It made the cuff far too thick and the overlap didn't sit nicely. I had to add a bead and loop fastening to the edge to keep it flat.

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So, an opportunity for experimentation with different kinds of decorative fastenings!

It is edged with my favourite trellis stitch!

Treasured!

2010-11-23T19:05:00.002Z

My comfort cats have been featured in an Etsy treasury courtesy of The Virgin Rose from Mexico. Thank you Virgin Rose!

Threads in Common

2010-11-22T17:36:00.002Z

Went to see a very nice exhibition today:

Reflections from a sketchbook - Threads in Common.

At the Greenstede Gallery, East Grinstead.

An exhibition of textile, mixed media and painting. A wide variety of styles and the standard is very high. Well worth a visit. Unfortunately the group do not have a presence on the web, so I can't link to any of their work.

The Greenstede Gallery is a very nice venue with a cafe and cheap car parking right outside.

Blog flog.............

2010-11-05T19:50:00.004Z

It's clearly my day for passing on information. I just found this blog from the New Embroidery Group. Well worth a visit, especially for this page of experimental or nue samples and the gallery of members' work.

Textile Studio Exhibition

2010-11-05T19:15:00.005Z

I've just been to a really nice exhibition by the Textile Studio at the
Greenstede Gallery in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

This group have been going for 40 years. To celebrate they decided that each current member would make a piece with 40 as the theme. The pieces are very varied but each is plainly mounted on a board, all the same height and they make a really nice display showing a wide variety of styles and techniques. In addition, there are many more very impressive examples of members' work.

I asked if this group have a web presence and was told that they do not. I think that's a pity. I "lifted" this description from an exhibition leaflet:

The Textile Studio was formed in 1970 for advanced embroidery students and those interested in developing their textile and designing skills by meeting with like-minded people. It has since gained a well-deserved reputation through successful exhibitions of creative work, using fabrics, threads and other materials to push forward beyond the traditional boundaries. During the life of the group, many well-known textile artists have been members.

Members enjoy working together to exchange ideas and knowledge. Their wide range of skills includes embroidery, felt making, silk painting, patchwork and quilting, mixed media, beadwork, three-dimensional work and dyeing.

The group aims to be experimental – exploring fabrics, threads and other media in an innovative way. Textiles are produced in a variety of forms including wall hangings, soft furnishings, quilts, clothing and accessories, soft sculpture and jewellery.

Well worth a visit if you are in the area, and there are 3 more textile-related exhibitions at the Greenstede Gallery coming up over the next two months.

Christmas is coming..............

2010-11-05T12:22:00.006Z

and while I object to shops putting out the decorations and playing the christmas tapes (Store 21 you should be ashamed of yourselves), I should have been getting ready for the seasonal craft fairs for a while now. Left things until the last minute as usual!

Here is my favourite from this year's batch of SMockery Santas!

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I fell in love with this chap myself............

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...and then I sold him.

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How could I do that?!

A bit late.....................

2010-11-05T12:18:00.003Z

but happy halloween ....................

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Here's my latest witch!

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A little bit more...............

2010-10-23T22:13:00.005+01:00

I took out that bit of french knots I didn't like - and added a couple more TAST stitches.

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I think the embroidery on this is finished now - I just have to decide where to go next. I want to put a white layer underneath to strengthen the colours, so I tried wadding with some hand contour quilting, but it didn't work. I may try tying with colonial knots.

Stretch my song.............

2010-10-09T11:05:00.000+01:00

I really don't know where I'm going with this. It's difficult to tell when parts of it are hooped up and other parts are all puckered around the stitching, so I decided to stretch it then take another look. Here it is, pinned on my batik frame, ready for dampening:

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The embroidered part of it measures 18 x 12 inches.

Now that I have looked at it again, I've decided to take out that cross shape in white french knots and replace it with some more needleweaving in a variegated thread. I can see that I've still got room for one or two more TAST stitches too, so I'm not quite done with it yet.

This piece kept me company during the dark hours before dawn when I awoke and couldn't get back to sleep because my mind was full of worry, sadness or fear. I'm not sure yet how I want to finish it, but I do want to give it the respect it deserves because it is very important to me. It has a lot of meaning for me and at some time in the future I know it will be a comfort.

Featured!

2010-09-18T21:52:00.005+01:00

BeeFranck featured my felt fish as a Stitchgasm over at MrXStitch. Thank you BeeFranck!

It's well worth going to take a look at MrXStitch to see all kinds of embroidery, interviews with artists, guest columns and more but beware - subversive stitching is featured on Saturdays, not for those of a nervous disposition!

You should have seen the one that got away!...

2010-09-07T19:42:00.002+01:00

Creatures from the deep. I may have gone a bit over the top with this pair.

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Once more with feeling............

2010-09-06T12:59:00.004+01:00

I've felt able to pick up this piece again at last, and so I've done a bit more to it:

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It is almost full up!

Catch of the Day!

2010-09-04T18:03:00.003+01:00

Made some progress:

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All felted and on adjustable cords for hanging - variations in faces, fins and tails!

Something VERY fishy going on here!

2010-09-03T18:36:00.004+01:00

A few WIPs to finish up, before I start on this year's Christmas ideas.

Time I got going on these felted fish:

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.....Weep if you must for parting is hell...................

2010-08-31T08:51:00.008+01:00

but life goes on so sing as well (Joyce Grenfell).

To that end, I joined other members of the Creative Co-op at the Llammas Fair at the beginning of this month. Here's your truly, all dressed up and ready to throw myself into the spirit!

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I actually sold a couple of dolls like those! In fact, I did quite well over the two days. My friend Suesi says it must have been the "Lucky Llammas Outfit". The bubble soon burst though, I had another outing this month at a local Funday and I sold one card for £1.50 - I threw caution to the wind and spent it on an icecream! Still, it's got me going again. I'm going to tidy up the sewing room this week and dust off my needles and pins!

Here's a couple more pictures of the Llammas Fair, courtesy of my friend Alanna:

John Barcleycorn, he was at the head of the procession with the Eastbourne Giants.

Some of Eastbourne's own Morris Dancers.

and a picture of my table in the gazebo:

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Double edged sword

2010-07-21T19:16:00.005+01:00

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Raw grief can be a sharp, sharp pain, especially if it is accompanied by anger and bitterness. So this TAST stitch was just right. I spat and I stabbed and I stitched.

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Here the sword stitch is worked in a circle, all encompassing, pointing inwards, focusing on the source of the pain and guarding the memory of the one that is gone.

My Sad Song continues...........

2010-06-20T21:36:00.005+01:00

but in more subdued colours now. Still a slow cloth and still using the "TAST 2010" stitches.

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RIP my lovely Jim - 22 June 2010

To find out all about TAST 2010 click
here.

Now the piece has a proper name..............

2010-06-07T06:43:00.005+01:00

It is to be called "My Sad Song". (Because hope is gone)

We were given the worst possible news last Tuesday and for a few days I didn't even pick up this piece of work. Although my brother is two years younger than me, he's my big brother, he's always been there. Thankfully, I knew before he did. I visited a day earlier and saw the doctor. When he telephoned to tell me after getting his biopsy results, he said "Never mind" - he's still looking after me. I'm so grateful that I was prepared.

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So, all the hope that I stitched into the top left hand corner of this piece is gone. There are other little bits of hope scattered around it too. We have been on such a rollercoaster ride. The treatment my brother received in the first few weeks was callous and incompetent and time after time we were told the worst, then given hope, then had it snatched away again. Now he has a new consultant and his care and treatment have improved immeasurably. So, first has to come acceptance and then later, much later I hope, grief.

(The condition that my brother has is called CUP(cancer of unknown primary). 3-4 percent of cancer sufferers present with this problem. Much work needs to be done by the medical profession on the speed of diagnosis and the way that this disease is presented to patients and their loved ones.)

I learn more about 'Slow Cloth'

2010-05-30T08:29:00.011+01:00

Unusual for me, an introspective post.

Suddenly I find some very personal meaning in a piece of work.

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I started this piece for Sharon B's TAST2010 challenge. A stitch a week for one year. I realised that it wasn't going to last, so I patched on some extra pieces of fabric and stitched scraps around the sides so that I can work right to the edges and more easily hoop the piece.

It is hand stitched and it will go on for the best part of a year. That has to be a 'Slow Cloth'!.

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I will be learning new stitches, or experimenting with old favourites as I go along.

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Also, this is a perfect example of the way I like to use threads and stitches to completely change the look of a piece of fabric. The background to this piece is made up of patched together pieces from the reject bin. Ragged bits of muslin I used as sop cloths when I marbled some nappy (diaper) liners with oil paints. Looking at the heavily stitched areas, you would never know!

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Lastly, but most importantly: my brother is very ill. He has been in hospital since March 25th. This week we anxiously await the results of a bone biopsy. I am so scared that we are going to lose him, and I panic. Then I think about how scared he must be, the pain he is suffering and I am distraught.

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I pick up this piece and I stitch, and I stitch. I'm still afraid. I think about him all the time, one minute hope the next despair. But the stitching has a calming effect. For all this time, I have stitched my thoughts into that piece of work. Never before has this happened. Whatever the outcome, I don't think that I will ever part with it. For it has become my 'Piece for Jim'.

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To find out all about TAST 2010 click
here.

Monochrome

2010-05-29T08:55:00.005+01:00

Feeling Stitchy is running a rainbow challenge. All work has to be displayed on the Flickr Group and must be hand embroidery in predominantly one colour. I think there is just one more day to go, get the details here.

I put in a couple of pieces of canvas work. I'm not sure what colour category they belong to! One is all grey and the other is mostly black and white with touches of colour. I put them in the 'black' section.

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This one was about texture and scale.

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This one was about texture and cool colours.

Wise Ones and Elders

2010-05-13T13:38:00.004+01:00

I've added a few more to this collection, another "Wise One" and a couple of "Elders".

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I wanted to make them look foreign and exotic, without any distinct racial characteristics - not sure if I succeeded.

Wise words

2010-04-26T20:44:00.008+01:00

When I posted here about trying to make something cheap enough to sell and not doing the kind of work that I really like, my friend Tarni sent me a message saying "Don't get good at something you don't like doing". I took note of her wise words and took time for myself and made these "Wise Ones" just because I wanted to:

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They incorporate all the things that I like doing best. The base fabrics are constructed of bits and pieces, machine quilted, embellished on the machine and needlefelted. Portraits in coloured pencil, needle sculpted. Fancy headresses:

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Best of all, lots and lots of slow, rhythmical hand stitching that took several hours. Lots of texture:

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All combined into a 3-dimensional decorative item, around 9 inches high, that can stand up on its own.

My friend Tarni also tells me that I underprice my work. That if I want to continue making the heavily embroidered items that I like, and be taken seriously as a textile artist, I must be prepared to charge a fair price, reflecting the skill and time involved. I'm working on that....................

You can embroider just about anything...........

2010-04-16T21:44:00.004+01:00

Close up of stitching on a trio of goddess dolls:

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The fabric is recycled felt needlepunched with scraps of silk, chiffon and wool sliver (roving), machine quilted then embellished with stitchery.

I used most of my favourite stitches: double herringbone, double cretan, threaded herringbone, laced fly stitch, buttonhole and trellis stitch.

Here's a picture of the three ladies:

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Just cruisin' and usin' up some scraps!

2010-04-12T16:15:00.004+01:00

Odds and ends made from scraps and leftovers, useful to put on the table at craft fairs.

Some brightly coloured fabric badges:

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Spot the TAST knotted buttonhole stitch!

and a handful of pretty patchwork pincushions:

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Country cats

2010-03-17T14:04:00.006Z

Still looking towards the early summer craft fair, I came up with these:

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They don't take too long to make and as they don't take up much fabric they use up left over scraps. They are just 5 inches high and almost as much around, can stand up on their own on their fat bottoms and I think that several of them will look bright and cheerful on the stall.
(Here's a fat bottom)

But:
here's the problem. In trying to come up with something handmade that is cheap and cheeful enough for people to buy at our local craft fairs I'm getting further and further away from the intricate and labour intensive embroidery that I love but that people are not prepared to pay for.

Catch of the day!

2010-03-15T09:16:00.006Z

I'm still playing with the felted fish. There's lots of room for experiment and improvement in the technique:

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Some are just felted, some are spotted and some are heavily embroidered, like this pair:

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The smaller of the pair, just a little adornment.

And his flamboyant big brother

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stitched and seeded, primped and preened:

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Having great frustrations and fun with these!

Squawk Squawk!!!!

2010-03-10T12:40:00.006Z

Still looking to make something cheap and cheerful for the seasonal craft fairs that people might actually buy. Maybe something more appropriate for a coastal town, in the hope that summer visitors might buy it as a souvenir? So, as they woke me up at the crack of dawn today, I thought of seagulls.

Here's the first tryout:

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I made these from my favourite synthetic suede fabric, with scraps of vintage Laura Ashley print for the wings. I think they need to have dark beaks. The Boss says they need to look "fitter, more athletic and aggressive" he thinks these are a bit soft and flabby and more like pigeons. I prefer the look of the lighter coloured one, I think it's the angle of the wings.

You can see from the colour of the sky that it's a beautiful day here. I didn't venture outside to take the photo though. See the reflection of the conservatory roof? I'm staying in here, it is bitterly cold!

Quick update on Blurb - my embroidery book

2010-03-05T16:07:00.006Z

I finished the book I was making for myself. It came this morning, well within 5 days of uploading it to Blurb. I'm really pleased with the look of it. The premium paper is heavy and feels silky and the photographs reproduced really well. It is a bright and colourful picture book, just what I wanted. It was easy to down-load and use the software and there is plenty of help on-line in the form of FAQs. I had one small problem that wasn't catered for but I sent an email and received a useful reply almost by return. So, from me they get a gold star.

Of course, I didn't get it right straight away. (I knew I should have asked 'The Boss' to proof read it too, but he's so BORED by it!) But I've corrected all my glaring editorial errors (I hope) uploaded and re-ordered it and I've put the whole thing on preview so that anyone interested in Blurb can see what one of the books (albeit unprofessionally edited by me) might look like. Just click on the badge in the sidebar.
From there, you should be able to peruse the whole Blurb site.

Working an idea.....................

2010-02-22T11:03:00.009Z

Someone said that these little pieced cotton dolls reminded her of native indian babies in their papooses:

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My daughter doesn't like my spirit dolls because she says they look like babies trapped inside the 'carrots'. Obviously, I liked the idea of papooses much better, and it fired my imagination. So I googled a bit. I found some pictures and discovered that most of these baby carriers were based on a board made of wood that rested flat against the mother's back. The covers were made of bark or hide, securely lashed to the backboard and laced around the baby. Mostly they had a hood to protect the baby from the weather and were often lined with fur or soft fabric. Often the covers were highly decorated.

Then I started to work on the idea, based on my original 'carrot dolls'. I would have to simplify a lot of the details or the dolls would become far too complicated.

Lots of lashing and lacing - so I moved the stitching to cover the front panel and used the back panel to interpret the backboard and lashing of the cover. Interlaced and spiky stitches:

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a variation of interlaced chain band, with a long anchoring stitch to fasten the lacing, and

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laced cretan stitch. These spiky stitches also serve to represent the coloured quills that were often used for decoration. No beads, because these little things are just way too attractive to small children. My favourite trellis stitch represents the hood.

Let's change some of the printed cotton to a synthetic suede fabric to represent hide and see how that comes out:

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I think the facial features are too strong here. Trellis stitch, with its rows of knots, could make a substitute for beads. Some carriers were lined with fur - how to represent that?

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a wool fringe around the top of the hood. These features are much better.

Here are the results of my interpretation:

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I've had some fun with this, and there is yet more mileage in the original idea.

So, just a glimpse into the deranged mind of a doll-making embroiderer!

Thanks Marguerite, for providing me with some entertainment over a wet and grey weekend!

Birds make a come back

2010-02-06T01:46:00.006Z

A bird string for spring!

I had some bits of birds left over, so I strung these on a machine wrapped cord and finished it off with one or two beads.

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and while I was at it - I made a pink pair for my granddaughter's new bedroom.

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As before, the bodies are made from scraps of fleecy fabric needle punched with wool sliver (roving), the wings are offcuts of felt and both body and wings are edged with trellis stitch on a buttonhole foundation. They are "adjustable". The birds slide up and down and you can make the string longer or shorter by moving the beads at the top. I'm thinking about making a more elaborate version with lots of hand embroidery.

Hanging Together

2010-02-05T18:13:00.004Z

Sorry, no photo's, but please follow the links instead!

I paid a quick visit here today for a textile exhibition by the group Hanging Together. If you are in or around the area the exhibition runs until Wednesday 10th February and I can thoroughly recommend a visit. All the work on show is of a very high quality and some of the textures achieved are quite amazing. The ironing boards (Pressing Matters) are highly amusing! I took no photographs, but the group has a blog here where you can see samples of the work of each member and some galleries of previous exhibitions. Do keep an eye on it, as I am sure the blog will be updated with photo's of Pressing Matters once the exhibition has finished.

The Gallery at Chequer Mead in East Grinstead is ideal for hanging textiles and seems to be getting very popular. There are several interesting exhibitions coming up. The gallery is housed in a delightful old school building, fairly expensive but delicious refreshments are available and there is a reasonably priced car park directly opposite. The town of East Grinstead is on the A22, just north of the lovely area of Ashdown Forest and the charming village of Forest Row.

Itchy fingers

2010-01-16T19:23:00.007Z

Revisiting my bits and pieces to transfer them to the new Smockery TASTy Bits blog got my fingers itching. I dug around for some left overs and sat quietly in the corner, looking at the snow outside, and did these:

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Raised chain stitch in varying thicknesses of thread. I especially like the line second on the right - I did three rows of chain stitch on one set of foundation stitches - I think I will try this some time instead of raised stem stitch in casal guidi type work. I also like the thick mauve row. I worked that in cotton knitting yarn.

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This is interlaced chain band - a bit of a favourite but quite fiddly. Again I used varying thicknesses of thread. On two examples I also threaded the chain and in one I added french knots to each chain stitch.

Making a book

I realised, when I was transferring some of my posts to the new blog, just how much I would miss it if it all suddenly disappeared into the ether so I've been busy making myself a sort of 'souvenir' book from favourite bits of my blog. It started off just being the TASTy bits, but I've an idea it might get a bit bigger before I've finished it! I'm doing it with Blurb. You download the free software and you can add your own text and photographs, you can even download your blog into a book! There are templates to make it easy, or you can design your own page layouts. There are standard charges based on the size and type of book and the number of pages. You can order as many copies of your book as you like, just one for yourself or a stock to sell. You can also put your book on the Blurb bookshop, you decide on the markup you want and you receive that amount each time a book is sold. Blurb keeps the standard charge for the book. A feature of the Blurb bookshop is that you can review a book before you order it, usually the front and back cover and up to 15 pages. On the downside, if you don't know the title or the author, you have to look through the categories, as you do in Etsy or EBay, and textile/embroidery books are in Art, Portfolio or Hobbies and Crafts - so it can take a bit of time to find what you want. It seems quite good, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I know I can save my blog to disc or to a stick, but sometimes it's just so much nicer to sit in your favourite chair with your feet up and a cup of coffee, or even a glass of wine, and look through a book!

New home for the TASTy bits

2010-01-08T16:50:00.004Z

Do you remember the TAST challenge back in 2007? Well, SharonB is going to run another, starting in March this year. It's one challenge I can't resist. I really enjoyed the 'old' TAST. Although I didn't complete every single stitch it kept my hand in, regardless of whatever else I was concentrating on. I've decided to keep the two challenges together on one blog here, for easy reference, so I've moved my previous 'TAST' posts across.

What is TAST? Take a Stitch Tuesday, see here for the flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/56846286@N00/

and here for the list of stitches from the 2007 challenge.

The 2007 TAST challenge lives on............people have picked it up and are continuing to post photos to the flickr group, so if you haven't been there for a while, take a look!

A Pair of 'Goth' Frankenfish

2009-12-10T20:04:00.006Z

I've been busy perfecting the technique for the felt fish. Here's my latest effort:

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Two fish hanging on a machine wrapped cord. Each fish face is hand embroidered, note the inevitable trellis stitch around the mouth! One of the pair is further embellished with more embroidery, beads and sequins. Here are some closeups:

I'm really pleased with the 'gothic', 'horror', deep sea monster look of these!
I've put them in my Etsy Shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/SMockerySmArt

Review - Losing the Thread - Part 1

2009-12-06T00:34:00.010Z

As promised, here's my review of the Losing the Thread exhibition last month at Chequer Meads Gallery in East Grinstead. Its such a nice venue, plenty of parking and a cafe. I'm sorry for the quality of the pictures, I'm not the world's best photographer.

As I entered the gallery, the first things I saw were some exquisite miniature patchwork quilts by Lilian Harris. I really like the detail on these, the use of buttons and prairie points especially.

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and some of her textile art pieces, a series called 'Fading Glory':

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and as I turned to face the doorway to the main gallery, on the wall facing me, her wonderful 'Firecracker'. I've admired this piece on computer screen, it's even better in the flesh!

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Then my attention was caught by a display in the window facing the car park - another piece I have long admired but never seen in real life - Maggie Harris's 'Leaves':

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Back along the corridor and turning left into the main gallery, again my attention was caught by two quilts by Lilian Harris - 'Road to Chantilly' and 'Bits and Pieces', especially the 'raised applique' on Chantilly:

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Blogger seems to think that this is enough for this post, and anyway it's time I went to bed. I'll have to divide this review into 'chapters' and do some more tomorrow!

Something fishy going on around here..........

2009-11-29T16:15:00.003Z

I wanted a change from making things with a 'seasonal flavour' and decided to go for something 'fishy' instead.

My friend Tarni saw some felted fish I made for City & Guilds years ago, and asked if I would make her some. I made hers in goldfish colours, red, yellow and orange - and while I was about it, I decided to try some more in different colours.

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They are wet felted first, then finished off with a hand felting needle. I have it in mind (once I have perfected my wet felting technique - these are quite rough) making some that are embroidered and embellished in my usual fashion!

Tarni called them 'singing fish' and says she is planning to put them on her Christmas Tree with little presents in their mouths. I'd have to go along with a family member who said they are more like 'Franken Fish!' Maybe, when I've made a heavily embroidered and embellished sample, I'll be able to call it a 'Faberge Fish'.

Losing the Thread

2009-11-22T10:57:00.003Z

I went to this exhibition here yesterday. if you are in the area it really is well worth a visit. So nice to see pieces I've admired on the internet in 'real life' and to look at an item and think 'Oh! I wonder how she did that?'. Nice to meet Maggie too. I was allowed to take photographs, so I will post a review as soon as I get a few minutes to concentrate on it. I'm not the world's best photographer, but they are just about good enough to give a flavour of the art on display. Here's a quick taster:

Getting ready for the Christmas rush!!!!

2009-11-08T16:49:00.005Z

Yeah, that'll be the day!

I am getting ready for the next Creative Co-op outing on 6th December though, it's our own Christmas Fair.

Here's the lastest in my 'fleecy ornament' range.

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Very simple, but I still don't do myself any favours because I couldn't resist the trellis stitch edging. I know that the more hand work I add, the higher the price has to be, but frankly I just don't like any of them without it.

Here's what I plan to do with some of those fleecy hearts on my sales table:

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Two separate photos, but you get the idea. That's a dollar or pound shop Christmas tree I got last week. Tacky and puny, but at less than 2 feet tall, just the right size for my table. I bought 2, 1 for the 'traditional' ornaments and 1 for the lurid pink and green ones. I'm told it helps if you 'show the customers what to do with them' rather than just putting them out on the table. See, I'm still trying. Sadly, I seem to have exhausted my Etsy customer base for the moment!

Getting Festive

2009-11-04T17:07:00.004Z

Yes, I know it's only the beginning of November, but you have to start early if you want to have a good supply of handmade goods for the Christmas season. The Creative Co-op will be out and about again on December 6th, so I've started by making a pile of brightly coloured fleecy tree ornaments. Here they are, waiting to have hanging loops attached:

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I have observed that people hereabouts want to shell out only pennies at craft fairs and the like. I have also been advised by more experienced marketeers that if people like your work but cannot afford it, it is nice to have smaller, less expensive pieces, or pictures on cards or postcards, for them to buy. With this in mind, I plan to make tree decorations in varying degrees of complexity, priced to match.
You can't say I don't try!!!!!

Another Outing for the Creative Co-op

2009-10-27T20:14:00.012Z

The Creative Co-op made a block booking for space in the Craft Hall at last weekend's Local Life Show. Several of us shared the cost by taking tables. It was the 3rd year that the County Council had put on this event and it really is becoming well worth a visit. Many local traders, service providers and community organisations were represented in the Main Hall, along with entertainment in the form of fashion shows and displays by children from a local dance academy. Especially noteworthy was the Community Chef and his mobile kitchen. He gave demonstrations showing how to produce a nourishing seasonal soup and tasty lamb kebabs. The Chef drew quite a crowd, watching him cook and sampling his endeavours. The children were not forgotten - they were able to make themselves a delicious smoothie using healthy ingredients and his bicycle-powered machine! Local artists, makers, alternative therapists and organic products were represented in the Craft Hall and there was also a farmers' market and a vintage fairground ride for the little ones.

Here's a picture of my table - mostly dolls this time, with a couple of embroidered containers and some heavily embellished fabric badges.

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We were given 4ft tables instead of the 2 metre ones we were expecting, so unfortunately it has the look of the jumble sale about it! You can see some of Suze's knitted, felted bags in the left-hand corner, along with some of her jewellery made with semi-precious stones and a display of cards featuring her artwork.

Here's Suze:

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with some of her unusual and colourful necklaces featuring hand felted and knitted beads and semi-precious stones.

This is Tarni, the Chair of the Creative Co-op, with her table:

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and Alana:

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Alana's super halloween spiders and their webs practically walked off the table and she also had some of her summer best-sellers; her driftwood hangings and some brightly coloured tassels made from rescued and recycled fabrics.

Rosie was there anticipating the coming winter weather and doing a roaring trade with her hand-knitted and crocheted hats and scarves:

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And so were Sharon, with her beautiful beadwork and colourful candles and Ruth, with her very original silver and gemstone knitted jewellery:

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Tarni took the children's entertainer, Frankenstiltz, in hand and instructed him in the philosophy and techniques behind some of her artwork and also took the opportunity to introduce him to the RegenerART project that some of the Creative Co-op members are involved in along with other local artists' groups and the The Royal Project .

Boxing Cretan

2009-10-20T22:10:00.006+01:00

I thought I'd have a bit of a change from doll making - I've been doing quite a lot of that lately.

I'm not sure if this is a box or a vessel, but it IS embellished with cretan stitch.

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I made one of these before, to drop my specs in. I've got 3 pairs - walking around, reading and computing - and I was always putting a pair down and losing them when I changed over. Then I started putting things like scissors, haemostats and pens in it, so I need some more.

I used the cardboard tube from a large reel of crochet cotton and some odds and ends of picture framer's board. The fabric is one of my old favourites. Chiffon and wool sliver (roving) layered onto a synthetic felt dishcloth with the embellisher machine. Then machine 'quilted' with preprogrammed stitches. It's divided into three sections inside and the lining and the base covered with oddments of fleecy fabric. I padded the lining and the base with light quilt wadding, to give a little bit of protection to the specs!

Here are a couple of views of the stitching and embellishment:

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Of course, I couldn't stop at just stitching and added beads and sequins too. And then I got really carried away and made a smaller one with the leftovers.

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I would normally use ladder stitch (zipper stitch) to attach the base but here I used cretan stitch. It seems to have worked really well and is quite decorative.

Co-incidently, cretan stitch has just been featured as stitch of the day on the Hand Embroiderers Network Blog. If you haven't seen HEN yet, do go and have a look, it's well worth a visit.

Who's a pretty ghoul then?

2009-09-15T08:56:00.005+01:00

Just having a bit of fun in anticipation of Halloween!

The season is changing. The leaves are beginning to turn, berries are ripening in the hedgerows, it's cooler and it's getting dark earlier. Thoughts turn to the autumn and winter festivals that cheer us up in those darker months. Well, mine do anyway, and I made this:

Here's a close-up of the stitches:

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Cretan and herringbone. And I'm still fixed on that trellis stitch from an earlier "Stitch Explorer".

I've been taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month's stitch or technique is pattern darning.

Hear the buzz!

2009-09-02T20:31:00.005+01:00

A little bit more work on the bee.

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I've added some beads. And the little bit of 'armour plating' that they have on their backs. (A piece of needlefelted fabric with trellis stitch around it). It's not anatomically correct, but I do want it to have 'the look' of a bee. I'm not sure about that hair around the armour plating - that part of their bodies is hairy but somehow it seems to spoil the line of the thing. On the other hand, I do want it to be a sparkly jewel of a bee with a slight 'cartoon' flavour, like the flies I made.

It's the legs giving me problems at the moment. I've made two felted balls for the pollen sacs for the back legs. Now I need to think for a bit more!

Hi Honey!

2009-08-30T18:20:00.004+01:00

I've just waved the children and their Mum off on their way back home, so once I have got all my stuff out again, hopefully I can make some more progress on the bee!

I now have what is clearly a very dead frog partially submerged in water with its head resting on a pile of leaves in a tray on the back steps and a nicely handwritten list of instructions, including putting it in the shade, pouring water over it every hour and getting flies from the spiders' webs in the runner beans for it to eat. Apparently, some sign of life was seen when it was poked! The big question is - does it have a miraculous recovery and joyfully hop away - or does it have a quiet and dignified demise from frog flu?

I wasn't allowed to whack it under the scanner for future reference!

It's a BEE!

2009-08-27T10:56:00.010+01:00

I'm hoping to take part in the Hand Embroidery Network On-line Embroidery Exhibition starting on 1st September. I'm a bit behind schedule so I'm not sure if I'm going to make the deadline.

This is what I've been doing.

First make the fabric:

This is black muslin (scrim), needlefelted on the embellisher machine with dyed wool tops (roving), in approximate bee colours and an approximate bee shape.

Then make a pattern:

and cut it out:

Then sew it together with a plain underside, stuff it, shape it and begin to add embroidered detail.

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This is likely to be a rush job, so just a few simple stitches - cretan stitch and bullion knots, and some hand needlefelted eyelash yarn. (You can't see it very well in the photo, but that's trellis stitch around that eyelash yarn!)

This is as far as I can go at the moment, because it's coming up to the August Bank Holiday here and I have a house full of very small people. All my sewing has had to be put away for both their safety and to preserve my stuff!

Stitch explorer - July - one I prepared earlier

2009-08-11T21:01:00.008+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month Sharon was thinking about contemporary embroidery and asked us to use something unusual.

I've been busy lately, so I haven't done much 'serious' embroidery. I looked back at some of my previous work to see where I had used unusual materials.

These pieces are all based on the same design.

Here, I used tissue paper. The background was ironed on to interfacing. I rubbed a wax candle all over a piece of baking parchment and ironed it on. Then I added cut out motifs backed with bondaweb (wonder under) and waxed it again. Finally I added more cut outs and finished it off with some simple machine stitching. This made a richly coloured, pliable sheet.

In this piece, I ironed pieces of plastic tablecloth and cellophane in a baking parchment 'sandwich', then stitched the result to a synthetic felted discloth. I added some motifs cut out of a different type of dishcloth, applied some shot taffeta and embellished with beads. Very messy!

Here I used dishcloths and bits of plastic tablecloth to make this reverse applique piece.

This is one of my favourite pieces. It got quite complicated. I layered woven strips of hand dyed muslin and giftwrap onto iron-on interfacing. Then I applied the motifs. Some were cut from a discloth. Others were cut from a dishcloth layered with a nappy (diaper) liner marbled with oil paints. The nappy liner was bonded to the dishcloth with bondaweb (wonder under). I like the look of this piece, but the paper giftwrap makes it quite fragile.

Just lately I've been playing with stitching over needlefelting, both by hand and by embellisher machine. Here are one or two examples:

Summer festival

2009-08-03T23:10:00.004+01:00

This weekend was the Llammas Festival. I was sharing a marquee with some other Creative Co-op members. Well, we called it a marquee - it was jerry-built in the English allottment style from two pop-up gazebos and six spare sides. The sides didn't fit very well but we tied them on with string, clamps and clothes pegs.

Here we are setting up, with people already trying to buy although there was at least an hour to go until opening time - perhaps they thought it was a car boot sale!

Leave us alone, we're trying to get ready. Some-one tried to buy my shopping bag. It had my waterproof and a cardigan in it!

Finally we get it sorted out. Here's Rosie's earrings and Sharon's beaded jewellery.

People start to arrive:

Then come drummers and giants:

and Morris Men start to gather, ready for their displays:

The Darkside clothing emporium, with the proprietor in his every day attire

contrasts with a fairy and her friend collecting for the Lifeboat Institute, the very deserving beneficiary of this annual fest.

It's all going so well. But then the English weather does what it does best, it rains:

Our makeshift marquee just wasn't up to the job!

Ah well! tomorrow's another day......................

Summer Festival Part 2 - a better day!

2009-08-03T23:07:00.011+01:00

Sunday and the weather forecast is much better although the wind is getting up. We set up again, in a slightly different arrangement, and once again people want to look around before we are ready. You can see one half of the makeshift marquee beginning to blow up in the wind.

That's Alana, sitting there by her table of driftwood pieces. You can just see Suze in the opposite corner, trying to finish setting up her table amongst the browsers.

The sun comes out and crowds start to arrive. The Hunters' Moon Morris begin their display against a backdrop of the sea and the South Downs, the Grand Hotel catching the sun and looking like a wedding cake in the background. (You can just see our makeshift marquee, with the green top, blown up like a balloon in the wind!)

More crowds arrive. There was some excellent musical entertainment. People had picnics on the Western Lawns, browsed the stalls selling exotic and colourful clothing and bags, sculptures of dragons and strange mythical beasts. They examined all sorts of interesting books, crystals and knickknacks, listened to tales in the story telling tent, watched the Punch and Judy show and inhaled the scents of coffee, incense and bacon butties wafting on the wind.

Footfall is good. We had a constant stream of browsers all day. Lots of people stop to look at my dolls, ask lots of questions about them, say some complimentary things and take away my leaflets, but no-one is buying; not even the little things I made specially. I overhear many nice comments but, human nature being what it is, the one I remember most is "Well, they're way over-priced for what they are. It's not even a craft fair. I certainly wasn't expecting this!" And the runner up was "Sixty-five quid. Jesus"!
(Just look at that green top, it looks ready to take off!)

More crowds arrive. Everyone is having such a good time. The catering wagon runs out of food and the icecream van runs out of 99s. More customers come and finally someone buys one of my brooches; a present for a friend. A rather elderly gentleman does a rather bad Michael Jackson impersonation in front of the band and is easily upstaged by a group of small children. (We wouldn't have known had it not been for the white gloves and back hat!). Then, suddenly, it's time to pack up our things and go. Most of the group had sold enough to make a profit - but I made the princely sum of £15.50! Am I making the wrong things, or selling them in wrong place?

Remember that windblown makeshift marquee? Well, although we had constant problems with the wind, it lasted all day. As we were packing our things away one of the sides blew off, left literally hanging by a thread!

Anyway, it was a great day out!

(I had so many photos I wanted to use that I wrote another post about our weekend here featuring more of the Creative Co-op and their wares!)

Have a break - have a picnic!

2009-07-09T12:13:00.008+01:00

I had an afternoon out last week with some members and friends of the Creative Co-op. The weather was beautiful and we all took food for a picnic in Sue's garden and Tania made elderflower fizz. Vicki wrote about it on her blog here. (SSShhhh! That's me, in pink and white).

I love summer!

Speaking of gardens, who'd have thought the humble spud could be so decorative in a pot on the patio?!

Just look at these colours!

Stitch Explorer - Needle Weaving

2009-07-04T20:01:00.006+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month's challenge is needle weaving.

I still have some 'blanks' from making spirit dolls, so I used another one of those for this month's challenge.

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I've used needleweaving for the petals around the face (perle cotton) and for the 'leaves' and the 'head dress'(crewel wool). I've also used trellis stitch again around face, worked in perle cotton on a foundation of buttonhole stitch. Trellis stitch has joined buttonhole and cretan on my list of favourite stitches!

Here's a close up of the stitching and needleweaving:

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I've also used a raised band stitch worked over a twist of roving, so that's another kind of needleweaving.

Looking back at needleweaving

2009-05-15T16:18:00.004+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month's challenge is needle weaving.

I went back over my bits and pieces to find some examples of ways I have used this technique.

It's very good for leaves!

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These were from another of Sharon's challenges 'Bags of Fun'.

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These were used to 'frame' a piece of canvas work for a box lid. The design is based on red clover.

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More needle woven leaves, again combined with canvas work and used as a frame for the insert for a box lid. And the 'trees' were worked on a piece of not so much drawn thread as almost totally destroyed canvas!

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Here, on the back of one of my 'flies',in metallic threads. I used thread to make a grid first, covering the silver fabrics, then wove some of the threads together with needle weaving.

Flower Power!

2009-05-08T17:38:00.003+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month's challenge is Casal Guidi work.

I had this in my hand, ready to embellish - so what else could I do with it??

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I was still under the influence of
Connie Jones!. Connie, thanks for the tip of using a piece of felt under the stem stitch - I adapted your method by needlefelting some roving where I wanted the stem and the petals. Lessons learned: use a colour you can see against the roving for the foundation satin stitch - change to a blunt ended tapestry needle for the raised stem!

Soft triangle gift boxes

2009-04-19T22:58:00.005+01:00

These were WIPs. I cut them out and embellished them a while ago, but didn't get around to adding the felt linings and stitching them together. I still need to decide on fastenings.

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The larger one is fabric machine quilted onto felt with a decorative machine stitch, embellished with fabric tiles and sequins. The edges are finished with hand buttonhole stitch. The smaller ones are fabric, wool fleece(roving) silk scraps and fancy yarns needlepunched on the embellisher machine, quilted with decorative machine stitching and embellished with beads, sequins and hand embroidery.

Stitch explorer - Casal Guidi work

2009-04-19T17:57:00.004+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month's challenge is Casal Guidi work.

I really like the combination of heavily stitched areas and pulled thread work in this technique.

I did this experimental piece for City & Guilds a while ago:

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Instead of pulled thread work on linen, I made the background by winding fine knitting yarn around a square frame, top to bottom, then left to right, and machine stitched over it to hold the threads before cutting it off the frame. The thick 'stems' are worked in stem stitch over a bundle of threads, the smaller ones are machine stitched with a zigzag stitch. The flower motif was stitched over wadding.

I also made some samples on dyed evenweave fabric with coloured threads, but this white sample was my favourite.

I knew I had a bit somewhere...

2009-04-19T14:52:00.003+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month's challenge features Assissi work.

I knew I had another piece of experimental assissi somewhere, here it is:

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Canvas, with applied chiffon for the solid area. The voided bit is embellished with sequin waste, beads and stitch. Detail is added with blackwork stitches.

Flying in the face of assissi work!

2009-04-16T12:11:00.004+01:00

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here.

This month it's Assissi Work. Traditionally, Assissi Work is done in one colour on evenweave fabric around a voided motif on white fabric.

I wondered if I could get the same effect using the embellisher machine. I started off OK, but then, as usual, the piece took on a life of its own and I just followed. Here's what it turned into:

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I began by needlefelting wool tops (roving) onto a dishcloth made of bamboo fibre. I was hoping that the holes left by the needles would give the appearance of cross stitches, to match the weave of the fabric. The plan was to make a shape appear in the middle then outline it, either with yarn needlefelted on or by hand in back stitch. I got a shape to appear out of the background, but then I decided to add some more wool in a lighter colour, to try and get the effect of the light catching the stitches. Two things happened: another, more appealing shape started to appear, and the bamboo fabric started to disintegrate. I put some white silk sliver over the top and this kind of flying bear appeared. I went with it, added some running stitch then cut it out. It resides on my noticeboard until I decide what to do with it!

It is a legitimate explorer piece? Well, I did start out with assissi work...........................

Stitch Explorer March - Assissi work

2009-03-28T20:28:00.005Z

I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here.

This month it's Assissi Work. Traditionally, Assissi Work is done in one colour in cross stitch around a voided motif on white fabric. We played around with the 'Assissi Effect' whilst studying for the City & Guilds Certificate. Here are some of my efforts:

In the above example, the cross stitch is replaced by a painted background, overlaid with net. An outline of stemstitch has been worked to sharpen up the images.

In this example, the background has been painted and the net omitted.

And in this example, I played around with different counted thread stitches to fill in the images,leaving the background as the negative white spaces. In all these examples I stuck to the traditional blue and white.

Cheer up and hang on!

2009-03-04T20:51:00.005Z

I seem to have escaped full-blown flu, but I have got most of the minor irritating symptoms. I got up yesterday morning and felt as if I'd grown old suddenly overnight. Looking for something to do that wouldn't need too much application and energy, I made this 'pin doll', to cheer myself up:

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The 'body' part measures about 3 inches, so you need a good cup size to show it off to full effect!

It cheered me up sufficiently to make this pair of 'hangers on' to go with it:

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You probably noticed, these still feature trellis stitch.

(I'm taking part in Sharon B's Stitch Explorer Challenge. Find out all about it here. This month it's Trellis Stitch.)