01/14/2013
it's all about the loops....
Since my recent love affair with wrapping threads began I have developed a little thing for loops. This sample was made last night,it's very small. I just had the idea and had to go with it....a loop tucked under a seam and secured with French knots. It just popped into my head and the next thing you know I'm ironing cloth and cutting up trims, searching for pins and tacking thread and voila. It will inform something later. It definitely will as I will use this process on my next white cloth. Good news and annoying news today. Annoying news first and then I will cheer myself up with the good news!!
Annoying news.....part of my heating for the house has died just as the snow started falling. It will be repaired tomorrow. It's a good thing I am surrounded by warm toe wraps and such so I don't turn to stone with cold.
Good news? Actually fabulous news....my travel agent came through! Give that man a kiss someone. We shall go to the ball.
also...there's more. Thanks to Jane I discovered this morning that my work found its way into this paper from no less a place than a university!!!!! It may only be a little picture but it's there all the same....
01/13/2013
thinking out loud....
Actual embroidery has been thin on the ground over the past 24 hours. Thinking about embroidery has been present in abundance. All I can offer you today are my thoughts, my plans, an indication of what I hope to achieve on cloth in the near future.
I am expecting a call from the travel agent tomorrow...
I want you to know that I am grateful for all your comments and mail. I promise I will be responding to everyone, visiting blogs before the week is out.
01/12/2013
upside down.....
A
lot can happen in 24 hours......since I was last here my to do list
remains unticked. Things are piling up, I don't know what day it is, I
don't know who I am.....In the midst of this mayhem embroidery kept me
sane. Not clear of thought or mind but sane all the same. First things
first, embroidery. Titivation of my thingy continues....more applique,
more wrapping. It is a good thing I can embroider with the telephone
under my ear as I have been talking on the phone constantly since
yesterday afternoon. I am late today because of the telephone.
The reason for this mayhem.......my little girl informed me last night that she is getting married in Las Vegas in October. Wonderful? Amazing? Yes...of course, absolutely. But it means things to arrange, trips to book, and most concerning of all.....travel agents to consult as we had already booked a two week trip to the USA for next September. The nature of my husbands work means he will not get time off for both so I am asking you all to send good vibes that my travel agent will be able to sort out a change of trip for me without it costing me the money already paid for the September holiday. I am off to cross my fingers, my toes, my legs...even my eyes!
01/11/2013
two pieces.....
Two
pieces, almost finished for two separate cloths. The first...my muslin
thingy, the second my wrapping cloth. And to answer two specific
questions I have had this week....Ann, I think it is defaulting to being
called my muslin ''thingy'' and Barbara...It will measure
approximately 24 x 10 inches when it's finished.
The wrapping cloth piece, the all white piece has had bumpy things embroidered onto the surface and in the top image you can see the French knot carpet that now edges the cross stitch section. The other piece, for the muslin has another applique circle added and two further wrapped threads. It's going to be a busy weekend...not only would I dearly love to finish the embroidery on both these pieces I also have videos to make for Alchemy and lots of paperwork to do. At least it will keep me out of trouble!
01/10/2013
just cross stitch
The cloth that I pieced together on video a few days ago is now embellished. It's not fully embellished as yet but the vintage handkerchief section now has a surface of cross stitch. Since I took these images yesterday there has been more work on here and I am almost certain this section will be joined to the rest of my cloth before the weekend is out.
It is very quiet here at the moment in terms of things I can talk about or things that would interest you. I feel as if I haven't got much to say today unless of course you want to hear about the two chickens and the fish I bought this morning. I did have some thread arrive in the post and am actually getting a little concerned about the non arrival of some cover buttons that I ordered AGES ago. Tomorrow is the dreaded weekly supermarket trip. There will be a bonus though, I can buy muslin baby cloths there that may work out as an expensive alternative to buying by the yard but they are so much ''posher'' and I think my muslin thingy deserves posher, at least initially until it becomes worn and old and tatty.
01/09/2013
what's new....
This
is how the 'white' side of my muslin thingy is looking today. I have
added the swatch of wrapping, it's caught down with a mass of bullion
knots along two sides with running stitch top and bottom. The close
edges to the wrapping, the inside edges also have ''bundles of
bullion's.....sorry, I couldn't resist that...bundles of bullion's, love
it!! You know what they say....tiny things amuse tiny minds....
Anyhow, I have also secured a little lace with an applique circle. That too has bullion knots along one edge with French knots on the opposite side. Last night I worked a little on the cloth I pieced yesterday to allow me time to consider this white section, to decide what else to put on it. I think tonight I will work some more on this, move it on. Hopefully my wrapping cloth and my muslin thingy will both be finished within a couple of weeks. Best order some more muslin then. Can't have a brand spanking new muslin thingy without brand spanking new muslin to put in it can I?
01/08/2013
finishing.....
My
white embroidery, my wrapping cloth was put away carefully over the
holiday period. Yesterday I got it out again as I think it's time to get
this one finished and off to its new home. It only needs one more small
section so this morning I pieced that section together, 12 x 12 inches.
Once that is embroidered all the sections can be joined, the cloth can
be backed, the edges titivated and voila...it will be done.
Don't think I have forgotten about my muslin holder though,I haven't. I worked on that some more last night and will keep you up to date with that. Today I have to attend to school stuff so if you need me I will be over on flickr....issuing invites.
01/07/2013
process
The process of thread wrapping for embroidery, in progress and applied to my cloth. This hasn't been damp stretched yet, there is still embellishment to be added but I am more than happy with the way it is finding it's place within my 'muslin wrap'....'muslin bag'....muslin holder'. What did I call it yesterday? I can't remember so take your pick. I think I prefer 'muslin holder' though.
The big news of the day is the start of Alchemy 2013. I am so very excited and I already have amazing feedback two hours in. You will be able to see the work I produce for that on here regularly so please keep coming back for that. I am also looking into the possibility of running 'embroider, embellish, create' again before spring. There will be further information on that posted here when things are finalised/decided.
OK...I have a crammed inbox, best get replying to some mail. Have a lovely Monday x
01/06/2013
wrapping....
I attract distraction....delay.....obstacle. It must be some form of magnetism. If it isn't the computer crashing it's the telephone ringing. Once again I am later than planned. I know you probably don't care but I have a list to work through....never mind. The cleaning can wait. It's the Christmas tree syndrome, needles (of the tree kind) where you least expect them.
Anyway, I digress. Todays pictures, almost exclusively new additions to my cloth except for the first one. The first one is a view of the whole piece so far and as you can see I have a large expanse of white on the left hand side. That space is the reason for the small piece of thread wrapping you can see here. This piece, my brand spanking new 'muslin holder' will most likely be usable very soon....exciting!! It will all fall into place very quickly once the white is attended to...fingers crossed......
01/05/2013
more applique, more wrapping....
How many pictures can you take of the same thing? If this post is anything to go by then the answer is an infinite number. Thing is I can never decide which ones I like best so I use them all. This is just a small glimpse of the work which is continuing on this.....
My computer is not my friend today. I should have had this finished an hour ago but the PC decided it wasn't playing and crashed three times. I was calmness itself, counting to ten and putting the kettle on. So three cups of coffee later here it is.
Now I must go and take my Christmas decorations down.....
01/04/2013
Fridays house.....
Remember I said I was going to get organised? I did tell you not to hold your breath.....
Our
Dining room/my work room/my computer room/the place where most of my
stuff gets dumped. The computer is behind me on the right...trust me
it's there along with a huge bookcase, a cluttered bookcase. The
Christmas tree will be gone tomorrow. Can you see the jar of jelly
babies under the tree? I need to keep my hand out of there or they will
be gone soon too. Our car visible through the window. My scruffy
sofa...never actually used to sit on...just another place for me to put
'stuff'! I make my videos in here. I take my photographs in here. The
big window gives fabulous light.....when it's not raining.
Loose design sheets, sketchbooks, a technical note file on the table where we eat EVERY evening. Also on the table my Christmas plant and a three tier cake stand that has sweets on it every Christmas for the children...yes those children, my grown up children.
Sketchbooks on the scruffy sofa.
Embroidery, in piles. Left pile my current ''gift for me' sitting on top of all the chocolates I received as Christmas gifts. I should get through those by July???? Nearest the camera....my wrapping cloth waiting to be finished and yes, I WILL get it finished...very soon actually. Also on the tale...my husbands record player, (they do still exist) and my sons baseball caps. He has so many...why? Also an antique sewing machine and MORE chocolate. I am not responsible for all this chocolate. I prefer the jelly babies. And then there is my veil/festooned thingy...heaven.
Finally, another room, the lounge, always tidy. A pile of books that I received as Christmas gifts next to the sofa. I browse, I flick pages.....
The dining room isn't always like this. It's just that I am getting ready for Alchemy, I am busy making videos and taking photographs. It will all be put away soon, it will be tidy. I never said organised. I said tidy.
01/03/2013
progress
This
section isn't progressing as quickly as I had hoped. Yesterday evening
was gone in a whirl....so many unexpected things.....I managed a little
work but not half as much as I had planned. Let's hope that this evening
I can work my fingers like lightening...
I didn't get an ironing board cover either yesterday. insert sad face. All the shops have put the things I want out of sight to fill up with rails of clothes that are on ''sale''. Well excuse me but I can't buy your sale clothes if I can't iron them can I? In all honesty I don't think I have it in me to make one. I know some of you do. You are much cleverer than me. It looks like I will be buying one online....my preference is to support the local high street wherever I can but just this once I may have to venture into cyber buying.
This morning I made a video for Alchemy which starts on Monday. (if you are signed up for that you will get to see the video before Saturday is out!) I am getting sooooo excited about this class. Anyway....as I had the camera out I made you a video too. This is a very short one.....don't want you having nightmares about me!
01/02/2013
folded
I did the ironing this morning, early this morning. It created a hankering to fold so hey presto, I folded my newly damp stretched embroidery. This is merely the beginning of the titivation required on this piece. It is going to take a little while to finish as it is quite big. Note to self....measure it.
I'm early today too...early ironing, early posting, that's because I have errands to run this afternoon. One of those errands will be buying a new ironing board cover. Don't be fooled, Ironing isn't a new favourite pastime... the need for a new cover is a measure of the amount of time I spend ironing. The current cover is ragged and tatty. Ironing cloth for embroidery...no problem, could do it all day. Jeans, shirts, clothes in general...yuk............ I may aswell have something pristine to do it on.
The definition is a purely selfish inclusion....it satisfies my obsession with words.....
fold 1
(f
01/01/2013
thinking.....
Following on from my thoughts in yesterdays post...I have changed my plans slightly. I don't think I want a side zip but I do still want a zip. Two thirds of the way down from the top, not central but the back meeting the front on the front. Does that make sense? Last night I pieced the back, I tacked the back and I embroidered on a small section with cross stitch. The back is actually quite big...bigger than the front as it needs to come over to meet the front.
As you look at these pictures the mainly white, creased, not damp stretched piece is the back in progress. Don't be fooled by its 'dogs dinner' appearance it will be titivated to death before it's finished. This pocket, pouch, is going to be large. I like that it will be big. It will be useful and very satisfying to have to hand with my muslin inside. I think this will be the best Christmas gift I have ever given myself.
If you have signed up for Alchemy then expect a mail and a video before Monday. If you have a hankering to create a beautiful wrapping cloth then keep your eyes peeled for news regarding embroider, embellish, create running again quite soon.
(keep your eyes peeled....not a pleasant thought)
P.S......I just had another buffet...that's not the news though, sorry. Drum Roll.....I have a new toy... a lot of buttons along the bottom of the post. You would make me very happy if you could see your way to clicking the facebook one every once in a while...thank you x
12/31/2012
embroidery continued
There are a lot of images today along with a video. Sometimes I prefer to chat.....
12/30/2012
I embroider.....
It's good to be back. A new piece of work to share that I was able to snatch moments with amongst all the chaos that is a family Christmas. Christmas day was four of us for Turkey, Thursday was six of us and a buffet. Friday was a trip ''up North' for more turkey with Grandma and Grandad. Yesterday was relaxing, enjoying the company of my little girl before she went back to London this morning. Later today it is dirty towels, dirty sheets, dirty clothes and planning along with a lot of damp stretching. The planning? I have big plans........... I'm not a New Year person as such...it's only going to be Tuesday, can't see what all the fuss is about. My plans would be taking shape regardless of the calendar. Alchemy is nearly upon us and I have a hankering to run embroider, embellish, create again too....soon. Then there are all the gifts to find homes for....maybe this Tuesday will be the Tuesday when I finally achieve a sense of order in my house....don't hold your breath though.....
12/23/2012
the second one.....
The second one is now finished, titivated to death and will be wrapped and put under the tree this afternoon. That's me done now. Ready for the big day, gifts wrapped, shopping done, house clean.....(ish!)
Thanks so much for the advice yesterday about my hands. There are some great suggestions there and I feel really dumb too. As if I don't have any rubber gloves? That is such an obvious thing...note to self, wake up! This time next year I will have the most gorgeous hands in England.....just a final thought. Can you get liposuction on your fingers? I'm not loving the sausage look....
Last night I started a new piece of work. I just had an idea and acted on it. It isn't ground breaking or innovative in any way but it involves a little colour, a little half and half appplique and a lot of piecing of white. I got so excited you wouldn't believe it. When I come back I will show you I promise.
I am signing off now for a few days. I will be back before next year....can't keep away....
whatever your plans have a wonderful holiday, Christmas, Yule, Tuesday...xxx
12/22/2012
stretched
Does the second picture give you vertigo? Sorry about that...I stood on a chair to take it. Why? It seemed like a good idea at the time, ariel shot so to speak. Good thing the floor is clean. Anyhow, it is finished and stretched so now it just needs titivated and stuffed. I will have it ready for tomorrow...I will, I will....
I watched yesterdays video before.....hope you enjoyed that by the way and talking of yesterdays video, a stitch along that had only one measly stitch. I am thinking I could do more of that next year, regular ''let's all stitch together'' videos. Anyway, back to me watching it...did you notice my hands? They are horrendous, chapped, dry, cracked, swollen. It's the weather, the cold and damp and the washing of dishes etc. So, I have a tale....I can't put cream on my hands through the day as it would mark my cloth. So I bought some gloves that you are supposed to wear in bed after drowning your hands in cream. I have had them for a couple of weeks. They're not working I hear you shout....well I know. Do you know why? It's quite funny really but also a little disturbing. I put them on and go to sleep. Without fail I then wake in the night, 2 am, 3 am...horrified to discover I have gloves on in bed, become traumatised by the fact that I am in bed with gloves on and rip them off....who can figure that out? That's where the disturbing bit comes in. What on earth is going on in my head? Answers on a postcard please.
12/21/2012
a single web stitch
Yes,
I saved the final stitch of this piece to embroider with you, a web
stitch. It now has to go and be stretched and sprayed with water before
it's finished. Then there are the titivations for the edge...almost
forgot about those.
12/20/2012
the second one in progress
My second secret is taking shape and thank you for all the comments yesterday. I can't believe how many of you covet a little white cushion! This one is, in my opinion, going to be equally as lovely. You can let me know what you think when it's finished. By my calculations the surface embroidery will be finished tonight.It will then need to be damp stretched, stuffed and titivated. And then there are the edges...I have plans, you will see.
I don't know what to post on here tomorrow. It's a quandary. I will have this embroidered and stretched but it will only be cross stitch that's new. There is a real danger that you will all die of boredom and I can't have that on my conscience so close to Christmas. So I am thinking....can you hear the cogs turning? I may just pull up a chair and invite you to embroider with me.......get the kettle on.
a little update......the stars that everyone loves in the comment section...I didn't embroider those. I wish I had but I didn't. That is vintage cloth bought from the internet. My guess is it's machine made.
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