07/29/2013
almost finished....
It's out of the hoop today, it's damp stretched. I have almost finished the embroidery on this pin pillow. Didn't take long did it? I surprised myself......I have added a couple of new things to it this morning, on camera, for the girls in simply stitch. This time tomorrow they should be embellished and then it's all systems go to backing and finishing.
I nearly never came today, nearly had a day off, playing hooky, hiding. I sometimes wonder if you get sick of me, the same old same old. I don't feel like I ever have anything interesting to say. When I think about it my life is 90% embroidery. Take that out and the domestic stuff and I don't do much that you would find exciting. I'm not dissatisfied with that. I love my life and feel lucky that I get to sit and play during the day but really........it must get boring for you.
This morning I went out to the shed. My drier is out there so as it's raining I had no option. Later, in around an hour I am going to clean the bathroom....bit of an obsession that one. Much later I will cook salmon......see, I told you it wasn't exciting, unless you like salmon of course.
07/28/2013
titivating
This one is evolving very quickly. It's a pin pillow, only one for now. I have been adding lace and stitch to the surface of the cloth base I created last week. There are French knots, bullion knots, cross stiches, buttonhole lace, web stitches...it's a mixed menu!! I think this will be finished very soon...result.
I'm now going to move on to a little shameless promotion. Simply Stitch 2 begins in a few weeks. If you are wondering, considering, questioning then this post should help. You may have missed it. You may have been away on holiday.You may have had a better offer!!! But just incase you really, really want to know all the information is here. We are filling up nicely, mostly familiar faces which is brilliant. That means they have been once before and liked it so much they want to come back......it would be nice to have a few new faces in the mix too. I can honestly say that the group is amazingly friendly and supportive, it's a pleasure and a privilege for me every time.
07/27/2013
more petals.......and the beginnings of a pin pillow
Yes, more petals. They are different, new, I added them yesterday. I would guess that I am more than halfway to finishing this piece....not long now. Well I say not long, probably quite long as they are time consuming. I'm not complaining though, I love time consuming and I love repetitive.
I have added a tiny glimpse of something else today too. I don't want you all falling asleep and having nightmares about applique petals. So, the other piece you can see is a sneek peek at a new pin pillow as that's what we are on in simply stitch...pin pillows. Who would have guessed? Only one for now, the other three will have to wait a while......
07/26/2013
it's all about the petals
I've still got petals on my mind. Petals of the applique kind and drawn petals, sketched petals. I added more petals to my silk piece last night. Meanwhile I am struggling a little with a small piece of artwork. I say struggling, I think I am getting there but it's been H A R D. I think I was trying too hard, too fixated on the outcome. Later today I am hopeful of making some headway and it has definitely helped looking back at old stuff. So the books are out again and my table is covered in old ledgers and papers. Regardless of my creative block......it's good to look back at this old work.
07/25/2013
two applique flowers
The flower on the left is finished, the one on the right is in progress. The flower on the left was worked to inform the flower on the right, to get a sense of proportion, scale, placement. The flower on the left is part of a sample, a sample that will be part of the sampler cloth......I do hope you're keeping up. I just run away with myself at times. There is colour in the flower on the left. The flower on the right will be white on white. It takes time, applique with petals is a slow process...at least it is in my house. I reckon I will need to applique approximately five of these flowers in all....that's a lot of petals. That's a lot of templates to cut, to be covered in cloth and then applied to silk. I best get a move on then.....
07/24/2013
applique and a new surface
Most of yesterday was spent creating this cloth, a surface for embroidery which will become more pin pillows....these will be the last ones for a very long time and they are spoken for already, sorry. I do love creating the surface though and this cloth will look completely different once the hand embroidery has been applied. This was damp stretched overnight and whilst I was waiting for the baby to come out of hospital, staring at a door on the TV frightened to move, I applied a couple of tiny applique petals to a piece of silk.
Not much to show for a whole day? I did wonder but the cloth takes quite some time to create and I did make a meal in between and do a little bit of domestic related stuff so I wasn't being too lazy.
Today has been mad, I've been here there and everywhere and made videos and taken pictures. I'm exhausted already and it's not even half over yet. Where did you go I hear you cry.....well let's just say I now have the prettiest feet in Lancashire and that troublesome little toe of mine is back in good order.....for now.
07/23/2013
just an untidy table
I'm slacking. Well maybe I'm not slacking but all I have to show you is a messy table. At least this way you get to see that I am doing stuff through the day, sewing, creating. My life isn't an endless round of daytime television and gin.
The house got painted yesterday. To answer a question from Sara I can tell you that you can see those pictures on my Instagram. I didn't do any painting, my role was purely supervisory. I'm good at that, that is definitely where my skills lie.
07/22/2013
how?
How am I going to join these pieces of embroidered silk together? How will I treat the seams, the edges of my sampler cloth? Quick answer......haven't a clue. It has been on my mind though so this morning I was playing with them, moving them around, looking, considering. Did it work? In a way...I decided it wouldn't be laid out this way and that I need more pieces. To be honest I already knew that I needed more pieces. They will most likely have to wait until simply stitch 2 is underway. It definitely won't be finished before then anyway.
I am a little early today. That's because this afternoon I am SUPERVISING my husband whilst he paints the front of our house....pure brilliant white. Who could have guessed that?
07/21/2013
different
Two ever present pieces but both added to, embroidered a little more, different from the last time you saw them. The white piece has more frills and flounces, a few more patches and buttonhole lace seams. The colourful piece has a new pocket since yesterday...and a patch along with some web stitches. Do you see the tiny little patch surrounded by French knots? That is mending, improvisation. A hole appeared from nowhere...yikes. It called for quick thinking and careful covering. If I hadn't told you you would never have known so I think I saved the day.
This morning I went out to look at sheds...for outside of course. I only have a very small amount of outside space but want a small shed to take the overflow from the equally tiny kitchen in terms of non perishables, cans, bottles, basically another place for me to hoard junk. It has to be lockable, it has to be pleasing on the eye. I didn't see one let alone get one. Never mind, I did get some chicken and a new pair of shoes.
07/20/2013
ruched lace pockets and lace cloth
I've been making lace cloth this morning...straight out of bed and straight onto the sewing machine. It was a need, an urge. This piece will grow, I have plans. I may even try and sell it when it gets a bit bigger...we shall see. Yesterdays pinned things are now permanently attached things, held down with French knots and each with a buttonhole lace edge at the opening. I stuffed things inside them for the pictures just so you could see i'm not fibbing when I call them pockets.
Meantime it's cooler today....and I got plenty of beauty sleep last night. I knew you'd be pleased to hear that, can't be going out scaring the neighbourhood children can I.
(simply stitch girls stand by your computers. There's an unscheduled one coming very soon)
07/19/2013
parcels?
I have been pinning snippets of my lace cloth to white silk. They look like tiny little parcels of air...light and fluffy. I embroidered a strip of cross stitch along the silk first. That was damp stretched last night. It gives me an anchor for placement, a reference point. These will be attached with embroidery, the tops left open in the manner of a pocket. I am determined to have a pocket in my life before the ''big pocket adventure'' begins in August. (in case you missed it, I am making a HUGE pocket during simply stitch 2) Once that thought had been spoken it quickly became an obsession that will be satisfied by this piece...let's hope.
I can't go without mentioning the weather....indulge me. I know that other parts of the world have it much hotter than us...I know, I know. But it really is very hot here. We have just this morning been put under a critical health warning. We are pasty Brits, we can't help it AND we don't have air con...we don't. I'm not too bothered in daylight hours, doors and windows open but a girls got to sleep...enough already. AND I am drinking so much water that I am spending most of the day in the bathroom.....without embroidery.....come on, give a girl a break.
07/18/2013
it's all about cross stitch....
I was up bright and early today, outside, in the sunshine, playing, doodling, colouring in. It's all to do with stuff that's happening in simply stitch but also who doesn't love to doodle? Stitching first, almost every time but doodling.....it's so relaxing and I don't have anyone demanding a masterpiece so who cares if a 5 year old could do better.
Sadly I have to stop playing now...:( there are chores to be done. If anyone needs me I will be behind the ironing board until Thursday week....
07/17/2013
more white
The new pouch is progressing, slowly perhaps but I see the finish line and I'm happy that each step has been well considered. I am working on the lining at the moment. That will be damp stretched shortly....if all goes to plan you will get to see it Friday or Saturday.
I can't stay long today. I'm off up North again to visit mother and father and other assorted relatives one of whom better have cake. I will try and post something to instagram, especially cake....if there is any.
07/16/2013
applique, patches and lace
These pieces were seen briefly in yesterdays video so here is more detail. One of these is a sample for my sampler cloth, applique and patches with a scattering of hand embroidery stitches. The other, a piece of lace cloth I created myself which has similar colours but provides a very light and airy contrast.
I am going to have to leave this work for a few days. There is the pressing matter of the pouch to attend to. I'm not on a deadline for that, well not a looming deadline but I would like to get it finished during this run of simply stitch. I started it with this group, they know the ins and outs of it, the reason for it, I would like to finish it with them. I am however massively excited about big pockets...huge pockets....an idea...one that I talked about in the aforementioned video. I wish I hadn't thought about it, or spoke about it because I can't seem to think about much else now.
Note to self....''control yourself Karen, you're not 3!!''
07/15/2013
what is simply stitch 2
I've had a few e mails enquiring about ''simply stitch 2''. What is it? How does it differ from ''simply stitch 1''. Today's video should go some way to explaining that, to give a sense of what happens in this amazing group. Basically simply stitch is a ''watch me whilst I create'' process. I make, I talk, you watch, you make, you don't make, you take from it what you wish. No pressure,no deadlines, no set tasks. My work constantly evolves as does yours. In 3 weeks I will be making something completely different as I will be in 8 weeks or 12 weeks or a year. There isn't a single day the same as the last in this house. Surely it's like that at your place too? Every video will be different, something else going on, an extra titivation added or another idea taking shape. Simply stitch, be it 1 or 2, is about life with embroidery....yes, that sums it up, life with embroidery.
Just a little note...Typepad is having another meltdown. Some published comments are not displaying on the blog. Please don't let that stop you leaving a comment. I know I am not the fastest at replying but I honestly appreciate and devour every single one of them.
07/14/2013
last night
This is how I spend my Saturday nights. Not partying in the conventional sense but a party for one with white cloth, white lace and white thread, an embroidery party. It's brilliant, love it! This piece isn't damp stretched....yikes...sorry! I'm slacking I know. I got carried away and couldn't stop stitching and it was time for bed and then some, so I left it and didn't stretch. That doesn't happen very often....please don't judge me. I promise that tomorrow I will damp stretch first, I will be good, I will give myself a good talking to.
(if you are in the simply stitch group then stand by your computers. You have 3 videos coming later. I'm going as fast as I can)
technology has me flummoxed again. I have more than one comment on this post and their status in my admin area is ''published''. I can only see one on here....how many can you see?
last night
This is how I spend my Saturday nights. Not partying in the conventional sense but a party for one with white cloth, white lace and white thread, an embroidery party. It's brilliant, love it! This piece isn't damp stretched....yikes...sorry! I'm slacking I know. I got carried away and couldn't stop stitching and it was time for bed and then some, so I left it and didn't stretch. That doesn't happen very often....please don't judge me. I promise that tomorrow I will damp stretch first, I will be good, I will give myself a good talking to.
(if you are in the simply stitch group then stand by your computers. You have 3 videos coming later. I'm going as fast as I can)
07/13/2013
creating cloth
There is so much going on here, creatively anyway. To be honest there isn't much of anything else happening at all except later today I am going to change the beds. Woo hoo, I know how to live!!
These images are the results of what has been delivered to the simply stitch group this morning. I'm keeping them busy....or stalking them depending on your point of view. I'm aiming to make a ''sampler cloth'' as you know. I did mention it I'm sure. With that in mind and wanting to also achieve a sense of cohesion I created a little fabric of my own that draws in the colours from the pieces I have already finished. It should work. There should be cohesion. There should be a sense that all the pieces, including those that aren't yet made will live together comfortably.
The latest piece is here too, a little patching and applique, mixing it up, moving it on.
07/12/2013
this week....
I have been gathering my thoughts, assessing where I am up to and where I need to be, what comes next. These silk samplers weren't all embroidered this week but they were all finished this week. I love bringing them together like this, laying them one on top of another, folding them, stacking them. Depending on where you fold you get a completely different perspective. There is potential here for hundreds of images, all different depending on where the individual pieces are placed. I spared you that, I sensed the yawns.....
It is way too hot here, not conducive to much that is usefull. It is cool in the house though. Deanna said they get to 102, the weatherman said we are touching 90 in places. I have iced water to drink in abundance. It's wonderful.
07/11/2013
a trip round the new pouch
There are a lot of images today, indecisive me couldn't decide which ones to leave out. I have tried to give a comprehensive view here of the current pouch in progress. There are quite a few flounces and frills and will undoubtedly be more of those before we are finished. There is cross stitch, patching, bullion knots, French knots, stab stitches, running stitch...phew, I'm exhausted just listing them all. There is still some way to go with this one as it will have a few little surprises included later on in the proceedings....can't say any more yet or I would have to kill you. This piece is evolving through our ''stitch along'' over in simply stitch....perhaps it should be renamed pouch central...hmmm.
It's been a funny old day so far. I haven't ticked anything off my list yet aside from this. I can't seem to get going....my get up and go has got up and gone. I think I best go look for it....
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