four corners

The four corners of this. Making this involved a huge journey resulting in a precious cloth for Helen comprising many areas of interest, of focus, of delight. I will show you more of these from time to time.

do you like it?

So many pictures for you today.....this is it, my cloth for Helen. I love it so much that I may even tell her I lost it, can't find it or that it was abducted by aliens! She is coming next week and the plan is for her to take it home then...I will miss it...

I had a day off yesterday, a complete day off with no sewing or fabric related anything. I was taken out for lunch and then to buy stuff for my upcoming holiday. Well I am the worst shopper in the world. I throw that female stereo type right out of the window. Zero interest in clothing shops makes it a real chore...throw a sack on me and I am happy so long as my modesty is covered. Fabric shops, vintage shops now they are a different story but clothes...yuk. Anyway, I got two things so I will be travelling light...I did buy two books that excite me but unfortunately I can't wear them....looks like the sacks will be coming to America with me then...you won't be able to miss me.

I have had a few latecomers to the class this week and there seems to be a lot of interest still out there. What  I am going to do is leave it here for another week or so and then close it. Coming late to the group isn't really a problem as you will have access to all the resources until December 24 but I don't want to leave it open much longer as from my point of view the admin is quite time consuming and I don't want that to run into my holiday. So it's almost last chance if you are debating with yourself. 

All the information is here.... you will not miss anything, all the resources already in use will be forwarded to you.

Now I'm off to do teacher related stuff, counting apples and such and I may even hug that cloth a little bit too.....

final titivations

tr.v. tit·i·vat·ed, tit·i·vat·ing, tit·i·vates. To make decorative additions to; 

Today is about titivating...yes the titivating that is slowing me down and holding me up. That however is a good thing, at least I think so. I love a bit of titivating and if a cloth is worth doing then it's worth doing properly. The top picture is the most important one today..why I hear you cry? Well, I shall tell you..

top piece of titivating, NOT damp stretched.

Lower piece of titivating DAMP STRETCHED.

See the difference? It is amazing, now maybe that obsession of mine is understood a little better.

And....especially for Deanna...also in the top picture, the section with the needle sticking in it....I have been practising bullion knots for Monday........

So...and I did say I was going to nag until we start. If you want to know how to titivate buttons and brooches then join us on Monday...more info here. Oh I just love using that big type tab!!

close up....

Several close up images for you of the latest completed section of my cloth for Helen. In truth I am only a few hours from having this piece finished. There are one or two areas that require a ''little something'' then it's on to backing and adding finishing touches in the form of embellishments. I hope to show you the finished cloth in a couple of weeks. Although it will be finished by next week my girls need to see it first.

Next week is the last week of my first 'embroider, embellish, create' course and I am going to miss it a lot more than you know. I will be running it again after Christmas and I haven't forgotten that I am meant to be putting descriptive pages on here regarding my online learning courses.

I have been a bit ''off'' the last couple of days, upset stomach, most likely something I ate. Consequently computers and internet have taken a bit of a back seat.

However, nausea permitting I hope to have a little announcement tomorrow...I am keeping my fingers crossed. A lot of the ground work is done already and if I take my time I may just make it.....

( a small bonus from this bug or whatever it is.....he who pays for my holidays is doing the supermarket run on his own.....every cloud and all that)

for Helen

Pieces in process...two. Pieces finished and damp stretched... two. The progress of my cloth for Helen as of this morning. I must tell you that I can't take credit for the beautiful flower, bottom right, top picture.....If only! That is part of a vintage cloth that I have cut up to include in the work. And before I have the ''preserve vintage everything'' police knocking at my door, this piece was unuseable, would have been put in the bin by somebody less in awe of its qualities than me so in a way it is reborn...to live another generation. I did get a very angry and rude comment once from somebody, (anonymous of course) who berated me for cutting these things up, I justified it then and would do the same now. 

When this is finished I like to think it will be a fabulous heirloom for all the little embroiderers who come after me....if they ever come that is. Even if they don't I like to think that someone like me, a hundred years hence will find it in a charity shop or similar and appreciate the way it was made and the love and care that has gone into it.

That's me off my soap box...I have edges to square and tacking to do...

AWOL

I have gone out to buy this and this.