Embellishments

 

Just a hand full of stuffed Suffolk puffs for an edge or maybe a seam.

Embellishments

 

Hand stitched embellishments for this project.

Yes, they were fiddly! My girls in class won't be shocked to hear that ha ha.

The little square pieces are one inch in size, the tiny tag pieces measure one inch by half an inch.

If you can't source pieces to fit with your colour and pattern choices then why not make them youself? 

 

titivations 4

You can all breathe a sigh of relief.....today is the last day of titivations..for now anyway. I have finished on edges and am moving to more concrete finishing, backing, binding and such. No doubt there will be more titivating going on but as part of other things, complimenting other things.

The sewing machine will be out this afternoon for a few little things that require its use...I'm not the biggest fan of the sewing machine as you know but have to concede it has served me well recently.

Can I remind you about a new group on flickr...pretty please. It isn't for a class or anything to do with me really. I did start it up but only because there was a need...I couldn't find a group for embroidered knots. For specifically French knots yes but not Bullions or other knots...Colonial for example. If you want to join then just go here and request an invite and that's it...totally free, no obligation, it won't be policed by me or anything...well unless of course you put woodwork pictures in there! I am certain there must be more people than me addicted to knots and we all need somewhere to put them don't we?

titivations 3

Yes, there will be a number 4....tomorrow.....don't say you weren't warned. There was great excitement last night. Did you miss it? Well don't worry because I will share now. I created my first EVER newsletter! If I have you in my address book it will have popped into your inbox already. If I don't then you can read it here.. I am hoping it will become a monthly thing but don't hold your breath...nothing much exciting ever happens here, there may not be any news next month but I will do my best.

Now, it's Easter Sunday.....chocolate to eat and white silk to stitch (yes, i'll be careful).....have a great Easter!

titivations 2

Sampling has turned to edges, has turned to embellishments. What can be created to enhance an edge? What can be created to adorn an edge? Is it worth it? Does it have the desired effect? Is it really you? Sampling is the only way to find that out.....

titivations....

I have edges on my mind......

to register and read more about the next class of embroider, embellish, create please go here

embroidery

Monday morning, the start of a very busy week chez moi. Exactly one week from today my first online class will start. I am very, very excited about it and am wondering why it took me so long??? I got there in the end though......it's going to be great, we are going to make wonderful cloths together, hopefully white but maybe not, that remains to be seen...there is more information about it HERE and HERE incase it passed you by over the weekend and  you can sign up HERE.

So apart from all the planning and writing and videoing etc that goes with that I have been embroidering. I still need to keep my fingers busy of an evening.

I have been titivating my second toe wrap (remember? I started it in the distant past) and boy do I love all these edges. Puffs, loops, fabric beads.....so tactile and pretty. These things are all included in the class too...more loops and puffs and beads and maybe even prairie points...I am so excited it will be a struggle not to start now!!

******tr.v. tit·i·vat·ed, tit·i·vat·ing, tit·i·vates. To make decorative additions to; spruce up. [Alteration of earlier tidivate : perhaps tidy + (ele)vate.] ******

a little personal message now...sorry, just ignore this if it isn't for you. I mean, you can read it, it just won't make any sense.

Adele!!! I was so happy to get your letter and the photographs today. I too have lost your e-mail address but you can contact me on mine which is

contemporaryembroidery@hotmail.com

the pictures are truly stunning!!! Thank you so much x

embellishments

I have been busy making ''additions'' for my new crazy patchwork pieces. There are pink gingham puffs and some yellow gingham cords that will eventually become rouleau loops. These are both quite fiddly to do, especially the cords but I see them as a challenge. Later I will cut the cords up and tuck them under one of my seams. I have finished the piece I showed you last time and almost finished another one. Then there is a third piece tacked together ready to be started. I really want to show you all of them tomorrow because I am off out for the day on thursday so it would be good to have all the ''to do'' list ticked before I go.Now I have a dilemma and a problem. I was looking at my flickr stats last night, taking particular notice of the ''referrers'' part and I noticed some people had hit my pics from this blog, (I have now removed the link). I like to know when a blog uses my work so I can say thanks in their comment section. Usually when anyone uses someone elses images they credit them to the maker, it's not a problem, not for me anyway. I don't mind anyone using my pics as long as they respect my copyright and credit the work to me. So I clicked the link and popped over there to have a look. Basically there is a beautiful slide show on the left of the page, gorgeous work if I may say so!!!!!, mostly mine
but not a hint of credit or acknowledgment that this work is mine. Now there is no claim from the blogger that the work is hers either and if you click an image it takes you to my flickr page so in a round about way it does link to me but... am I being over sensitive that there is no recognition of me on the blog. I wonder how many people would see that slide show, not click an image to take them to my page and just assume the work belongs to this blogger? I have tried to contact this person but as yet no response. It's a Brazilian blog and I can't read most of it so I asked my good friend Meri to translate for me. The fact that it's foreign to me makes it harder on the communication front, perhaps she doesn't realise what she has done? Maybe there is no ulterior motive here but how am I to know? What would you do?

fiddling

This is how I have spent the last few days, fiddling and going nowhere in particular. I was hoping that merely stitching without a real purpose would fire the brain up, ha, no such luck! I made small things mainly because nothing seems to be moving from here so I kind of thought, ''what's the point?'' Making the puffs was a pleasure though, they are so cheerful, brighten stuff up which we need as it's so dark and dreary here. I swear it hasn't stopped raining for weeks. I don't even like summer but even I am sick of the rain now. The other tiny piece is a small, precious fragment to do as you wish with. I think it would be a great and delicate addition to one of my ''little books of embroidery'' alternatively you could use it to wash the floor! It would have to be a little floor though. Anyhow these are now listed and I'm not holding my breath!!Now I am wondering what to do next. I think when the neighbours snuck in with their washing in the middle of the night they left with my imagination. it's as if my brain has dried up, my batteries have run out. I will spend most of this weekend alone due to numerous factors, number one being the return of the football. Everytime I mention my team on here we get beat but I am going to risk it.....come on you blues!! I am actually very excited, I love football but I digress. A mostly solitary weekend means time and space for a project. Normally I would have it planned by now, be extremely focused with a plan of action. Nope, nothing. Let's hope it appears in the next hour or so. Any suggestions would be very gratefully received, who knows it might kick start something. Perhaps I could start a new line of designer floorcloths. What do you think?
p.s. sorry for the poor photographs, it really is very dark here, I kid you not.