more knots.....French this time...

Mustn't leave anyone out ladies....so in order to keep the world happy today I give you knots of the French kind. A very small corner of my last section, about 3 x 4 inches in size, embellished with circles of knots, an edge of web stitches and embroidered prairie points thrown in for good measure.

Later today I am on e-mail answering duties and then my little girl is coming home...lots to do...more mail to send out about the new class too. If you are pondering on that we don't actually start until March which gives you lots of time to clear the decks, finish off projects....The class has it's own dedicated page on here...just look at the top of this page  but there is also lots more information here too.

Before I go...you know me...never one to suffer in silence. I would like to thank a well known supermarket for NOT gritting their car park!! Yours truly went flying yesterday and split her knee open...today I am hobbling...hobbling for England....and then to cap it all, the moist worrying thing of the whole chaotic mess that is my life....

this morning I pricked my finger on a Rose thorn......believe me I really don't have time to fall asleep for 100 years.....handsome prince or no handsome prince.

Knots....of the Bullion and French kind

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that I have been fiddling with this blog.....I wanted to move...not as easy as you would think....so after many hours of frustration I decided that life is way too short to be spent bearing a grudge against technology....so here I stay...in a better way I hope with bigger images and less clutter. Some of the stuff has been moved ''upstairs'' to new pages...have a look upwards, they are there at the top of the page. Have a browse if you want....

I am on the beg too....for more liker's over on my new facebook page. You don't even ever have to visit, ignore it for the rest of your life....but please, if you can find it in your heart...like it first....I am putting pictures from Karen's Global Embroidery School on there every day....spreading the love.

Back to today, the pictures, Bullion Knots and French Knots, so very relaxing to embroider. I spent a lovely evening yesterday with nothing but decorative knots in my head.....wonderful. I am slowly finishing sections of my cloth...some require more work than others.....

A weekend of sampling and ''admin'' led to the completion of the early stages of prep for my new course. I am very excited about this one...I am excited about all of them but as this one is new it is a little bit of a challenge and I like a challenge. We will be creating surfaces first...surfaces for hand embroidery and we will be using the sewing machine. Those of you who know me will know that I am not the biggest fan of the sewing machine but I have to concede it has its uses. (don't panic though....the dreaded sewing machine plays a VERY small part in the bigger plan. I haven't gone over to the dark side) There has been a brilliant response so far and we are less than 24 hours in, so if you think you may want to sew with us then just pop here to register....or you could look ''upstairs'' again...there is a dedicated page up there....

the missing petal

It's so obvious in the bottom image but I hadn't noticed until now....the flower on the left is missing a petal.....I guess that means this piece isn't finished then, there is another petal to embroider. It won't be a chore that's for sure, I love this section. Tomorrow will be a day to get all my pieces together and hopefully start joining sections. I think I have enough now. This one needs another petal of course and there are perhaps two others that need more work. It should all be clearer by Monday....

I am having massively frustrating computer issues.....I want to change my blog host to Typepad. Typepad cannot import blogger files they have to be converted. I have completed the scary stage...exporting all the files from here to my downloads ready for conversion. The world didn't end, my blog is still here...phew. BUT when I click the ''convert'' button to change the file format all I get is an error message..... mightily frustrating. I don't give up easily but I think I am on a round 25 tries and I am beginning to think giving up may be the best option....watch this space....

You may be wondering why I want to move...well you know how it is, sometimes you just feel like you need a change of scenery but now I am thinking if I do give up number one it will save me money as Typepad is a paid for host and then perhaps I could titivate this blog instead, de clutter a little bit...decisions, decisions and I'm just so confused as to what to do..

in other news...the new class is coming together, if slowly. It shouldn't be much longer now and you will be the first to know when it's ready. I am very excited..................

pinning.....

That's pinning not pining by the way

piningpresent participle of pine (Verb)

Verb:

Suffer a mental and physical decline, esp. because of a broken heart.

Nope, no pining going on here....I am actually getting caught up in class work at the moment...three videos to make today, two down one to go. Can't have teacher falling behind can we. This is my next piece of white, old white, vintage white all pinned , tacked and ready for embellishment or titivation whichever you prefer.....

I do have to say that I hope you are all OK. I am being very slow at responding at the moment. Apologies....I promise it's on my list for tomorrow....just remember that even if I am quiet and ''missing'' I still think of you and am always so very grateful for your support.

gathering white...

With my 2012 plans in mind I have been gathering together pieces in progress, white pieces in progress to be more precise. I have some vintage lace edged with very fine 'lace' that I have created myself. It is extremely fine, worked on what we know in England as 'scrim', very, very open and so accommodating with regard to fraying and removing threads. It is ideal for creating lace like surfaces.....you can get the best view of it in the top picture lying over a piece of paperwork. I am honestly sorry I am not saying much about this but I don't want to tempt fate and would prefer to wait a while before any firm information is given but hey...you come here to see embroidery and I hope that is what I am showing you....

Thanks so much for all the good wishes yesterday. We had a lovely meal, a really lovely meal......today I have been pottering about, no pressure, just enjoying getting my cloth out and looking and thinking and planning. For some reason I kind of feel like I am on an official break, I can do what I like. Not sure why, most of my days are like that really and if I do get busy it's always self inflicted but I am making the most of it.

Before I go I just want to mention my new page again....you don't have to look but I still have to tell you that it's there!!

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.....

so far....

It's coming together....I have reached a point where I am nearly finished without even noticing. Now I need some Rouleau Loops and Prairie Points followed by Chinese Knots and Funky Puffs....

I'm on it.....

cloth, pins and stitch...

I have pieces in progress, I have pieces pinned, I have pieces tacked.....I am surrounded by gorgeous fabric, some I have embroidered, some I have acquired and added to. The off white piece, on the right in the picture above I bought online. It is so beautiful, a trim. I think I have the last piece in the whole world and how I wish there was more. I have added French knots to it and some running stitch and cross stitch. I am so loathe to cover it completely as it needs to be seen, admired and appreciated.

This weekend I must make Rouleau Loops. I only noticed last night that this cloth is sadly lacking in Prairie Points and Rouleau Loops, must put that right.

In other news......my little boy got promoted at work yesterday! Big cheers for him!! Well done James...we are very proud of you...

and the lady herself, the one who this white is for.....well she likes it...result! She more than likes it so it's all good!

vintage white

Oh my, I hope you're in the mood for pictures today. Have you trawled through them all, yawning maybe? I had to put them all on, couldn't decide which ones I like best and anyway the lady herself is popping in to check on progress so I must impress! Yes, that's right, my little girl is visiting this little corner of cyber space sometime today to have a look at what will soon be cluttering up her new house....don't worry, if she doesn't like it I will put names in a hat.......

This is almost exclusively made from vintage cloth, sourced from charity shops and gifts that I am often given. The best kind of gifts, piles and piles of old cloth nearly always containing treasure. I am so easy pleased, just give me your rubbish and I will find a use for it. Your rubbish is my gold dust.....

I found some beautiful old cloth online the other week too. It arrived so quickly and has already found its way into the next section of my work. I hope to show you that next time, around two yards of the most beautiful edging for a pittance...couldn't believe my luck.

I am so happy that so many of you popped over to our flickr page the other day too. Thanks so much for all the great comments about what's happening over there and I am still amazed at the supportive nature of 'my' little group, makes me very proud indeed.

And don't forget...I have lots of white here too, the place that is becoming sadly neglected. I must try and remedy that soon...although I have sneaked up to 1044 hearts without even noticing!! Wow.....that means 1044 people love me.......I'm not worthy......

more.....

Yes, more white. Gorgeous white though, well I think so anyway. Another section for Helens cloth which is making slow but steady progress. I feel as if I am getting into a better routine although I had to go out yesterday and I've been out this morning to the optician. I didn't know there were so many ways to photograph the humble eyeball! They've been flashed at with glaring lights, had high pressure air squirted into them, been examined microscopically, phew....but at least he said he got great images. Well that's O.K.  then, at least I have photogenic eyeballs if nothing else!!

I hope to make great strides over the next couple of days If only because I can remain indoors, reclusive I am hoping. I may venture out to the shed at some point but that shouldn't be too traumatic. As for the pile of ironing...I shall shut my eyes when I pass that. It will be as if it never existed.

p.s. Hotmail is having problems today. It's fine if you want to leave a comment I can still get those from my dashboard but if you want to mail me leave a message on my facebook for now, thanks.