Am I allowed to say that I am totally besotted with this pocket? I hope so, because I am. Two separate pieces of work joined together to create a safe place for my special lace. The lace I used for my daughters wedding bag is in here as is another piece I am keeping for a special occasion in the future.
I like that the loops don't catch the buttons properly, giving a sense you can fasten it but really you can't. I love the buttons, fiddle central and then some but more than worth the effort. I like that no matter how many times I look at this I will discover another piece of tied thread I hadn't seen before.....most of the fastening and final titivation on this is tied, not stitched. This will be kept very close. It will be a few weeks before I can tear myself away from it, from staring at it.
Don't forget the new class...exciting!! You can read about that here if you missed it.
Sampling, edges, fastenings, seams, surfaces, stitch, patter, cloth.....a new class.
Tomorrow I have another finished pocket to share.
Sampling for Stitch
Begins... Monday September 7. Duration.... 12 weeks (2 week break after week 4 (Sunday October 4). Continuing for 8 weeks from October 19 until Sunday December 13.) Online format.... Private password protected blog. Access.... Unlimited. Forever. Interaction.... 24/7 email support. Online Private forum hosted on Flickr. Resources. Minimum four 30 minute videos weekly. Materials required.... List sent upon registration.
This new 12 week learning programme will centre around sampling and planning for a collection of embroidered pieces such as pillows, pouches, needle books, wall panels and similar items. I will not actually create all of these items, rather I aim to build a comprehensive ''library'' of samples, of information which would allow me to create these pieces at any time in the future. (the choice of finished item you create is entirely yours. I will assist and support you in the creation of your finished pieces.) Sampling will consist of examining shape, pattern, colour, fabric, thread, edge finishes, fastening options and surface design and will occupy a substantial segment of the 12 weeks enabling us to build a comprehensive library of inspiration and samples to take beyond this class and to work from for many years. I will be including reference to ''trend forecasting'' relating to stitched textiles within this class. Trend forecasting is used in industry and commerce with regard to many things such as the car industry, food and beverage industry, literature and numerous other areas, my concern will be as I have stated limited to stitched textiles. Trend forecasting in this area focuses on prediction of colour, pattern, textures, fabrics and styles for the following season. For the purposes of this online programme I will be focusing on how samples are created and presented for trend forecasting purposes, paying particular attention to how ''trend forecasting'' conclusions are presented in a physical, non digital manner. Think swatches, think mounted samples, think thread wraps, think button selections, fastening suggestions, all presented in a professional and easily readable format. This class will be held in a very relaxed an informal atmosphere. There will be no set tasks, no deadlines, no compulsion to complete any aspect demonstrated. Pick and choose the process which suits you. Process learned here is transferable to all areas of stitch and can be utilised over and over. You may wish to learn in isolation, not to participate in group discussion or share images of your work, that is fine. This resource will be yours to use as you wish, you are in control of your own learning. Permanent access (forever) allows you to observe at your own pace, to return whenever is convenient for you. I will ALWAYS be available for guidance, questions, advice during the 12 weeks and afterwards.
(images use here are purely an illustration of finished edges. These pieces will not be exactly replicated during this 12 week programme)
***you do not need to have participated in any of my previous online learning programmes in order to join us in ''sampling for stitch''.
No prerequisites. Suitable for the beginner and the more experienced stitcher.
The start of a new piece, just like I said yesterday. White Broderie Anglaise backed with soft cotton cloth, a lace frill, web stitches along a seam, some swirly gimp and some straight gimp caught down with bullion knots. Actually, have you noticed? There appears to be an obsession forming with gimp. It's versatile, swirly, straight whatever takes your fancy really. What's not to get obsessed about.
This will most likely take a back seat for a few days now. I have pages to titivate and tabs to stitch for the body bag. I also have a new class almost ready for the big reveal.....tomorrow I hope.
Today though I am waiting for silk, more ofthisand some of these. They will be a challenge......I have never done that before.......it's exciting!
Finished, backed, lined, titivated, Prairie points, hand finished edges......sigh. It's in the shop.
I decided to use half and half or thereabouts for the lining and strips of the patterned cloth were added front and back to give a little more width and a little more interest. There are three prairie points on the top too...a finishing touch.
It's been a good week so far for finishing. In class, tomorrow, I finish a pocket and a page. I will show you those later this week. I also hope to finish another book very soon, pages will be cut today. Now so much is finished I need to think about the opposite....starting.....starting a new piece. I'm thinking, I am undecided, there is too much to choose from....pin pillow? Maybe, probably....
This weekend, amongst other things, I have been stitching tiny samples for the artist books which are in progress. There are half a dozen Suffolk puffs and a little embroidery on the surface of a piece of cloth I created some time ago which goes to prove you should never throw anything away.
I plan to cut snippets from the larger cloth piece and add them to pages for the little books but for today my warm up exercise was adding Suffolk puffs to a page, a simple task but one which has progressed the page count.
Later today I am hoping to back this and add a lining. I have yet to decide whether I will play with the lining in terms of adding strips of the patterned cloth so watch this space.
You last saw this here....it has moved on a lot since then in fact it will be finished in class later this week. There are two pieces here, the front and back of what will become another pocket. Rouleau loops have been added to an edge, a fastening, a fastening that is most likely only ever going to be decorative. This pocket won't ever fasten completely.
Today one of these pieces is strategically folded in order to keep something back until the girls in class have seen it. Once that is done it will be full steam ahead to decoratively joining seams and edging the top opening. You should get to see the whole thing, finished, titivated, complete by the end of the week.
When I'm not hanging out here I can be found over in embroidery school...cracking the whip....(not really, I am such a soft touch). Today's offering shows a little of what we have been up to over there, circles, big, huge circular pockets on the surface of circular pockets. This one is edged with bullion loops and has an embroidered lining, (you can see that in the last image)
Then there is my ledger...did I mention we are learning Swedish too? I am using the most delightful children's book, bought in Sweden last December. I haven't a clue what it says but occasionally I set homework for class to translate a phrase or a sentence.....very soon we will all be fluent! Already I know how to say a very useful phrase.....i ett slott (in a castle)....who knows when I might need that in an emergency situation?
It's Saturday today, just in case you didn't know. I can't seem to be organised on a weekend, too many comings and goings so I have no idea what I am going to do later this afternoon apart from it won't be anything domestic goddess related......perhaps I'll just fiddle with a little cloth, aimlessly, wondering, thinking...who knows, an idea may jump out at me.
It won, the gimp that is. Remember here I was debating the addition of gimp? Last night gimp was trailed across this piece. I'm not sure if that's it finished. I am deciding, thinking, considering.
Looking at it here has actually given me an idea. I will keep that to myself for now, think on it some more. Meantime I will play with ideas for the lining of this one. Simply lining it with white silk would work I'm sure but I also wonder if adding strips of the patterned cloth would lift that, add interest. Later today I will play, pin some pieces together, mix and match......
(the ''related posts'' thingy on this blog is becoming very irritating. It automatically suggests posts depending on the text within each blog post. It only ever suggests the same posts here no matter what I type. So, an experiment.....bullion knots, silk, patchwork, cross stitch, applique, white, loops, pins, cloth, embroidery, samples, sampling, pouch, pocket....nope....nothing.) Ok then, I will suggest other reads for you, this, this and this...maybe...if you want to.
DMC Coton a Broder 25 caught my eye. I have used it once, many moons ago and in terms of my white stitching decided to continue with the Coton a Broder 16. In terms of thickness the 16 suits me. Colour however is another matter. I have always mostly used stranded cottons for adding colour to my work, that was before the shade card you saw yesterday came into my life. Well I can resist anything but temptation....so a few skeins have been purchased and I'm sure that as I grow to love them the collection will be added to.
A quick word about the lace in the first image. The off white lace was purchased in San Francisco some time ago. I used some of that when I made my daughters wedding bag. The remainder will be saved for anything equally as special which may or may not arise in the future. The white lace alongside it was extremely expensive, ( I only have about 18 inches of that) That piece is also being saved for something special in the future. I can't remember the name of the shop where I bought it apart from it was in Soho. And the reason I have those out today? I was using them to illustrate a point in class but who needs a reason anyway, it's good to just aimlessly gaze sometimes!
It's been a busy week, busy yet predictable. Thread, stitch, paper.....I bought a new shade card, I have already drooled on that and been forced to order several colours from there. I made rouleau loops, put pages together and of course I embroidered too.
You will notice that I continue to accumulate piles too. In my defence, the piles change regularly. Something will be picked from the top and worked on. It then generally ends up on another pile.....hey ho, what can I say? I bet you all have piles of piles too, I know it.....
