I've been playing with lace over in Simply Stitch 3. I have joined lace, embroidered lace....almost titivated lace to death and I'm not finished yet. So far there are bullion knots, French knots, buttonhole lace, a fair amount of layering, some cloth peeking through various open areas.....it's never ending.
Stand by for the next installment. Who knows what will have been added by then.
Yes, the white pouch is now finished. There are handkerchief corners, scraps of cotton cloth, scraps of vintage trim, scraps of vintage lace. There are bullion knots, French knots, web stitches along with buttonhole lace, cutwork, hand bound buttonholes, hand made buttons and applique.....phew. It's like an embroidery menu or maybe even a recipe. Yes, recipe is probably the best word.
I hope you like it. I hope the person who ''ordered'' it likes it......
I am now going to play with the ''body bag'', remember that? If you don't then there are reminders here, here, and here.
I have added to yesterdays piece, there are bullion knots and cross stitch but I have also extended the piece, made it longer, bigger. I added Broderie Anglaise cloth to each end and then layered the surface with lace and trimmings. I am on a roll here. Tonight I have plans for applique.....
Tomorrow I am hoping to add more images to the ''America'' page, speaking of which...Happy Thanksgiving. Turkey dinners, yum.
I am looking forward to my own Turkey Dinner on Christmas day. I really don't like cooking, not a happy kitchen occupier at all....except for Christmas. I love to cook the Christmas lunch, so much so that I already have a little list of things I must buy that don't normally reside in my cupboards....dried sage, cloves, thyme, dried cranberries, peanuts, mini marshmallows for chocolate fridge cake....are you salivating yet?
The white on white pouch is evolving. Hand bound buttonholes have been added along with cutwork, bumpy bits and other hand embroidery stitches. I have extended it this morning in terms of surface area, adding more cloth to the edges. I will begin to embroider those this evening.
I laid it on an old page for the photographs. I had this book out in order to refer to it for Simply stitch 3, tomorrows video, and whilst I was taking pictures of this page I thought how the white on white might look more precious with this as background. I will let you be the judge of that but my opinion?...........it's a much better backdrop than a table.....
I am currently surrounded by white. Partly it's inspiration to draw on for Helen's bridal bag and partly it's to keep my mind ticking over. I glance at this every so often and get a sense of another piece, a tiny germ of an idea.
I did tell you that I never throw anything away and this is why. All these little pieces of work are samples created some time ago but carefully stored, laid on top of books actually, to keep them flat. Today they are the basis of a list. A list for Simply Stitch 3 as these techniques will feature there along with basic, simple hand embroidery. It is possible to create massively different surfaces with the most basic of embroidery stitches and these are proof of that.
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.
I doodled and I made notes. I even got the thesaurus out.....somehow it inspires me. I love words. Decisions have been made and plans jotted down, or should I say scribbled down. I think I am in need of handwriting lessons.
Once the head was clear I embroidered, a tiny piece on my latest white thing with a few bullion knots and the ever present buttonhole lace. Actually....I am pre empting (only slightly) tomorrows school work so if you're watching girls shut your eyes now! This has to be put away today though and attention given to the pin pillows. One lovely lady is waiting for her pouch which can't be sent until her requested pin pillow is made....I'm on it. You will be first.
I've been busy today. There was another, earlier post just look below. That was my table at nine o'clock this morning. These pictures are of the detail from yesterdays hanging cloths and also the final, finished edge of my veil thing.
The wrapping cloth now has tabs, bullion seams and a little bullion 'fence'. The festooned/veil thingy is now completely finished...woo hoo!! Last night I embroidered more on my latest piece, my new muslin pouch and I hope to get images of that later. I have also put together a couple of small pieces, strips of cloth. They may have embroidery added before the day is out and then there is lace....a sewing machine...scrim and a plan for more to go on my curtain. I best get going then there's work to be done.
I'm not rehashing yesterdays pictures honestly. I tidied up after yesterdays pictures were taken only to get it all out again this morning. There is new embroidery here. New applique, new cross stitch and new edges on a white lace trim. It's only a small piece of cross stitch, my dream of a full yard of cloth hand cross stitched by me in order to cut it up again is still that....a dream. One day perhaps I will manage to make that full yard but not yet.
The reason for this perpetual mess on my table is the imminent arrival of my lace class and the re launch of Alchemy. One thing is holding all this up....I can't think of a name for my lace class. I don't want to call it my lace class, too predictable and possibly misleading as we won't be making lace. It's a challenge.....I'm sure I will get there.
Meanwhile, the applique and cross stitch is for embroider, embellish, create which is very much live and happening now. I am working hard to stay ahead of the class but it gets harder, they are SO talented. I have given the girls a lot of homework today and can't wait to see what they come up with next. And then there is cheesecake. I have been distracted by cheesecake or to be more precise a cheesecake recipe. I haven't made it yet but I just had to go out this morning and buy the ingredients. I now know that they are there when I am ready to face the kitchen.
These are my current 'in progress' pieces of cloth. The top image shows yesterdays piece in the foreground. Do you see that bump? The white dome thing? That has to go, I will be removing that soon. It just irritates me. Not that I have anything against that process in general. Quite the opposite in fact, I use it a lot and will be showing my embroider, embellish, create girls how to do it some time soon. I just feel that it needs to be made using a different cloth, a more matt cloth, a chalky cloth.
Meantime I have been pondering the pieces I have accumulated so far for my new wrapping cloth. That is the piece that will get most attention this coming week. Class has started, the flickr group is filling up. I need to be one step ahead of class not twelve behind so I had best get a move on.
This week is also the very last week of Alchemy. That is going to be a wrench. I have spent the last 12 weeks with those girls and boy will I miss them. I have a feeling that the girls in eec will keep me on my toes but 12 weeks is a very long time. There is a lot to miss there......sad face here. All is not lost though, it appears that you do want a class about lace and that will come, will be announced in the next few weeks. Meantime my eec group will be getting my undivided attention! Get your pencils sharpened in class.....