The collection of embroidered pieces for my 'stash tier' is growing.
I only hope I am able to part with these when the time comes!
Yesterday I had two wonderful sessions on Zoom with members of my subscription learning programme.
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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 of this and some of these. They will be a challenge......I have never done that before.......it's exciting!
It's finished, the pillow which has been constantly referred to as the ''gimp piece''. It measures 13 x 10 inches, took quite a bit of stuffing but was a delight to finish with buttonhole lace edges and a single edge of glass beads.....I'm happy, I'm satisfied, I feel as if I have accomplished something.
In truth I'm a little ''pillowed out'' now. I feel as if I have made nothing but pillows for so long. I took this image with my phone yesterday, a pile of pillows, pillow central.....enough for now perhaps.
Yesterdays images of my ''to do'' list in 3D contained 5 pillow tops. They will be finished, I want to finish them, I need to finish them but not for a few days and one of them I think will become a small pouch instead.
You will be happy to hear that along with this piece a pocket was finished yesterday . I will show you that tomorrow.....a break from pillows for you too.
Seven to be precise, seven bumpy bits added to the gimp piece. They are meant to be flowers, floral. They have stalks and bullion loop leaves. The second image probably gives the best view of those. I still need to attend to the opposite end of this piece, (not visible here but you can see the area I mean in this post) that needs more applique shapes of lace cloth. Since I took these photographs yesterday more loops have been added, two complete seams of bullion loops and a few French knots too. It's coming on, it's making me happy, it's making me feel accomplished.
The lemon pillow got quite a reaction yesterday, thank you! I have yet to begin embroidery on the other two pieces of lace and white which are tacked together and which I pieced at the same time as the lemon pillow. Hopefully that will start later this week.
Today, this morning and in a few minutes I have been and will be sorting cloth. I've been gathering white pieces together, pressing them and putting them in different boxes, trying to keep them together in a more organised manner. Wish me luck with that one as organised is not my middle name!!
Lemon, I like a bit of lemon every now and then and I especially like how easily it lives with white silk, white lace and white stitch. One of the three white pillow tops is finished. Now it needs to be backed, stuffed, have the edges titivated....you know the drill, stuff and stitch. There's a ring to that...''stuff and stitch'', I'm sure there's a song in there somewhere.
I probably had more to say today than I've managed so far but it's gone clean out of my head because there has been a bit of a catastrophe at Ruane towers in the last half hour. A full mug of coffee launched itself from my hand causing untold damage, thankfully not to cloth....phew.....but to my computer desk and a pile of papers, letters, invoices. Oh my days, I'll be peeling apart wet paper for hours. Happy days.....what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.....the cloth remains pristine, safe, white, fresh and very relieved.
I mentioned these three pieces yesterday, three white pillow tops. Two of them are just tacked at the moment, I have begun embroidery on the third, just a tiny amount so far. In comparison to the pillow top from yesterday, these are tiny. Each of these will measure approximately six by four inches when finished. The pillow from yesterday will measure around fourteen by eleven inches when it's finished, quite a difference.
In theory these could be finished very quickly. Don't hold your breath...please. They will now go on that pile, that pile that keeps giving whilst I flit to something else for a day or two. ''flit'' mode seems to be default at the moment. Lots of irons in lots of fires. That's not to say that nothing ever gets finished, it does. I do sometimes wonder but thankfully the evidence is here.
: to move or fly quickly from one place or thing to another
I worked on white yesterday. White bullion knots on white Broderie Anglaise which was laid on white silk with some piping cord in that mix too. When I started to take pictures this morning I thought it may be a bit too much of a shock for you seeing the stark white piece on its own, also a little boring maybe? Hence the addition of a piece of ''old'' white. An unfinished wrapping cloth made mostly from vintage pieces. One thing though, laying the old piece alongside yesterdays piece illustrates how bullion knots and cross stitch have been a theme here for quite some time.
This has also got me thinking about the ''old'' piece. It really wouldn't take much to finish that one. I could add to it, make it bigger or I could square it off, back it, titivate the edges and voila. If I were to do that I would have a small cloth, 35 x 20 inches. (90 x 53 cm) Having said that, a cloth that size would be acceptable, usable. It would definitely keep my feet warm. I see another toe wrap in my future.
The white piece, the one with silver bumps, I've been playing with that a little. I was away a long time wasn't I. I forgot what time it was, didn't look at the clock. I didn't go anywhere, no holiday, no shopping spree. I did have my carpets cleaned, does that count as wildly exciting?
Oh, I did go to Manchester to see him. It was booked a lifetime ago and I had actually forgotten about it, good thing my friend nudged me and reminded me. It was good, maybe OK, not usually my kind of thing but a pleasant evening was had by all.
But sewing....I played with this like I said, now what? I am busy, busy , busy over in ''5'', embroidery, talk of ledgers, latecomers signing up but? I want something else, something to share with you too. I must get my brain in gear and create, new....fresh.......inspire me please.
Oh my goodness it's huge.......it's a new pocket pillow, a white one. It's got hand made buttons and loops and applique and knots and piping and hand bound buttonholes. It's a pocket, a big pocket and a pillow, a big pillow. Stick pins in it, I have, it won't hurt honest! It measures overall 20 x 13 inches. (51 x 35 cm) Is that big enough? I would say so. It's now in the shop along with the class, a work on your own class, where you can learn to make one for yourself. It doesn't have to be white, it can be any colour you wish.
Thank you so much for the feedback on lace from yesterday. I am in the middle of making more. I decided I didn't have enough and anyway, my plans for ''4'' demand I make more. Having said that how can I resist just making it for the sake of it if my machine is up? So along with the planned lace for ''4'' I will make more...I have to...you might see that tomorrow.
Two hand bound buttonholes have been added to the white cloth that will become a pocket pillow. I was a bit worried that they wouldn't show up very well in the photographs so I made a video too. It's less than 2 minutes long. I also added the tiny loops you can see along the lace strip that is more obvious in the third image.
This piece is almost finished, I found a few minutes last night to titivate with the buttonholes. When I say almost finished I am talking about the surface embellishment. I still need to put it together, make a pocket, make a pillow, make rouleau loops....OK, not nearly finished then!
Thanks so much for the response to my lace buttons yesterday...wow....I am hoping to add them to some lace soon, an edge, a final titivation. I will show you when that's done.
I was awake at the crack of dawn this morning, big plans to see through. I have made three videos for ''4'' ( you will get those tomorrow girls) and posted the first installment of Alchemy. (if you are registered for Alchemy please get in touch if you didn't receive any sign in info, passwords etc) so it's mission accomplished so far today. I'm off to put the kettle on.