A finished example

This is what that whipped cord looks like when it's all worked closely together. I love the texture on this. It's very solid, almost like a heavy twill. I don't think the picture captures the texture very well, but it catches light differently by the direction you're looking at it. And I'm very happy with the turkey stitch heart.
(An alternate way of fluffing turkey stitch, is to use an eyebrow brush/comb, that's my preference, but I don't do large areas...yet)

If I can get some help with the photography, I'll post a tutorial on the technique. I *think* that it's a variation of overcast stitch but more 'whippy' if that makes sense.

Well folks, I'll see you Monday. Have a great weekend, and happy stitching.

Progress

Goes very slowly, but I'm at least enjoying myself. that's five hours of stitching that I've added to the necklace. I'll be doing a blitz on it tonight and tomorrow, so there should be more to see on Friday. I'm also doing sketches, and learning how to use acrylic paints (whole new medium for me, it's very interesting)

I believe that learning new skills, or revisiting old ones is a good way to keep the creative juices flowing and gives me more tools to use, to make my pieces. Sometime I'll write more on that. As for now, here's today's picture, and I'll see you all on Friday.

Happy Stitching!

I'm back!

Hi Folks, I'm, once again, attempting to post more regularly. So, unless it's raining (I carry my computer to the studio) I'll be posting on Monday, Wed, and Fri. If it's raining, there might be a quickie posting via the cell-phone-thingie.

So here's one of the projects that I'm working on... (click to enbiggen)

Once again, I'm trying to work on a necklace, this time it's going a lot smoother.
The technique I'm doing is wrapped cord. I'm using basic no.10 crochet cotton, wrapped with two strands of  Sulky rayon thread. I take two whips around the cord, plunge the needle and then back up, to take two more wraps, and then just keep going.

 I like to keep the cord on a needle to make it easier to plunge behind the embroidery.

The numbers in the circles are the order of work. It should make more sense when there's more done. Okay then folks, I'll see you in a couple days.

Happy stitching!

Rhapsody in blue I

Hello folks!
I've started a new brooch, that'll be part of a series. I like working in series, as it lets me explore a number of ideas within a set of constraints.
In this one, I'm playing with the color blue, texture, and layers.
Happy stitching to everyone!

It's beginning to look a lot like (insert appropriate winter holiday of your choice, here)

I'm having fun stitching up christmas ornaments. This one is on wool and worked, mostly, with silk sewing thread (Gütermann). The outlining is rayon (Sulky) wrapped string (ball I've had laying around for 20 years). And the pattern is by Sharon B. at PinTangle
Happy stitching, everyone!

Long time no post...

Pardon the cell phone quality, but here is the current project.

I'd been having troubles with earlier projects. They were pretty enough, but they didn't feel like my work. They were unfocussed. So, I went back to basics. I limited this to 2 stitches: split stitch, and satin stitch (and its variations). I also limited the pallette to 2 colors, 1 accent, 1 neutral, and 1 metal (blue & green, orange, white, and gold).

Using limits does help my creativity, and I'm very happy with how this is coming along.

Current project

Here's an update on the current project. The outer petals, and leaves are done.

Tonight I'll be setting up for the inner petals. I'll be working those over wire, using detached buttonhole, and gold thread.

Have fun, and I'll post again tomorrow.

Testing if this works...

Hi folks! I know it's been a long time since I last posted. I'm hoping to be better at it starting, this month.

The picture is of the latest, finished, embroidery.

Going Dotty

I'm having a ball with these little things. here's another one. 

 

Here's the front.My tribute to the Matrix.... Dot Matrix.

 

And the back...

 

And the whole happy set!

Recycling!

I've been enjoying myself with some basic notebook making.

 

I know it doesn't look like a notebook. In fact, it *is* an old cigarette pack that I sanded, gessoed, painted and varnished. I'm happy with how it turned out. 

Except...the case looked a little full...

*Blargleblelble!*

See, there they go, all better now.

What I've been working on.

 This is the current art project, it's about 18 inches by 30 inches. I'm working on paper that I've treated heavily with gesso. The first layer of text is done with graphite (a no-wood pencil) then I hit it up with matte medium to give it a look similar to ivory and the white layer of text is gesso because I love the effect it has in the light.

 Here's a closeup, if you're curious. Oh the text is the Psalms, in Latin.

 

 I'm also working on a bead-embroidered bracelet. 

As always, click on the pictures for enlargements.

Time to restart the blog. expect more updates.

Here's the latest finished project, it only took 60 hours, which is a lot faster than usual.

The white material is glow in the dark embroidery floss, and sewing thread. I'm still trying to photograph that well, so it's visible. (I think it has something to do with exposure settings, but I'm not that good at this stuff)

Okay, here's more of my trying to blog more regularly.
This is the most recent finished project. I'll have pictures of the next one in a few days.

This one is worked over wire, like the last one. The stitches are buttonhole, chain, french knots and woven picots around the center.

The back is worked in detached buttonhole with stem stitch worked on top. Also the base is edged in detached buttonhole. My next one will be more finished looking, if I can figure it out.
And the back of the small petals was a lot of fun to work. I picked up some of the gold silk twist, that they're using on the Plimoth Plantation project. And added some delicas to make the little flowers.

Until next time...Happy creating!

Long time no post....
"Let me 'splain... No, there's too much. Let me sum up."

The reason for the break in posts, from last year, is that we moved. I no longer have the craft area that I had at the old apartment. But I'm still crafting. It's been an interesting year, and I'm now able to get out, and have been going to the local library (it's a 5 minute walk) to work on my embroidery.

This is some of what I've been working on...



This is worked in buttonhole stitch, detached buttonhole, woven picots, french knots, couching, lots of split stitch, and seed stitch.

Here's a close up of the split stitch petals and pearls.



You can also see the medium sized petals, that I worked in couching and seed stitch. I wanted to thank Mary Corbet for reminding me about seed stitch. It's a useful filling stitch.

Here's the back...


yup, all the backs are worked in detached buttonhole. I think it makes for a better look when the backs are embroidered as well as the fronts.

I'll be posting more frequently now that I've been able to get the pictures uploaded from my camera.

Happy crafting, you all.

Moving the desk to the front was a good idea. I'm able to fit a rug (just picked it up Saturday at IKEA) and the round worktable back there. It's starting to look a lot better. The unfinished state of the walls and floor is an annoyance, but I can live with it.

I like the flow of the space better now too. I think it'll be much more functional once it's finished.



This is the jewelry storage, it took almost a week of sorting to get it all together. Now I've got a much better idea of what I have and what I can work with. It's a marvelous thing.

More to do,
Happy crafting to you all.

I've moved the desk to the front of the room. I think that'll work better, and maybe improve the wireless internet connection out there. (not so many walls, pipes, and stuff)



And moving the desk has given me a dance floor in the rest of the room. It's a good space for a table and chairs, and laying out sewing.



I've still got to work on the above-shelf storage. I'm not entirely sure how to set it up, but I'll get it figured out.



And that is a finished organized shelf. I'm absolutely thrilled with the results. If all goes well, I'll have this finished in a few more days.

Happy crafting to you all!

Organization, part two....and an experiment.

First, the experiment. I don't know why my pictures format the way they do, and that I can't get them in line with the text. Hopefully I'll figure it out in this post
edited to add: It's figured out! Woot! (and I figured out, more or less, how to fix the previous post

On to the organization



This is the "Clean Sweep" staging area for sorting stuff, it's not bad, it's in the garage and is a good way to lay everything out to actually see what's cluttering things up. I'm still trying to figure out a storage solution for the various bags I have, but that'll come. And I'm still trying to determine if I'll make baskets again, or if I should find a new home for the reeds. (So far I'm coming down on the side of yes, I will make baskets again)



And another picture of the staging area.

More will come as more is done.

Fear me, I'm violating a law of thermodynamics by reducing disorder! Woot!

Here are the before pictures of the craft space. The first picture is of the main bookcases and storage in there. I've let it get entirely too cluttered and hard to find things, this winter. The craft space is relatively unheated so it's hard to work in there.



The second picture is towards the desk area. I didn't take a picture of the table in front of it, since there wasn't room to stand. (Yes, this is a problem.) Those cabinets at the window have never been as useful as I thought they'd be. They're too tall to work on sewing, or calligraphy. And too short to work standing up. and the storage in the cabinets is too narrow to hold my sewing machine and serger. They seemed like a good idea at the time. But, they'll get a good home at my brother's place.



The third picture is just to the left of the desk, and would be the spot I'd set up a table to do calligraphy. A casual glance will give you the impression that it's slightly cluttered. A closer examination, however, will reveal the truth...it's very cluttered.




The fourth picture is of the desktop itself (minus the computer which is currently in the living room, until it warms up out there some more)

Organization.....or the woes of a long winter.

It has finally happened, I couldn't stand my craft space any longer. I couldn't find my tailors' awl, my large format bristol paper...or the floor.

Coming up will be pictures of the mostly before state (I took the pictures after already clearing it out a bit, so I'd have somewhere to stand. I'll also post pictures of the reorganization.

I'm already about half done so these aren't exactly "In progress" pics, they're more "This was the progress" pics. And I'm reorganizing the way I set it up for work.

Now if only I could get my computer to hook up to the internet in there, we'd be golden. (It's a problem with the wireless thingie, I'll figure it out eventually)