Bluework allium

I love spiky allium heads. After having done some ‘long shots’ on a couple of the sections in my bluework bowl, I decided that I wanted the next section to be a closer view and I chose an allium head for that.

First, the main stem in herringbone stitch and the stems which carry the flower heads radiating from a central point.

Then a solid couple of hours stitching through a committee meeting got the six petalled individual florets in lazy daisy stitch added.

I used the same variegated silk to outline the stem in split stitch and then built up adjoining rows of split stitch to form the leaf.

As all the other sections are in Victorian china style blue and white, I wanted to introduce other shades of blue, but I’m not entirely convinced now…

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New stitches

I’ve had flu for the first time in years and it’s been a bugger to shift, so my involvement at last Saturday’s Scunthorpe Embroiderers’ Guild meeting was limited to sneaking in half way through the afternoon to hand over Val’s Travelling Book and pick up Sandra’s, staying by the door and keeping my germs well out of the way. Everyone looked like they were happily stitching though, so I hope a good time was had by all.

For Val’s book page I worked a piece inspired by the work of Sue Spargo. I bought some gorgeous heavyweight pure wool felt before Christmas and cut simple leaf shapes in a soft green to go on a cream ground. I wanted to use the uncluttered shapes to showcase the embroidery, particularly new stitches.

Then I got out a whole pile of books on embroidery stitches and started to stitch! The blanket stitch round the outside of the first leaf is actually called Berwick Stitch in the book I used and is a blanket stitch with a sort of added french knot where the needle enters the background fabric. Very nice to work and the knot gives a lovely finish. Then a row of running stitch and the dark green is twisted chain.

After I’d worked the line of twisted chain I felt the gap was too big between it and the running stitch, so I added a row of split stitch in variegated perle. Inside the twisted chain I stitched a row of whipped running stitch before finishing it off with a row of closed fly stitch.

Leaf two was held down with Knotted Buttonhole Stitch. It’s a lovely looking stitch but working the knots at the start took a bit of practise. Then a neat row of chain inside that.

I wasn’t happy with the lone line of running stitch on the first leaf so at this point I went back and whipped it. Much better.

Back to leaf two and courtesy of Mary Thomas, Portuguese Knotted Stem Stitch. Another new stitch to me and a gorgeous one (once I’d got the hang of the tension). I really like the way this sits on the fabric.

The inside was finished with stem stitch, back stitch and Pekinese stitch.

I mounted it up into the book and added my inspiration page which included a printout of a photo of the leaves labelled with the different stitches.

This was a complete joy to stitch and a lot of fun finding new and interesting stitches to add to the old favourites.

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Small finishes

It’s reading for a new show time again and so I have managed to sit and stitch through a number of small finishes. Firstly, one of the designs Ruth produced for us at November’s Embroiderers’ Guild meeting, made up into a card.

The border is in feather stitch, the centre in a spiral of split stitch, the main oval parts of the petals in Corded Brussels stitch (needlelace) and the ends in satin stitch.

Then I decided to make up a little magazine kit I bought from eBay in 2009. Simple stem stitch and lazy daisy stitch for the wheel barrow and the flowers/leaves.

Then french knot middles to the flowers and my first ever attempt at a Dorset Button for the wheel.

I was fairly pleased with it until I put the kit picture next to it for comparison…

Obviously a technique I need to work on but it has made a nice little card.

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Tail chasing and ribbon roses

Saturday sort of got away from me. I knew I wasn’t going to make the morning session of our Embroiderers’ Guild meeting but I had high hopes of making the afternoon. That was a mistake. I finally walked through the door at about 3pm and by the time I’d caught my breath, looked round at all the various boards, tables and displays and sorted my travelling book there was only enough time for chatting (always good, though) and putting literally a handful of stitches in one of the activities that our new chair, Ruth, had organised for us.

Pauline had finished her bookmark and was happy to let me photograph it.

 

Another group was stitching heart shaped decorations. This one is Julie’s:

Debbie and Janet pulled together their matryoshka with the examples Ruth had already stitched for me to photograph.

There was also another flower shaped decoration or similar but I didn’t manage to find any worked examples of that. It looked like a nice selection of fun things to stitch and even though I only had an hour, it was lovely to relax with some straightforward stitching and good company.

I’ve also been making some more ribbon roses to turn into pendants. This one has fly stitch leaves, stem stitch stems and lazy daisy sepals in variegated coton a broder with a woven spider’s web rose and french knot buds in pale blue silk ribbon.

And this one has fly stitch leaves, split stitch stems and lazy daisy sepals in variegated perle with a woven spider’s web rose and french knot buds in crimson silk ribbon.

A weekend of nice quick little projects.

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Shy Bird is Cultured

I went back to Tolethorpe Hall again last Friday evening to see Macbeth and Shy Bird came too. There wasn’t a massive amount of time for stitching before the performance but I did get a bit more of his head done.

He didn’t enjoy it as much as The Tempest – the witches were seriously creepy and there weren’t as many laughs. However, I thought it was one of the best and most powerful versions of Macbeth I’ve ever seen and the costumes were stunning.

The next day was National Stitch Day and to celebrate, Scunthorpe Embroiderers’ Guild had a beautifully staged little exhibition of crewel work both stitched by members and also samples from one of the Guild Folios of handling pieces in the local library. Several of us came along for all or part of the day to do some stitching and Bird, of course, came too, as did my youngest.

First of all I finished his head. I added yellow and cream highlights over the split stitch as per the original and highlights in his eye to bring it to life.

Then his breast, which was more split stitch in the variegated Needle Necessities that I had used for the yellow highlights on his wing and head.

I’d only used the golden yellow section of the variegation for the wing but using whole lengths, dark brown shading through gold to beige, tied the colouring of his breast into the rest of him, but made it lighter, which is the effect I wanted.

Last of all, his legs. The one behind was stitched in the brown crewel wool I used for his head, tail and wing, and for the one in front I used the lighter sections of the variegated thread. With the detail added over the top in a darker brown and my monogram in the corner, he was finally finished!

It was a lovely relaxed day’s stitching in the library and although we didn’t have many people showing interest, those that did were lovely and we all had a great natter anyway!

The theme set by the main Guild was leaves, so there were leaves to stitch: felt ones for any children who turned up and wanted a go and hooped up shapes on fabric for any adults.  My youngest embroidered her own leaf and then after having beaded it, decided she wanted to add an ant, which she stitched freehand. I think  he worked out beautifully.

Shy bird thinks he looks delicious…

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Shy Bird does lunch

I worked a bit more on Shy Bird at Stitch Club last Saturday at the beginning of a fantastic two days of embroidery which I’ll blog about a bit later, and his wing is now completed.

Now that he’s firmly fixed as part of the family, he came out with us to lunch yesterday at Mount Pleasant Windmill, Kirton Lindsey. The girls and I had worked extremely hard all morning and I decided we deserved a treat. As all the sandwiches are handmade to order, it’s not the place to go if you’re in a hurry, but we love it and were happy to just sit and enjoy a rest and chat while I worked on Shy Bird.

In order to fit around the curves of his eyes, I started following the outline of his head in split stitch, using the same crewel wool that I used for his tail and wing.

When we got home, another hour stitching in the garden until I got rained off got me this far:

You may remember that he was originally going to be a travelling book piece and that I had to come up with something new at short notice. I decided to go for a piece of work based on a Sashiko exhibition I saw in York back in 2009. I transcribed my sketchbook notes and sketches…

…gathered some pieces of fabric in shades of green and machined them onto a piece of water soluble fabric. The first layer:

And then I completely forgot to photograph the second layer, which incorporates the interlocking v-shapes or the finished piece when I’d washed the stabiliser away, or the final spread. I shall just have to wait until the books return in September and try and get a photo then!

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Little shy bird

I couldn’t resist the little shy bird from Shibden Hall, peeking out from under his wing. I cropped the photo and printed him out in various sizes before copying him onto calico.

We went off to Rievaulx Abbey a couple of weekends ago to attend their Murder Mystery weekend  and he was perfect to pop into my bag to work on while the rest of the family solved murders, explored the ruins, decorated a wooden shield and walked up the bank to Rievaulx Terrace.  What a view to look at while I stitched…

…and behind me, down the Rye valley .

His outline is worked in split stitch using a heavy vintage perle thread.

It wasn’t long before we were out again, this time to Tolethorpe Hall to watch the Stamford Shakespeare Company’s production of The Tempest.

More wonderful surroundings…

…and they have this amazing Kaffe Fassett tapestry.

We took a picnic, as is traditional, and the play was really good. I taught The Tempest this year as part of the Shakespeare 400 celebrations so now I know it really well, which enhanced the whole experience.

Shy bird came out after the picnic and I managed to add one foot in split stitch and start the Bayeux stitch for his wing in crewel wool.

He’s a well travelled little bird!

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