Gold n' Stitches

An Unexpected Suprise ... and framing made easy

A week or so ago I received a free copy of a craft magazine, Handmade Vol 27 No 11,   in the mail.

I wasn’t sure why I had received this magazine as I didn’t subscribe to it.  I figured it must have been a promotion as I do subscribe to Creative Embroidery & Cross Stitch, a magazine published by the same company, Express Publications.

So I put the magazine aside unopened and took it along to my stitching group that night.

As we were sitting around chatting, I decided to open the magazine and flick through it.

Suddenly I exclaimed “Oh my God!”

Now I knew why I had received a free copy of the magazine.  There, in print, was a design I had submitted back in 2006 - Cherry Blossoms.   Finally it had been published.

I had sent this piece of silk ribbon embroidery in along with a couple of other pieces which were published in Embroidery and Cross Stitch magazine.  I received the published pieces back in the mail but not the Cherry Blossoms.  I eventually rang to find out what was happening with it and was told that it had gone over to the editor of Handmade magazine.

The reason for my surprise was that nobody had contacted me to indicate it was going to be published.  Of course I was chuffed to see it in print ... and now it will come home so it can hang on the wall.

This was the first piece of embroidery I had attempted on a fabric with a patterned background.  It was a Japanese print and I really liked the fabric. I had purchased a fat quarter, with no idea what I would use it for.  The inspiration came from the other beautiful Japanese prints displayed in the store.

When I finished this piece, I dreaded the thought of having it framed as I had just had a piece of goldwork framed that had cost a quite a bit!  The piece measured 30cm by 40cm (12in by 16in) and I knew it would not be cheap.

I decided to get creative.

I purchase a blank canvas from one of the “two dollar” stores.  Are you familiar with these stores?  They are variety stores that sell many different products at low prices, usually two dollars and above.  I covered the canvas with dark brown silk dupion using a staple gun to secure it to the wooden frame of the canvas.

Next I laced the embroidered fabric to a piece of foam core.  Foam core or Foam board is a very strong, lightweight and easily cut material used for the mounting of photographic prints, as backing in picture framing.  It is generally available at art supply stores or picture framers.   I then attached the laced embroidery panel to the silk covered canvas using a hot glue gun. 

Cheap but effective.

Sorry there are no pictures of the process.  Next time I do one I’ll be sure to take some photos.

I have since completed a framing course at a local framing business.  What attracted me to this particular course was the added bonus of being able to use the business’s equipment and supplies once I had completed the course.

I just go in and choose the materials I want, prepare the frame, mount my piece and then just pay for the materials I have used.  It is an incredibly inexpensive way of presenting finished work.  I have also purchased some basic equipment for home so that I can mount my pieces using just the mounting boards.   This makes them light and easy to transport to classes.  The finish is not as professional as going to the picture framers premises to do the work but does the job when I am in a hurry.

Chatelaines, needlecases and more

Previously I said that I was busily sewing samples for the store for the upcoming CraftExpo being held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on March 25-28 2010.

I just could resist making some of the goodies out of Nancy Halvorsen's latest book Sew Necessary.

I started with the scissor chatelaines - there were so many to choose from!  I decided on the posy - quick and easy and oh so cute. I also made the bumble bee chatelaine but forgot to take a photo.  A fabric charm pack bu Moda was just the thing to use to make up these little treasures.

Next, I tackled the sewing basket - It was much larger than I envisioned (15"x8"x8"). It is stiffened with Peltex by Pellon and stands up beautifully.

There are lots of pockets inside to store your scissors threads, rotary cutter and much more. 

The matching needle case is also under way.

And now for something completely different - I couldn't resist playing with this hand printed embroidery panel by Prints Charming. 

 There are a number of designs to choose from including a vine, medallion and Kaleidoscope in a variety of colours.  I chose the orange as it is not a colour I usually work with and I was up for a challenge.

The panel comes with a stitch guide for very simple stitches - running stitch, chain stitch, back stitch and french knots. It would be ideal for beginners or young embroiderers as it is the colours that do the work for you.  and just ion case that scare you they have included some stitched examples to guide you.

So here it is so far.

What do you think?  I just couldn't resist adding some bling - flower sequins from Colourstreams.  I'm sure there will be a bit more added before I am finished.

 

 

Floral Glove - your questions answered!

Thank you all for your comments.  I will attempt to answer your questions.

Firstly - Hints for Satin Stitch

When stitching satin stitch on the leaves the first stitch is made along the centre vein of the leaf.  It is stitched from the base to the tip and the tip should be 'hyper-extended' - ie made one needle width longer than the traced outline on the tip.  This adds to the illusion of length and gives a pleasing shape to the leaf.  The following stitches are stitched following the traced outlined.

 In the stitch guide, the principal "less is more"is recommended.  This means that when stitching leaves and petals you should avoid the temptation to create shorter and shorter stitches as you move from the centre to the outside curve of the leaf.  Too many short stitches on the outside edges tends to make the leaf look short and squat rather than long and slender.

Another tip I like to use, which is not contained in the notes for the floral glove, is the technique of polishingthe threads once the area has been stitched.  Although this technique is usually applied to padded satin stitch, I found it  worked quite well with the Soie Paris silk threads.

Susan O'Çonnor provides a very good description of this technique in her book Monograms The Art of Embroidered Letterspublished by Country Bumpkin.

Polishing consists of rubbing the threads with a large tapestry needle in the direction that the stitches lie. The stitches are flattened and packed together to create a smooth lustrous finish.

Secondly - How long is a piece of string???

I'm not sure how to answer the question  relating to how long it has taken to stitch the glove.

I am not a fast stitcher.  I tend to get lost in the moment and relish the time spent stitching.  I also tend to be a bit of a perfectionist - so "reverse stitching" (unpicking) often takes up precious stitching time. I am still struggling with the pre-traced design - I am finding the inconsistency in the tracing of the design elements hard to overlook.  While some of it can be fixed by reshaping the elements when the backstitch is applied around the outside edge before filling with long and short or satin stitch, in some areas this has not been possible.

Also I am easily distracted when it comes to embroidery and am prone to working on multiple projects at any given time, and while I am working on them I am thinking about the other half dozen I would like to do! 

Having said that I haven't found the project a burden as far as time is concerned.  (Even though Lesson 2 has arrived and I haven't completed Lesson 1).  The foundation work always seems to take a fair amount of time and I like to complete all of the backstitch around the outlines of my deign first so that I can get into a rhythm with the long and short stitch and satin stitch.

I am still keen to go ahead with the Masterclass even though there will be an overlap with the projects.