Silly Stitching No 21
March 22, 2013
The last one is now finished. I can wrap it, give it and rule a line under this stitching. Thank goodness.
March 2013
Hmong Embroidery
March 21, 2013
Friend Pammy gave me two pieces of Hmong embroidery when she last visited. Both use recycled pieces surrounded by new additions. Piece No I is a traditional cross stitch pattern.
This has then been sewn onto a piece of fabric and another row of stitching added and then a contrasting band added to this.
The tacking of the band and the extra stitching is visable from the back.
Piece No 2 has an unusual maze type pattern machined on the fabric. I have seen this type of pattern before but do not know the significance of it.
Again, extra rows of embroidery and briads have been added to the origanal piece and then an edge. The original stitching in the centre is machined in a tiny stitch and has a stain on it. It must have had some importance for it to be reused in this condition.
Lost and Found
March 20, 2013
Last year I lost my knitting bag. I was so upset. Not only that I had lost the cardigan that I had nearly finished but that I had lost the bag that had been a made as a gift for me by one of my quilting pals.
I wasn't sure just where I had lost it but thought it might have been when I caught the bus home. So, I checked with the council bus lost and found. No joy. I forgot about it for a couple of months and just on the off chance checked again and there it was. However, there was a problem. All the parts of the cardigan were there but the needles and the last ball of wool I was going to use for the bands was gone.
This wasn't just any wool it was expensive Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino wool at $12.00 per ball. (Don't tell any one I spent over $70 for a babies cardigan just for the wool.) I went back to the shop but they didn't have the same colour so I bought a pale blue. I had found enough of the other blue to sew it together and do a couple of outside rows. (That cardigan is now costing over $80.00)
Next problem was the buttons. The ones that looked the best were made of Paua Shell that I had found in New Zealand. (Oh dear, we are now over $100.00 plus labour.)
So here it is blocked and finished.
I am now asking for prayers to be said that my daughter-in-law doesn't put it on the wrong cycle when it comes time to wash it.
TAST 2013 - Sailors Edge
March 19, 2013
I had visions of stitching little boats among the waves for this stitch. However, those bottle caps are just too small. I tried to make little applique boats but gave up in frustration and ended up with bead flowers. I added extra detached chain stitches, beads and french knots around the base. I do like this stitch and will have to think of a way to use it again.
Hishizashi Patterns
March 19, 2013
TAST 2013 - Sailor Stitch
March 18, 2013
This would have been easier to stitch on a flat surface instead of a sharp curve. I put the stitch facing itself at either edge of the side then laced the arms. I beaded each of the chain stitches in the top and bottom edges and placed a bead of a contrasting colour at the join of the arms. I quite like the band effect.
Hishizashi Patterns
March 18, 2013
The giants that sit by the river
March 17, 2013
The other day whilst at the airport I looked across to the Port of Brisbane that sits at the mouth of the Brisbane river. Most of the giant cranes were working but one sat up looking like a dinosaur or maybe a giraffe. They don't look anything like that up close.
I also just had to snap this flower that was covered in raindrops.
I'm one short!
March 17, 2013
Between when I started my Silly Stitching and when I finished we had changes in my cottage patchwork group. Two people left and three joined. That meant that when I went to wrap all my pincushions I was one short. Luckily some one was away at our last meeting and I have another two weeks to get another one finished.
Because so many people had said they were going away for Easter I had to bring my deadline back two weeks. This added quite a bit of pressure to meet the new dead-line. I was going to piece all the backs of the little cushions using a pattern I had found on the web but in the end I used my 'travellers fabric' instead.
I found some white cotton lace at Spotlight to insert into the join and tea-dyed this. It has a sort of ric-rac look. Some one asked how I inserted the lace and kept it free of the seam, so here is a shortish tutorial.
Firstly I drew my circle shape using a water-soluable pen and then tacked the lace into position just inside this line. I did not iron my lace because by leaving this till later it gives a suggestion of a gather when it is ironed. The other thing I didn't do was cut my fabric to shape. This shape is a circle and it is very easy to stretch the edges as they are on the bias. By leaving this task till later that fabric retained it's shape.
I then removed the pen marks. Sometimes these marks can return but as they are in the seam allowance this wouldn't be a problem.
I then ironed the lace to give a flat surface for the stitching.
I put the quarter inch foot on my machine, set the length at 2.5 and changed the bobbin thread to a pale grey colour. I then sewed slowly around the narrow band at the bottom of the lace.
I again ironed my fabric, because when ironing the lace I had lowered the surface of the embroidery.
This is also the last chance you will have of ironing your embroidery on a thick towel and getting it to sit proud. (I had also spray starched my fabric to help keep it straight. When you pull it through to the right side you will remove a lot of the startch.)
The
next step is where that different coloured thread in the bobbin comes
into it's own. You now have a line, that you can clearly see, as your
stitching guide and you can see your tacking thread which you can now remove easily.
I then pinned my back fabric and the embroidery together with that contrasting thread on the top side. Changed the bobbin thread back to a matching colour with my top thread and set my stitch length to 3 to accomodate the extra thickness of fabric. I was able to set the side of my quarter inch foot against my contrasting stitching to stitch a line just inside this, meaning that this thread was not seen on the right side.
I left an opening to turn the fabric through only reversing my stitching at one side only. ( If I had made the opening too small I was able to easily undo the stitching on one side.)
It was at this point that I cut back my fabric to a quarter inch seam allowance and a half inch at the opening. (You can see where I decided the opening wasn't going to be big enough.)
After turning it through to the right side I ironed my piece again. This gave me a sharp seam edge at the opening and I was able to pull all the lace points away from the fabric..
I used a washed and combed wool fleece for my stuffing. This leaves your pins and needles sharp and clean but if you don't have this you can use the filling you prefer just don't over stuff your little cushions.
Next job was the wrapping. I used coloured tissue paper, half a sheet for each pin cushion and attached a tag using 50cm of curling ribbon. I put two little Easter eggs in each parcel.
You can find those free printable tags here.
Now to finish that last pin-cushion.