More Appliqué

Hi Everyone 

I’ve another little appliqué sample to share today. This is part of the Stitch Story series of patches (read back on my blog for more about this project) developed over the last few months. I mentioned, yesterday, some of the shapes prepared for appliqué working. I took one of the bird shapes to work on, at random. I’ve no particular story in mind for the bird patch, I just liked the fabric and started working on it. As I looked and considered colours, the fabric leftover bits from other prepared shapes presented themselves and somehow I thought about flowers. So, flowers seemed to be the right thing to add. I made a little pencil sketch on the back of some of the leftovers and cut out the simple flower-like shapes.

             

I really enjoyed working on this patch. I’ve a little more embroidery to add and I’ve committed the ultimate sin of working too close to the edge again ! I will need to add a backing patch to allow me to sew the patch into place, when I’ve decided where it will go.

I have my trusty Stitch Dictionary by Betty Barden sitting next to me throughout and look (often) for ideas and inspiration re the Stitch choice. I love this book, so well presented and each stitch has a great little step by step instruction with a diagram. I also have a little voice in my head (from my sewing guru Grandmother) telling me to ‘take my time’. This is the best advice ever !

Hopefully, I can finish my patch today and possibly start one more. Check back tomorrow for more news.

Thanks for calling in today. 

Appliqué Developments

Hi Everyone 

I’ve started another range of appliqué samples for my Stitched Story Projects. These new ideas will probably form the basis of a new story rather than adding to Miss Mitchell. You can read all about my Stitched Stories and Miss Mitchell if you look back over the last few weeks.

My new work involves testing out various methods of creating my fabric images using the Sizzix cutting machine (Big Shot). I’ve used a variety of fabrics for the little shapes, mostly fine cotton, and applied Bondaweb fusing fabric to the back before cutting out. 

I did experiment with different ways of cutting the layers, some are cut fused and some separate and fused after cutting. The most effective way is to fuse first but some fabrics were a little too thick and caused problems with intricate cutting designs. However, I have a range of samples which have crisp appliqué shapes, which is very pleasing. I’ll create a little step by step photo tutorial (as per the last appliqué experiment) when I’ve completed this mini project.

                  

I’ve chosen a bird and cage design, a wasp, some picot boarder (bottom right) and a couple of birthday cakes (bottom left). My next job is to fuse the shapes to my patches and start to develop some embroidery designs. I’ll work on one of the patches today, not sure which. Call in tomorrow to see my results.

Thanks for visiting today.

Miss Mitchell Appliqué

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing my finished Miss Mitchell appliqué today. As described last week, I completed my planned tasks (read back last Thursday for more on this). Miss Mitchell acquired her hair bows and her ballet shoes as well as a little red heart. The red heart features in all Miss Mitchell images, so that was quite important to add. 

I found myself, yet again, in the position of working too close to the bottom and top of my patch. This is something I’ve talked about before and I mention it in all my Making Workshops. I should have planned the size more carefully. I managed to embroider Miss Mitchell so close to the bottom of my patch, at one point I did wonder if I could get her ballet shoes into the piece. As all the stitches were so close to the top and bottom, I used a piece of bondaweb (a iron on fusing fabric) to keep all the stitches fused together and added a second patch to enclose the whole piece. This gave me a chance to add a stitched seam all around the edge, containing any frayed edges. I finished the two sides with a red Whip stitch and I like how it looks at this point. I’m thinking a little more embroidery on the boarder would add something interesting. I quite like the idea of something like the writing in my image. I need to think of  something suitable to write (in embroidery).

                      

I like how the patch developed and it’s perfect for my Stitched Story. The original inspiration came from Pinterest and is lovely. I’m quite keen to make another. I love the curly hair version. There must be lots of options for more hairstyles.

                  

Thanks for calling in today.

Fibre Friday (25/5/18)

Hi Everyone 

Another Fibre Friday has arrived from ? I’m not sure where my week has gone, it’s just flown by. Sadly, my ‘fibre makes’ for this week are rather meagre again. I’ve been working, mainly, on my Coinneach Cardigan by Kate Davies. Read back on Fridays for more on the project. I’ve managed to finish the yoke part and have spent lots of time sorting out the steek section on the centre front of the cardigan. Ive not worked a steek so I’m a little apprehensive about the whole thing. The section where the steek is happenening is also where all the different colour strands meet and I wanted to make sure everything appeared neat and tidy. I’ve learned lots about how colours need to be joined into a yoke so hopefully next time (my next colourwork sweater) I will be able to make a much better job. However, I’m actually quite happy with how the cardigan looks. It fits reasonably well. The slightly cropped length is good and the arms fit well. The yoke area is a little bigger than I would like but it’s fine.

                 

The colours work well together and I actually like the unsteeked look. I’m almost wondering if the Coinneach would make a good sweater. The steek section has a cute little pattern of colourwork which gives a rather interesting feature. I like the collar - it tends to stand up slightly and is a good size for my neck. I need to make a decision of what to do. I will sleep on it for a few days. Do I keep the Coinneach as a sweater of do I steek into a cardigan ?

My other little knit project is another pair of socks. I always have some socks on the go, so it’s not a surprise ! I did consider another pair of Fragment Socks (look back last week) but I’m going for another pair of my own Miss Mitchell Socks. This time, I will add a cuff inspired by the Coinneach bottom band. My plan is to use the main striped yarn for the toe up Miss Mitchell pattern with a contrast heel and the colourwork cuff. 

                            

I’ve just started and am about four rows underway. My plan is to develop two toes, add both to a single circular needle and knit both together until the colourwork cuff and separate again for the colourwork.

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday.

Appliqué Miss Mitchell

Hi Everyone 

The Miss Mitchell doll appliqué is well underway. You can read back yesterday for a little more on this. I shared my pencil sketch yesterday and have been using the sketch as my guide. The appliqué patch is almost there. I’ve identified a few extra features to add, which I will work on today.

As suggested, yesterday, I’ve made a little photo collage of the stages involved in my make.

           

             


I’ve numbered the sequence of steps used to develop the patch. I started (1-4) by  making the mini pattern for cutting the fabric used for the appliqué element. I used an iron-on fabric called bondaweb to prepare the Miss Mitchell dress for attaching/stitching to the background patch fabric. This makes the embroidery stage so much easier as the appliqué element is in place and doesn’t move around. The whole appliqué element is quite small and the sleeves of the dress are very thin, so it was important to choose the right embroidery stitch which would allow the fabric to be attached as well as looking pretty. I used a simple small Back stitch around the sleeves with a single stitch developing a stripe across the sleeve (5-7). The main part of the dress was attached using Blanket stitch.I chose to use some of my hand printed fabric for this project and I’m happy that it seems to be working well.

Miss Mitchell acquired some red legs (10) and will eventually acquire blue ballet shoes. I had thought about striping the legs (I may still do this) as in the original Miss Mitchell painting.

Until, this point ie (10), the appliqué patch was very simple. From (11-15) I worked on the head which is the most challenging part of the make. The hair seemed to be one of the most important characteristics which identifies the doll as Miss Mitchell. Miss Mitchell’s hair style makes her immediately recognisable and I was undecided for some time about the colour of her hair. Ultimately, I decided to go for a multi shaded idea with a hint of red throughout. The thread I used was striped and allowed for a random but rather dramatic hair colour. The main part of the hair was created with simple Satin stitch creating a parted line down the back of the head. The curly ‘pig tails’ used a Couching stitch to fix the curled lines on each side of the head.

That’s where I am, at the moment.

I will add a little polymer heart to the dress (another Miss Mitchell feature) and some embroidered bows to the pig tails. Initially, I did think of using some of the dress fabric for the bows. However, I’ve decided to use an embroidery stitch (16), I think the fabric bows would be almost impossible to stitch in place because of the very small size. The Stitch I’ve chosen for the bows is something called a Sheaf stitch. This stitch gives a good impression of a bow and I’ve practiced on a piece of scrap fabric to develop the right size.

I’m almost there with my appliqué patch. The extra little tasks will be completed later today and I need to decide how to finish the patch. At the moment, I’m thinking, I will add a backing layer to finish the edges of the patch. I also quite like the idea of developing some embroidery edges to the patch, so this approach will work well. I’ll wait and see what happens when the embroidered Miss Mitchell figure is complete.

Thanks for calling in today. More next week on this mini project.

Appliqué Patch

Hi Everyone 

I’m introducing a new element of my Stitch Story Project today. This time it’s all about appliqué. One of my lovely friends sent me a Pinterest pin (last week) which has inspired me to develop my new patch - take a look https://pin.it/cz6n54ykpdftq4 for the inspiring image.

My patch will be slightly different from the pin but it’s been a huge influence. As usual, I started with a pencil sketch :

                        

The patch will feature my lovely Miss Mitchell character, a regular image in my work. The idea is to view the doll from the back, so I needed something which would make Miss Mitchell immediately recognisable without looking at her face. I’ve chosen to highlight her hair, with the curly pigtails. I don’t have ribbons on the pigtails in my sketch but I will add the ribbons to the patch. I’ve also used striped arms (another key feature of the original Miss Mitchell) and will develop her legs/ ballet shoes too. Hopefully, these characteristics will make Miss Mitchell immediately recognisable, even from the back.

At the moment, the patch is underway with some of the features in place. I’m hoping to develop a photo tutorial over the next few days which I will share here on the blog. My plan is to show step by step developments of the little steps/techniques I’m using to make my patch.

So far, I’ve developed the outline of the doll. I’ve embroidered the arms and legs and have drawn (in pencil) the head shape. My job today, is to embroider the head and hairstyle. Wish me luck.

Thanks for calling in today.

Brooch #4

Hi Everyone 

Today, will feature my final Stitch Story brooch. This is #4 in the brooch series. I think, that’s it for now and the brooches. I’ve very much enjoyed making these lovely little projects. I like fiddling with tiny details and I’ve learned how much I love ‘hand stitching’. I especially like to discover new (to me) embroidery stitch techniques.

              

My brooch #4 has developed into a much more detailed brooch because I’ve finished it with a decorated back. The shape of the backing fabric is rather organic, initially- I felt I needed to make another back with an exact replicas of the brooch shape. The actual brooch front has been crafted from wool fibre using a dry felting technique. However, I do like this slightly rounded free form shape of the backing. The back of the brooch will not be seen (when worn) but I like the idea of a neatly finished piece. My grandmother (a skilled Tailor) was very particular about finishing techniques, she taught me that the inside should be as good as the outside on everything.This message has stuck with me and I feel as if all things are not complete if the inside, back or unseen parts of a project are not   finished. I also wanted to add an embroidered element to the backing panel. I searched my Stitch dictionary for ideas of suitable stitches and came up with a Double Knot Stitch. This stitch is simple but works well for this situation. It’s added a little texture without making the back look too busy.

                   

I’ve reinforced the inside of the brooch backing to hold a simple small brooch bar. I’ve also added a faux hand made brooch pin of the top. It’s just for show but I like the look. I’ve used the smaller brooch bar to make the pin more suitable for wearing.  One of my favourite fabric covered buttons is featured on the front, decorating the little bow. 

As with my last brooch, I’ve used the ‘wings and flying’ concept. The notion of using my brooch to give a message is a pleasing one. I love this idea of having wings in order to fly (metaphorically). I’m actually planning on wearing my brooch. I think, the brooch will work well on one of my denim jackets. 

So, that’s is for brooches in this series of Stitch Story elements. I will definitely come back to making fabric brooches.

Thanks for calling in today.

Brooches - continued

Hi Everyone

I’m still stuck in the Stitch Story Brooch thing. Last week, I spent time fiddling with tiny details of brooch #3 and I’ve settled on the final versio. I think the brooch represents lots of elements of my Miss Mitchell story and has given me an excuse to decide on the key characteristics of my story.

                   

I quite like the ‘medal-like’ shape of my brooch, it almost gives a commemorative tone to the piece. I like that idea. The little framed image of Miss Mitchell sets the central message of the brooch but I particularly like the wings which represent Miss Mitchell’s ethos. The idea of being able to ‘fly’ - this idea is something (I like to think) is all about her dreams and the confidence to carry them out.

I’m still not quite finished with brooches. I have another, #4, started last week in the last Making Workshop. I had an idea but it needed to grow. I’ve spent a little time working on the brooch and it’s coming together.

             

Hopefully, I can spend a little more time on the design later today. I’ve used the ‘flying’ idea again with my little wings and will make a new pin. More on progress tomorrow.

Thanks for calling in today.

Fibre Friday (18/5/18)

Hi Everyone 

Can’t quite believe it’s Friday already ! - this week seems to have flown by so quickly. I’ve been very busy with lots of work commitments and yet again my fibre projects (as per last week) have suffered. I was well underway with my Fragment Socks by Helen Stewart and I’m happy to report they are finished, other than sewing in the ends and blocking.

                         

This has been a lovely knit. I’m already thinking of making a second pair for my husband.

My current cardigan knit, the Coinneach by Kate Davies is still waiting to be finished. I’m well into the yolk of this pattern, having completed the body and both sleeves. 

               

Look back on the Friday blog posts for more on the project. I’m committed to working on the cardigan this next week, now I’ve almost completed my socks. The Coinneach is a lovely pattern and I’m  keen to get to grips with my first steek technique too. 

I do have a number of new knitting ideas under consideration. However, I do need to spend some time reviewing and reorganising my stash. This is an ongoing issue for me. I have so much yarn and fibre which is very badly stored in a cupboard and I’m not absolutely certain, exactly, what I’ve got ! This is not a satisfactory situation and I mean to do something about it. There will be more news about this next time.

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great weekend, I’ll be back on Monday.

More Brooches

Hi Everyone

I’m back on the brooches today. Here is a few images of brooch #3 as mentioned on yesterday’s blog.

             

               

From the basic version, I’d reviewed my brooch and decided on the elements in the first photo story. The most important element is my little framed Miss Mitchell charm. This tiny photo sets the story for my brooch. Initially, I thought about transferring the Miss Mitchell image on to fabric and adding to the frame charm. However, I simply printed the photo and set it into the frame with a clear glaze to protect the photo paper. I’ve also added a couple of small red polymer heart beads. I had surrounded the bottom segment of the brooch with small seed beads and added a second lighter blue seed bead giving a striped beaded tear drop shape. From the beginning, I wasn’t sure about the beaded element. I finally decided to remove the beads and I feel it’s more balanced.

I have another couple of additions to the broach, a small silver heart bead and a pair of wings for Miss Mitchell (photo will appear next week). The wings are an important part of Miss Mitchells story. She can fly, metaphorically. She has aspirations and knows how to use the wings to achieve her dreams. This little idea was inspired a few years ago from the Paloma Faith song, Never Tear Us Apart. Here’s the actual words which gave me the idea :
I told you
That we could fly
'Cause we all have wings
But some of us don't know why. 

Miss Mitchell knows how and why !

I’ll be rounding up all the finished brooches next week (including a few more brooches from Workshop Makers). I will decide where the brooches fit into the larger Stitch Story Project. It’s time to complete the Story and I’m happy that I have all the bits and pieces I need, to finish my bag. If you are interested, you can read back for lots more about this project.

Thanks for calling in today.

Workshop Brooch Samples

Hi Everyone

I’m sharing the results of some of the Making Workshop brooches from yesterday’s activities. The Making Workshop is a regular, fortnightly, arranged creative workshop made up of a wonderful group of ladies. We had a lovely afternoon messing about with bits of fibre and making lovely little brooches. All our Makers created amazing brooches from scratch and I’m sharing a few of the samples here today. 

              

Each of the brooches need a little more work but you can see the creative intentions.

             

              

There are more samples to share so will come back to this one next week. Our group started with wool fibres and created the brooches via dry felting techniques. Everyone took inspiration from the workshop samples created by our session leader (will get some images from her fabulous work) and added beads, embroidery and ribbon.

I managed to start yet another brooch (yesterday) which is only half done ! I’ll spend a little time later today developing my design and share how both brooch #3 (read back a few days for details) and my new brooch #4 turn out.

 Some of these items may end up on a few of the Stitch Story projects which have been underway for a few months now, again read back on the blog for lots of background on the Stitch Story. I have another brooch sample to share (tomorrow) which is very much in this category. More on the progress of the Stitch Story tomorrow.

Thanks for calling in today.

Brooch #3 Update

Hi Everyone 

I’m reporting progress on my brooch #3 (from yesterday’s blog post). The actual construction is complete. However, there are more creative things needed to decorate the brooch.

                        

I’ve almost managed to keep to my original design plans (see bottom left image) - which is very satisfying. Almost all my usual plans are scrapped very quickly and I find myself wondering why ? This time, I started the project and simply followed my own sketch ideas. I’ve embedded a regular pin clasp into the back of the brooch but also added a faux handmade pin at the top. I like the handmade shape and the fact that the pin is unique but recognise the pin would make a massive hole in any garment. Hopefully, I get the best of both worlds by using my approach.

I’ve also incorporated some of my hand printed fabric into the brooch (top section) and love the effect of the pattern. I’m not sure exactly what I want to add ? I need to experiment with beads, charms and possibly ribbon or even more embroidery. I’d like to keep the impact of the fabric, I feel too many additions will simply hide the pattern and the colours.

The bottom section of the brooch has felted fibre over a piece of manufactured Felt with the words ‘once upon a time’ embroidered around the tear drop shape. Very small seed beads are then attached around the the ‘tear drop gem’.

I’ll be developing my brooch at our regular making workshop later today. I’ll share the results of more work tomorrow.

Thanks for calling in.

Handmade Brooch

Hi Everyone 

I’m still working on my Stitch Story brooch element Collection today. I’ve already shared a couple of samples (read back last week for images) of my brooches so far. My third and final sample will hopefully offer a new design which will incorporate some handprinted fabric. I’ve developed a sketch which I will start from. However , I’m happy to go with whatever presents itself as I work on the piece.

              

My idea is to make something with two parts, a drop-like fabric gem, attached to a main shaped piece. See the templates in my photo story. I’d like to attach some of my hand printed fabric to the main piece -using fibres which I can dry felt into a manufactured Felt. The plan is loose in order that I can experiment. I’m planning on using some beads and embroidery stitches to decorate my brooch.

               

The colours for the brooch will reflect my Stitch Story : Miss Mitchell, so I’m talking reds, blues and greens. Hopefully, I will have the finished piece ready for sharing tomorrow.

Thanks for calling in today. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Fibre Friday (11/5/18)

Hi Everyone 

I’ve not got much to report on the fibre front today ! Most of my week has been spent gardening and the only time I’ve had for making is my little knitting sessions each evening, consequently, I’ve not made much progress on any fibre projects.

I had started a new pair of socks, the Fragment Socks by Helen Stewart, last week. I’ve been knitting on the socks exclusively and have made some progress. I’ve also made lots of mistakes and have needed to redo new sections a few times, so lots of wasted effort !

         

However, I’m well down the first sock and should finish the foot part later. The pattern is great and I’ve managed to remember most of the 12 row pattern. I find, I can read the knitting quite well so it’s a leisurely knit as long as I do concentrate, a little. The yarn (see photo) is also lovely. The colour is wonderful and I particularly like the way the yarn, knits up. 

I need to start picking up my other projects next week. I have a couple of new ideas for projects and would quite like to cast on a new sweater. Having a few projects on the needles at the same time is something I like. 

Thanks for calling in today. Have a great weekend. I’ll be back next week.

Felted Broach - mini project

Hi Everyone 

I’m sharing my latest mini project results today, a couple of broaches. These little broaches have been made to embellish my Stitch Story : Miss Mitchell Project.

         

            

              

I wanted to develop a few broaches as samples for my next Making Workshop (15/8/18) but it was also important that they could embellish my Stitch Story bag. I’ve chosen to pick out key elements of my Story in the broaches. Both hearts and butterflies feature alongside felted fibres in colours which I’ve chosen from my Miss Mitchell character. Look back over the blog to find out more about the Stitch Story.

I’ve used handmade pins made from silver art wire to attach my broaches to the bag. However, if the broach is to be used as a wearable item of jewellery - pinned to regular woven fabric clothing, large holes will appear in the clothing. A hand knitted item would be Ok but perhaps a fine broach pin attached to the back of the broach (in addition to the large pin) would be preferable. I’ll develop another broach using this idea next. Also, part of my job today will be to develop a few more handmade pins for the project. 

Thanks for calling in today.

New Project

Hi Everyone 

Today, I’m sharing another new project. Not that I have lots for spare time to give to give ! However, hopefully I can manage to free up some time to start. The new project is a EPP (English Paper Piecing) idea. Essentially, this is all about a type of ‘quilting’. I was introduced to this craft some years ago and have made some small quilts in the past. My plan this time is to make a large quilted craft bag. I will develop the bag via EPP and add some embroidery and possibly some Stitch Story-like patches.Take a look at this information if you are not familiar with EPP.

I have a Sizzix die which cuts the hexagon shapes and is very useful in preparing the templates required to develop the quilting pieces and I’ve found some lovely fabric in my stash which will make a lovely quilted bag.

                         

This project is a long term thing for me. It will hopefully sit alongside my existing Stitch Story projects. I see the EPP bag as a relaxing thing. I will hand sew the individual shapes and use my sewing machine to attach a lining and bag handles. It’s something that I will try and give a short time to each day. I’ve not started yet. My first job is to make a pile of templates- that’s my job for today.

Thanks for calling in.

More Stitch Story plans

Hi Everyone 

It’s another lovely sunny day today. Yesterday, I spent lots of time trying to tame our very untidy garden. I think, the garden probably needs another day, at least !

However, I also have the start of a plan to add to my Stitch Story, so -  I’m hoping I can fit in a little embroidery. 

My plan is to embroid a little phrase on the bag of my bag ( read back on the blog for more on the Stitch Story). I’ve seen the phrase ‘once upon a time ......’ in lots of embroidered samples and feel it would work very well for my Stitch Story : Miss Mitchell. The back of my bag is currently a plain green fabric which needs something to balance the very busy front of the bag. I also think the phrase fits well with my Story. The Miss Mitchell Story is very much a fairy tale and rather unworldly.

                       

I’ve found some thick red thread which I think will work well for working a simple backstitch. I’m going to go freehand stitch the letters and then maybe some little flowers ? - if I feel the design needs more embellishments.

Thanks for calling in today.

Stitch Story Continues

Hope Everyone

Just a quick call in today. I’m on a sort of mini holiday (or rather a slight change in routines !) this week. It’s Bank Holiday Monday here in the UK and I’m starting the week with a leisurely day. Each day, this week, I hope to bring a bit of a photo story which identifies a highlight of my day as well as news on the Stitch Story : Miss Mitchell.

I’ve been out on a run this morning, it’s a lovely day and we are breakfasting in the garden - quite an unusual thing for us ! There will be a bit more gardening and lots of sitting around for the rest of the day (I hope).

I also have a little news about my Stitch Story, which should gets lots more attention this week. I’ve made another broach/badge for my Story. I think it’s more suitable than the first sample (read back last week for the background to this). Hopefully, I will finish the badge later and get it ready for sewing into my Story.

              

I’ve also made a few hearts from polymer clay. I’m hoping I can add these little button beads to key areas in my Story.

Thanks for calling in today.

Fibre Friday (4/5/18)

Hi Everyone 

It’s another Friday roundup of my fibre projects today. It’s all about knitting socks this week. I’ve always got a pair of socks on my needles but each pair usually takes a month or so to make. I tend to knit just a few rows each evening on the current sock project. However, over the last few weeks I’ve been knitting almost exclusively on socks. I’ve started my third Helen Stewart sock pattern and I’m still quite keen to keep going. Read back if you would like to see all of the socks and their progress over the past few weeks.

                       

The Magnolia socks, my second pair of socks in the Helen Stewart range, (left image) have acquired a contrast toe and a picot crochet edge. I need to sew the ends into these socks and block. The socks are a lovely snug fit and I’m keen to try them out as soon as possible.

The Fragment socks (right) have just started, yesterday, but I do like the pattern and can see myself knitting another pair for one of my boys. This pair will be for me. I love the colour of my sock yarn - Melon Balls on Fire by Ginger Twist Studio in their Sheepish Sock yarn.

As usual, with Helen Stewart sock patterns, I’ve gone up a size on the needles, 2.5mm instead of the suggested 2.25mm. The larger needle gives a good stretchy fabric with my very tight gauge.

Other fibre news, my spinning has suffered again this week ! I didn’t make specific times over the week for my spinning sessions. However, I’ve timetables next weeks sessions, so I will get back on track. I’m also starting to organise my own personal Wool Exploration Project. This will link into the Knit British initiative but I’m organising my own schedule to coincide where possible. Take a look at the Knit British website  here to understand what this initiative is all about. I’ll share more on this next week. Today, I’m going to organise and plan (on paper) the way forward. The wool exploration will sit alongside whatever my current spinning project demands. The big spinning project for me is a jumper quantity yarn for a mans jumper. I’ve a way to go but I’ve broken the spin into weekly spinning targets so I’m unfazed by the task !!

Thanks for calling in today.

 Have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday.

Stitch Story Embellishments

Hi Everyone 

Yesterday, I mentioned I had some extra ideas for making more patches. So, this is what I’ve come up with :

                   

This patch is more of a mini pennant, hanging on one of my handmade metal pins. I’ve also developed a loop which will be stitched into the top seam, where the lining is stitched to the outer bag. For the mini pennant (patch), I’ve used a pre made piece of navy Felt with a few very thin layers of dry felted fibres. The Felt piece was then doubled to form the patch, giving the patch a solid feel. I’ve also embroidered hints of flowers/stems with a red whip stitch edge onto the ‘patch’. The colours I’ve used are similar to those of my Miss Mitchell image but I’m not sure the final patch sits easily with the rest of my Stitch Story - too much of a purple statement compared to the rest of the elements. 

I wanted to make the patch as a construction sample and did think it would be great for my bag. However, I’m going to make a second sample. I can already see improvements to the construction technique so this will give me an opportunity to find the right colours and more flower like patterns for my second attempt. I like the idea of adding one of my butterfly buttons to the patch. You can read back for more on the Stitch Story over the last few weeks.

Thanks for calling in today. I’ll be back to tomorrow with Fibre Friday.

Making Workshop News

Hi Everyone 

I wanted to share the results of a Making Workshop, held yesterday, as part of our ongoing Stitch Story Project. The idea for the workshop was to produce small patterned fabric pieces to use with individual Stitch Stories (read back on the blog for lots more on the Stitch Story Project). All our Makers produced amazing pieces of printed fabric. We used small (5x5inch) Gelli plates with acrylic paints to produce the patterned fabric. Makers used colours and images which reflect their individual Stories and experimented at the same time. No one had any previous experience of Gelli Plate printing, so the results are very impressive. We had some plastic printing plates with lots of different patterns as well as found objects (from around the home) including plant leaves. The main idea was to simply play with making marks in the paint.

Gelli Plates are an amazing tool. Essentially, the plates allow mono printing without a Printing Press. The Gelli Plate people produce great You Tube videos demonstrating how the tool can be used. Check this particular video for fabric printing https://youtu.be/A_fxu4HuLFo. There are lots of videos on the Channel sharing all types of ideas for using the Gelli Plates.

                        

The idea for our experiments yesterday is to use the printed fabric in some way with Stitch Stories or simply frame the pieces for display. Everyone had a lovely time getting messy and playing with shapes and colour - I love to see adults enjoying themselves in this way. Lots of smiles and quiet satisfaction! I had a lovely time, just watching the happy Makers.

My own Stitch Story is moving on and Im hoping to start stitching the patches in place today, again read back for more on the Stitch Story. More on the progress with my Project next time.

Thanks for calling in today.

Stitch Story Decisions

Hi Everyone

I suggested yesterday- all my Stitch Story : Miss Mitchell plans would be in place. I think, I’m there ! On detailed inspection,  a few of the patches needed extra finishing, mostly the edges needed some attention. Many of the basic errors came about because I failed (repeatedly) to account for stitching or printing too near the edges of my patches ! My solution to these issues is to add a back to each of the patches. See example in my photo.

                        

I’ve added (simply placed at this point) ribbon to edge some of the patches but mostly I’ve placed finished edge patches in their own little spot. I’ve added butterfly buttons to the mix and they are very pretty. The butterfly image works well with Miss Mitchell and holds the whole design together. The only thing I need to keep thinking about is the little crochet frame. I’m still unsure of how to use the frame to best effect. I also want to add some form of hanging element using one of my handmade silver pins. I need to keep thinking about that one today.

I’ve also decided that on the back of the ‘bag to be’, I want to embroider some words. At the moment, the words will be Once upon a time ..... I like the relationship with a Stitched Story idea as well as the Miss Mitchell link. Then, there’s the handles. My plan for the handles are to add some cord inside a padded fabric short piece of fabric.

I can see the finished article and am very excited to complete the project. 

Thanks for calling in today.