Embroidered Dove

Autumn is upon us, the leaves are changing, the temperature is (sort of) dropping and for the world of embroidery magazines...it's Christmas already.
I now seem to be working on three pretty big stitching projects simultaneously but I found time to stitch this cute Yuletide dove in the spare moments between them.
It's nice to break up big projects with a little something you can do in a day sometimes.
I liked the colours and the fact it's stitched on linen, rather than aida, as it gives me more of a challenge. Linen and evenweave are materials I'd like to become more familiar with as they can create a better finish than aida with some designs.



  

Pretty Polly

Having just had some time off work, I've taken the chance to catch up on some reading but have also, inevitably, amassed a new selection of 'waiting to be read,' books.
Among them, a couple of Tolkien bio's, the wonderful 'Book of Barely Imagined Beings' and Kate Forsyth's 'Wild Girl.'

But first I must finish 'Jane Eyre' which I've been reading at the same time as 'Anno Dracula,' as my copy of 'Jane Eyre,' is too big to carry around easily. (I know Kindle's are easy to carry but I just don't like them. Give me a physical copy any day, especially if it's illustrated.)

Anyway, having two books on the go meant I needed a second bookmark so I decided to stitch this parrot kit I had lying around.

It was also nice to be stitching something I could finish in a day or so as I've got two big projects on the frames right now. They will be beautiful when complete but progress always feels maddeningly slow with the larger projects.

I was rather pleased with myself for managing to painlessly stitch the six French knots for the parrots eyes. In the past they've been something of a nemesis of mine, sometimes turning out perfectly and other times, becoming a complete mess, for no obvious reason.

But today they were a dream to stitch, here's hoping that's the case for my future knots!

 

Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair so that I may climb the golden stair...

I've just finished reading Kate Forsyth's 'Bitter Greens.'

(The following is just some thoughts I had on the novel, no major plot spoilers I feel but if you are planning on reading the book and don't wish to know any plot details, then don't continue reading this.)

A reworking of the Rapunzel fairy tale, blending it with historical fiction, as she recounts the life of one of the first people we know of, to have written down the story, which she called 'Persinette,' and which we now know of as 'Rapunzel.'

This was the French authoress Charlotte-Rose de la Force, who led a rather eventful life herself, which includes, among many adventures, disguising herself in a bear suit to gain access to her lover, imprisoned by his family for fear that he would marry the older, scandal-clad lady, who, worst of all, was too poor to come with a dowry. (He did.)

 

I found it an easy, entertaining read, very evocative, much of the action takes place around Paris, Versailles and Venice, places I've visited and so her descriptions were not only vivid but nostalgia tinged for me. She's clearly done a lot of research around the historical era's she invokes and visited the areas in person to better conjure up their individual atmospheres for the reader. In that way, the novel reminded me of 'The Historian,' by Elizabeth Kostova, which made me want to jump on a train and travel around Europe like the protagonists in the book.

I liked the way she weaves the story around three women, the indomitable Charlotte-Rose; the Rapunzel figure, here called Margherita and the mysterious and usually much maligned 'evil witch,' in this novel; the beautiful courtesan and one time artist's muse, Selena Leonelli. They are multi faceted characters, especially Charlotte-Rose and Selena Leonelli, who do good things and bad things; they have troubled pasts and make mistakes but ultimately choose their own fates. Characters, most importantly, that you become invested in, feel sympathies with, even if previously revolted by their actions.

 

A button for everyone...

I made this rosette for a friend's birthday, the ladybird was cute and (thankfully) quick to stitch and I knew she would appreciate the little critter. Buttons / badges make great gifts as they can be made up very fast, useful if you want to give a gift on impulse or maybe didn't allow yourself much time to buy or make a present for someone. They can be turned into necklaces and broaches pretty easily too.

 

 

The design below was inspired by Emilie Autumn's signature rattie. I wanted to make up a small collection of little gifts to give Emilie when I last saw her perform. This was one of them; my second stitching attempt, as I lost the previous one by (somewhat ironically) dropping it in to a cup of tea. I just free hand embroidered it on to some stripy material and attached it to a self covered button.

A few of my favourite embroidery things...

 A thread cutter pendant, perfect if you are taking embroidery out and about with you and do not wish or want to carry a sewing basket around with you. Also it's cool and makes me think of ninjas due to its dual purpose nature and the fact that it's got Japan written on it.

 

 

These innocent looking fairy shaped scissors are lethal and prone to lashing out unprovoked, they do look mighty cute though..

  

 

All sewing types need a small sharp pair of scissors for snipping threads and the like. It's a bonus if they're pretty too...

 

 

   

Coloured threads! The best bit, so many shades, so much potential.

 

  

When I'm buying threads individually I try to stick to the DMC brand because I already have quite a selection and it seems to be the brand most kits / patterns mention, many do list options for the big three; Anchor, DMC, Madeira, but if they only list one, it is usually DMC.  Plus whenever I say it I think of the Japanese film Detroit Metal City, which makes me think of Kenichi Matsuyama, which always makes me happy ^_^

 

 

Cute as a Button

Last year I was organized (for a change,) and stitched most of the yuletide cards I sent to people. It helps that my Christmas list only really includes nearest and dearest.
These reindeer cards were my favourites, I love their little button noses and jazzy scarves.
Whether or not I will be up for it again this year, time will tell. I should, as I have a bazillion 'winter scenes,' cross stitch motifs; as half a year of cross stitcher magazine seems to be mostly about the festive season.

 

Let's just say I certainly won't bat an eye lid if Santa appears on the cover of my next issue. But no doubt I'll still leave any winter solstice stitching until the last minute.

Rhubarb Rhubarb Rhubarb

Upon discovering some rapidly aging rhubarb in the fridge I decided to take fast action and make a tasty compote to feed myself instead of the compost bin.
Some chopped rhubarb, a generous sprinkling of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a dash of water.

Ten minutes simmering on the hob and it was good to go.

I allowed it to cool and chill in the fridge before swirling in to some vegan vanilla yogurt.
Delicious and (sort of) healthy.

    

A Stitched Dog is for Life...

I made this when I learned of my impending nephew, I'd never made a toy before and this was a kit that I picked up at a shop, lured in by the fact that it didn't look too difficult.

I thought it would be a nice gesture to make a toy rather than buy one, because, as it turns out, I was naïve.

 

It actually took MUCH longer than I thought it was going to and gave me hand cramp for days afterwards due to the funny angle you had to hold the material to be able to stitch it together in the right shape.

Definitely a learning curve and I'm not convinced he's turned out looking exactly as he should have but hopefully that will just add to his quirky cuteness.

That being said, I am still desperate to learn how to make crochet amigurumi toys, which seem to involve less sewing but more tricksy crochet that my brain just can't get around at the moment.
 

 

  

Bollywood Dreams on the Silver Screen

I went on a rare trip to the cinema to watch a Bollywood film last Wednesday, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

I'm a fan of Indian cinema in general and there's nothing like watching one on the big screen, (in fact I dream of being able to watch the epic Mughal-E-Azam on a giant screen with surround sound, some day, with a box of tissues and a tray of Indian sweets to see me through.)

I've seen and liked a few Ranbir Kapoor films so I figured there was a good chance I would have a great time and not feel like I'd wasted my money (damn you 'Alice in Wonderland,' destroyed by Tim Burton, I'm never getting those minutes of my life back - *seethe*)

The deal breaker though was the cameo appearance of one of my all time favourite Bollywood actresses, Madhuri Dixit (what a dancer!) not seen on the big screen for too long now but by all accounts planning a speedy return with this fabulous 'item number' and two films of her own lined up (I pray they will make it to cinema screens over here.)

Anyway, it was big, bold, over the top, sentimental and generally wonderful, it reminded me a bit of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, I think mainly because they fall in love on a holiday and the second half takes place during a wedding.
It's definitely one of those films that leave you feeling emotional but happy by the end and I was also very jealous of the Indian family eating samosas behind us come interval time, what a genius idea.

I've only managed to see a few Bollywood films at the cinema because the ones near me are a bit rubbish in that department (can't believe they didn't show 'The Dirty Picture,') and this one is absolutely my favourite so far.

I hope the fact that two of my local cinemas were showing one Bollywood film each last week is a sign that I will get to see more at the picture house, as if ever a film was meant to be viewed on the silver screen, it's the Bollywood masala movie.

Tis not the season but...

                                                                              I stitched these cuties for my nephew last Christmas; having a nephew gives me the excuse to stitch some soppy stuff every now and again.  I used waste canvas for the first time and it was a lot easier than I anticipated although I still had to use some tweezers to pick out the threads after I soaked the felt.  It has made me want to use it again to stitch cross stitch patterns on fabrics other than aida or linen in the future.

I guess soluble canvas is even easier because you shouldn't need to pull the threads out from under the stitching as I assume they dissolve in the water hence the name.

Metallic threads are still a pain though; I can't figure out how to stop the terrible fraying >,<

A stitch back in time...In Which, Ancient Dress Becomes A Bag

After much desperate avoidance I eventually got around to going through my wardrobes the other day to decide what I wanted to keep and what I really should get rid of.  I hate this job and can only bring myself to chuck the bare minimum.  But I always need room for more clothes so inevitably there has to be a clothes cull at some point.                           Amongst the stuff I really should get rid of because I never wear it, was a dress I bought when I was fifteen / sixteen.  It was the first item of 'genuine goth' clothing I ever bought and I even had to go into the 'bad' area of town to buy it.              It bore the emblem of a film I was obsessed with and it was black (my colour of choice) and had trailing sleeves. I had to have it and so I did, although I was never comfortable with quite how high up the slits on either side of the dress were, a real thigh glimpser!                                                       Because the dress conjures up so many memories, it had been hanging around in the back of my wardrobe for years.  Looking at it, lying between the mountainous 'keep' pile and the more modest 'throw,' pile, I knew I couldn't just throw it in the bin and trying to sell it on eBay didn't seem right either.

So I decided to turn it into a bag, salvaging as much of the material as I could and using a pattern from a Cath Kidston book I was given at Christmas. 

It was a pattern I had followed before but quite some time ago so I made a whole bunch of silly mistakes and had to improvise to fix them.  I used an old dark green slip to line the bag and attached a long velvet ribbon, I already owned, to be the strap.  I fixed the strap on using some red buttons from a button collection my mother gave me. 

 So it cost me nothing to convert the dress into a bag but it did take me practically a whole day to construct it.  I want to do more machine sewing projects but I find it much less relaxing than cross stitch, I do have a bunch of cute dress patterns though so I really need to get on it.

Cherry on Plastic

 

With a friend's birthday fast approaching, I stitched this sweet (no pun intended...or was it?) cherry on plastic aida, planning to turn it in to a broach or hair accessory.

I hadn't tried plastic canvas before and, to be honest, it was a bit of a bitch!  It made the bamboo canvas seem meditative in comparison.  Once again I had the issue of having to thread many lengths of thread through one reluctant needle eye. Starting and finishing threads was trickier as was keeping the tension right and plastic canvas turns out to be one slippery mother...

Still, once you've finished stitching, you're more or less done and you don't have to worry about fraying fabric or stretching out your material, which has, despite your best efforts, warped more than a little.

It would be useful for making stuff like broaches and cake toppers and other cute silly things too.  I've a few patterns that I want to try that recommend using this stuff so maybe in a few months I'll be an expert and look back at this and wonder what I was moaning about *-_- *



A rose by any other stitch...

 This was my first time stitching on to a bamboo decoration as oppose to the more usual aida or evenweave fabric.  It was more challenging that I expected because I'm so used to being able to bend the fabric to help my needle along, which was not an option in this case. The thread also needed to be chunkier than normal to stand out which made simple things like threading a needle, a little bit harder than normal.  The whole process made a now routine skill feel novel and I needed to approach the project in a different way, even starting and finishing the threads needed to be done slightly differently.

 

I do like the immediacy of this kind of stitching and the lack of having to prepare the work for a frame or further stitching to turn it in to a cushion or similar textile afterwards. It's great if you're stitching in a hurry and makes me want to try stitching on perforated paper for making up cards even more now.

 

 

It definitely makes you think more about the kind of materials you can use to compliment your embroidery techniques. It reminded me of reading about a guerrilla cross stitch movement where people go out and use their stitching skills to brighten up the environment around them, often using unconventional materials.

 I've also been looking at a few stitching artists recently like Sarah Greaves http://sarahgreavesart.com/ 

 

 

and Judith Klausner http://jgklausner.com/work/toast-embroidery who are sewing on to some really unusual materials like wood, metal or even food which must be crazy delicate and potentially very messy.

Weaving Folk...

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I made up these 'folk art,' style cards for some friends of mine, the bright colours and bead embellishments were fun to play around with and a nice break from a longer more sophisticated cross stitch I've been working on



The flower reminds me of a very basic version of some henna patterns I've been researching recently, with the beads standing in for the characteristic 'dots' that are used in typical henna patterns.

Sew..Many..Babies...

Last year, four of my friends had babies, four of them, two of whom are younger than me! To someone who has never felt the lure of motherhood, it's baffling but they all seem happy enough which is the main thing I suppose.

So I've been stitching some baby gifts, a first for me, in one case I knew the gender of the child and in the other I didn't...

 The sampler was a request, they knew they wanted the basic information but gave no other direction so I looked though a punch of patterns I have stashed away and basically made something up.  I'm quite happy with the way it turned out, despite having to use colour equivalents as I didn't have the specified threads, (which appals my 'need to have everything perfect' sensibilities.)  I wanted something cute but not too cute and wanted to avoid gender stereotyping the little mite.

 

The fox was a baby shower present, (another first for me, going to a baby shower - scarred!) The baby's gender was unknown so I needed something neutral and animals jumped to the forefront again. I know next to nothing about shopping for babies and figured my friend would get lots of baby related paraphernalia and I wanted to give something that she would enjoy and which might look good on a nursery wall. I instinctively felt, (and turned out to be right,) that the baby would be a little girl but I thought this cute little fox cub would work either way.   

I Think I'm Stitching Japanese....

I have always been attracted to Oriental art styles and am something of a Japanophile, with a large interest in Japanese art, fashion, food, literature, folklore, films etc...              Cross stitch and embroidery in general has often featured Oriental designs; no surprise with the richness of textile history in Asia to take inspiration from; so there are a great many styles and patterns to choose from.  I stitched the cherry blossom design, quite early on in my quest to re-learn cross stitch.  It had some challenging fractional stitches but I loved the example of such a classic motif.

 

 This kokeshi doll inspired design was a quick easy stitch and so cute, I couldn't resist her. Having been something of a momiji collector, she reminded immediately of those cute little dolls.

 

To Stitch Or Not To Stitch..

I stitched this Ed Hardy design for my brother's birthday cos' he's a rock n roll tattoo loving kind of guy.  It was more involved than I initially imagined, more shades of pink than you would believe for those surrounding lilies, but I liked it.  I look forward to stitching some of his butterfly designs some time in the future.

They Came From The Skies...

 

After a gap of many years, I've rediscovered the joys (and often the pain) of cross stitch. Pricked fingers and having to unpick where you've gone wrong, springing to mind.
However, I enjoy how retro these buttons are on all accounts. The 'old school' pixilated deigns work really well with cross stitch and they are simple enough that going wrong and having to unpick, is much less likely than it is on larger projects. They are also relatively quick to stitch up, a rarity with embroidery projects in general.
The aida fabric, being quite thick, was not as easy to squish down behind the backing of the self covered buttons as the instructions of the packaging suggested though. A lot of pushing and squeezing and a bit of cursing was usually involved. You can buy a gadget to help with getting the backs on though, a good investment if you're planning on stitching a lot of buttons I think.