Classes at the Knitting and Stitching Show

Happy New Year! I hope 2017 treats you all kindly (and me!)

Back in November last year, wonderful mum and I went to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate.  We spent 2 days there, staying at the hotel across the road so we didn't have to take our coats with us and could return excess shopping to the room during the day!  We also took part in 4 classes.  I have to say, I do not know the names of any of the tutors, very lax of me, I know.

One of the classes was wet felting a flower.

This is slightly different from the wet feting I've done in the past as we used short strands of wool rather than merino.  The felting technique included picking it up and splatting it against the table repeatedly!

My finished flower came out too large for a brooch, though I would like to have another go with a smaller one.  This class was brilliant, we all had such a good time.

Another excellent class was Broderie Anglais, where we used a stiletto to make the holes in the fabric.  I hadn't realised it was such a simple (though time consuming) technique and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The tutor was great as was her assistant.  I think she was from Peru.

The classes were only an hour which is why I didn't achieve very much.

We also did goldwork with Sarah from Golden Hinde.  I remember her name as I have met her a few times, she's lovely and very helpful.  We used pearl purl to make these simple but effective goldwork brooches.

The finished piece will fit in this brooch back.  Of course, I haven't yet completed either of the pieces from the classes!  They will show up in this year's WIP list.

The fourth class was absolutely appalling.  The teacher was rude, confrontational, disorganised and useless as a teacher.  We were supposed to be making ribbon flowers.  Apparently there are 2 techniques.  The one she showed us was different to the one on the hand out and she got very angry if we tried to follow the written instructions.  I actually walked out of the class.  

I'm going to be back later in the week with my list of WIPs to be tackled this year.  Then I need to find some linkies to help keep myself accountable.  If anyone knows of any, please let me know!

more finishing

As I mention, a lot, I've not been crafting much outside the classes I take with mum, but I have been doing something, I've been finishing a few things off.

I made these enamelled copper pieces at the Manor House hotel, 2 years ago now.  You can see the original post http://thecraftersapprentice.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/manor-house-enamelling.html.  They have been lying in my jewellery WIP box ever since.  I'd open it, look at them, put them back and forget about them!  This time I took them out so I wouldn't forget and they sat on the table for a couple of months instead!

I made each one a different pendent, using various pieces of chain I have.  I often buy fancy chain at craft shows and this seemed a good use for it as it can overwhelm a beaded pendant.  I've forgotten how to spell pendant again.  I could have made kumihimo or beadwoven straps for them, but I quite like them simple.

In my last finishing post, I showed you that I'd finished this goldwork piece.  I had to order an embroidery hoop for it as I wanted a 4" hoop but only had 3" or 5" ones at home.  Then it took me an age to decorate it as I wanted to paint it but couldn't find my paints anywhere.  I still can't find them and, as I'm sitting here typing this, I remember where I put them!  Too late now.  I decopatched it instead.

I chose red, gold and silver papers and stuck then down in the same order each time.  I'm not sure if this will damage the embroidery, but then it's hardly a heirloom piece and I don't have any heirs anyway!

Finally, I finished these pieces.  I made a really long red kumihimo cord, then cut it into two.  I threaded a bell flower on the necklace piece and made the other piece into a double-wrap bracelet.  I'd be nice with some charms on it so I may add to it at some stage.  The necklace on the right was actually made by my friend Kerry, but the ribbon was too long.  I'm short and very chesty and long necklaces looks stupid on me and are probably dangerous with the way they swing!  I shortened it by a few inches and added new ribbon clasps.

Now I just need to buy some red clothes...

Finishing - stumpwork and gold work

I've been finishing things!  Almost completely....

First up, remember I did some Stumpwork in a class?  Well I finished that.  First I had to finish the wings.  They were made separately to the main piece, using a piece of paper wrapped wire to form the outer edges and button hole stitched onto a lovely organza fabric.

The picture above shows them cut out.  I cut them out, then realised I was supposed to coat the back of the wire in glue!  Ooops... as long as people don't poke the piece, it should be OK!

And here it is all finished and mounted in a hoop as it's for my hoop gallery.

I made the ladybird by using a running stitch, then gathering it up tight to pull the edges round the back.  I stuffed it and sewed it closed.  I didn't do a great job with this, but it was hard!  It was stitched on Aida which isn't exactly a giving fabric.  I might have been better making it into a covered button!

The wires for the wings were poked through the fabric and tacked down on the back.  I'm really pleased with the final piece!  The wings are so lovely and shimmery in real life.

I also finished the goldwork that I started at a class.  There wasn't that much to do here.  The left mushroom was stitch with rococco, for which there were no instructions!  I guessed and couched it down.  I added the spankles and the pearl purl for the stem.

This isn't hooped up yet as I needed a 4" hoop and only have 3" or 5" ones!  I've now ordered some and will probably bind it with a gold or silver ribbon.

I had already finished my shadow work piece, but it's now mounted in its hoop.  There is a piece of green organza behind it which looks nice.

That was really hard to photograph and I don't think I was very successful!  So, just one more to hoop up and that's all 3 WIPs from embroidery classes done!

Goldwork mushrooms

Wonderful Mum and I have found a new venue for craft classes - Lincoln Castle Heritage Skills Centre - there is a wood turning one I really want to do, but I haven't managed to persuade mum yet, maybe I can get Mr CA to come with me instead...

The first course we attended there was goldwork embroidery with Sarah Homfray.  Sarah is an excellent teacher so we're really glad we also booked into her stumpwork class which we're on in July.  The class was small - I think there were 6 or 7 of us - so she had plenty of time to work with each student individually.  She started with a demonstration of the first technique, couching, then we all had a go on the middle mushroom.

If I remember correctly, we're using 2 strands of Japanese gold thread here and couching it with ordinary thread.  Why didn't I take notes!

I need to work on getting the spaces between my couching stitches more regular, but I don't think it looks too bad.

After the couching is done, the ends of the Japanese thread are plunged to the back and stitched down "neatly".

Next we worked with Pearl Purl, the picture above shows a gold Pearl Purl and a silver Pearl Purl, they resemble tiny springs and have to be very gently stretched before couching down.  The heart is beeswax, essential for goldwork.

Here you can see that I've couched down the Pearl Purl all round the mushroom on the right.  Sarah would show us a particular part of the pattern, then we'd go away and do it.  So she was catering for all abilities as well and keeping the class running on time, we didn't always finish each element before we were shown the next, so after I'd couched down the PP, I went back and finished the Japanese couching on the middle mushroom.

Next was chipwork.  We cut little chips of the Pearl Purl in both silver and gold and sewed them on just like sewing on a bead, using a double thickness of thread.

Next came the raised element - the stalk.  This is embroidery cotton, folded up and stitched down, then cut to the right size.  This is just padding.

Pearl Purl is then threaded on to sewing cotton and couched down over the top in diagonal lines, starting in the middle.  It's really hard to judge the length of pearl purl to use!

This is as far as I got.  I still haven't finished it though I know that mum finished hers!  It's on my long list of workshop project UFOs....

I really enjoyed this class.  I liked doing the techniques, though in future I think I'd mainly work in silver and coloured metal threads as gold is not so much my style.  You can get all colours these days and I do in fact have a kit or two using the coloured metal threads... I'll have to dig that out too!

A goldwork decoration

Happy April the first!  Here's hoping no-one tries to fool me today as I will fall for it.  I finished the canvas work decoration that was challenge for Needlequest's March theme of goldwork.

I am so happy with how it turned out.  Yep, that's right, I'm happy with it.  There are no major mistakes that I feel compelled to point out.  It's about 6" tip to top, not including the tassle.

The cream stitches are all Rhodes stitches, which is a lovely textural stitch.  The gold squares are leather which I stab stitched in place.  That was quite challenging, as was cutting them to the right size.  Each one has 2 layers of felt underneath to give it some depth.  The outside is sewn up with beads.  I forgot to take a picture of the back, but it's just a plain cream silk.

I hung it up in my craft room to take a picture and it's currently living there until I find a better home for it!  I really enjoyed this quick foray into goldwork and I will be doing some more.  It's also got me itching to do some more canvas work... If only I didn't have 360 WIPs as it is... 


Related posts
Needlequest January - Needlepainting
Needlequest February - Japan (Sashiko)
Needlequest March - Goldwork, starting the decoration

making a start on the gold work

I've been doing a lot of stitching recently.  I have started a rather mammoth blackwork project which I'll tell you all about soon, but first I need an update on this month's challenge for Needlequest.   The topic is goldwork and it just so happens I have two kits.

This is where I'm starting.  It's a canvas work project that uses copper threads.  OK, it's not gold, but goldwork is a term which encompasses metal threads in general, so that's fine.  I've never seen canvas work with goldwork before but the counted nature makes it easier than surface embroidery, for me at least.

It's by Carolyn, I bought it at Harrogate last year.  This is the contents of the kit:

Instructions, a piece of copper coloured canvas, silk for the back, felt for padding, wadding, various threads, beads for the edging and a couple of needles.  Also pictured are the card of goldwork needles and the goldwork scissors I bought from Golden Hinde (the maker of my second kit), but I didn't actually need them for this kit.

This is the result of 2 night's stitching.  It does work pretty fast!  The middle is made up of Rhodes Stars in cream Perle 12.  They make a lovely texture as they've very raised.  Then we have rows of satin stitch of various lengths in copper threads, grey rayon (nightmare to stitch!), cream stranded cotton - all 6 strands, copper thread again and now I'm embarking on a final row of Rhodes Stars.

I think this will be finished pretty quickly, if I can keep my focus on it and not start something else!  Bit tricky as I just received an embroidery book to review...

I've put my little scissors in this picture for scale.  I also started an applique project, this is for yet another book review!

You'll have to wait to see the results of this one!


Related posts
Needlequest January - Needlepainting
Needlequest February - Japan (Sashiko)