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)

Copycat

Being a shameless sheep, when I saw that Samantha was making some blocks for Thomas Knauer (at his request, not because she's a creepy stalker), I had to make some too.

He's making a large paper pieced quilt and wants people to send him blocks following his paper piecing pattern.  Five blocks spelling out You and Me.

I went with greens for the Me and brown for the You.  I'm not sure I've done the Y right... He hasn't complained yet... 

more bunny fabric

I am definitely going to make a bunny quilt.  I haven't chosen a pattern yet, I'm still in mad fabric buying stage!  These little babies joined my stash last week.

The blue one is Ric Rac Rabbits, the white is another print of Enchant and the red is Ric Rac rabbits again, all from Hulu. The teal is another colour way of Critter Patch from a seller on Ebay.

So having a look at the full line up...  From left top, going down in columns:

Red ric rac rabbits
Pink unknown
Orange Forest Playground
Cream Just for Fun
White Enchant
White/red/black unknown
Cream Just for Fun from Celynn
White Enchant tea party
Blue Just for Fun
Blue Lily and Will
Blue Ric Rac Rabbits
Teal Critter Patch
Grey Critter Patch
Aqua Enchant Tea Party
I also have 2 Bluebird Park prints which aren't show - Orange on Teal and Yellow on Grey.

This is going to be a rainbow quilt, by necessity.  The plan is to build up the stash more and think about a pattern.  I clearly need more red, and yellow fabrics.  I'm doing OK for white and blue.  Green needs some serious effort and I need to find some purple too.

So my lovely readers, you're all on bunny watch!  Please keep an eye out and let me know if you come across any.  My lovely US reader (or anyone) can let me know when lines come out so I can put them on my radar.  UK readers, I'd love it if you let me know if you spot any I'm missing on your shopping trips around t'internet.  Ange - I have bought some Posy as suggested!

When I've got a few more, I might need to think about Ebay and Etsy for older lines (though it's pricey) and even Spoonflower, but I'm going for the current and mainstream first.  If anyone did want to send me any bunny scraps, I might be able to offer you something in return...


Related Posts

where it all began
a present

FAL 2014 - first finish!

I have actually ticked an item off my Follow Along list!  It was a crazy list, you can see it here if you're so inclined, which I fully expected to complete in January, by February I thought the whole thing was a lost cause!

The January challenge for Needlequest was silk shading, which I interpreted as long and short stitch. The perfect time to work on my V&A Scabious crewel work kit.  I put it on the FAL list and I'm glad I did as it's shaping up to be my only finish this quarter!  

Ta dah!  All embroidered and pressed, though you wouldn't guess that, and waiting to be framed as I will not be turning this into a cushion to be sat on!

I started the kit back in 2010 and ran out of the crewel.  I'm glad I did as looking back I'm keen on neither colours nor stitching.

My stitching vastly improved whilst embroidering this piece.  There was the odd boo-boo - see above.  The pale leave should be behind the stem, I embroidered it over the stem.  I attempted to cover it and it does look like I succeeded in real life, but not in this photo!

This stem, the one in the middle with the bud, concerned me whilst stitching.  I thought it was too thick and dithered about highlighting it for a few weeks.  I got the advice to wait until I'd done and I did and it doesn't look too thick to me anymore!

I'd stupidly started with the flowers so when I put the leaves in, the edges of the flowers that overlap the leaves kind of sank back.  I added some more stitches to try and bring them forward.  Lesson learnt.

I am so chuffed this is finished!  Now to find a frame... I should put that on my FAL 2nd quarter list...




Related posts

the beginning
flat flowers
finishing the stems

scrap bucket

Remember I made some pink blocks for February's Rainbow Scrap Challenge?  Well now I've made them into my second scrap bucket.

I'd made five 6" squares, so I sewed them together and added a patchwork border top and bottom.  I backed this panel with some fusible fleece and practiced my FMQ.

I had a go at some swirls and also writing words like Pink, Peach and Coral.  They're not great, but it was good practice.  I'm still moving my hands too fast and not putting my foot down enough.

The finished bucket is the same dimensions as the blue one I made and has a hanging loop for future hanging possibilities.

I lined it with part of a pink sheet I had.  It must have been my stepdaughter's as I've certainly never owned a pink sheet!

I've started ironing some of my pink scraps to put in the basket, still got most of the blue ones to iron too!

I'm linking this up to Le Challenge as I have created order from my pink scraps.  Well, some of them.  

Related posts

blue scrap bucket
February pink blocks

Happy mail

I've had some fab mail recently!  Bloggers are such generous people.

First I got a parcel from the lovely Nancy.  I'd expressed an interest in Press n' Seal which North American crafters have been using.  Nancy sent me some, but rather than just send the plastic, she put sheets of it on sheets of felt!  Look at those penguins!  Thanks Nancy, I'll enjoy using this.

Then I won a giveaway hosted by CeLynn from Celynn's Sunflower Patch.

The prize was the gorgeous Indigo Junction bag pattern, but she also sent this FQ of bunny fabric!  Yay, another one for my bunny quilt!  Thanks CeLynn!

continuing with the crewel

Good morning ladies, I hope you are all enjoying the spring weather...  yeah, I would be too if we were having any.

I wanted to show you how I'm getting on with the crewel flowers pieces I started for January's Needlequest challenge.  I bet you thought I'd abandoned it, didn't you?

Last time I showed you this piece, I was worried about the flatness of the stems.  I took all your comments on board and know that I have to do some highlighting.  I took the piece down to my brother's the other weekend along with a selection of crewel wools so he could help me choose the colour to use.  He's a graphic designer and has an excellent eye for these things. He advised me to wait until I've finished the piece.  So I will.

All the flower heads and buds are now finished, except the flower centre in the bottom right of course.  I've also finished off the stems so only have the leaves and the green bits of the buds/flowers (no idea what they're called) to do.

I thought it would take me forever, but it seems to be going pretty quickly.  I love the texture of the piece.  Now, when I asked for help, a few of you suggested using one strand of embroidery thread to do the highlights.  This isn't feasible as I'm working this piece in crewel wool, but I understand a lot of you may not have seen crewel wool, so I attempted to take some photos to show you the difference.

The green strand at the top is the crewel, the blue is one strand of floss.  Can you see the difference?  The crewel is matt and fuzzy, the floss is smooth and shiny.  That's why I thought the floss highlights would stand out like a sore thumb.

Maybe that shows it better?  This is one strand of floss over the crewel stitching.  Anyway, I'll show you the piece again when I've finished, then I'll have to start the highlighting!  Thanks for the suggestions everyone, they were very much appreciated.


Related posts

the beginning
flat flowers