Needlepoint Group Project 1

The Stitchin Fingers' needlepoint group are doing a group project. I don’t think that there are many of use doing it, but hey, it is summer in the northern hemisphere and a lot of people are in holiday mode.

The chosen project is the American Needlepoint Guild’s 1999 stitch of the month, otherwise none as Barbara's Patchwork. Each stitcher can chose their own colour scheme and the fabric, some of the more experienced needlepointers may even elect to change some of the stitches but every one must stick to the original log cabin grid.

July 31st is the deadline for choosing your colour scheme and stitching the outline, the remainder of the stitching should be complete by August 31st.

I have chosen a blue and peach colour scheme. I have used DMC cotton perle #5 in shade 90. For the peach shades (colour A) I have chosen DMC floss in shades 741, 743 and 745. The blues (colour B) will be stitched in shades 796, 798 and 800 DMC floss. I also selected a Steff Francis viscose ribbon in pale blue but when I tried to stitch the outline with it, it proved too thick for the canvas. Instead I stitched the outline in the #90 cotton perle.


The center square is stitched in slanted gobelin with scotch stitch in each corner.


Area B has 3 flowers created around Smyrna cross centers.


Area C is based around an elongated cross stitch and irregular Smyrna cross stitch.


Happy Stitching

Little Stitching, Heaps of Inspiration

My posts have been rather infrequent lately. This is because I have done very little stitching and I have nothing to show you. The thing is, I seem to be suffering from PPD - post project depression. I put so much thought and energy into my May TIF, and so enjoyed stitching it that now it is finished I miss it and so far nothing else has really grabbed my attention.

I’ve done a little bit of stitching, I’ve started another petal on Karahana (but one picture of round and round couching looks very much like another) and I’ve joined in a project on the Stitchin Fingers Needlepoint group. We are going to do the Stitch of the Month block on the American Needlepoint Guilds website. Everyone participating will choose their own colour scheme and some of those more experienced in canvas work will change some of the stitches but we will all retain the original log cabin design. For me it is an opportunity to learn some new canvas stitches. So far I have stitched the outlines for the inner square and the first round of logs which doesn't make for a very interesting picture.

I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my May TIF, I really do appreciate the lovely things you said about this piece. I’m quite good at starting projects but not so good at finishing them. Once the embroidery is done, I lose interest and start something new, but I have plans for this piece and hopefully it won’t remain a UFO for long.

Speaking of comments, back in June Marjorie of Moonsilk Stitches left a comment to say that she had given me an award. The "Arte y Pico" award was created and to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and talents, whether it be writing, artwork in all media's. When you receive this award it is considered a "special honour". Once you have received this award, you are to pass it on to at least 5 others.

Well I am honoured that Marjorie made this award and humbled by the lovely things she said about my blog.

Now for the hard part, it is so difficult to reduce the long list of blogs that I find inspirational down to just five.

I’m sure I’m not the first (nor last) to nominate SharonB of In a Minute Ago but Sharon’s TAST and now TIF have literally been the inspiration for much of the stitching you have seen here in the past 18 months. Without these challenges I would probably have been stitching something but I doubt with the same fire and enthusiasm I have been, and it is possible that I would not have been blogging but for TAST.

Link hopping from Sharon’s blog led me (directly or via another blog) to Judy’s blog, Possibilities, etc! Judy designs, stitches, and writes about needlepoint. Recently Judy has done a series of work interpreting crazy quilts in canvas work, these were the inspiration behind my May TIF.

There are not many Japanese Embroiderer’s who blog their progress. Of the few who do, Jane is probably the most prolific. I know Jane in 'real' life and am privileged to have seen her work and listen to her speak about the art form she is so passionate about. Now she has begun to share her knowledge and her beautiful work through her blog, Nuido - a Student’s Journey.

Plimoth Plantation is recreating a 17th-century embroidered jacket and The Embroiderers' Story chronicles its progress. There is so much inspiration to be found here from the beautifully written and illustrated stitch directions, the wonderfully detailed explanations of how materials and techniques have been sourced or reproduced, the obvious enthusiasm and determination of everyone involved and last but by no means least the wonderful stitching and lace making. I only wish this project were taking place in Plymouth, England so that I could join one of the stitching sessions.

And finally, a blog that I have only recently discovered (through Jane) and have found very inspirational even though it has nothing to do with stitching. Sweet Persimmon is about the Japanese tea ceremony; it is about the long process of learning and understanding the ritual of performing or attending the ceremony. Much of what the author writes about, I can relate to Nuido - the Way of Embroidery and to the idea of the Slow Cloth.

I always feel a little uncomfortable passing on Tags and awards; I don't want to burden the recipients with an obligation to pass it on, unless of course they want to. I know you have very busy lives and other concerns already. Having said that, I am delighted to share why these blogs have been a particular inspiration to me and are part of my essential reading list.

May TIF - Finished?

On the original the area of blue fabric above white lace is left unstitched. I like it that, but my 'fabric' is long satin stitches, without some stitching to secure them they are too vulnerable. I decided to add my monogram. I think the 'C' is a particularly boring letter and looked long and hard for one that I though ornate enough but not too intricate to stitch at the size I required.

To stitch the monogram I combined knowledge gathered from Mary Corbet’s blog on stitching a monogram and padding techniques I have learned in Japanese Embroidery. I padded the letter with strands of padding cotton, starting with a single strand, adding more strands as the pen stroke became wider and removing them as it tapered away. I found it difficult to work the satin stitches around the tight curves and on the macro shot they look too spaced apart on the bottom of the letter.


Isn’t it funny how one thing leads to another? About 2 years ago I was looking for information on seasonal colours for kimonos and came across Hideko’s blog. It was the first textile/embroidery blog I had ever seen! Over the next few days, I read every entry on her blog and then started clicking on the links in her side bar; that led me to Sharon Boggon’s blog. Well, that led me to so much, first TAST and my own blog, then TIF and now Stitching Fingers and an RSS feed list as long as your arm. I’m sure it was Sharon that directed me to Allison Aller’s blog. Allison creates beautiful crazy quilts with her own distinctive style. I’m not sure if it was Sharon or Allie herself that directed me to Judy Harper who reinterprets Allies quilts in her own unique way. Judy selects a small segment of the quilt and reproduces it in canvas work and these have intrigued me from the beginning. I was thinking about Judy’s take on Allie's quilts when I had my Aha! moment back on the 28th May. My plan was to reinterpret in my own style the beautiful block stitched by Sharon that inspired the colour palette for the May TIF. Instead of piecing a fabric block and adding lace and ribbons, I would recreate them all in stitch.


I would like to thank Sharon for the inspiration and for her permission to rework her original design. I could not have designed this myself, I am not a designer but I have had immense fun figuring out how to reproduce the laces and jacquard fabric in stitch. What do I call myself? I call myself an embroiderer.

I think the block is finished now, I still have concerns about the trailing vine on the left and may yet add to it but I am so pleased with the overall block that I am afraid to spoil it now. Maybe I’ll leave it for a few days before deciding.

Happy Stitching.

May TIF - Embellishment 2

I wasn’t entirely happy with the blue flower beads on the blue lace; they simply didn’t show up enough. I removed both these and the blue bi-cones from the blue ribbon seam and switched them over. I’m much happier with this arrangement; the bi-cones are dark enough to show up on the lace and the glass look so pretty on the pale blue 'ribbon'.


I also had concerns about the flower sequins on the blue lace. I know that I had originally thought about backing them with a pale pink sequin. When I looked again at that option I could see why I had rejected the idea - the sequins are too big for this location so I left the flower sequins as they are.

They lilac ribbon seam treatment is heavily embellished. Above the ribbon there is a row of silk ribbon flowers - rose buds alternated with daisy like flowers. On the original, the ‘dasies’ look like small metallic flower beads. I could not find any thing similar so used the coppery seed beads to create the flowers. On the original, small buttons are stitched below the ribbon with swags of seed beads strung between them. The buttons I have looked too heavy in this space so I substituted them for the clear flower sequins sitting on pale pink sequins and secured with a pale pink seed bead.


These are the same sequins used above on the lace; you can see them much better on the sequins. I quite like to use some components in a different way in two or three places; I think it helps to connect the separate areas. There are a lot of things I like about this seam treatment. The blue area of the central ‘fabric’ is adjacent to another pale blue ‘fabric’. On its own the lilac ribbon helped to separate them but the embellishments make this seam treatment much broader, gently breaking up all the blue and adding lots of textural interest.

The pink area of the flax leaf fabric has a button cluster. I am very uncertain about button clusters. Done well they can look stunning and add a lot of interest. My only previous attempt looks clumsy and contrived. To be successful I think you need either a huge stash or a carefully co-ordinated supply of buttons. My small supply of buttons was selvedge from various garments plus a selection of Mother of Pearl buttons picked up here and there. I found it difficult to come up with a pleasing assortment and then to fit the arrangement into the available space.


I don’t think it makes for a very interesting arrangement despite spending agonising over it. I love the metal button. It came from my Nan’s button tin many, many years ago. I used to rummage in her tin frequently and remember asking her one-day if I could have four buttons - this one and its pair and two square MOP buttons. I didn’t have any use for them; I just wanted them. This button is slightly squashed, its pair is more rounded but I thought the flatter one suited this arrangement.

Happy Stitching

May TIF - Embellishment 1

Time to embellish! All of the beads for the blue lace were purchased to match those on the original as closely as possible. There were also some very pretty pink beads that I was unable to match so I used some clear flower sequins that I purchased in India. They are very pale pink but that is completely lost against the blue lace; in fact the sequins hardly show up at all but they catch the light and add a little sparkle. I altered the arrangement of the copper seed beads slightly to fit the scale of my block. The blue flower beads below the picot leaves are beautiful and I am slightly disappointed that they do not stand out more.


The embellishment on this seam treatment is very simple. The blue bi-cones stand out really well on this paler blue ribbon.


I whipped the main stems of the feather stitch vines to try to emphasis them more then added pressed glass flowers.


I still think that this is a little lost against the background.

Happy Stitching!

Karahana, another petal

I determined to make some time for Japanese Embroidery this weekend and was able to complete the third petal on Karahana.


I have got used to my varifocal glasses now and I think the stitching on this petal is better than on the second petal.


This is how it looks so far. The remaining three petals should take rather less time to stitch than their larger neighbours. I just have to determine to make time more often!

Happy Stitching

May TIF - Seam Treatments 1

Thank you so much for your comments, I am finding them very encouraging. Susan asked "will you do 'seam treatments'?" Funny you should ask that!

The basis of the first seam treatment is a couched 'ribbon'. I used a single strand of DMC floss long satin stitch the full length of the seam to create the ribbon. These stitches are held in place by a two rows of herringbone stitch that replicate the ones used to couch the ribbon in place on the original. The threads used for the herringbone are both a 2-1 made from DMC floss. The longer legs of the blue row are tied with a short straight stitch.


The second seem treatment also begins with a ribbon; this one is stitched in the same way using DMC Satin. This ribbon is secured with detached chain stitches along each edge. A 2-1 twisted thread in the woven through the chain stitches.


The third seems begins with a trailing vine of featherstitch in variegated Anchor stranded cotton. Initially I used a single strand but the stitching did not show up against the background. I removed that and started again using two strands.


I still don’t think the stitching shows up as well as it could but I don’t want to use 3 strands, I think that would be too heavy. The lace on the original is denser than my flax leaf design so this segment appears to be more white than pink and the stitching shows up better. This seam will be embellished which may make it more prominent. In fact all three will be further embellished but I don’t want to add any beads until all the stitching is complete.

Happy Stitching