Tudor Rose - Part 2

The second lesson of Tudor Rose concentrated on the flower. Each of the two flowers, the outer red one and the inner white one were outlined with backstitch using Soie Perlee. I’ve hadn’t used Perlee threads much before this project and had only worked with cotton Perlee before. It is not a thread that I liked very much but that is probably because it is not suited to the type of embroidery I usually do. However, I really enjoyed working with it on this project. That may be because the thread used is 100% silk and I am a total silk addict but I also liked the weight and the degree of twist in the Soie Perlee.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

The petals are filled with alternating up and down buttonhole stitch with return. I had done this stitch on the gold work sampler but using a metallic thread. I practised the stitch using the Soie Perlee on my doodle cloth before attempting it on the Tudor Rose.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

The first few rows of each petal the detached buttonhole stitch is worked in metallic thread on a silk return. The remainder of the petal is work entirely in silk.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

The inner flower is worked in exactly the same way, combining white and silver instead of red and gold.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

In the picture of the stitched sample supplied with the course notes the stitches are much more compact than mine. I think this may be because the back stitch outline was done with smaller stitches. I think the open lacy effect of fewer stitches, as on mine, has a certain charm, but on balance I think I prefer the smaller, denser version.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

The centre of the flower was also covered in lesson two but it is quite textured and uses delicate gold perlees so I decided to leave that part until after I had completed the leaves in lesson three.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

Happy Stitching

Tudor Rose - Part 1

Life continues to be busy but I still (determinedly) make time for some stitching most days. Now that the finer weather is here stitching time competes with gardening time and lately the garden has been winning. The pond has been planted and we now have some fish. The borders around the pond and patio are mostly planted; the plants soften the hard edges and make the pond/patio/lawn look more integrated. The evenings have been sufficiently pleasant to allow us to eat our dinner on the patio and linger with a glass of wine until bed time!

Earlier in the year I did another online gold work class with Thistle Threads. This was a short course (3 months) that complimented the much longer (18 months) Tudor and Stuart Gold Master Class but each class is stand along and they could be taken in any order. The Tudor Rose class focuses on composite stitches that combine silk and metallic threads.

In lesson one we worked on the stems and two of the leaves from each spray of five leaves. The stem is worked in two passes; first a foundation is stitched in Soie Perlee, this is then laced with a gold wire.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

My first attempt at the stitch (which I forgot to take a picture of) was not very successful. I made the foundation stitches too small and was not able to lace the gold wire through them. On my second attempt I made the foundation stitches twice as big, this made the lacing much easier. In hindsight I think these foundation stitches are a little too large and that 1.5 times the original size would have been sufficient.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

The first two leaves on each stem where all worked in the same way. Each leaf was outlined with reverse chain stitch using Soie Perlee and then filled with rows of reverse chain stitches alternating between Soie Perlee and gold wire. Again, I think that I could have made the stitches a bit smaller.

© Thistle Threads/Carol-Anne Conway

Happy Stitching

Exhibition Extended

I have just heard that the exhibition of Japanese Embroidery at The Coach House Gallery has been extended. Attendance has been very good and the exhibition so well received that the Gallery want to run it for a second month.

If you happen to be on the island of Guernsey during June, do take the opportunity to go and see it.

The exhibition runs until 27 June 2014 and is at The Coach House Gallery, Les Islets, St Peter's, Guernsey. The gallery is open daily, including Sundays, from 11.00 am – 5.00pm.

Happy Viewing

Exhibition - The Coach House Gallery, Guernsey

Some of my Japanese embroidery friends are currently exhibiting on the island of Guernsey. They are all beautiful stitchers so I know that this will be a stunning collection of work.

By coincidence, J was also on the island of Guernsey last weekend taking part in a bar billiards tournament. Had I known that his trip would coincide with the preview and opening of their exhibition, I would have arranged to go with him. Unfortunately, I didn’t know until too late and I will not now get another chance to see it.

Denise has sent me some pictures of the exhibition. The Coach House Gallery looks like a lovely setting for their exquisite embroidery. If you happen to be on the island of Guernsey during May, do take the opportunity to go and see it.

The exhibition runs until 30 May 2014 and is at The Coach House Gallery, Les Islets, St Peter's, Guernsey. The gallery is open daily, including Sundays, from 11.00 am – 5.00pm.

Happy Viewing

Journey’s End!

As soon as I had completed the beading for the Pouchette, even before I had constructed the bag, I sent photographs to the Japanese Embroidery Center. They sent them to Matsukawa-sensei and Uematsu-san for their assessment. I then waited an agonizing six weeks to hear whether or not my work would be approved.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

When I started Japanese Bead Embroidery in 2008 I only wanted to learn this beautiful art form and as I worked my way through the phases my love of beads and bead embroidery grew. In 2010 I learned that my tutor, the only one in the UK, was immigrating to New Zealand and shortly after that the 2011 beading classes at the JEC were cancelled because Matsukawa-sensei had fallen ill. There was some doubt if she would ever return to Atlanta to teach another beading class. I was devastated to think that my journey into JEB was coming to an end when it had barely begun. I was also deeply saddened to think that there would nobody in the UK qualified to share JEB with others. I resolved to progress as far as possible before my tutor left for New Zealand.

In June 2011 it was announced that Matsukawa-sensei would return to Atlanta in 2012. I was elated, now I might be able to complete my journey and even began to foster thoughts that someday I might qualify to teach JEB in the UK. I determined to be in that class. Sadly, ill-health once again prevented Matsukawa-sensei from travelling but fortunately this time a substitute teacher was found and the class went ahead.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

Phases I-IV are designed to teach the various techniques of bead embroidery. At Phase V the student is required to come up with their own stitching plan that demonstrates all they have previously learned. It is hard: there are no instructions and no pictures to refer to, only your own imagination. Umematsu-san is there to offer advice and guidance but the class is only 3 days long. After that you take your piece home and you are on your own.

I thoroughly enjoyed beading my Pouchette but all the time I was wondering how well I was doing. Do my colour selections work? Do the stitches I have used enhance the fabric design? In class, Umematus-san had mentioned that my lines of gold beads could be smoother. I tried hard to make them so but was I succeeding? I was elated when I finished the beading and felt that I had done my best work but would it be good enough to be approved by Matsukawa-sensei and Uematsu-san?

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

At the beginning of March I finally received the news that I had been waiting for. Matsukawa-sensei approved my work and I am qualified to teach Japanese Bead Embroidery. My certificate arrived in the post a few days ago.

So that is it the end of my Journey! Except that it is not the end, it is the beginning of a new phase. My good friend and fellow beading enthusiast, Sue, who travelled to Atlanta with me in 2012 has also qualified and together we plan to start teaching Japanese Embroidery here in the UK. A new journey begins!

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

Happy Stitching

Pouchette - Finished

In addition to the front and back, the design for the pouchette includes 2 lengths of decorative trim four round ‘buttons’. Both were quick to bead but the keeping the buttons perfectly round was challenging.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

With all the beading complete I was ready to construct the pouchette. First, I finished the beading as described here, except that I no longer use glue. Instead I first tack the foam and interfacing to the wrong side of the beading. I then turn the seam allowance and hand stitch it into place. I use a herring bone stitch and stitch through the seam allowance, the interfacing and the foam but never through the main fabric. I then remove the tacking stitches.

A small piece of synthetic velvet was supplied with the main fabric to trim the pouchette. I found a piece of antique silk velvet on the internet that was big enough to line the pouchette as well as trim it. I cut the lining and trim in one piece and machine stitched it to the beading.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

The decorative trim is used to conceal this seam. I first trimmed the seam allowance and slip stitched them in down, then hand stitched the trim in place.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

I then placed the front and back lining pieces right sides facing and machine stitched them together, leaving an opening on each side. I then folded the ‘trim’ part of the velvet in half so the lining was in place and top stitched 2 cm from the top of the trim to form a channel for the cord handles. The front and back beaded pieces were then hand stitched together sandwiching the lining between them.

Once I had threaded the cord handles through the channels, the ends are secured and neatened with the beaded ‘buttons’.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

Happy Stitching

The Final Furlong

The lasts elements I worked on side two were the raised and/or padded elements.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

While they are not as attention grabbing as the centres of the main motifs they are great fun and rather challenging to work.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

I think that they are integral to the design. While they enhance the swirling gold lines in the design, they also serve as quiet spots that gently lead the eye from one hot spot to the next.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

The fancy centres and the raised areas took 28 hours and 30 minutes to complete. The total beading time for side two was 86 hours and 15 minutes. Side one took 99 hours so the combined time to bead both sides was 185 hours and 15 minutes.

© JEC/Carol-Anne Conway

Happy Stitching