WIPW - Starting Hina

For this Work In Progress Wednesday report, I have a start. It is time to make the three annual Hina Hanging Dolls ornaments. One of them is almost done.

Hanging Hina Dolls Ornament

This particular ornament is made up of two mirrored parts, one of which has some embroidery. The two parts are now being fixed together with glue and will later be joined with stitches as well. I will show you the completed work next week.

Furthermore, I have drawn, cut out and will start assembling the other two ornaments later this week. 

Hexablooms

I made a long row of 20 hexagon blossoms, ready to be added to the flimsy.

Sunday Stitch School Indigo Stitch Sampler

#353 Brick and Cross Filling Stitch and #354 Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop landed on the sampler.

Hari-Kuyo

On February 8th every year there is a ceremony where Japanese tailors, needlewomen, seamstresses, kimono makers, and of course quilters and us who love embroidery, say thanks to old and broken pins and sewing needles. How? By sticking them into a big block of tofu at a Buddhist temple.

This picture is from the blogpost I wrote last year:

This year Hari-Kuyo fell on a Sunday and I took part despite the snow and cold. 

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 354: Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop

Art&Design is a good source of stitches. Today, we will learn the Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop. If you click on the link, you need to scroll down the list of S-stitches till you see Steem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop.

Here is my photo tutorial:

Start by makig two Stem Stitches.

Next, make a single Buttonhole Stitch to 

the right side of the Stem, (or below it, as seen in this photo).

You now need to make Stem Stitch x 2.

As you can see, the Buttonhole 'Loops' actually 

turn into small crosses.

Homework:

Add here.

Friday Homework for Lesson 353: Brick and Cross Filling Stitch

The Brick and Cross Filling Stitch is not only attractive but also airy, as there is a bit of space around each cross, them being smaller than the block of bars. 

Like all canvas stitches, the Brick and Cross Filling Stitch is difficult to work on plain weave if you aim for a neat and tidy look. I used waste canvas to make the job easier. Unfortunately, I marked the waste canvas incorrectly, so on the Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart, the stitches are packed like sardines in a can.

I also filled a square on my Canvas Sampler and made a wonky version, on purpose, for a wild look.

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart (the can of sardines)

Red Kimono Silk Scribble Cloth

It looks like the waste canvas did nothing to help make the stitches even. The truth is, rather, that many of the stitches were forcefully tugged out of place. Why? 

Well, as you know, the way to remove the threads of the waste canvas, once the stitching is complete, is to spray water on the canvas. The more water, the easier it is to pull out the threads. 

Unfortunately, the red fabric I stitched on is SILK and should not be exposed to water. The mist I sprayed on was just a small dose, and it wasn't enough to remove the starch from the waste canvas weft and warp threads. So I tugged and tugged, but the starch was stronger than me until I put in more force, and as a result, the stitches look ruffled.

Canvas Sampler

Wild and Wonky Freehand Bricks and Crosses