Kafferepet
I have almost completed embellishing the border. There are a few details to attend to for next week.
In the centre is a Buttonhole Wheel Cup #40 in yellow and green
Upper stem: Half Chevron Stitch #18
Lower stem: Arrowhead Stitch #45
Lower stem: Bullion Buttonhole Stitch #71
Lower stem: Linked Double Chain Stitch #32
Swedish Cushion
I have only filled in this part with Top Knotted Buttonhole Stitch #64 (and a few Back Stitches)
Work In Progress While Travelling or 'Scratching a Chicken on the Train'
I started this Chicken Scratch embroidery last year and have worked on it exclusively while going on shorts trips in Japan. I wrote about it last year in November.
I believe I have not touch this piece of cloth since last year! It was time to do something about this and I did indeed work hard and now 75% of the work is completed.
While on the trip to northern Japan we saw something else that was red and white;
we encountered the first snow of the season. The snow added a nice touch to the red maple leaves on the trees.
Queenie you are holding us all in anticipation with this piece, I can not wait to see it as a whole instead of the tempting glimpses your are sharing with us. Winter is well on the way if you have had snow, We have had snow in Scotland and the Lake District has had one fall but so far it is not too bad here in Leeds.
ReplyDeleteWell, WIPW is about the PROGRESS we have made, so why show other than the glimpses?!
DeleteWinter took everyone by surprise in the place in northern Japan I went to; the petrol stations had long queues of cars waiting to have their winter tires put on.
They are all progressing beautifully. You embroidery certainly adds to the effect. Now where in northern Japan did you travel?
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am so glad to get inspiration from you to work the Chicken Scratch. As for my travel destination, that will be revealed in a later blog post! Sorry for the suspense!
DeleteBeautiful piece of work queenie. Ah leaves covered with snow... it is an eye candy. today i wish to see such a beautiful nature atleast once in my life time.
ReplyDeleteYes, isn't the combination of brightly coloured leaves and new clean snow beautiful. I was happy to see this eye candy, but it was COLD doing!
DeleteYou do such lovely stich work. The snow and leaves give a good colour, the leaves on my Maple have been blown off in the strong wind of the Gail.
ReplyDeleteAutumn this year in Japan has been a bit of a disappointment, so I was pleasantly surprised to see these very red Maple leaves.
DeleteLovely embellishments as usual. I'm afraid our maple will drop all the leaves before it ever turns red. Snow ... ? Not yet please.
ReplyDeleteSnow is nice to look at, but hard to live with, especially in a metropolis. The wild trees have not shown their best colours this autumn, but many parks have been 'on fire'. More photos later.
DeleteYou are making me interested in chicken scratch....I went already to the sites which you gave the links to ... I start to like it .... and oh this wonderful photo of a snowy Japanese maple - beautiful colours.
ReplyDeleteI first learned about Chicken Scratch, or Swiss Embroidery as I think it is called in France, from Needle n' Thread, then saw what wonderful things Carolyn of Carorose Creations had made. With very simple means and material fantastic designs can be created. Also check out Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials:http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/hand-embroidery/chicken-scratch/
DeleteHave fun!
You are so creative adding the TAST stitches to your Kafferepet! Love the chicken scratch!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It is nice to have made a TAST sampler of the Kafferepet! I am especially pleased with the Bullion Buttonhole - it looks much better on the plain weave here than on my TAST sampler over counted threads. The chicken scratch is back on the shelf waiting for the next chance to go on a trip with me!
DeleteSo beautiful! So inspiring!
ReplyDeleteThanks Angela, but do you need inspiration!? Your work is always so original.
DeleteYour stitching is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marci! I just wish my stitches were as neat as yours!
DeleteMy maple leaves were a lovely colour a few weeks ago but now the branches are bare. The snow looks lovely on your photo.
ReplyDeleteThe snow came suddenly and even the locals who are used to snow said it was unusual to see so many leaves still on the trees with the first snow of the season.
DeleteAnother week of great progress. The snow on the tree makes me think you are in my neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteThe maple tree grows in Hirosaki, so not so far from you! It was the first snow of the season and the locals were surprised at how quickly the snow piled up.
DeleteNice progress, but oh those leaves! I have never seen Autumn colours like that, they don't look real. One hears about them and I have seen some pictures but this is a stunning photo.
ReplyDeleteYes, aren't the leaves spectacular? I will show some more on a later post.
DeleteI didn't realise it is called chicken scratch–what a fabulous name! The first thing I ever sewed was a gingham apron decorated with crosses–but it didn't look anywhere near as good as yours–it really is beautiful. If I'd known then, how good chicken scratch could look, I might have tried a little harder!
ReplyDeleteI was such a know-nothing about needlework before I got involved with TAST, started reading Needle 'n Thread and got all my embroidery blogging friends. Use Google Image to see a lot of wonderful examples of Chicken Scratch. The squares make it easy to measure the stitches, and with different thickness or colour of the thread the look will change dramatically.
DeleteI can see that you are applying all the stitches that you have learned to your work, they look lovely. I have a Japanese maple in a pot in my yard but the leaves fell off weeks ago and now it is completely bare unlike your lovely trees in Japan!
ReplyDeleteThe wild maples have not been so good this year but this tree is the cultivated kind in a park and in the snow the red looked even redder. I will post some more photos next week.
DeleteYour embroideries and your Chicken Scratch are fabulous and the picture of the mapple leaves under the snow is really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you Séverine,
DeleteHave you ever tried Chicken Scratch? It is amazing what results can be made.