This is the last Work In Progress Wednesday report for April.
Freeform Embroidery
I filled some void spaces with the following stitches: Corded Coral, Oyster and Figure 8.
Crazy for Crazy
I assembled the new crazy quilt octagon block and dug out ornaments and buttons in purple and sharp violets/pink.
The beautiful lace bows and spray of flowers have travelled here all the way from Australia.
Some of the thread and the three pieces of patterned fabric have also made a journey, from the UK.
The buttons are salvaged from old clothes, but the pack of small Chinese knots were bought several years ago at Kanda Craft in Bakurocho (do you remember our outing Julie?)
This cq block will be packed with memories of good times with great friends!
Log Cabin Challenge
With Corona Watch on the News buzzing in the background I have made 10 new blocks. Total count now stands at 37 blocks.
How quickly this five-week period of new stitches has passed. Let's repeat the stitches and then make a Sunbonnet Sue sampler.
Click on the title to go to instructions and homework.
126 Sydd Tofs
A beautiful fluffy stitch. It will add a new dimension to any embroidery.
127 Amadeus Stitch
This, too, is so flexible in its 'put together into any constellation', it will add a fresh look to traditional embroidery designs.
128 Four Legged Stitch
So basic, so useful, so easy, - and so tricky to unstitch, so be careful!
129 Olga's Petal Stitch
Wow! This was a totally new way of stitching. Can we call it surface drawn work?
Many shapes can be made, not only petals.
130 Antwerp Edging Stitch
Easy and quick, you can get two different looks depending on if you keep a tight tension or give the thread some slack.
It can be used not only on the folded edge, but as a surface linear stitch, too.
Homework:
How can I best use these stitches for Sunbonnet Sue? Well, I got a nice idea from one of my blog readers!
Do you fancy a linear stitch today? Here is an edging stitch, neat on a folded edge, but it can also be used on a flat piece of fabric. It is called Antwerp Edging Stitch and was found in A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2.
Fold a piece of fabric and take
the thread out in the middle of the fold.
Take a stitch to the right in the fold,
away from you.
Loop the thread as you see in the
picture.
Take a stitch inside the loop, towards you.
Pull through to make a knot.
Make a new stitch in the same way.
Actually you don't need to shape a loop with your finger,
just insert the needle from left to right.
Pull the thread tight for a 'close to the surface' look,
or give the thread some slack to create a garland of loops.
Instead of stitching over a folded edge,
you can of course take small bites of flat fabric
for a surface stitch.
The technique is the same.
I don't know if this week's stitch can be classified as a stitch or a technique. Anyway, Olga's Petals are surprisingly easy to stitch, and make nice flowers - or bugs!
That is what I think the stitch looks like on the Aida Sampler
A row of cockroaches! Yuck!
Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart
Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth
This is where I got the best results, so Olga's Petal Stitch is definitely best as a Freeform surface stitch.
I inserted a piece of fabric in the orange petal.
The pink flower was stitched using variegated thread and I covered the void in middle of the flower with a button.
If you watched the video in Sunday's lesson, you saw that Olga outlined her petals with knotted stitch. The video is very fast and I have tried to identify the stitch, but am not sure what it is. Could it be a mirrored Palestrina Stitch? Does anyone know?
I was surfing YouTube and found a nice site of embroidery from, what I think is, Brazil. Artesd'Olga.
Among them was this beautiful petal made up of wrapped threads. I did not register a name for it, so will call it Olga's Petal Stitch.
Should you know the name, origin, or have any other information about this stitch, please leave a message in my comment box.
Here is a set of my instruction photos, and then there is a link to the excellent video itself.
You need to stretch the fabric in a hoop
and mark the outlines of the petal.
Then take a long thread and
come out at the bottom.
Fan out long surface stitches.
Repeat on the other side.
Take the thread out at the bottom,
middle.
Insert the needle with the eye
(or change to a blunt tipped needle)
and wrap the working thread
around the surface stitches.
As you work your way upwards
skip a stitch (between red and blue)
until
you have wrapped the inner part
of the stitches so the petal keeps
its shape and the wrapping
tapers towards the top.
Repeat on the other side.
...................
Depending on the shape of the petal
(here an oval) and which surface stitches
you wrap, you can get various shapes.
The centre will always be open, and there you can of course add other stitches or insert a piece of fabric. A kind of Shisha Stitch if you like...
And here is the promised video link, enjoy!
Homework:
Play around with the samplers.
How will Olga's Petal Stitch look on Aida, I wonder?
What progress have I made to show for this Work In Progress Wednesday report?
Freeform Embroidery
In the upper right corner I added a scattering of stitches: Drizzle Stitch, Loopy Flower Stitch and a bit to the left you can spot Q Stitch.
Crazy for Crazy
I worked on and near the lace.
Then added a few floral sequins and beads.
More work is needed.
Log Cabin Challenge
I started building blocks (almost like pre-fabricated units of a house?) by adding one log after another by hand; and No, I am NOT working as fast as Yoko Saito in the video I showed last week! That's OK, January 2021 is a long way away.
When this neat little stitch was first introduced on Pintangle, I didn't know if I should add it to my collection of TAST stitches, or include it in Sunday Stitch School.
Well, Sharon Boggon, the creator of the most stimulating online stitch tutorial TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday), has not set it as a TAST stitch yet. I will therefore use it for Sunday Stitch School's #128.
Four Legged Knot Stitch is an easy stitch, but please keep in mind, it is a knotted stitch and that means hard to un-stitch.
This member of the Upright Cross Stitch family has similarities with some other stitches, like its distant cousin, Knotted Loop Stitch (one of the TAST stitches which can also be found in A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2).
