Sunday 30 August 2020

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 144: Raised Daisy Stitch

Hello, it's Sunday and time for a new stitch, or should I say a new treatment of an old stitch.

Anyone who is familiar with Mary Corbet and her Needle n' Thread might have seen this new way of using Lazy Daisy, or Detached Chain Stitch. Read about Raising Up the Daisy Stitch by clicking on the link. Enjoy her clear pictures and the neat stitches.

Basically for this week's stitch you make a ring of many layers of Stem or Split Stitch, and over those you add Detached Chain Stitch.

My thinking is that you can just as well make a straight or curved line of padding and cover them with Detached Chain Stitch.

Here are my photo instructions for a circle.

Mark two circles on your fabric.

Work a circle of Stem Stitch (or Split Stitch)
inwards from the outer edge .



After you have filled the marked area,
build more stitches on top.
Try for a doughnut or lifebuoy shape.

Now place Lazy Daisy Stitch over 
the rounded shape.


First make North, South, East and West.
Then add the stitches in between.

Until you have something like this.

Mary Corbet added Straight Stitch to cover the gaps, and filled the void in the centre with  French Knots.

Homework:
Play around with this shape here:




Friday 28 August 2020

Friday Homework for Lesson 143: Chopstick Stitch

First let me begin this blogpost with an announcement.
As you know I recently had problems connecting to the internet, and consequently trouble with blogging.
It was a flaw with the Internet Service Provider, and not Blogger.

However, I am now facing problems again with leaving comments on some Blogger blogs - just like I had some time earlier.

Rest assure that I will read your blogs, but if I cannot leave a comment I will do so by email - provided I have your email address.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Now for the Friday Homework for Chopstick Stitch.
This is a nice canvas stitch, but difficult to make without a grid. For the Teal Tailoring Wool Scribble Cloth I used a piece of waste canvas to guide me.

Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth


 Canvas Sampler


Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart


Aida Sampler


Thursday 27 August 2020

Stumpwork Portrait

I had to send a birthday card, and made this stumpwork portrait to fit into a window card.

It is so enjoyable to make these ladies, using up scraps of fabric and odd beads and rings from accessory making.

Unfortunately the photo is slightly out of focus.


Tuesday 25 August 2020

WIPW - At Last I Can Show and Tell

Thank you for your kind comments. It is nice to be back in Blogland. Let's hope the Internet Service Provider is not playing any more tricks as it was frustrating not having a proper internet connection for such a long time. Especially as I had the time to stitch and I wanted to show my progress here at Work In Progress Wednesday.

While blogging was out of the question I worked on my various projects.

Tvistsöm Cushion
I made six new columns so the total grew from 46 to 52 columns.

Crazy for Crazy
I assembled the grey pieces, but placed the bead weaving off centre and not in the middle as I had planned. A piece of silver ribbon was topped with a black and silver braid.

Freeform Embroidery
Here I did not add a lot, just three stitches which were: Raised Cup, Fern and Renaissance.


Log Cabin Challenge
This is where my focus was. I pieced no fewer than 40 blocks, so the total now stands at 214.

As for work on the cushion flimsy, I worked hard on decorating it with new fancy stitches. The top is beginning to get that encrusted look I want.

I added 64! different stitches on the seams, among them are Waved Chain, Burden, Raised Fishbone, Crown, Star Darning, Parma, Magic Chain, Half Chevron...

The additions are marked in yellow:

I also have something to show tomorrow, tune in again on Thursday.

Sunday 23 August 2020

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 143: Chopstick Stitch


After a long break, when my internet connection was playing dirty tricks, I now hope to be able to post as usual, and visit your blogs as well.
It has been a time of frustration and many #%≈∞*!#§÷**. The good thing, though,  was that not being able to spend time on the computer, I had more opportunities to stitch.
Progress has been made; check out WIPW next Wednesday.

So today Sunday Stitch School is back with a new stitch, Chopstick Stitch. I have no idea where the name comes from. Have you ever seen or heard of it?
I found this great canvas filling stitch at Badasscrossstitch, where Rita shows in clear detail how to make it.

Nevertheless I have made my own photos.
Use fabric with a good grid, like Aida.

First make a V-shaped stitch



Underneath the V, make a long
slanting stitch.


Then repeat V, long slanting,
V, long slanting, V, long slanting 



At the side make a new column,
starting one step down.


For the third column, go back
up again

 Homework:
As this is a Canvas stitch, fill a square of the canvas sampler,
but also add stitches to these other samplers.


Finally I really hope that I have seen the end of my problems connecting to the internet.


Sunday 16 August 2020

No Reliable Service Yet

I am sorry to say our problems connecting to the internet have still not been solved, we have no reliable service yet.

Therefore, I am taking another week of 'holiday' from blogging. No Sunday Stitch School, no WIPW and no Friday Homework.

I will, however, stay stitching, and hope to have a lot to show and tell when service is back to normal!



Saturday 8 August 2020

Blogging Holiday Blogging Strike

I have been having trouble with my internet service provider recently. Service has been blotchy.

When things are back to a steady normal service is not certain yet (Japan has a Bank Holiday this weekend and it's also the summer holiday season, so maintenance staff are scarce).

I will therefore take a holiday from blogging, while the internet connection is 'on strike', let's say for a week.

So no Sunday Stitch School lesson tomorrow, nor a WIPW report on Wednesday and of course no Friday Homework next Friday. Whether I will be able to visit blogs is uncertain.

Queenie


Friday 7 August 2020

Friday Homework for Lesson 142: Ieshininninu Chieshirokochu Stitch

It was far easier to do the homework than to learn the name of this Ainu stitch.

Aida Sampler


Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart


Teal Wool Tailoring Scribble Cloth

This stitch is easy and fast, but do make the Running Stitch rather long and that you use two threads of different colours so the contrast of the over stitching becomes clear.

Wednesday 5 August 2020

WIPW - Grey Turns Crazy

So it is Wednesday again - this day in the middle of the week comes around so quickly.

My progress:

Freeform Embroidery
I added the following stitches: Herringbone, Diamond and Square Boss.



Tvistsöm Cushion
The humidity interferes with the woollen fibres and they seem to get frizzier and the stitching is harder.
Anyway, I managed to add some more columns, there are now 46.


Log Cabin Challenge
These ten stitches found their way onto the Log Cabin flimsy:
  1. Raised Chain version 1
  2. Linked Chain
  3. Feathered Chain
  4. Woven Trellis
  5. Triple Chain
  6. Threaded Cable Chain
  7. Sorbello
  8. Knotted Satin
  9. Upright Cross
  10. Two Sided Insertion

These additions are marked in yellow.


I also pieced another ten blocks. The total is 174.

Crazy for Crazy
Until now I have made fifteen blocks,
but think I'd better make another five. With twenty blocks I can get a better rectangular shape for the quilt. (The black bias tape will be removed, instead I will use a lattice when I eventually assemble the blocks into a quilt.)

So the first of these five new blocks will be in gray. Yes, I know it is a dull colour, but I think with the addition of beads, black details and in the centre a special piece of woven beads, it will still look stylish and elegant.

Sunday 2 August 2020

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 142: Ieshininninu Chieshirikochu Stitch

Today our stitch adventures take us to the Japanese northern island of Hokkaido to look at Ainu culture.
You can read all about this ethnic group indigenous to Japan, and Russia (Shakhalin) here.      

Some years ago I bought a book, written by Sanae Kogawa (ĺ°Źĺ·ťć—©č‹—) about the beautiful garments of The Ainu.


Apart from pictures of the stunning robes, the book contains good instructions for the complicated process of making fabric from the soft inner bark of the Elm tree.
Also on how to appliqué beautiful patterns with cotton fabric on top of the elm tree weave, and how to add decorative embroidery stitches.

My friend Pamela of Hokkaido Kudasai and her stitch group have started on a small embroidery project. I felt it was time for me too, to make use of the stitches.

Today's stitch is in Ainu language called I E SHI NIN NI NU    CHI E SHI RI KO CHU. It is a bit long and difficult for me, so I will give it the nickname of Ainu Running Stitch. Any complaints, let me know.

Yes, you start with a Running Stitch,
preferably of long stitches.
With a thread of contrasting colour,
come out just below the middle of the first
stitch (on the right).

Insert the needle right above the 
stitch, and take a slanted 
stitch as shown in the picture.

Take a new slanted stitch,
thereby making a 'fake' whipped
stitch.

Continue in the same way
to the end of the line.
 Isn't it a beautiful overstitched Running Stitch?


Your 
Homework 
will be as usual: Add stitches to these samplers