Phew! I finished my homework with less than half an hour to spare - soon it will be Saturday here in Japan.
On the internet, I found an illustration which I thought would make a good Sunbonnet Sue.
Phew! I finished my homework with less than half an hour to spare - soon it will be Saturday here in Japan.
On the internet, I found an illustration which I thought would make a good Sunbonnet Sue.
Work In Progress Wednesday.
The past week has been about starting two new projects (a stitch sampler and a quilt), restarting an old UFO (The Mandala) and of course, continuing with the ongoing quilt (Hexablooms). A bit of garment adjustment was also achieved.
Hexablooms
I added more floral blocks in purple. In total, 75 blocks are joined together. It's getting difficult to photograph...
Mandala
Here is the restart of a shelved UFO. I added more Colonial Knots to the Mandala. Two out of four sections like this are filled.
New! Sunday Stitch School Indigo Stitch Sampler
This is a new stitch sampler for the remaining and future Sunday Stitch School stitches.
I added #301 Wreath Stitch, #302 Triangular Bullion Stitch, and #303 Tacked Herringbone Stitch.
Next month, a friend of mine will become a grandmother, and I want to welcome the Little One with a simple quilt.
There will be pieces of scraps from my stash in it, but I needed a piece of cotton big enough for the larger area and the back. Off I went to a fabric shop where I selected a print with pink cherry blossoms and the traditional Japanese wave patterns.
The first step was to wash the fabric.Step number two will be to give it a good press with a hot iron, before cutting it into the desired parts.
Modifying Clothing
A young family member came with a request: "Aunty Queenie, please shorten this secondhand T-shirt I bought online".
My nephew had bought a T-shirt marked size L. Made in the US, it was considerably larger than a Japanese L-size, especially in length. When my nephew modelled the T-shirt, I thought he was wearing a dress.
Out came my Elna sewing machine and the presser foot for "Super Overlock Stitch". In the manual, it says: "This industrial inspired overlock stitch is excellent for assembling and finishing fabrics together in one step. Apply ribbings to knits and garment retains its shape. Elna invented this stitch in 1982."
I haven't worked with knits or overlocking in a long time, but the machine delivered a good result.
Sorry, no photo was taken.
Some of the five stitches we are going to review here are so simple, the only thing you need to know is how to make a Straight Stitch. Then add a bit of tweaking, and you have a variety of new stitches.
Click on the title to get to the stitch instructions.
The name says it all - two types of Xs, one large and one small, make up this stitch.
Isn't this a descriptive name?! You make it by placing two Straight Stitches leaning against each other.
The flames can also turn into grass or other things.
It was high time I added a Canvas Stitch. This is easy to make with two sizes of Straight Stitch.
This is a stitch that resembles an open hand-held fan. The more you open up the fan, the wider the stitch. Change the length of each Straight Stitch, and voila! new shapes take form.
Instead of Straight Stitch, this is based on Back Stitch/Split Stitch and looks a bit like a Chain Stitch.
Pueblo Stitch is best done slowly. Switching over the two coloured threads takes a bit of time before it becomes second nature. The result is a lovely braid.
Much has been written about the Pueblo Indians, their costumes and religious dances. Check out the Friday Homework page here.
My friend Janie left a comment about the Pueblo Indians and the origin of the name of the stitch.
I searched the web and found:
Janie also commented that she had heard Pueblo Stitch can also be called Split Ply Stitch. After some research, I found that there is a weaving technique with that name.
For an embroidery stitch, it also makes sense.
Look what my dictionary says about PLY:
[usually in combination] a strand of yarn or rope: [as modifier] : four-ply yarn.
• the number of multiple layers or strands of which something is made: the yarn can be any ply from two to eight.Work In Progress Wednesday.
Hexablooms
More flowers, 65 to be exact, have opened up on the ever-growing quilt flimsy.
The cushion is now assembled. The fastener is stitched in place and zipped up. The cushion is stuffed with a large pillow AND a woollen blanket that was hibernating in the closet.
Finally, the cushion, which features the first 300 stitches from Sunday Stitch School, is now chilling out on the daybed.
Birthday Card
The birthday card I showed a blown-up version of last week looks like this.
Do you remember #119 Alternating Magic Split Stitch and #120 Magic Split Stitch?
Instructions for Pueblo Stitch can be found in many places, on YouTube and at Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials as well as at Arts&Design under Pueblo Stitch.
Q: So what differs between Alternating Magic Split Stitch and Pueblo Stitch?
A: The placement of the needle!
Compare the picture of Alternating Magic Split Stitch with the photo of Pueblo Stitch.
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In Alternating Magic Split Stitch, the tip of the needle comes out inside the previous 'Chain Stitch'. |
In Pueblo Stitch, the tip of the needle comes out in the hole just outside the 'Chain Stitch'. |
Here is my photo tutorial.
You need two threads of different colours on the needle.Take a Back Stitch by splitting the threads, red on the left and blue on the right.
Pull the threads through.
Take a Back Stitch and exit in the hole at the bottom of the 'Chain Stitch'.
Try to squeeze in a line of Pueblo Stitch on your samplers. The Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth is getting fuller and fuller. Is there any space left?
Aida Sampler
The Radiation Stitch gets a different life when worked in a variegated thread!
Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart
Program the needle to do 100% free-form stitching, and you get sprawly, weedy bushes!
I LOVE embroidery!
How can time fly so fast? It's already Wednesday, so here is my Work In Progress Wednesday report.
Hexablooms
I have now added ten blooms to the previous yellow, orange and dark blue. The new ones are mostly dark blue, too, although many of them have prints.
Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler
I am still preparing the transformation of the sampler into a cushion. The zipper was bought and has been basted in place. Next step is the lining...
Birthday Card
I have made another birthday card, which I will show in full later in July. Here is a blown-up detail.
I hope it radiates positive energy like happiness, charm, warmth and optimism, and not nuclear leaks or harmful levels of UV rays.
It's a pleasingly easy stitch based on Straight Stitch, radiating from the same source. You can let the rays fan out in a variety of ways. See examples below.
You can see where I found Radiation Stitch at Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials.
Queenie's photo tutorial: