WIPW - The Tatted Princess

It is time to show a week's worth of progress for Work In Progress Wednesday.

Hexablooms

Once again, I managed to make a set of ten hexabloom blocks. The total is now 370.

Only seven more to reach 377!

Birthday Card

Here is the birthday card I made, and I only showed you a blurred photo of a couple of weeks ago.

I found the little piece of tatting made long ago in a box. As it looked like a tiara, I decided to draw a face, add hair, a gown and jewellery, before making it into a card.

Is there a special reason these cards are called window cards - you can actually make a picture of someone looking out of a window!

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Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler

More blue sequins were spilt out over the sampler.

Cross-stitch Bookmark

This piece has a few more stitches now.

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 321: Cornucopia Chain Stitch

I saw the design for today's stitch on YouTube, but I did not keep the link and can not find it again. Nor do I remember the name of the stitch, if indeed it had one. 

So I have taken the liberty of calling it Cornucopia Chain Stitch. Should you know of an official name, please leave a message in the Comments below.

You might think it resembles #110 Russian Chain Stitch, 

but there are three  Detached Chain stitches at the top, not two, and they are smaller.

Make it like this:

 

Easy and decorative, don't you think?

Homework: 

Add here.

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 316 - 320

Why is Sunbonnet Sue wearing a bonnet? 

Well, if you are outdoors in the sun, you'd better protect your skin from too much sunlight. If you are shy, a wide-brimmed bonnet will cover up your blushing face. If you're someone famous being chased by the paparazzi, then the bonnet or a pair of sunglasses will give you a certain amount of privacy.

But why is Sue's face hidden behind a bonnet in the traditional quilt and redwork patterns of Sunbonnet Sue? I think the answer to that question is that it makes the appliqué pattern so much easier; there are no small and fiddly details to struggle with.

Now, those of you who have followed my series of Sunday Stitch School's stitch sampler portraits of Sunbonnet Sue know that I allow myself a lot of 'artistic license' and hide her face, not only with a bonnet but also with her own hair blowing in the wind or by portraying her from behind.

The point is that no one has ever seen Sue's face, be it in the traditional design or my own interpretations of Sue. That is, no one has seen her face until now. So take a deep breath and don't be alarmed when I now reveal her face!

Actually, she has put on such a pancake of white makeup and drawn a gigantic mouth, fixed a red ball on her nose and donned a pair of round sunglasses, that you're not really able to see her true facial features. Once again, she has tricked us!

WIPW - Progress In Spite Of Easter Holiday

Although work to make Easter a festive holiday within our ordinary work week (Easter is not a national holiday in Japan)  and preparations to tend to overseas visitors took up a lot of my time, I managed to make some things to report for Work In Progress Wednesday.

Hexablooms

By chance, I found two blocks that had been mislaid in a box. So I only needed to make eight blocks to reach the weekly quota of ten hexagon flowers.

The total is now 360, which means there are 17 left to make. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler

1/3 of the sampler has now been strewn with blue sequins.

Bookmark

Filling in the cross stitching on the bookmark progresses at a snail's pace.

Sunday Stitch School - Easter Break

There is no new stitch today. Blame it on the fact that I have taken an Easter Break. My needle is happy to take a break, too.

See you for a new lesson next Sunday.

Homework - Not Reay To Hand In

I'm lagging behind and can not hand in my finished homework today. Hopefully it will be completed by next Friday.

I have drawn the outlines, sandwiched and basted the layers, but not yet started the actual quilting/embroidery.

The reverse side, with rough basting.

WIPW - 350

 It's Wednesday, so time for a Work In Progress Wednesday report.

Hexablooms

I made another ten, and now have 350 blocks.

Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler

More blue sequins found their way between the different stitch sections.

Cross Stitch Bookmark

A few new stitches have been added. I am sure you still can not detect what motif I am stitching!

Birthday Card

I am making another birthday card but can not show any details yet.

Sunday Stitch School - Revision Stitches 316 - 320

Time flies, and here is a revision lesson for the last five stitches.

Click on the title to get a link to the instructions.

316 Detached Wheatear Stitch

It's such a good idea to make one unit of a linear stitch into a detached one, don't you think?

317 Straight Stitch

I wonder if any stitch is more important than the Straight Stitch! What would we do without it?

318 Rhodes Circle Stitch

Every Rhodes stitch is impressive and easy to make. The Circle version gives you a nice plumb round shape and is far easier than a circular Satin Stitch, in my opinion.

319 Split Back Stitch

It is just as neat and tidy as its sister, the Split Stitch. I must point out that this back-stitched version will gobble up much more of your thread and leave you with a tangled mess on the reverse.

On the other hand, it is easier to split the stitch from the front than to fumble in the dark of the reverse side  of your hoop.

320 Clown Collar Stitch

There are many stitches where you lace or interlace a foundation stitch, often a Running Stitch or a Back Stitch and create nice patterns. I think this is especially charming.

Homework:

How can Sunbonnet Sue help us to illustrate these five stitches? 

Friday Homework for Lesson 320: Clown Collar Stitch

See what lovely lines you can make with two stands of thread!

Aida Sampler

Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart

Mottled Wool Scribble Cloth

WIPW - Another Bookmark

This Work In Progress Wednesday report will show my progress in two ongoing projects and one new start.

Hexablooms

10 more, means 340 blocks in total.

Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler

I continue to add sequins to fill in the voids here and there.

New! Another Bookmark in Cross Stitch

I started the third out of the five bookmarks I am making. This will not be needed until autumn, so it might go back and forth to the shelf!

Sunday Stitch School - Lesson 320: Clown Collar Stitch

Here is another stitch from Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials, the Clown Collar Stitch.

It is based on two parallel but staggered lines of Running Stitch.

Look at Sarah's instructions here.

Or check out my photo tutorial:

You can do the Running Stitch line either with 

the traditional Running Stitch one way,

then make the staggered line above (or below) in

the other direction.

or you can use an up-and-down sewing method. 

I find the latter way easier to get even spacing.

Then start the lacing. The red thread goes underneath 

the blue threads without piercing the fabric.

Homework:

Add to the samplers.