Most of my time has been taken up with paperwork for work, so Work In Progress Wednesday quilting and sewing progress has been scant.
Hexablooms
I just prepared some more hexagons and hexagon flower blocks.
It's time to review
351 Twisted Chain Stitch (Learn it here)
352 Battlements Stitch (Learn it here)
353 Brick and Cross Filling Stitch (Learn it here)
354 Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop (Learn it here)
Homework:
Make a stitch sampler with Sunbonnet Sue.
The name of this stitch pulled me down a deep rabbit hole. I have found a number of stitches that include the word Wave.
Work In Progress Wednesday.
A Birthday Present
I had a plain store-bought pot holder, and it was easy to decorate it with an appliqué Hexagon Flower block. I also added a line of Knotted Feather Stitch along the bias tape edging.
Hina Hanging Doll Ornaments
To start, do you know about the Japanese festival of Hina? If not, please read last year's blog entry. You can also click on HINA in the tabs above.
Every year, I aim to make three new ornaments to add to the mobile of Hanging Hina Dolls.
Last year, the count was 97 small dolls and other ornaments made of scraps of kimono silk and Japanese crêpe, chirimen. With the three new ones, I now have 100 (one hundred!) Hina ornaments!
This year I made
1) an open needle keep, to hope for good sewing results in the future. The keep has two threaded needles and one floral pin.
2) a Dalecarlean horse, in celebration of the Year of the Horse
3) a cherry blossom, as I expect the cherry trees will start blooming earlier than usual this year
I made a few white hexagons, and I also cut out new cards to stretch the fabric over. Slow work, lack of time...
I found this stitch in a library book, the Japanese '1000のステッチ', called 'The Techniques for Over 1000 Stitches Embroidery' in English, although there is no translation. The Japanese issue is out of print.
Here is my photo tutorial for this very easy stitch:
Homework:
The Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop is easy and quick! Try it!
When you pull the Buttonhole Loop, the loop changes into a cross, so maybe the correct name would be Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Cross?
Aida Sampler
Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart
Red Kimono Silk Scribble Cloth
For this Work In Progress Wednesday report, I have a start. It is time to make the three annual Hina Hanging Dolls ornaments. One of them is almost done.
Hanging Hina Dolls Ornament
This particular ornament is made up of two mirrored parts, one of which has some embroidery. The two parts are now being fixed together with glue and will later be joined with stitches as well. I will show you the completed work next week.
Furthermore, I have drawn, cut out and will start assembling the other two ornaments later this week.
Hexablooms
I made a long row of 20 hexagon blossoms, ready to be added to the flimsy.
Sunday Stitch School Indigo Stitch Sampler
#353 Brick and Cross Filling Stitch and #354 Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop landed on the sampler.
On February 8th every year there is a ceremony where Japanese tailors, needlewomen, seamstresses, kimono makers, and of course quilters and us who love embroidery, say thanks to old and broken pins and sewing needles. How? By sticking them into a big block of tofu at a Buddhist temple.
This picture is from the blogpost I wrote last year:
Art&Design is a good source of stitches. Today, we will learn the Stem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop. If you click on the link, you need to scroll down the list of S-stitches till you see Steem Stitch with Buttonhole Loop.
Here is my photo tutorial:
Start by makig two Stem Stitches.
the right side of the Stem, (or below it, as seen in this photo).
turn into small crosses.
Homework:
Add here.
The Brick and Cross Filling Stitch is not only attractive but also airy, as there is a bit of space around each cross, them being smaller than the block of bars.
Like all canvas stitches, the Brick and Cross Filling Stitch is difficult to work on plain weave if you aim for a neat and tidy look. I used waste canvas to make the job easier. Unfortunately, I marked the waste canvas incorrectly, so on the Sunday Stitch School Reference Chart, the stitches are packed like sardines in a can.
I also filled a square on my Canvas Sampler and made a wonky version, on purpose, for a wild look.
Aida Sampler
Well, as you know, the way to remove the threads of the waste canvas, once the stitching is complete, is to spray water on the canvas. The more water, the easier it is to pull out the threads.
Unfortunately, the red fabric I stitched on is SILK and should not be exposed to water. The mist I sprayed on was just a small dose, and it wasn't enough to remove the starch from the waste canvas weft and warp threads. So I tugged and tugged, but the starch was stronger than me until I put in more force, and as a result, the stitches look ruffled.
Canvas Sampler
Wild and Wonky Freehand Bricks and Crosses
