WIPW - Row 16 Secured

Work In Progress Wednesday. As I recovered strength, I managed to speed up my stitching progress.

Hexablooms

I have now stitched row 16 securely to the flimsy. Sorry, no photo.

Furthermore, I have made 18 new blocks for Row 17. SOON, I will have made all the Hexablooms I need for the tapestry - 459.

Sunday Stitch School Indigo Stitch Sampler

A #370 Colcha Stitch heart found its way into the ring of #367 Whipped Stem Stitch.

Isn't the surface beautifully rough?

Sunbonnet Sue

I was even able to complete the Sunbonnet Sue sampler! The full picture and details will be shown on Friday.

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches: 361 - 365

This time Sunbonnet Sue is engaged in a daily activity she shares with everyone in the world - that of waiting. 

She has popped into a café and is sipping her drink while watching the hands of the clock on the wall. 

Who or what is she waiting for? Is the 'who' or the 'what' 5 minutes late? It is already 3.05 pm.

It was fun to use the various stitches: 

#365 Link Powdering Stitch made a nice leopard print for her T-shirt, 

#362 Roza's Ladder Stitch turned out to be great for both the tweed skirt and the cut glass vase,

#363 Torocko Stitch was just right for a checked bag

#364 Kashimiri Ball Stitch was the obvious choice for the clock and also for the flowers on the table

finally #361 Vertical Herringbone just had to be the decoration of the aluminium table.

Other stitches used are, Stem Stitch for the body outlines, chair, hair, shoes and scarf.

I used Straight Stitch for the glasses and Backstitched Chain Stitch for the bag's handle.

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 356 - 360

At last, I have completed the Sunbonnet Sue stitch sampler for stitches #356-360.

As you can see, Sue is on a photo safari in Tokyo, wondering what to shoot first, the silhouette of Mt Fuji and the skyscrapers of Shinjuku against an orange sunset or the flower arrangement with strange Breuten flowers with Wool buds and Whipped metallic Fly Stitched stems...

For the outlines and hair, I used Stem Stitch.

WIPW - Catching Up

Luckily, I have had a bit of time to work on my projects, so there is finally a little progress to report on Work In Progress Wednesday.

Hexablooms

I have added a total of 10 blocks (A - J) to row 14. Seventeen more to go!

Update on Sunday Stitch School's Stitch Review Sunbonnet Sue Sampler (what a mouthful!)

This is what parts of the back look like now.

For those of you who remember the five stitches involved in this sampler, you have probably guessed that this is the Basket Filling Stitch (worked as a surface stitch).

All will be revealed on Friday!

Sunbonnet Sue Update

 I am still lagging behind with my Sunday Stitch School Revision homework, which is why there was no report last Friday. 

Instead of a new set of stitches, I will today show you the back of the Sunbonnet Sue stitch sampler in progress:

The aim is to have the homework done by Friday...

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 351 - 355

Finally, Sunbonnet Sue is here! 

Sue needed to STRETCH the time with an extra week before she could show up here for the Revision Homework of stitches 351 - 355.

What has she been doing, then? Well, she's been STRETCHING and working out in the gym to be bikini fit for summer!

Friday Revision Homework - Stitches 346 - 350

Here is the Sunbonnet Sue sampler for stitches 346 - 350.

It was #349 Lantern Stitch that set the theme - Sue as a teenager, snogging her boyfriend Sam under a street lamp.

The two cross stitches, #348 Freeform Cross and #350 Over-Under Cross, were useful for a starry sky. 

The Canvas stitch #347 John Stitch turned out to be great for Sue's winter coat, a quilted down coat.

I also like #346 Double Lazy Daisy Stitch for Sue's wavy hair. Believe it or not, but Sam's shaggy hair is made up of a staggered mass of #348 Freeform Cross.

Other stitches are the Stem Stitch and Whipped Back Stitch.

Revision Homework - Stitches 321 - 325

 Here, Sunbonnet Sue is at work. She is on a photo assignment at an art gallery.

Other stitches used are Stem Stitch and Split Stitch.

I don't know anyone who changes her hairstyle and hair colour as often as Sue does!

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!

Sunbonnet Sue

I got a few requests about my Sunbonnet Sue collection. 

So far, there are 310 stitches in Sunday Stitch School. After every five stitches, I have made a Sunbonnet Sue stitch sampler. 

Let's do some mathematics: 310 ÷ 5 = 62. Yes, there are 62 Sunbonnet Sue pictures!

Some are the traditional Sue with her charming puppy fat and simple lines, and some are her bonnets, but most of the pictures are my own interpretations of Sue. Sue as a baby, a child, a teenager, a schoolgirl, an adult, a bride, an old lady... Sue is playing, relaxing, working, going shopping, crying, gardening, having her hair done, falling off a ladder ... but all the time, her face is hidden, one way or another.

Here are a few examples:

My first plan was to make a quilt, so I added wadding and the embroidery of each scene is done through the sandwich of top, bottom and wadding. 

Now I realise I can not make a quilt - it would simply be too large. What I will do is get a picture frame and display a picture per week in this frame. It will take me over a year to go through them all!

I will write more about this project later.