TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings - Completed

The TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings Stitch Sampler is now completed.

 140 TAST stitches + the lettering in Cross Stitch (which is not included in TAST).

It is hemmed and the hanging sleeve is on.

The text reads: TAST 2016

What's next?

Well, 140 is a good number of stitches to pick from when doing free style embroidery, BUT there are other stitches, and I want to learn more.
So I have decided to select stitches that are unknown to me, from my many embroidery books or the internet, and learn one stitch a week.

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings - Pudding

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings is coming to a close.

 From the work I listed last week:

1.  Redo #22 Buttonhole Wheel Stitch
2.  Try to remove an unfortunate stain
3.  Work some lettering in the small spaces left between the ten blocks at the side
4.  Stretch the fabric
5.  Turn over the edges and hem them
6.  Add a backing and hanging sleeve

I have completed #1 - 5.

This time I knew how to space the stitches for nice and even Buttonhole Wheels, (the light blue circles).

The stain was easy to remove, and unless you look really close you do not see any trace of it.

I used Cross Stitch, which is not a TAST stitch, for the text T A S T   2 0 1 6 .

It was hard to stretch such a large piece of fabric and I cheated a bit with the help of my iron.

By adding a running stitch along the edges it was easy to fold the fabric, press it and hem the piece.

I am quite full but still enjoying my 'pudding', adding the backing and hanging sleeve.

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings 135 - 140

We have reached the final course of this TASTy meal; all the 140 stitches have been added.

135) Beaded Fern Stitch
136) Knotted Buttonhole Band (impossible to get the right hand (upper) stitches neat)
137) Beaded Knotted Buttonhole Band (impossible to get any stitch neat)

138) Barb Stitch

139) Beaded Barb Stitch

140) Threaded Cable Chain Stitch

Although all the TAST stitches have been worked into this sampler, there is more work to do:

I will redo #22 Buttonhole Wheel Stitch

I will try to remove an unfortunate stain

I will work some lettering in the small spaces left between the ten blocks at the side

I will stretch the fabric

I will turn over the edges and hem them

I will add a backing and hanging sleeve

There will still be some weeks of TASTy Tuesdays.

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings 129 - 134

I have now reapeated almost all the 140 TAST stitches.

 Of the twelve remaining, here are six beautiful ones:

129) Lock Stitch (when I learned these a long time ago, I struggled, now I had no problem)
130) Double Lock Stitch
131) Beaded Lock Stitch

132) Kikos Flower Stitch (petals) (I am still having difficulty with these, they will NOT be even!)
133) Triple Chain Stitch
134) Fern Stitch (a favourite, so soothing and meditative to work)

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings 123 - 128

123) Woven Chained Bar 

124) Closed Herringbone Stitch (or should this be even closer with the same hole for both the exit and entry stitches? What do you think?)

125) Beaded Herringbone Stitch

126) Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole Stitch
127) Beaded Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole Stitch
128) Interlaced Up and Down Buttonhole Stitch

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings 117 - 122

Now that the TAST stitches are grouped in three each I will make six stitches per week, instead of seven - it gives me a day off once a week, and will slow down the progress!

117) Bullion Vandyke Stitch

118) Beaded Buttonhole Stitch

119) Woven Trellis Stitch

120) Double Herringbone Stitch
121) Twisted Lattice Band Stitch
122) Chained Bar Stitch

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 111 - 116

In the last post you saw that I have run out of space at the bottom of the sampler for more stitches. I have divided the sides into ten sections where I will stitch three stitches in each.

 Here I serve up the six first stitches in this new section:

111) Zig-zag Coral Stitch

112) Feathered Chain Stitch

113) Beaded Feathered Chain Stitch

114) Long Tail Chain Stitch

115) Whipped Long Tail Chain Stitch

116) Beaded Vandyke Stitch

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 106 - 110

I must be on a diet - or have I lost apetite in the hot and humid climate of Tokyo? This week I have only worked five TAST stitches. The real reason is that I have run out of space at the bottom of the fabric:

As I don't want to add another piece of fabric, the next 30 stitches will be squeezed in at the sides, and stitched in a vertical line. Five blocks on each side with three stitches each.  Hopefully these blocks will frame the first 110 stitches:

 

So here are the five stitches I did manage to stitch:

From the top:

106) Looped Cretan Stitch

107) Beaded Looped Cretan Stitch (with bugle beads)

108) Rice Stitch

109) Square Boss Stitch

110) Rope Stitch

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 99 -105

What TASTy food would be light blue, turquoise and purple? It must be something artificially coloured and flavoured, children's sweets, bubble gum or plumb jam and mint icecream, or what do you think?

A portion of seven stitches, from the top:
99) Eastern Stitch
100) Beaded Eastern Stitch
101) Triangular Buttonhole Stitch
102) Beaded Triangular Buttonhole Stitch
103) Beaded Butterfly Chain Stitch
104) Buttonholed Cable Chain Stitch (on the right)
105) Alternating Buttonholed Cable Chain Stitch (on the left)

The cool colours are cooling me down in the sweltering heat of Tokyo.

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 92 - 98

For this week's portion of TAST stitches I have used some variegated thread, think ripple ice cream or sauce artistically painted on the plate.
There are also some beaded stitches, would they be a sprinkle of rock salt or ice cubes in a bowl of chilled soup?
Is this turning into a food blog?!

From the top:
92) Crossed Feather Stitch
93) Plaited Feather Stitch
94) Reversed Buttonhole Bar
95) Linked Chain Stitch
96) Beaded Linked Chain Stitch
97) Shell Chain Stitch
98) Beaded Shell Chain Stitch

I am sorry to say I did not remember the name of one single stitch. As for how to stitch them, a quick look at my TAST Reference Chart gave me some hints, but I did have to look up most of the instructions in Sharon's Stitch Dictionary at Pingtangle.. Sigh!

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 85 - 91

Lemon sherbet, butter scotch, lime juice and boiled sweets. This week the TASTy stitches are either tart or sweet.

From the top:
85) Raised Cup
86) Turkman Stitch
87) Buttonhole Picot Bullion Stitch
88) Buttonhole Picot Chain Stitch
89) Twisted Satin Stitch
90) Beaded Twisted Satin Stitch
91) Straight Sided Feather Stitch

TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings 78 - 84

This week's creamy, buttery colours were 'delicious' to work with.

From top:
78) Cloud Filling
79) Chained Cross Stitch
80) Raised Chain, version 1 (left)
81) Raised Chain, version 2 (right)
82) Spanish Feather Stitch
83) Siennese Stitch
84) Spiked Knotted Chain Stitch

The steamy heat of Tokyo has had an adverse affect on the quality of my stitching - and photography, sorry about the blurred picture.

Don't know what TAST is? It stands for Take A Stitch Tuesday, which was an online course in embroidery stitches led by Sharon Boggon of Pintangle.
In this series of TASTy Tuesday Second Helpings I am repeating seven stitches each week of the 140 stitches once learned.
Have I wetted your appetite for embroidery? Do you want to learn some of these stitches? Then head over to Pintagle's stitch dictionary where you can learn from the clear and easy to follow instructions.
Happy stitching!

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 71 - 77

The colours I had chosen for last week were not tempting, and my schedule was full of other things than embroidery. I just had to skip the Second Helpings last week.

Now back in full swing:

From the top:
71) Bullion Buttonhole Stitch
72) Wrapped Coral Stitch
73) Portuguese Stem Stitch
74) Zig-Zag Chain Stitch
75) Woven Zig-Zag Chain Stitch
76) Vandyke Stitch (spaced in two ways)
77) Woven Cross Stitch
I feel very proud that I had remembered the instructions, although some names had slipped my mind.

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings? NO, thank you!

When the colours for your second helpings of TASTy stitches are sludge, steal, lead and graphite, you feel no appetite, and say NO, thank you. The consequence? No stitches to report on, this week. Sorry!

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 64 - 70

Food is often used to describe colours, think of 'salmon pink', 'lime green' and 'oyster'.

These Second Helpings of TASTy stitches, would you say they are appetizing? Are they 'cookies and cream', 'chocolate' and 'toasted almonds', or are they 'lard', 'rice gruel' and 'cold oatmeal'?

From top:
64) Top Knotted Buttonhole Stitch (had to look up both name and instructions)
65) Buttonhole Bar
66) Coral Stitch
67) Fancy Hem Stitch
68) Slipped Detached Chain Stitch (had forgotten the name)
69) Buttonholed Double Chain Stitch (had to check the instructions and practice before I got going, but still looks awful on AIda; this is a free embroidery stitch!!!)
70) Crested Chain Stitch (remembered neither name nor instructions)

What will be on the menu next week? We're moving into the gray zone... I might skip my meals as I'll be busy with other things than embroidery.

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 57 - 63

In spite of the opressive heat I have had a second helping of every stitch served.

From top:
57) Sailors Edge Stitch
58) Woven Detached Chain Stitch
59) Breton Stitch (had to look up both name and instructions)
60) Diamond Stitch (had to look up both name and instructions)
61) Up and Down Feathered Buttonhole Stitch
62) Raised Cross Stitch Flower
63) Scroll Stitch (had to look up both name and instructions)

I hope to have the appetite for seven helpings next week, too.

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 50 - 56

Too hot and too busy to stitch during the day, I have taken to TASTy night snacks and early morning nibbles.

From top:
50) Inverted Feather Stitch (I had to look up both name and instructions)
51) Raised Herringbone Band
52) Triangular Feather Stitch (a quick peek at the TAST ref chart and I remembered how to make it)
53) Herringbone Square Stitch
54) Laced Herringbone Square Stitch
55) Buttonholed Herringbone Stitch
56) Sailor Stitch

Wishing you a cool and TASTy week!

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 43 - 49

I managed to do last week's portion of seven TAST stitches

From top:
43)  Magic Chain Stitch
44) Portuguese Border (I had to practise the rhythm, then it went smoothly)
45) Arrow Head Stitch
46) Buttonhole Eyelet Flower Stitch (Aida and stranded floss had better not be used for this stitch)
47) Berry Stitch
48) Knotted Cable Chain Stitch (I had to look up the name and instructions)
49) Knotted Feather Stitch

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings

I'm on a diet! Or rather I've been too busy to have any second helpings of TASTy stitches. I hope to be back on track next Tuesday.

TASTy Tuesday - Second Helpings 36 - 42

The seven TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday, check it out at Pintangle) stitches I worked this week contained some that are raised and take on a life of themselves. Some look messy!

 From the top:
36) Knotted Buttonhole Stitch
37) Beaded Hedebo Stitch (I had to look up how to make the loop)
38) Knotted Loop Stitch (I had forgotten both the name and the instructions)
39) Italian Border Stitch
40) Buttonhole Wheel Cup

As these cups took a long time to make, and the following two stitches would as well, I decided to work only 1/3 of each and place them in the same row.

41) Closed Base Woven Picot Stitch
42) Open Base Woven Picot Stitch

Untidy and unruly, NOT my favourites!
I hope I will enjoy my second helping of TAST stitches more next week.