WIPW - Kumihimo

I have a new project to report on in this Work In Progress Wednesday post.

Kumihimo

I use reading glasses and have them on a string around my neck when not in use. The string broke, so I started making a new Kumihimo braid. I am using up stray strands of thread.

It is fun to have a new quick project. I haven't done any braiding in a long time.

Mandala

I added Buttonhole Stitch along the edge of one of the hearts.

Looking at the photo, I see I will have to redo these stitches as they are slanting in the wrong direction on the right side. It's fascinating how much you can see in a photo that you never notice with the naked eye!

Hexablooms

I cut lots of more cardboard hexagons, cut lots of new squares of fabric and stitched up ten more flowers. I pinned them together to make a neat group.

The total is now 50.

WIPW - Ruby Red

Work In Progress Wednesday is here again! So quickly!

Crazy for Crazy

I made a new naked block in ruby red. Most of the fabric comes from remnants of evening gowns. A friend who is a seamstress and specializes in party frocks gave me a bag of scrap fabric. Red seems to be a popular colour, or are they all from party dresses for Christmas?
The dark red fabric with machine embroidery at the top is a swatch used by a traveling salesman from Switzerland selling fabric in Africa many years ago. Through the generosity of the salesman's granddaughter it came into my possession.

In the centre I placed a piece of red canvas onto which I have made three hearts in Cross and Half Cross Stitch.

In my previous WIPW report I showed the kumihimo braid I am making. Several readers said this kind of braid making is confusing. With the pictures below I am trying to explain how it is worked.

What comes out of the hole in the centre of the disc is this braid!

It is not a complicated technique, but if you work quickly your head might spin with the constant turning of the disc and the swinging of the bobbins.

WIPW - Almost done

Work In Progress Wednesday, if you don't know it already,  is a GREAT thing. Read about it at Pintangle.

Kafferepet
The fourth row of quilting has been added.

 Not too much left, almost done.

Swedish Cushion
I just love TAST #133 Triple Chain and found a great place for it on the cushion.
(Its mirror image line will be used for this week's stitch #134 Fern Stitch. Check this space next week!)

TAST Reference Chart
As I said, I love TAST #133 Triple Chain and after adding a plain straight line of stitches to the left, I worked a circle. With a bit more planning the stitches would look neater, still, here you can see the potential for a beautiful wreath.

Swedish Wool Embroidery Collar
Cord making has taken up a lot of my time this past week.
First I made a simple lucet cord with one of the woolen yarns also used in the embroidery and napped edging. It was easy and quick. The result is a soft, simple, flexible cord, albeit it looks a bit plain.

Then I got started on the kumihimo cord. I tried several times until I found my way. With 16 strands of woolen yarn I ended up with a thick rope! Too thick!
If I used only 8 strands I had to turn the disc so much (45˚) for each move, my head started spinning. Too dizzy!
As the only very thin woolen yarn I had was black, yellow and blue, I needed to add perle #8 for some other colours, and perle is cotton which does not have much flexibility. Too stiff!

Anyway, the result of my work is these two cords.

The kumihimo is MUCH more beautiful, but FAR too sturdy.

So in the end my choice was the lucet cord.

Another reason for picking this cord was that, being plain it does not steal the show from the embroidery on the collar itself.
Almost done!

Next step will involve this:

Now if you think I just tossed the kumihimo cord into the bin or stuffed it into a drawer, please think again. It quickly found a job and a home.
Profession: Official Reading Glasses String
Address: Queenie's Reading Specs

Completely done!