Mounting TAST

Today I want to show how I mount the TAST pieces on cardboard.

Things needed: cardboard, pins, thread, needle, scissors

First I remove the embroidery from the hoop, press it and cut it large enough to cover front and back of the cardboard + a generous seam allowance.

I pin the first fold, then the top and the bottom.

Finally I pin the fold over the back.

I stitch the sides together with ladder stitch.

When done, I press on a label on the back.

Completed.

TAST2012 - Week 45

We have reached week 45, oh, it proves we are nearing the end of this year's TAST project. Luckily, thanks to Sharon's generosity, we will continue to learn in 2013 as well. The tempo and how it is presented will change slightly, but the teaching will go on.

Now, for week 45 and its Open Based Needlewoven Picot stitch, Sharon lent me her 'Running Fingers'. This is a pun on 'Stitching Fingers', the showcase we use for our work. If you haven't visited, please do so,  to see lots of beautiful work.

With those 'Running Fingers' I worked hard and completed my piece early yesterday afternoon, 36 hours after I had first read the instructions! I had time to sleep, too!

Before I go on, I would like to say THANK YOU to all those who kindly left comments on my work last week. The Picot stitch is so inspiring and it was difficult to decide what to do with it, that is why I had three pictures, the corn cob, the sandals and the bush. The versatility of the stitch was proven by all others who used the stitch in many other fantastic ways.

So what to do for week 45, the Closed Base and the Open Base Needlewoven picots being so similar? Well, I have a dear friend, Jacquie Harvey, who is an accomplished and ribbon bedecked hand quilter, have a look for yourself, here. When she saw the stitch she said: 'I suppose it could be used for baskets'. Well, of course it can! My first choice was therefore to make a basket with plants:

Before I started stitching, though,  I thought of Jacquie and her dressmaking skills. The Festive Season is coming soon. How about making an evening gown? Would that be possible with this stitch? There is only one way to find out, give it a try!

This is what I ended up with.

I made two Open Based Picots for the bodice, three each for the skirt, the basket, the leaves and the flower. Most of them are fastened to the background fabric.

Materials used: Old sheet for background, Pearl cotton 5 for the gown, Stranded floss for the pedestal, basket and flower, rayon for the leaves, metallic quilting thread for the shoulder straps and hanger's hook, old scrap of ribbon for the hanger and sash, beads for buttons and floral centre.

I thought I'd show you how I managed to weave the plant without snagging the basket. I inserted a piece of paper between the basket and the new stitch:

It made the stitching fast and hassle free.

I bet there will be many fantastic things to see so check out the comments on Sharon's blog.

Happy stitching to you all!

Work In Progress Wednesday - Corners

It's Wednesday again and for WIPW (head over to Pintangle to see), I have managed to complete decorating the corner ornaments on the bias tape quilt. This is what they looked like before:

This is how they look now:

I made this look by using metallic quilting thread, chain and zig-zag chain stitches, and small white pearls.

On the Crazy Quilt block I have only added a row of Italian Border stitches:

TAST2012 - Week 44

It's November 3rd, it's cold and it's Culture Day in Japan, a Bank Holiday. 

I started the day with a cup of coffee and settled down to do some adjustments to my blog. Colder weather, so a cooler shade to the background.

This week, we TAST members have been working on Needlewoven Picots. I was only familiar with the Open Base Picots, which are easy and fun to make. 

Sharon, though, introduced us to the Closed Base variety. This was a bit trickier as the three threads in the 'warp' are closer together and I found it a challenge to weave under the correct thread.

This stitch is excellent for making leaves and flower petals. The longer you make them, the more they twist, and make for example, perfect Sansiberia leaves. Check out Peggy Kimble's flower pots. Claudia's daffodils or a tempting decoration for the tree worked by Isabelle and her talented daughter Pauline.

Other things can also be illustrated with this stitch, like Luiz Vaz's tongue, Crazypatch's owl, Lucy Landy's elephant or Latha's sails. For stitch combinations, no one can beat what Chitra has on offer. Fancy learning how to make a flowering cactus? Look at Marjolein's tutorial. Then Margaret taught me Needlewoven Picots are part of Casalguidi embroidery, as shown in her bags. I learn so much every week!

As you can see this is a most versatile stitch. Then Debbie of Debbie's Doings wrote about the 'corn on the cob' appearance.

So that got ME working, on a cob:

I also made a pair of Japanese straw sandals:

Finally I enjoyed making a bushy mass of 'leaves', some are topped with a bead:

All in all, a most enjoyable week of learning! Thank you Sharon for the instructions, and all participants for the inspiration. I get so much joy out of TAST!