Barefoot Shepherdess

Match Made

The right fabric-- or really, any other craft supply-- can be so elusive sometimes!

In my search for the interior fabric for the ranunculus book cover, I found this one quickly enough.  It looked just right-- the pattern provided a sort of visual alliteration to the embroidery in the way the pink circles repeated the form of the ranunculus blooms.  Since I ordered it online, I knew I was taking a bit of a chance, but really, it couldn't be all that off... right?

But it was.  What I had envisioned had soft pink & mauve medium-small circles spaced comfortably apart, but what arrived was more vibrant in color with tiny circles crowded fairly close together.  Sadly, I had misjudged the fabric pattern.  The print as it was seemed too bright & busy to suit.

So it sat in the closet for the next few weeks as I searched in vain for an alternative.  Finding nothing else, I pulled it out again last week and cut it to size.   And-- what looked 'too much' before became toned down in the smaller piece.  I had folded the fabric to the approximate size before, but I guess that wasn't enough!  I'm glad I decided to try it as I think it turned out to be a really good match (see the bit peeking at the bottom)--

I suppose I should have trusted my instinct in the first place!

Here's the book cover collection so far--

Looking at them like this makes me want to pick up a book, just so I have an excuse to use one myself!  And there's another in progress too--

This one is just waiting for the right charm for the bookmark.  I really hope that won't be nearly as hard to find!

Variations on a Theme

...of Queen Anne's lace.  Since it's one of my most popular designs, I thought it would be interesting to see what else I could do with it.  So what began as a pincushion--

Also became a coin purse--

(with pretty stripes inside!)

And now a book cover too--

Like my other book covers, this one is adjustable to accommodate a range of book thicknesses.

I especially like the effect of the scalloped edge-- it compliments the Queen Anne's lace really well and adds interest and delicacy to an otherwise plain design.  Though hand stitching them required a good amount of time & patience, I think the result was well worth the effort!

So that turned out to be a fun, fruitful experiment.  But there's something new calling my name now...

Monogram :: 3

Another one, in cross stitch.  With cross stitch, I always enjoy making those neat rows of x's, but the thing I liked about this design was actually the spots left unstitched.  I think the white dots softens the look of the angular monogram and adds a nice touch of charm.  I also debated whether or not to change colors for the berry sprig, but in the end, decided to keep it all one color.  You know I like things simple + classic.

Monogram :: 2

Another monogram, this time using double blanket stitch.  It's particularly effective on letters with wider sections like this. 

Monogram Sampler

Our local public library system is a real gem.  They have an extensive collection of both old and new materials in the public area and also an archives-- which I'm starting to think is limitless-- that houses their less frequently borrowed books.  In addition, they have a system of interlibrary loans that encompasses a handful of smaller branches as well as a few other library networks in the region.  As a result, I've hardly encountered a book I've wanted that I couldn't find.

The best part for me, of course, is that they have a really solid craft book selection with new publications being added all the time.  On a recent visit, I happened upon this--

Inital & Monogram, ISBN: 9784579110346

It's a book of antique monograms, full of vintage examples as well as a handful of patterns, techniques & ideas.  Up until now, my impression of monograms was mainly just plain, satin stitch cursive letters, but this book changed that image altogether.

The book was complied by Yuki Pallis, who curates her own collection of 17-20th century European embroidery & handcraft pieces in her personal museum and runs an antique shop carrying goods from the same period.  If I ever find myself in Kyoto, I know it will be on my must-stop list!  For details, check out her website: http://www.yuki-pallis.com/index.html

In the meantime, I'll have to content myself with what she includes in the book.  Like these lovely examples above...

Or this-- I really like the use of the dots...

And that can really get elaborate, like this!

But what really caught my interest was this--

I hadn't seen this particular stitch in any book yet-- or maybe I just never noticed it before.  The author called it 'corn stitch.'  I really like the dimension it adds to the otherwise simple letter-- the resulting effect is so elegant!  My attempt at it looks like this--

I wish I had chosen a longer stretch to make the 'kernels', though neither 'y' nor 's' really offer a long, straight stretch.  But I really do like the stitch, so I'm already trying to think of designs that would incorporate this...

More letters to come!

In Progress :: Ranunculus Book Cover

Another custom request book cover in progress, this time with an arrangement of my ranunculus motif.  The embroidery has been done for a while-- it's just been waiting for the 'right' interior fabric.  But that has been full of setbacks... 

The green gingham would been a natural choice, but I've run out and so has the shop where I got it.  Then I found something that looked like it would work well, but it sold out just as I was getting ready to make the purchase.  Now I have something else on order that I think might be it.  I'll know in a few days time... fingers crossed!

Covering

Though it's been fun trying all the new embroidery techniques recently, it's nice to revisit those familiar favorites too--

This rose vine motif is one of my favorites that I designed for my original pincushions, so when I got a request for a custom book cover, I knew this would be the one that I'd like to use.  I think the resulting look is fresh & pretty-- just right for spring!

This book cover is sized to fit a standard Japanese paperback book, and as with the bookcover I made previously, it has an adjustable back flap to accommodate a range of thicknesses.  And here's my favorite part--

I added a bookmark this time, with a bee charm on the end.  This little guy has been in my stash for a long while, waiting for the perfect opportunity... and I think this was it!  In fact, the lace ribbon I used to hold the back flap was from stash too.  Now that I think about it, aside from debating on the right dimensions, the book cover came together almost on its own.  Don't you just love projects like that?

Sampling :: Goldwork

Up until this point, I've not had much more than a passing interest in goldwork.  While I found it quite striking and beautiful, it honestly wasn't my style nor did it seem like a very applicable technique.  That said, I was really looking forward to this class-- after all, when else would I have the chance to try it out?  It would be a big task just to gather all the supplies...  And even one who usually prefers simple + natural enjoys something fancy too, at times!

In two and a half hours, we went over the basics of goldwork.  To transfer the design, we used the prick & pounce method, then reinforced the pattern with yellow watercolor paint.  I couldn't get the line as thin as I wanted, so you can see it peeking out below the wings and limbs.  Then we padded the body with felt to give him some dimension before covering him with different goldwork stitches.

But how tricky it is, to handle goldwork threads!  And I thought rayon was difficult.  While the stitches themselves weren't complicated-- it was all essentially sewing down the gold thread-- making the threads stay in place was hard for me to do, especially over the mounded surface.  I wanted to practice using these threads some more, but since we mostly only get enough material to complete the assigned project, the above spool is all I've got now.

Maybe that's for the best anyway, as I think I've had my fill of it for the time being.  It's nice to try something outside my usual scope once in a while, but I think I prefer to use metallics as accents, rather than the focus.  So I wonder what I should do with this little bee...?

Sampling :: Blackwork

A really tiny sample, this time.  I didn't think this little brooch was nearly enough to get a real feel for the technique and the effects one can create with it.  A sampler of stitches would have been more informative...  But I did learn that I'd like to explore the technique some more, so perhaps I'll start with just that!

Anchor Marlitt

I also learned that I don't really like rayon embroidery thread-- it's so awfully slippery to work with!  With each stitch I made, it had a tendency to want to slip back the way it came, which often led to loose, unsightly stitches.  It didn't help that we were using evenweave fabric-- with its characteristic open weave, the thread could escape more easily.  To compensate for that, I tried to pull a little more firmly, but that just caused the fabric to pull.  It made me wonder if this was really a good choice thread for blackwork (at least for beginners)...  Or if there's a good method to working with rayon thread, I'd love to know!

Just two classes left now... It'll be goldwork, next time.

Sampling :: Silk Shading

Or otherwise known as long & short stitch.  It's a technique that I've long wanted to master, so I was excited to learn that it was the focus of our third class.  Our project was this flower--

But boy, it's slow-going!  At least for me.  Two hours of stitching, and this is all I've got to show for it.  I've used long & short stitch in the past on a small scale for my own projects, but this was the first time I've tried it on something as big as this.  And it can hardly be considered 'big.'

Part of the reason why it's taking me so long is that I'm taking care not to have the two strands of floss I'm using to twist within the stitch.  If I stitched naturally, the threads would do just that as I seem to have a habit of turning the needle about 90 degrees each time I pierce the fabric.  And the way that looks just drives me crazy.

To counter the twist, I'm conciously re-turning the needle in the opposite direction before I finish pulling the needle through the fabric.  It's rather awkward and requires me to pause with each stitch, but I'm hoping that with time, it will become a single, smooth movement, as natural as the current one.

Speaking of the thread: our instructor used the terms 'silk shading' and 'long & short stitch' interchangeably, but in truth, we were using regular #25 cotton embroidery floss.  In that sense, I feel that it's not entirely accurate to call this silk shading.  While the idea & effect is the same, I think the result would have been much different if we used silk threads!

The only silk we did use was the silk dupioni fabric.  I had a preconceived notion that it would be a difficult material on which to stitch, so was pleasantly surprised to find that it's sturdier than one would think.  And I really like the crisp puncture one gets when pulling the needle through the fabric-- almost like piercing a thin piece of paper.

After working on it here and there for a week, I finally got the flower bloom finished--

I don't know that it looks quite natural... something about it looks sort of rough.  Looking at it now from this distance, I feel like I made the color transitions too jagged.  If I had used shorter stitches, maybe the colors would have blended more softly and smoothly...?  I'm also not satisfied with the parts where the petals curl (bottom & to the left of the bottom petal) as it really doesn't look that way.  Is there a good method for making this look realistic?

The leaves are to be completed in couching stitch using silver metallic thread, but after completing one, I felt that it didn't balance well with the flower.  Someone in my class thought the same and added color using green fabric ink before stitching with the silver, which looked much nicer.  I've never tried fabric stenciling before, but perhaps it's something else I need to learn...

So lots to work on with this piece still!