Miscellaneous Projects

 

I love weaving but I'm not much of a weaver.  This project came from the book, Next Steps in Weaving by Patti Graver.  It's a pattern called Scarf of Lucky Colors.  It was the most complex pattern I've ever done and I made a lot of mistakes but the yarn was heavenly (2/18 Jaggerspun Zephyr) and I did well enough for government work.  The secret is I don't tell anyone how many mistakes are there and no one's ever mentioned them so I figure I'm good!

I love using a tahkli spindle to spin cotton but hadn't really used it for silk before.  This was an experiment using some undyed silk hankies given me by a friend. It resulted in an ultra-fine silk yarn that some day I will use for a shawl, or at least the edging of a shawl.  So decadent!

Another cover I came up with for a tablet.  This one has a pocket for peripherals on the outside and a little slip for the pen stylus inside the lid.  I'm not really sure how I came up with this pattern.  I'd used this fabric for a gift project for a friend of mine and had quite a bit left over. of each pattern.  It had just the beachy feel I wanted for the project.  

The tablet doesn't need a lot of protection but I added some padding just the same and it has worked a charm when I've needed to carry it around.

I spent about a year watching all the Fashion School videos put out my Nick Verreos on draping patterns on a mannikin and then making the garment.  He is a wonderful teacher and I learned a ton from him.  I'm a seamstress like I'm a weaver.  I've done it but it's not my forte.  He made me think about things differently and gave me a lot of skills I didn't know I needed!  This was a jacket that came of my practice of the skills from his videos.  This isn't the best photo but I can assure you that the fit was perfect and was just what I wanted for a jacket.

My point with sharing this project is to say, be curious about the world around you.  Take in lessons anywhere you can find them because you never know when they're going to inform your own particular craft. You might even find something new you never knew you'd love doing.

A quick photo of my mascot, a knitted version of Shawn the Sheep.  He's watched over me these past 18 months through some personal challenges.  He's really good at making me smile. 

And finally, a little beaded box.  It started as a little doodle but using the book, Little Bead Boxes by Julia S Pretl, helped me make it into a proper little box.  I didn't go fully along with the pattern but it was enough to keep me out trouble for an afternoon.  And that's got to count for something, right?!

Bobbin and Needlelace

 

Lace can be made with myriad techniques and variations of techniques.  It's one of the things that hooked me with bobbin lace.  You could spend the whole of your life exploring those techniques and never reach the ends.  That only expands when you begin looking at other types of lace.  I mentioned before the book, The Art of Lacemaking by Ann Collier.  That book has allowed me to try techniques I never would have even known about and this is one of those projects - my first foray into needlelace.  

Crochet is also a type of lacemaking and this is my multi-year project - a garden in crochet.  When I was living in my house, I loved working in the garden.  One day, in one of my vintage needlework magazines, I found the pattern that became the center panel of this project. It was a pattern for a tea tray but, since the thread I used was larger than the pattern called for, it was too large for a tea tray.  I got the idea of making a garden to cover my bed.  I found a variety of filet crochet patterns in an online copy of French crochet books from the 1920s, when there was a passion for filet crochet.  In my garden, I have flowers and walkways and, of course, birds and bees!  It took about 8 years to finish the crochet but I felt it needed a structure to hold it - a quilt.  Now, I'm not remotely a quilter but I've dabbled in small things like the tea cosies I'd been making.  How hard could it be?!! 

I decided I needed some way to finish off the edges of crochet so, of course, I turned to bobbin lace.  I'd been working on this edging from my practice of projects from Ulrike Voelcker's Discover Explore Master Torchon book.  With the samples (which I'll add in another post), I worked them for as long as I was enjoying them.  I really loved this pattern so I'd already worked about 60 inches.  I ended up needing about 220 inches but at least I was part of the way there.  Soooooooo,,,,on I went.  Fortunately the pattern worked up relatively quickly and before too long, I had enough to go around.  But it needed one more thing.  I found some tear drop beads with a hint of pink that matched the backing and border fabric.  With those at the tip of each peak of the lace, it was all tied together and finished.

Another project from Ann Collier's book.  Needlelace motif made with silk threads.  This took FOREVER! I made a lot of mistakes and, then, learned a lot with with project that doesn't yet have a place to live.  For now, it's displayed in my studio just waiting for the right project for display.

Ever since I first learned to work bobbin lace, I've wanted to make a fan.  It took me a long time before I felt I had the skills to work it properly.  I found this kit (pattern and fan sticks) in Holly VanSciver's online store. It's about 8 inches across and was very challenging to work but totally worth the effort.  Here it's sitting on a table covered by a doily made by my Grannie many, many years ago.  I like that juxtaposition. She would have been so interested in the lacework.

And finally, another long-term project I finished this year.  This project actually started when I found this antique frame in a little antique shop outside of Decatur, IL.  I loved the shape and the convex glass.  I had been wanting to do a pictorial bobbin lace piece so I decided to design it to fit this frame. I've been working on it from time to time over the past 5-6 years, partly because I didn't have all the skills I needed to complete the piece.  I would work a bit and then stop and practice certain techniques for the next section.  The design was meant to reflect life on the prairie.  It's another example of not being perfect but being perfect for documenting the growth of my skills in the technique.  But it was putting it on the backing of this heathered green felt and into the frame that made it come alive.

While these are not by any means all the projects I've worked on or completed over the past few years, they're representative enough of the projects that meant something to me and that I enjoyed completing.

HIghlights

The last few years have been challenging for sure and that has resulted in no posts to the blog.  Although it's been a challenging time, it's also been productive in a textile sense.  Posting to Instagram has been my shortcut to sharing projects which has been helpful with the other things going on in life but it doesn't allow me to provide as much context as blog posts do.  I'm now feeling a desire to return to posting so I thought the most fitting return would be a sort of highlight reel of the last few years.  

So I'll do a short series of projects in the posts following:

Tambour projects: Tambour beading and embroidery has been one of the joys of my creative life and the purse has been the most magical palette. 

Embroidery: Who knew there were so many techniques in embroidery?  I had no idea until I started delving into it.  I've been trying as many of them as I could find instructions for.  My favorites?  Hard to say really. 

Bobbin and needlelace: Yet another world of creativity, with so many rabbit holes to disappear down.

Miscellaneous projects: As a confirmed dabbler, there's always something new to try.

Embroidery Projects

While I've done embroidery in the past, in fact it's the first craft I ever did. I can remember as a 9-year old stitching butterflies all over a denim shirt.  There was also the Christmas that I decided to make both of my Grandmothers a calendar tea towel.  In the spirit of start as you mean to go on, I had my little epiphany in late October and had to design and stitch the picture at the top of each of them and I made the fateful decision to stitch every single month name and date on the whole thing.  All 12+365 little characters.... I was stitching way into Christmas Eve but got them both done and both were loved and used and treasured.  As you can see, nothing has changed for me.  I'm still deciding at the last minute that I can make elaborate thing at the last minute or adding on elaborate detail upon elaborate detail!  It's just always been in me and there's no point in trying to change now!!!

This first project embodies this concept.  This was just a basic butterfly in a frame.  But then I decided that I needed beads and details on the frame and just kept going.  I would show you a better picture of this project but there's a bit of a mystery.  When I moved, it got packed.  I even saw it during the unpacking when I arrived but somehow, it has disappeared.  It's still in a box somewhere and I will find it again someday.  

The second project here was born out of my love for the city of Glasgow.  The coat of arms of the city, as described here, is framed around a little poem.

There's the tree that never grew,
There's the bird that never flew,
There's the fish that never swam,
There's the bell that never rang.

The image has been adapted into light pole headers, which is where I took the pattern for this project from.  Using a variety of embroidery techniques, including stem stitch, satin stitch, silk shading, needlelace and couching, I tried to replicate the design.  It's not great, it was done in the early days of my return to embroidery but it makes me happy because it reminds me of Glasgow, my favorite city in the world.

As I was first practicing various embroidery techniques, the challenge was, do I just keep them as samples or make them into something useful.  I happened to come across a pattern for a quilted tea cosy and these samples worked perfectly to spruce up the tea cosies and they made great gifts for some special friends.

The blue version was made for a friend of mine who is blind.  I wanted something really textural that she could enjoy.  Mission accomplished.  The fall-themed one didn't start out to be anything other than my attempt at a stumpwork project I found on YouTube. 

The channel of Malina GM is amazing and is my #1 recommendation for anyone who wants to learn to embroider or who wants to experiment with various techniques.  She has an amazing selection of instructional videos.  Here's the video for the stumpwork pumpkin.  Quite a few of my projects come from her channel so I'll link them as I go along.  Stumpwork, by the way, is an embroidery technique that gives a very textured, 3D effect to embroidery.  It's definitely something to explore if you've never seen it.  Have a quick look here and here for some ideas of how it can be used.

I found this little embroidered pincushion that you wear around your neck in an issue of Godey's Lady's Work from around the 1860's, I believe.  I loved the pattern and the uniqueness of being able to wear it around the neck so I just had to do it. It was a really sweet pattern and it hangs in pride of place in my living room.  I haven't used it yet for sewing but I will do someday. 

Blackwork is one of the oldest forms of embroidery, said to have been taught to her ladies in waiting by Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII, which introduced it into England from her native Spain.  I've always loved the graphic look of it but had never really done any.  I had an instructional book in my library found during some of my travels just waiting for the day when I could experiment with it.  I definitely want to do more of it but this was my plunge into the pool.  The design was from that book, Beginner's Guide to Blackwork by Lesley Wilkins.  It's the perfect book to get started from.

I love a good monogram.  When I first moved back, I had a temp job that was only occasionally busy.  I spent down time doodling out some designs for monograms and these are a few of the samples.  I loved the way the L came out so decided to make it into a sweet little pincushion as a present for a friend.  It just goes to show that you can practice these things and make use of the ones that work!

This project came from another of Malina GM's YouTube channel.  It was great practice for a number of stitches and so worth a try.  The only thing I regret is that I did it on a practice piece of material that isn't easily used for a project.  But still, it was a fun project and definitely big bang for the buck.  The video is here.

For me, pincushions are like purses.  They make a great palette for  embroidery projects.  One book I've used for numerous projects, including this pincushion and the Kindle cover following is Diana Lampe's Embroidery for all Seasons.  This is the Kardinal Rose Garden pattern.  I knew I wanted to use it for a pincushion but it wasn't until I finished it that the design suggested the shape.  It just naturally wanted to be this 6-sided shape.  I covered the seams with a beaded border and added the little tassels at each corner.  I never could have planned the shape and finishing before I started so I just went with it as I progressed.  It is so charming, don't you think?

When I got my Kindle Paperwhite, I decided, instead of buying a case, to make my own.  Using, patterns from the book mentioned above (and the flower basket from Malina GM's channel), I made this cover.  For the back, I took the Wisteria pattern from the Spring Garden and added a matching tatted bottom border and a piece of bobbin lace for the top.  I thought the clear drop beads looked like a spring shower to finish it off.  I added pieces of cut plastic between the case and the lining just to add a bit of added protection for the device.  The flower basket ended up not being very well centered on the flap but I had some restrictions with the size of the embroidery fabric.  A little bobbin lace edging for the flap just set it off.  I love being able to incorporate my bobbin lace into other projects and this was a great example.

  

I have a friend who plays the harp.  I'm always on the lookout for harp-related things to stitch for her and for a long time, I've wanted to embroider a harp to match hers.  I finally found a picture that would work and felt my skills were up to completing it with long and short stitch pattern.  It's only about 3 inches tall but it came out just like I'd hoped and she loved it!

This was another experiment to try a new style of embroidery.  If you want a book that will help you explore a wide variety of lacemaking techniques, my go-to book is Ann Collier's book, The Art of Lacemaking.  I've done 5-6 projects from this book, including this one using Richelieu or Italian Cutwork.  I found this process so interesting and really so much easier than it looks.  If you've never tried it, I encourage you to get hold of this book and give it a go.  I used a batik fabric for the backing because it reminded me of a tropical night sky with the bird sitting in the tree. It's now a tea cosy used often in my kitchen.  I have another Richelieu project from a 1956 magazine on standby.  Can't wait to get it started.

One of the most thrilling new skills I've gained the past year is goldwork embroidery.  I didn't know anything about it until I took the London Embroidery School class.  From there I just couldn't stop!  This charming beetle was my favorite project using goldwork and stumpwork techniques.  It's not for the beginner but having taken the LES class, I felt able to handle it.  

When I finished the beetle and decided to frame it, I decided to add a stitched border instead of using a cardboard matting.  I started with the corner motifs using the leftover blue leather and gold pearl purl.  Then I beaded panels using seed beads that matched the colors of the beetle.  It took several tries to get the pattern right.  Once I had these elements, I mounted them on gold fabric that I could stitch to the backing material.  I absolutely love how it came out, although I could never get a picture that really shows it off well enough.  

This was a fun little project to make a needle case.  I embroidered the outside and then used sheets of cut felt for the pages.  I really need to go back and mark the pages as to the type of needle held there but I haven't done it yet.

My mother loves birds.  She's a wonderful artist and draws and paints all kinds of birds in various media.  I wanted to try my hand at embroidering a little hummer using black silk organza for the stumpwork wings.  I just used a photo online for the pattern and then worked it out myself.  It's only about 2 inches long but it makes a lovely pin for her to wear.  It's another thing I need to work more on and try with different birds or other animals.

So that's a little wind up of the embroidery journey I've been on the past 18 months and so much more ahead!

Tambour Projects

As I was first learning how to tambour with beads, I started several test patterns - doodles, really.  Some of them were just that doodles but some of them became things.  This is one of those projects.  I initially laid the large glass pearls.  Then I started thinking of sand swirling around the pearls so I started swirling the seed beads around.  I really liked the look of it so I decided to use the sample as a project and marked out the outside border and marked another piece of silk organza for the back and worked it in a circular pattern.  The handle was just a beaded tube.  It needed to be sturdy enough to handle the weight of the body of the purse and this worked a treat.  

About 2017, I took a trip to the Cleveland, OH, area.  It was only a long weekend but I specifically wanted to get away to work on designing some projects.  A visit to the art museum there was hugely inspiring.  By the end of the trip, I had 2 purse designs I was happy with.  One, an art deco-inspired design, is still waiting to come to life but this one, art nouveau-inspired came together just like I'd envisioned it.  The back is black velvet and it has a pretty turquoise-colored lining.  The part that took the longest, oddly, is the beaded fringe! It was completely hand-beaded by a beader that had no idea how long it would take.  But it was the only way to get the gradation I needed to look right with the curves of the design.  So worth the time and effort, I have to say (although I haven't jumped into doing another one since!!). 

See what I mean about purses being the perfect palette?  Here's another one that came together bit by bit.  This one has a bit of tambour on the top section but I was also able to incorporate some bobbin lace that I was working for another project.  The bottom section is laid embroidery thread held by little fresh-water pearls.  The tone on tone was so interesting.  This final project is actually my second effort.  The original effort worked fine for most of it but I had cut the bottom to have scallops but they didn't really work in practice.  So I redid the whole thing and used the lace to create the scallops.  Much better!

My BIG tambour project was a purse that I envisioned to have 8 narrow sides, each with a different pattern.  I put together 4 different patterns with the thought that I would repeat them in order.  Straight line, curly line, straight, curly, etc.  The initial inspiration for this project was some Victorian/Edwardian-era beads that I recovered from a disintegrating mourning vest.  I've had them for a couple of years but never found the right project for them.  Until now.  This was truly a process of discovery as I developed the pattern and it became my favorite thing I've ever made.  Ever.  Nothing compares to this little purse.  

This was a classic example of designing it then tweaking the design as I went, then filling in the missing pieces as I went along.  How to do the lining, how to finish the top and bottom edge (I ended up making some black bobbin lace edging for this purpose).  When I finished, it still didn't look quite finished.  I needed some sort of fringe at the bottom and it needed a way to hold the handle at the top.  I didn't really want to go full fringe at the bottom (reference the trauma of full fringe mentioned above :-)) but this toned down version worked very well and fitted the look. For the handle, I beaded 8 straps, one for each section of the purse, a did it that way.  I could have done a better job with them but it worked so I was basically happy. The purse became a gift for my lovely niece, which made me happy.  Every maker will tell you, there's no better feeling that something you've made going to someone who will appreciate and treasure it.

And finally, a project that didn't quite come off, despite all the effort.  I think I know where it fell down and I'll go into that later.  This project had its roots in the purchase of about 20 times more drop beads than I needed for my garden quilt project.  I ended up with all of these clear glass beads with a touch of color at the end.  What to do?  What to do?  The beads reminded me of droplets of water on a flower bud so I started thinking along those lines.  Tulips are my favorite flower so why not make a tulip purse?  

I designed the petals, made sure the inside and outside petals would fit together then started stitching.  I loved how they looked on the frame and how the beads were working.  I knew the purse was going to be heavy with all the drop beads I was using and, I have to say, I wasn't wrong!

Once I had all the petals done, I had to figure out how to get them all put together with the internal support that would help them keep their shape under the weight of the beads.  It took a while but with some medium-weight interfacing, I was finally happy(ish) with the shape.  It was at this point that I realized the circumference of the purse was larger than I'd expected, which makes it just a bit more chunky than I'm happy with.  If I were to make it again, and I suspect I will, I will cut down the width of the petals by about 30% and I will make the darts that shape the petals just a wee bit wider to give a little better shape.  I think those 2 things will make it work much better.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted a ruched lining and I was super happy with how it came out.  I was reading a book at the time called "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolff (an excellent book that I highly recommend), so I used her instructions for it with great results.

The other part I had to figure out is the stem.  I'll be honest, I didn't completely finish the bottom.  The plan was to have the green beads at the bottom and the fringe as the stem, which all worked, but I was also going to do a beaded section that came up onto the petals, like flowers usually have.  I just didn't have the heart to do that final piece when I knew I wasn't happy with the piece.  Next time...

So there are other tambour projects in process that I'll show in their own posts but these are the big projects from the break time that I wanted to share.

I will also mention that I did a tambour class from the London School of Embroidery that I highly recommend. I knew how to tambour but was completely self taught and there were several things I'd never tried before.  I love the format of their classes.  You can purchase kits and then you have perpetual access to the teaching videos.  I could do them at my own pace and rewatch the videos as often as I needed to so them became a great resource.  I also did their goldwork pear, monogramming, whitework embroidery and silk shading classes.  Highly recommend.