TAST: Cretan Stitch

Here’s my little sample for this week. I love the way this stitch is a very easy filling and can quickly fill a free lowing shape.

I think I am going to include it on my buttonhole flowers piece.

TAST: Inspirational!

Having done a look around at everyone’s work I can understand about some of the comments about TAST being a bit daunting. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all however I quickly reminded myself the reason we are all doing this is to have FUN!!! So on to Cretan stitch this week….

A few sites that have me looking to push my boundaries are Random Applique – amazing flower power, Quieter Moments for anything but quiet colour and a reminder that a little piece can be stunning and  TextilePlay just because I like the embellisher work!

This week is definitely going to be a little fun piece!

TAST: Detached Chain

I have to confess that detached chain is not a favourite of mine so I did I little just so I could say “been there did that!”

So here there are (above)- in two different thicknesses and a variation at the end referred to as Russian detached chain (a group of three in fact!)

However the real reason I didn’t get much done in the past week was that I was at the Embroiderers’ Guild of South Australia’s Summer School. I went along to two wonderful 2-day workshops, one of which was Suzette Rugalo’s “Lady Anne” (pattern can be see at Dollmaker’s Journey) and the other was on Indian embroidery.

And above is the start of my Indian Bag. Lots of chain stitch but no detached chain! The shisha is attached using herringbone stitch which works well with the diamond and herringbone is featured above the reverse applique (big green patch). Lots more work to do as Indian work is just absolutely covered with embroidery.  Have to say that I’ve been enjoying everyone else’s posts (little and big) and am amazed and inspired by it all.  Thinking seriously about signing up for one of Sharon’s classes and the posts about them have helped me to understand what goes on in a “virtual” class.

TAST: Buttonhole Stitch

I just love buttonhole (blanket) stitch. It is so versatile and can be used anywhere. My favourite is making buttonhole rings on long haul plane flights. The image below shows some of them – easy to do and mindless (which is important after the 7th hour in the plane..)

I use these as surrounds to shisha mirror (as per banner image) or include them in tassles or use about anything. Basically you take you favourite thread, make a cardboard ring (mine are about the size of a ten cent piece) and then buttonhole around them. Its a great conversation starter on planes!

I also like the buttonhole flowers you can make. The image below is a number of flowers stitched on a painted background. I intend to keep on building up the layers add some beads for extra sparkle.

The image looks a lot redder on my screen than it actually is. I have used a number of different textured threads and will continue to build up the layers.

TAST: Virtual Herringbone

Decided to try something a bit different. Stitched with string on canvas then painted it. Then cut the string away to leave me with a virtual herringbone stitch. Found that if you wet the string first and iron it dry it flattens and will give a better impression. Anyway – just a little experiment!

Above shows part with the string still in and the impression that was left. This was BEFORE I discovered a better way to flatten the string to leave an impression. Thinking about stitching a thinner thread over the top.

TAST: Herringbone

The first thing I did when Sharon B posted the stitch for the week was to reach for my favourite stitch book, The Stitches of Creative Embroidery by Jacqueline Enthoven, and have a wander through the Herringbone section. Here are some of my Xplorations! 

This is traditional herringbone, stitched using a slippery thread (above).

This is “skinny-bone” herringbone.

This is closed herringbone using a knobby thread. I like the effect of lace. Thread wasn’t great to stitch with but the effect is good.

This is threaded herringbone using a chunky thread interwoven on a thin herringbone base. I liked the way the “s” curve beomes the most striking feature.

This is crisscross herringbone stitched with a nice chunky thread. Covers a lot of ground quickly BUT needs tension to keep it under control (i.e. a hoop!).

Lastly a double inverted herringbone! I liked this one in the vertical orientation. Would look good in two different threads as well I think.

Looking forward to next week’s stitch Xploration.