Artful Homemade Quilts Have A Way

[koshergrl]

I love variegated floss!

 

[freedombecki]

I do, too, but I was just using up some of the odd lots I got on eBay last month. I really got lucky a few times by getting 3 or 4 different collections where people had rolled thread onto cards, then for some reason or another moved on to something else and/or left really nice sets in an estate. One set had 5 boxes of carded DMC floss. Sure some had been used, but I'm fascinated with shading in cross stitch, so it was just what I was looking for. Unfortunately, I'm experimenting around a lot, and have found I have to have absolutely all the lights on or I'm color blind because 10 shades of blue, some of the graduations are so similar, I pick up the wrong threads, or my color guide gets misplaced. Regardless, it's a learning project, but none of it was variegated. I have the thread, but it's so different from machine embroidery variegated, which changes shades or colors every inch, whereas, the hand variegated DMC stuff looks like you have a yard to embroider before it even graduates to the next shade, so that will require months of stem stitches to even come close to learning the tricks of the hand embroidery trade. I feel like a kindergartener when it comes to handwork.

 

[freedombecki]

It's growing slowly due to limited time I have to work on anything with extra care responsibilities as in constant supervision at home.

So I'll just let the pictures do the talking, I have to go fix something elsewhere today.

 

[koshergrl]

Omg, it's beautiful.

Those variations are exactly what make it so fascinating to me.

I find it fascinating in other people's work, too...even the ancient stuff. I love looking at the differences in each piece of work! Fascinating!

 

[freedombecki]

Thanks, koshergrl. It's been a pleasure working on embroidery, and it was especially fun doing the color wheel lazy daisies with the sunflower in the center. Also, copying nature's strawflowers was fun, because I vaguely remember seeing them grown and dried by the church ladies for the church bazaar, which raised a ton of money for community outreach programs. I made 10 miniature Rag Dolls with orange hair and red and white stockings. They were 6-8" high, and I hand embroidered their faces, which I thought was hard. They sold before I got there the first day. I didn't know there would be doll fanatics showing up to collect such tiny treasures. I also hand made the wigs with bright orange and fire red hairs. There might have been a yellow-haired one, too.

Love to Ms. Sunshine as she battles her deadly anathema all by herself, wherever she is.

 

[freedombecki]

Today's goal was to complete the green, which took under an hour so I did a couple of more strawflower-like blossoms. The red one reminded me more of a Zinnia, and the orange one was just plain fun to do and watch it grow from the outside to inner parts.

 

[freedombecki]

Here's a bigger view:

Now, there are just two strawflowers left, and I'll have to think about what if anything, should be going on to complete something like a border all the way around.

Will be back tomorrow. My dry eye syndrome has my eyes burning, so it's time to rest them.

Love to all,

becki

 

[koshergrl]

How many strands are you using, becki?

 

[koshergrl]

It looks really good.

 

[freedombecki]

I use three strands unless instructions say otherwise. Since there are no instructions, 3 it is. I've been trying to take pictures between thread changes to show how the strawflowers are done the way I do them. I realize there's too much texture, and I am not yet skilled at correct tension for hand embroidery, and am trying to improve my remembrance of tightening the hoop from time to time until it's quite tense. Unfortunately, once in a while things get scrunched which not only will not improve after washing, it will probably worsen. I have plenty of experience on the machine with tension, but it's important in handwork, too, and I'm learning as I go by reading a new book on embroidery that was put out by Reader's Digest in.... not sure, maybe 2002? My copy is brand new, and somebody dumped it on Amazon for $2.01. It has almost 200 pages and is full of good tips, which I much need, considering how I lack skill with general hand embroidery since I've worked with machine embroidery for 28 years. I just got some backing to go back to it, but I'm going to take my medicine and learn what hand embroiderers encounter when they struggle through learning to make something by hand that comes out well. My butterflies--no problem. The strawflowers? No instructions? I'm revisiting my void of knowledge as threads get denser than they were on simple outlines. This one is going in the washing machine when it's done. I have to zig zag the edges, then send it to a good stern washing!

Here are 3 rounds:

Scan 1, Turkey tracks sewn outside the flower petal row printed in light blue with DMC 600

Scan 2, Outer Row of petals, DMC 601

Scan 3, Middle Row (added by me), DMC 602

They were a little weird so I had to add a couple of stitches here and there.

 

[koshergrl]

Beautiful!!!!!!

 

[koshergrl]

You start from the outside and work in! I would have done just the opposite..is there a reason for that, or is it just your preference?

 

[freedombecki]

Yes, layering. I know you can't see the sheen, but the small red with carmine center one looks just like a zinnia due to layering. The other reason was one of the first ones. It just had too much white in the center, so I started adding a layer butted right up to it. when I got to the center, I started layering to give it the same look I was seeing from all the pictures. Of course, it wasn't exact, but it was fun. The straight stitches were all I had room for, and I staggered them like you would do in Machine embroidery to achieve the satin effect.

The bright reddish one has a center of not straight, but lazy daisy stitches also.

As I said, I may regret the whole thing after washing.

Experimentation of any kind takes risks.

 

[freedombecki]

If time permits, will be adding more to this scan:

Strawflower4 scan, color 603, covering holes...

Strawflowers5, 604 scab

Strawflowers6, 605 scan

 

[freedombecki]

Finally got the design's last flower done and have started drawing little odds and ends around the edges (not visible below).

 

[koshergrl]

Finally felt well enough this weekend to pick up my crochet needle..I'm making the cutest hat for my sister, who has an uncommonly large head. Which is good because this hat is sort of large and floppy, lol. I hope it doesn't blow off!

I'll take pics when I get it done...love you guys, glad to see Sunshine.

 

[freedombecki]

Finally felt well enough this weekend to pick up my crochet needle..I'm making the cutest hat for my sister, who has an uncommonly large head. Which is good because this hat is sort of large and floppy, lol. I hope it doesn't blow off!

I'll take pics when I get it done...love you guys, glad to see Sunshine.

So glad you're back on your feet, koshergrl!

I've been winding more threads onto little cards to fill 3 more empty boxes and make use of space in sundry unfilled thread boxes I won on ebay in the past couple of months. I wound bobbins till midnight last night after working on it almost all day. This morning, did some more then took a break and bought some more grays and lilacs. Those are two color groups I don't use a lot of, but love to work with from time to time when I go on a monochromatic kick, so I like to have color family groupings ready to roll when the opportunity to exploit a color arises.

 

[freedombecki]

The lady who started this box had incomplete color lines--lights, but no darks, too many darks separated from lights, etc. I tried to preserve some of her inspiration while adding just enough color to give future works done from threads in this box some zing! I needed the best and brightest colors I could find, but only a few here and a few there, because she was obviously a person of distinctive tastes who eschewed brights. I will enjoy using the threads now, knowing that while it now has brights that people love, it also keeps a hint of the inspiration of the woman who chose the threads she did, as in pastel rainbows and deep dark reds, green golds, and subtle marine blues. Going on that alone, I see Rembrandt in her choices when added to my opposite color tastes. and if you're ever in Amsterdam, go to the Rembrandt Van Rign Museum, don't miss it. The only place in the world where there are an equal number of Rembrandt paintings is at the Heritage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. But there's something very appealing about the Rembrandt museum. It enhances his work.

The Heritage Museum in St. Petersburgh takes his paintings, and they just get swallowed up by the number of other artists' fabulous works, as though a small part of the art world. That doesn't happen in Amsterdam. It's all about Rembrand's genius there, and it shows.

Just sayin'.

Oh, yes, the threads, the dark and light of them:

 

[koshergrl]

I made the hat! It looks a lot like a giant tea cozy, or perhaps a seat cushion or table cloth...it's ENORMOUS. lolol....I'm going to have to gather it in the back with a piece of ribbon or something..when it's finished I'll post a picture.

I have no idea how my poor sister is going to keep that thing on her head. And if it blows off and hits a moving car's windshield, it will completely block the view and a wreck may ensue....

 

[freedombecki]

Swimwear elastic would help if you don't want rip out the hat, go to a smaller hook size, etc. It has 3 times the stretch of regular elastic, comes in skin color, and doesn't ever bind the skin. There's also a shear elastic product that is unwoven, stretchy, and very comfortable. It's translucent and paper-think, that's the best description I can give, except that it's about 5/8" across, whereas swimwear elastic is just under 3/16 of an inch. If you make a covering for regular elastic, it would work in a pinch, but that's a lot of work to go to, but covering for comfort is something you want to do for your sister you care about.

Swimwear elastic is more giving than lingerie elastic, but lingerie elastic comes in a plethora of colors if you find the right shop. Unfortunately, things change over time, and yesterday's wonder product finds itself in the trash when companies go under or change hands, or even when fashion changes.

Oh, well, that's life. I had foot cramps all afternoon so took a nap. I was late on my morning meds, just flat forgot to do it in order to continue my little tasks of trying to organize my embroidery stuff. A 2-hour nap cancelled the severe foot cramps, but now it's time for the night meds or else. So I didn't get to do all the things I wanted to do today, or even to read posts.

Tomorrow has got to be a better day, the Good Lord willing. *sigh*

Edit: something happened to the first part of my post. ??? Wonder why my computer is being so temperamental lately. Well, I don't know. It's bedtime for me.