no wonder i get lost

I don’t know about you, but i sometimes put on hold a certain piece–though i may love it, i’m not sure where it’s going. I suspect there are more than a few of us who do this! It surprises me quite often when i return to something months–or years!— later and have the perfect addition for it.

I started this last July, took it with me to BC and did some stitching on the plane and in a few –very few–spare moments while helping friends with their wedding day. When i got home, i put it away; it was flat, spare and saying nothing.

Working on my Sad (Self) Portrait, it came to mind that dimension was needed, so back into the workbasket it goes!

Now i’m off to the Wednesday Worldly Women stitch morning

 

mini embroidery tute, and oh my gawdz i used a hoop!

PHOTOS PINNED WITHOUT PERMISSION–see the sidebar over there–NO PIN stated TWICE—you don’t ask???Then you don’t pin! MY work, mine.

Idly watched a Martha Pullen sewing show while stitching today. The hand embroidery they demo’d didn’t work for me so i dug through my ancient needlecraft book, looking for something new and thought i’d try the raised buttonhole stitch. Sometimes looking at the drawings is confusing, and the result looks a little less than interesting! This time though, i’m rejoicing in a new dimensional stitch to add to my repertoire.

raised buttonhole instructions that i dont think are very clear!

Here are photos of the way i did the one on the left. A. Draw a shape if you’re not comfortable eyeballing it. B. Choose your direction: (i could as easily have gone with bars up and down the length) and evenly place stitches across–i also alternated each side for more interest, though i’m not sure it really makes a difference when using variegated thread this way. This was one time i found it handy to hoop, something i rarely do even on a blue moon. The tautness will give more control for evenness, tension and ease of working (and later for the needle weaving should you choose to add that too.) Frankenstitch will have its place here, but not everywhere

keep making a buttonhole stitch over each bar, going UP (or down or sideways depending on how you turn and work in your comfortable direction!)

a ridge is being created along the edge: this will happen with each row, giving some lovely texture

go back down into the fabric at the end of each row and back up and out again to begin next row

because of the curve in this shape, some rows will not be worked to end: look for the spot where bars are still visible and go from there (almost halfway down here in the blur–sorry, glasses fell off)

the completed rows, worked UP and DOWN not sideways like needle lace

I decided to do needleweaving on the other half–i think this lay would not show any division if done the same both halves and i do want some variance visible:

raised buttonhole and needle weaving done

And to give you an idea of the actual dimension, here’s the shadow cast when i move the orientation in the sun (OMFG WE HAVE SUN TODAY… ahem..)

Clear as mud? Just remember you are buttonholing up and down the bars, not going sideways as usual with this stitch. Lemme see yours now
AND IF YOU HAVE ARRIVED HERE DUE TO A “PIN”–PLEASE, leave a comment, a credit, something–it would be nice to be acknowledged for the work and sharing that went into this!!!!!

 

bumps in the road

I’ve been feeling a bit cramped lately with my stitching. While some of it has been pleasing, i felt something was lacking. I’m a big advocate/fan of textural dimension, whether it’s actually tactile or implied, and as i was stitching yesterday on my Spring “quickie” (which is not going as quickly as i thought as i keep wanting to add more!), i looked up to see “Beautiful Bones” on my livingroom wall.

Bumps! Lumps! Nodules! Spoobits and Crumps!!!! Yes!

And beside my evening stitching corner is “Baby XX80XY”. Borgles! Domes and Dimples! Yes! Even “Mitochondria: Incubation 1″ is protuberant and turgid in places, as is a piece from the early 90′s.

I’ve been flat and flattened lately–time to move forward by looking back, to go on, to stop running in place.Trip over the sticking up bits and fall in the valleys, but keep moving. What’s gone before shapes the still going and keeps the road interesting.

Personal pep rally over. I have a job interview this afternoon too.

 

studying the stitch

Raggedy Black Heart(s) is becoming more stitched than i thought it would. I’m almost using it as a sampler for different effects. Last night i buttonholed this piece, liking the brickwall appearance, and realizing it could be the walls some people put around their hearts, by choice or by circumstance.

On this black flannelette, it raises up into  ridges and valleys. I keep running my fingers over it.

 

Bee amazing

Nope, just couldn’t bring myself to use that burnt procion and walnut dyed fabric for a padfolio–instead it will be the background for one of these again:

I’ve clamp resisted that fabric in some more walnut and am adding some rust details as well. I finally figured out a way to combine the dissolvable machine work with hand stitch, and DUH what could be simpler—-layers! Gives some lovely dimension and shadow if attached the right way.

And stoopid me again—-i missed the fibre art show portion at the Alberta Printmakers seasonal sale…………..anybody want a shadowbox cheap? (Kicking self in pants and a slap on the shnorg…one must stay in touch with the organizer…..)

Oh, and i have done half of the pointillism on Sea Change–but you won’t see it until more is done, kind of building the suspense

 

more sage woman work in progress

Small steps again, hand stitched to background, nodules stitched and circles tacked:

the leaf has to be attached still, thinking of the best way, maybe invisibly to preserve the depth.

 

construction zone

Above, some of the hand stitch so far on the naturally dyed fabrics. Don’t know what this is yet, but i’m liking the contemplative nature of it.

Started working on the actual idea/design for the ArtDoll collaboration i signed up for. Mine is the travelling poet, Onoma. I have some ideas for another one, but will wait on showing that as i don’t want to influence anyone who is collaborating in this. I figure this is all 3d sampling for what i want to accomplish in other areas. (Just please, no “cute” comes home with her, i hope!) The other players will add appropriate appendages, dressing, accessories, embellishments and pages to her journal/story. I’ll be painting her with some gesso and/or textile medium before she goes off on her travels.

This was a lesson in designing and drafting patterns, adding dimension beyond the Flat Stanley method and patience in stuffing and adding a dowel to support the head!

I’ve noticed that even in the upscale (and rather trendy sometimes) area that i work in, that raggy seems to be the order of the day for fashion. I’m decidedly not a fashionista, but i do like the raw edges, embroidery, patching and unconventional shapings of each piece within the garments being displayed. I have the perfect candidate for transforming, a white rayon jacket that i haven’t worn yet, because it *is* white. I don’t wear white very much because of my “size”, looking often like a galleon on the high seas. Even in my slim days, i was careful with it! It already has white stitching down the button bands and around the cuff, so will start augmenting there.

I’m curious to know that if you comment on my blog, if you get my answer when i reply in the comments–or do you only get it if you click that irritating “send me follow-ups” box?

 

from paper study to cloth

2 of the paper studies on the left, cloth interpretation on the right

the start of the cloth

I quite enjoyed playing with Lalage and her satin stitch capabilities again, and am ready to go with the hand pushing now. The borders on the top, bottom and left side are actually the failed snow dyeing experiment cloth—who knew Procion would make an appearance with the naturally dyed and look like a twin sister?

This one also has silk, cotton and linen in it, with the avocado print, tansy from a third dyebath so it was exhausted on cotton, hibiscus from the second dip also on cotton, marigold and tansy on the silk, and pink hollyhock on the linen. The leaves will be slightly stuffed and attached along the right side to “close”.

 

lumps bumps and nodules1–view b

lumps bumps and nodules1–view b

testing—-and thinking of dimension again

 

Hand of the Father –DONE

The hardest part of this one was attaching the thread hand to the background! You’d think a beading needle would easily go through cotton flannelette and thread, but nope. Snapped two before i switched to a narrow eyed regular one. I had forgotten that some of the hand is soutache, and i guess there’s some dissolvable left along heavy concentrations of thread areas, despite repeated rinsings, because i also have a hole in my  right ring finger from pushing–eeeeeyow.

I stretched this on a 10 x 24 wooden frame, stapling the back and will cover it with a hand attached “facing” to hide raw edges and staples. I apologize for the “barreling” effect on these photos–my camera has a guilty habit of doing this–or rather i do–need to learn to CENTRE before shooting!! It truly has squared edges and corners

Hand of the Father

detail 1/hand and poetry/Hand of the Father

Bee and honeycombs/detail/ Hand of the Father

showing dimension with the bee/detail/Hand of the Father

I lightly tacked the bee to the “dome”, which had been stuffed gently to prevent sinking when stretched.

The poetry (original and MINE) on this reads:

“when she was born,

she lay like honey

on her father’s hand.

she learned

sweet stings an open wound.”

Partially a tribute/acknowledgement of the stormy relationship i had with my own father, who passed away May 9th of this year, and partially inspired by a visit to Body Worlds.

The blue lines on there in embrilting? Those are representations of the Big Dipper (Ursus Major constellation). When i was a child, my father told me a story, possibly First Nations, that if you saw the Big Dipper was right side up, it would not rain. It took many years before i realized that it didn’t ever turn upside down, and the reason it was visible was because there were no clouds–which meant no rain Every time i see the clear night sky, i think of the good times when i was a child and still loved him.

I used a lot of cotton flannelette, hand dyed, new and reclaimed worn sheet (that’s the faintly visible blue lines under the hand)  in this one—again my comfort fabric, symbolizing all the stages of our life, on top of orange polyester “silk” (thanks MaryAnne): orange was my father’s favourite colour, and is mine as well.