I lost a younger sister and brother over the past eighteen months so on one of my slow stitch pages I wanted to reflect grief. I've taken a heart and torn it (the way a mourner's ribbon is torn rather than cut. I then placed the heart together with mesh to represent that, although it may be mended, it will not be whole again. In the bottom left I've stitched a triskelion, or triple spiral. In Celtic it can represent birth, death, and rebirth.
This year I decided that I wanted to try more hand stitching, and I wanted it to be random rather than purchasing a scene and following explicit directions. It is a big departure for me since I am a garment and home dec sewer primarily. I never think of myself as being creative in the artsy sense but I really want to explore that side.
I have followed Ann Wood Handmade for a while now and each year she invites sewers to do a 100 Day Stitch Book. The goal is to stitch for 15 minutes a day, certainly more if you are so inclined. And, she encourages you to just start without a lot of expectations of where to go, rather pursue a sort of stream of consciousness with your thread. Of course, she does encourage you to be prepared with your pages cut and your threads and fabric pieces chosen ahead.
So, I have dived in. I have a theme in mind, though I may stray. I want to have my pages reflect home and family and things that are important in my life. For my first page I decided to stitch a sort of representation of the Pemigewasset River outside our condo in Lincoln. For the river I used a handmade paper (not by me) and I softened it by kneading it with my hands oiled a bit with coconut oil. The paper has holes in it which, in my mind, represent the river rocks. I decided to add the tree, stamped in ink, and stitched just a bit.
I'm not sure I'll do a book with it. I may just have some of them hanging around my studio space so I have backed my piece and joined them with the blanket stitch. The linen in the piece is a piece of old French linen, so it is very slubby. I'm not unhappy with my first try.
I haven't used the embroidery attachment to my machine in so long, I was afraid I was getting rusty. Below are two pillow I did for Christmas. The first, St. Nicholas, embroidered on vintage French linen, was a hostess gift for a special sister who hosted Christmas this year. The back is a soft velvet with one of my favorite hidden zipper applications.
The "Jack" pillow is for a grand nephew. The embroidery combines designs from Hatched in Africa, their African Jewels collection.
I very seldom follow recommendations for thread, I use whatever I have at hand that appeals to me, though I did stick to all rayon for St. Nicholas. On children's pillows, I like to use regular cotton thread since it is likely to get washed and dried, and I think it stands up better to wear and tear.
I got away from my sewing blog during a busy time in my life and when I came back, sadly I couldn't find many of the sewing and other creative blogs I used to follow. I have noticed lately that many of them have moved over to Instagram which I understand, but it makes me sad. I find Instagram reminds me of little, fast-moving sound bites, unlike the blogs which felt like a community that you could visit with over a cup of coffee. I've decided to try to come back to blogging and find others of like mind. I need a break from the fast lane!
Another thing I have noticed is that when I want to look at one of the blogs I used to follow, I am forced to click on a redirect to get there. Anyone know if there's a solution to that. I've tried to find answers on the internet but haven't yet been successful.
Peace
I've always shied away from sewing with knits but with four grandchildren it is almost impossible to sew and not include knits at least once in a while. Brindle and Twig has some of the most wonderful patterns for children and I have found them to be so well drafted and their instructions meticulously written. Additionally they have a website with tutorials.
Below is their T Shirt dress made for my 6 and 8 year old granddaughters. This is the second time I've made this pattern. It is asymmetrical, with the back longer than the front. The pattern has looked good on them as toddlers and now as bigger girls. They've always worn it with coordinating leggings making it warm and comfortable. A real keeper.
The fabric is from Quilted Threads in Henniker, NH, which sadly closed this fall after many years due to retirement. A real treasure of a shop that is sorely missed!
