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Day: 26 January 2018

TAST Catch Up 2 out of 5

Welcome to part 2 of my TAST catch up series, where I’m showing off the last of my samplers for TAST 2015-2017

Stitch 98: Triple Chain

For my triple chain stitch sampler I used a range of cottons and wools on quilting cotton. Triple chain is a very graphic stitch so I used it to embroider some 1960’s mod style flowers on appliquéd wool felt. Changing the angle of the stitches that stick out either side can change the look quite dramatically. My favourite is the green “bamboo” worked in variegated green floss. I also wove some little grass bits with just one repeat of triple chain.

My final assessment of triple chain stitch is that it’s great for dramatic looking borders, graphic flowers and stalks of bamboo.

Three flowers worked in triple chain stitch on quilting cotton using a variety of different threads.

Stitch 63 revisited: Triangular feather stitch

I didn’t do much with it, the first time I worked triangular feather stitch, so I decided to try it again. I chose to experiment with border treatments, layering and working circles.

For the border treatments I worked the stitch on alternating sides and tried different ways of combining two rows while also changing the lengths of the feathered part of the stitch. I quickly realised that this is one of those “chameleon” stitches that looks great no matter what you do with it.

Triangular feather stitch embroidery sampler showing borders and layering.

Stitch 97: Feather and chain stitch

At first I thought feather and chain stitch was a bit boring, just feather stitch with a loop. But I wanted to see what I could do with it that might push it a bit beyond that. I decided to work just on border treatments combining feather and chain and other basic stitches to create something that might look good on a crazy quilt (even though I don’t sew crazy quilts). My favourite ended up being the pink flower bud border on the right. I worked two rows of feather and chain facing outwards, butted up against each other. Then added pink french knots to the feathers “stalks”, and a darker pink detached chain in the diamonds formed by the zig-zag part of the feather and chain stitch. (You can click the photo for a closer look). I’m still undecided about the red row with woven chain. It’s tick season here at the moment and they look a little buggy to me…

Feather and chain stitch borders embroidered on bright blue even-weave fabric.

Stitch 37 revisited: Triangular buttonhole stitch

Triangular buttonhole is another stitch I didn’t explore much the first time I worked it, only having added beads. This time I sketched out some motifs to try, and different ways to combine rows to make border treatments. I also worked a row with the triangles on alternate sides. I really like all of these experiments but I think the row with triangles alternating on the top and bottom  is my favourite.

Motifs and border treatments worked in triangular buttonhole stitch.

Stitch 100: Drizzle stitch

Drizzle stitch is one of those “helper” stitches that really don’t work well on their own. I struggled a bit with deciding what to do with it, but then I found a scrap of Barbie doll fabric in my stash and this idea was born. Barbie just isn’t my thing, plus the top of her head was missing so I gave her a makeover.

In this sampler the drizzle stitch is worked as the foliage for the flowers in the window box, the outer layer of Barbie’s hair (her fringe is bullion stitch), the seaweed in the fish bowl, the petals of the top and bottom flowers and the centre of the middle flower. I added a bead to some of the drizzle stitches. I think it worked great for all these purposes and might use it in the future if I work something really textural.

Embroidered sampler with drizzle stitch details

Well that’s it for part two of my five part TAST catch up! Check back tomorrow for part three.

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TAST Catch Up 1 out of 5

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Whilst rummaging through my boxes full of TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) embroidery samplers, I realised I had over 20 that I hadn’t shown you yet. So this is the first in a series of five posts showing everything you haven’t seen. (BTW, TAST has started afresh for 2018 so if you’d like to join in, visit the TAST FaceBook group for details).

These are in the order I embroidered them (sort of). Or at least the order I grabbed them out of the box when I ironed them. Click the photos to make them larger if you’d like to view details up close. Here goes!

I didn’t really give raised chain v1 & raised chain v2 much of a chance when I first embroidered them so I went back and had another go. This time I tried threads from the thinnest (a fine cotton) to the thickest (worsted weight knitting wool). I stitched rings (the flower centres are filled with other stitches), leaves and clouds and even added beads to the ladder stitches with raised chain either side.

Embroidery sampler with two versions of raised chain stitch.

My conclusions after working raised chain 1 & 2  is that they make great ring shapes, look fabulous in just about any thread and are wonderful stitches for borders and “grounds” in garden scenes.

Next up was Italian border stitch, which I don’t think was an official TAST stitch for the 2015-2017 TAST challenge. Again, I tried lots of different threads. I even used it to stitch down a giant leaf sequin.

I think my favourite uses for this stitch weren’t the borders at all. I really love it for making circles and leaves.

Embroidered sampler featuring Italian border stitch on beige quilting cotton

Next are a bunch of stitches that definitely weren’t TAST stitches but after completing all 100, these were stitches I wanted to record for  future use. Frilled buttonhole stitch (from Let’s Learn Embroidery), Kiko’s flower stitch and cast on stitch.

As usual, I tried lots of different threads. I found Kiko’s flower a bit tricky when it came to getting the bullion stitch to sit nicely. It’s a very pretty stitch but one I’d use sparingly. I like the purple blue-bell looking flowers the most. Frilled buttonhole is a definite favourite though, as is cast on stitch.

Embroidery sampler featuring lots of different flowers

Next up are more “not TAST’ stitches. Shisha stitch and Gujrati stitch on a medium weight wool.

I used a few different methods for working shisha stitch. A google search will reveal many different tutorials but if you like working from books, I highly recommend “Shisha Mirror Embroidery, a Contemporary Approach” by Jean Simpson. It contains no less than 10 different ways to work shisha embroidery and has an amazing collection of motifs that include mirror work.

I used a couple of mirrors, but mostly experimental things. From left to right –
top row: sequins trapped behind a square of plastic, laminated playing card, laminated book page
middle row: a button, flattened bottle cap, mirror
bottom row: laminated playing card, mirror, old sequin.

Shisha and gujrati stitch embroidery sampler on wool.

I worked the Gujrati stitch in cotton on the left half and wool on the right. These are two of my favourite stitches that I’m definitely going to use a lot more in the future.

Next up, TAST 2015-2017 stitch number 96 was reversed buttonhole bar.

I worked single rows on on the buttonhole (or blanket stitch) foundation, all the way up to filling it completely. This is another stitch that makes really great rings, borders and grounds. I’m especially fond of my little sun and the left hand cloud, which is worked in some of my very first handspun cotton.

Garden scene embroidery sampler worked in reversed buttonhole bar stitch.

Well that’s it for the first TAST catch up post! I’ll be posting one a day for the next 4 days, then showing off a recently finished project and the first month of embroidery for “Beyond TAST” 2018 so look out for a whole week of stitchy goodness.

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