The Unbroken Thread: slideshow photograph 1
The Unbroken Thread: slideshow photograph 2
The Unbroken Thread: slideshow photograph 3
The Unbroken Thread: slideshow photograph 4
The Unbroken Thread: slideshow photograph 5

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Sunken Treasures – My First Canvaswork project!

When I was at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching show I came across this little kit for two Christmas ornaments. Knowing that my next RSN Certificate course would be canvaswork, I decided these would be a perfect first project.  They’re produced by Sunken Treasures near Hull, UK.  Some of her other kits were very pretty and worth checking out on her web site.

This little kit contains everything to make two Christmas ornaments. Two pieces of 18 count mono canvas, 5 colors of DMC floss – two shades of red, two of green and one of gold, felt, a needle and complete instructions.

DSCF3780 Sunken Treasures My First Canvaswork project!

I took everything out of the package and got ready to stitch. I don’t have a hoop small enough for the pieces of canvas so I’m working in the hand. I think it will be OK since the canvas pieces are so small; 4 x 6 inches or 10 x 15 cm. The instructions were clear about how to find the center of the canvas which must be done before the first stitch is put in. I must admit it was a little exciting and a lot of fun to be trying something new!

After looking at the instructions I was ready to begin…except I wasn’t. I had no idea of how to start the thread. A waste knot with two holding stitches like I do on a crewelwork piece wasn’t going to work on canvas. I knew that! So, out came my trusty RSN Canvaswork Essential Stitch guide and, sure enough, in the front were clear instructions on how to start and finish a thread. One does begin with a waste knot but you put the knot in about ½ – 1 inch away from where you will stitch and make sure the length of thread that runs under the canvas lies where you will be stitching your first stitches. This way the stitches you put in will hold the length of thread running under the canvas.

DSCF3781 Sunken Treasures My First Canvaswork project!

In the photo above you can see my first dark red knot right at the bottom of the canvas – it has a long tail! I start stitching in the top right corner of the square of red.  My first green waste knot is on the left of the green row of stitching and my first stitch went in on the right side of the green row of cross stitches.

The stitch diagram is on the left in the photo above and it is very clear. There is also a separate page with instruction on how to do each stitch so it is easy for a beginner to know what to do.

DSCF3784 Sunken Treasures My First Canvaswork project!

 

This is as far as I’ve gotten and I like canvas work a lot. It’s especially good for doing something small like an ornament. The canvas is firm and holds it’s shape, so making it into an ornament will be a bit easier than trying to do the same thing with linen or silk I imagine. (I’ll let you know how it goes!)

My first stitches are OK but certainly not perfect. Here’s what I see that I could improve on: the tension of each of the long stitches in red is uneven and a tiny bit of canvas is showing in a few places. In the brief for the RSN course it is very specific that no canvas should be showing. Those are my goals for this piece now – to work on the tension and no canvas showing.

Have you done canvas work? Like it? Love it? Any tips? Please let us know!

Dec 11, 2013 | Categories:A Slider, Embroidery | 6 Comments »

Gaelic Autumn quilt: square 2

Texture is going to be a big part of the Gaelic Autumn quilt. The wool fabric itself has a lovely texture. The wool thread embroidered onto the wool fabric adds a different set of textures. This will be a piece that people touch and feel with their fingers as they snuggle underneath it.

The pumpkin that I finished on the first square has the different textures of the laid work on the outside and the French knots in the middle of the lattice. The roughest area is in the middle and the texture gets smoother as your fingers move toward the outside of the circle shape. It’s fun to feel the shift in texture from one side to the other

DSCF3697 Gaelic Autumn quilt: square 2

The two acorns on square two have the texture of the French knots on the top. However, I chose to make the area look shaded which means the texture changes from one side of the acorn cap to the other. If I close my eyes and move my finger across the caps from one side to the other the change is obvious to the touch as well as to the eye.

DSCF3768 Gaelic Autumn quilt: square 2

The laid work inside the two nuts of the acorn also have different textures. On the acorn above, the orange lines stitched vertically are very easy to feel with my fingers. The horizontal orange lines on the acorn below are not only less easy to see, they are less easy to detect with my fingers.

DSCF3766 Gaelic Autumn quilt: square 2

Together they look good, the colors being in opposite places in each acorn.  I am especially happy with the shading in the caps using French knots.

DSCF3772 Gaelic Autumn quilt: square 2

Finishing this second square today I focused in on the texture and that was when I realised that this piece would and could be a textural piece. I can imagine a child sitting under it, feeling the different squares and trying to guess which square it is just from the texture. It’s something I would have do – would still do in fact!

DSCF3767 Gaelic Autumn quilt: square 2

So often our embroidery is of the “Please don’t touch” variety and it should be. Pieces embroidered with silk, of gold or even wool deserve special treatment and care. But this piece is going to be created with touching in mind. It’s a new idea for me and I’m excited to see how it works out!

Have you ever created a piece that was meant to be touched?

Dec 03, 2013 | Categories:A Slider, Embroidery, Gaelic Autumn Quilt | 11 Comments »

Whitework progress and improvement!

Usually when I talk about photos of a piece I’m working on it’s to document it for all of you and to keep a record of what I did and how. Rarely do I see an improvement in a particular stitch in one piece of work. Then again, rarely do I do one stitch on such a large part of the design as I am doing coral knot stitch on the Schwalm whitework table cloth. I must have done at least 100 coral knot stitches, maybe more. No, I’m not counting, just guesstimating!

DSCF3698 Whitework progress and improvement!

A few days ago I stopped stitching and took photos of my most recent work and when I uploaded them onto the computer I could really zoom in to see how they looked. I was quite pleased with the evenness I had achieved. It set me to wondering how much I had improved from the first stitch to where I am now – not nearly done but about half way I think.

The photo above are some of the very first stitches I embroidered. You can see that the knots are unevenly spaced, mainly too close together so they’re crowded. They look quite wobbly. I know once the chain stitch is embroidered on the outside edge of the knots, the knots will look better but they are definitely beginner stitches.

 

DSCF3701 Whitework progress and improvement!

The circle of coral knots above was stitched when I’d done quite a few – maybe I was at the half way point from the beginning to where I am now. The knots are more evenly spaced although they still aren’t all exactly the same distance apart. As a few of you suggested, I used the threads in the linen as a kind of gauge when I was spacing the stitches. That worked well and I could see that these knots were far better than the first ones.

DSCF3703 Whitework progress and improvement!

 

This photo above is of the most recent coral knots I’ve embroidered. Although the photo is a bit blurry at the bottom you can see the knots at the top really clearly. Look how much more evenly they are spaced! While they are far from perfect they’re not bad for a beginner!

I’ve learned two things thus far on the Schwalm whitework piece:

1. Patience and perseverance is what it takes to move closer to perfection

2. When doing whitework I need a LOT of light. A HUGE amount of light!

Daylight is in short supply by the time I get home from school so I turn on all the lamps, the overhead light and my daylight magnifying lamp and then I feel like I can see the white thread on the white fabric well enough to do my best work.

I’m curious; do you take photos of your work to keep a record of your progress? Do you look back at them to see how you’ve improved? I wonder if I would do it if I wasn’t writing about my work…but of course, that’s the whole point! Reflecting, recording and writing about the process increases my learning and enjoyment an untold amount. What about you?

Dec 01, 2013 | Categories:A Slider, Embroidery, Schwalm whitework | 12 Comments »

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