This week's embroidery fun!
I have finished off Rachel's Reindeer Pouch, Tash's Wol Pouch, and done a bit more on Kate's reticule.
The Wol's embroidery was all finished, it just needed making up, and the Reindeer needed a little bit of beading and making up.
These are all gifts, for dear chums who go above and beyond. I am priveleged to know them all! My embroideries generally contain at the end of them blood, sweat and tears, and lots of love. I love making them as gifts, and friendship and love goes into every stitch. These people all truly deserve one!
Rachel selflessy organisises circular swaps in the perfumedwaters community, where members of the community swap presents of food, girly stuff, perfume, Xmas ornaments tea every couple of months. I participate regularly and really like shopping and crafting for my witchee, and being spoilt in return.
Tash lives in Avebury, and hosts 20 or 30 pagan chums, known loosely as the "Avebury Clan" on all the main pagan festivals, organises the cooking and ritualising, and general festivities, and is the worlds greatest hostess. She binds a disparate group of people together into a family.
Runner up for worlds greatest hostess is Kate, who is, however, the most generous frocking buddy a girl could hope for. When I seriously overcommitted myself for Sharp and Sensibility Kate stepped in, invited us to stay two weekends in a row, fed and watered us, sorted out all my fitting problems, and pretty much completely made pengshui_master 's frock coat (I sewed one seam, fused some of the interfacing and basted the pleats.
Anyway, on with teh shinies!
The first couple of embroideries were done from free designs by Andrea Zuill from badbirdS. I love the charm of these wee designs, I did lots of them for Xmas and gift projects.
I got Tashes pouch made up and the lining done and disaster! A teeny weeny chocolate stain.
Saliva (my first choice for organic stains) improved it a bit, but didn't completely work. So I tried gin and a cotton bud. It improved it quite a bit, so I thought I'd take a bit of it over the slight line of ming that formed around the edge of the hoop. (I must make myself some hoop cosies like tailordrews uses ). Bjarne seems to use linen or cotton and just cut the centre out for the design. I'm wondering if I might make a kind of a scrunchie to go around the hoop.
Tash's pouch I embroidered a bit too near the top of the piece of fabric, for a drawstring bag, so I decided to do something clever. I used some lovely tobacco colured linen twill bought from the Silk Man as the lining fabric, and I brought it up and over and folded it at the top, then machine stitched it to the silk. First I added a bit of featherstitch in goldsilk, to embellish it, and to bring the two fabrics and textures together.. I like the contrast between the linen twill ( a remnant from Aquascutim, so lovely quality) and the silk. I also added little tassles to the ribbon drawstring to finish it off.
Here is the finished pouch. (See how much better the staining is?)
So here is Rachel's Reindeer.
In the hoop
And made up into a pouch.
And here are the two projects together
These are not photographing particularly well, none of the pics really capture the true subtlety of the colours, and the bling of the goldwork. You kind of have to see them in person!
Also I finished the top design element and the first letter for Kate's reticule.
Again, I suck at photographing the colour which is much nicer in person.
Hers a close up which I've tried to adjust. Still doesn't look right. In person the colours pop, but arn't quite so garish. At least the pc captures the sheen on the silk.
The Wol's embroidery was all finished, it just needed making up, and the Reindeer needed a little bit of beading and making up.
These are all gifts, for dear chums who go above and beyond. I am priveleged to know them all! My embroideries generally contain at the end of them blood, sweat and tears, and lots of love. I love making them as gifts, and friendship and love goes into every stitch. These people all truly deserve one!
Rachel selflessy organisises circular swaps in the perfumedwaters community, where members of the community swap presents of food, girly stuff, perfume, Xmas ornaments tea every couple of months. I participate regularly and really like shopping and crafting for my witchee, and being spoilt in return.
Tash lives in Avebury, and hosts 20 or 30 pagan chums, known loosely as the "Avebury Clan" on all the main pagan festivals, organises the cooking and ritualising, and general festivities, and is the worlds greatest hostess. She binds a disparate group of people together into a family.
Runner up for worlds greatest hostess is Kate, who is, however, the most generous frocking buddy a girl could hope for. When I seriously overcommitted myself for Sharp and Sensibility Kate stepped in, invited us to stay two weekends in a row, fed and watered us, sorted out all my fitting problems, and pretty much completely made pengshui_master 's frock coat (I sewed one seam, fused some of the interfacing and basted the pleats.
Anyway, on with teh shinies!
The first couple of embroideries were done from free designs by Andrea Zuill from badbirdS. I love the charm of these wee designs, I did lots of them for Xmas and gift projects.
I got Tashes pouch made up and the lining done and disaster! A teeny weeny chocolate stain.
Saliva (my first choice for organic stains) improved it a bit, but didn't completely work. So I tried gin and a cotton bud. It improved it quite a bit, so I thought I'd take a bit of it over the slight line of ming that formed around the edge of the hoop. (I must make myself some hoop cosies like tailordrews uses ). Bjarne seems to use linen or cotton and just cut the centre out for the design. I'm wondering if I might make a kind of a scrunchie to go around the hoop.
Tash's pouch I embroidered a bit too near the top of the piece of fabric, for a drawstring bag, so I decided to do something clever. I used some lovely tobacco colured linen twill bought from the Silk Man as the lining fabric, and I brought it up and over and folded it at the top, then machine stitched it to the silk. First I added a bit of featherstitch in goldsilk, to embellish it, and to bring the two fabrics and textures together.. I like the contrast between the linen twill ( a remnant from Aquascutim, so lovely quality) and the silk. I also added little tassles to the ribbon drawstring to finish it off.
Here is the finished pouch. (See how much better the staining is?)
So here is Rachel's Reindeer.
In the hoop
And made up into a pouch.
And here are the two projects together
These are not photographing particularly well, none of the pics really capture the true subtlety of the colours, and the bling of the goldwork. You kind of have to see them in person!
Also I finished the top design element and the first letter for Kate's reticule.
Again, I suck at photographing the colour which is much nicer in person.
Hers a close up which I've tried to adjust. Still doesn't look right. In person the colours pop, but arn't quite so garish. At least the pc captures the sheen on the silk.