PLOS Compendium

Happy New Year! 2008 will no doubt be an exciting year, especially where we live, as after all it is "Olympic Year"! We have started the year with a brilliant blue sky today, but it is absolutely freezing with a frigid wind whipping down from Siberia!

After I finished my PLOS samplers last week they were looking a little forlorn (in a plastic bag in my fabric cupboard) so I decided I needed to DO something with them. So, after a few days of studiousness, this is the result!

I "framed" and backed each sampler with Chinese dupioni silk in different colors to match the samplers. I happened to have a stash of about 16 different silks in the cupboard from my October visit to the Beijing fabric market and miraculously, 10 of them matched the samplers perfectly - I couldn't have done better if I'd taken the samplers to the market! I also printed the embroidery key for each sampler onto printable fabric (had to be pretty microscopic because I only had 2 sheets of this fabric left and 10 samplers....), and then fused them onto the back. I embroidered around each key with a stitch used on the sampler.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the back of one of them and I'm darned if I am going to go back outside now because the windchill today is about minus 15 deg C! So please imagine the backs..... I used fusible fleece inside each sampler and a layer of interfacing as well so they would have "body". Finally, I hand quilted around the inside of the frames with matching thread. The result is a set of 10 uniform and rather elegant looking (if I say so myself!), and VERY tactile (see me try to keep my daughters' hands off them) fabric samplers/mini quilts/whatever you would like to call them.

For the folio/compendium I used royal blue dupioni silk on the outside, lined with espresso colored silk on the inside (the Chinese lady in the market who sold it to me was adamant it was espresso colored, NOT coffee colored, and who am I to argue, although I doubt she has ever drunk anything other than green tea!). I made each piece of the folio separately (also with fusible fleece and interfacing inside) and then stitched all the pieces together with palestrina stitch in Silken Pearl. I learnt that technique when doing the Embroidered Village Bag - palestrina stitch is really useful for stitching two pieces together. It makes a nice sharp edge so the result is a very square bag.

I embroidered a pattern on the outside in Silken Pearl, Colour Streams Ophir and beads. The pattern for this was my interpretation of a lovely PLOS sampler (from the 2006 class) I saw on flickr - the original design is by Conni . You can see her design here.

The flap closes with a brass button (also from the Beijing fabric market.) Note the similarity between the button design and the branch with the berries on the embroidery design. Cool, huh?!

I printed the class details and embroidered that onto the inside flap using cretan stitch in Silken Pearl.

So that's it, my "keepsake" from PLOS. I certainly learned a lot from the class and I am now going to really enjoy having this little compendium to hold all my samplers in. I like the way the silk frames around the samplers pull them all together as a set, even though they were stitched on a range of different fabrics - linen, aida, silk, batik and hand dye. I also like the tactile feel of them with the silk frames and the batting inside.

Now, I need to move on to some applique for a while as I have a goal of completing a couple of silk miniature BAQ blocks before the Applique Academy in February. And then, of course there is also the Take it Further Challenge to get started on!

PLOS Week 6 sampler 1 - finished!

It's Boxing Day - another cold surly day in Beijing (wish it would snow to brighten things up) - and I have finished my tenth and last sampler from the PLOS class. I already put the embroidery key on my previous post, and the work I have done on this since is basically a continuation of the same stitches. But anyway, here is the key again:

Buttonhole wheel, palestrina stitch, basque knot, bullion knot, woven petals, cast on stitch, drizzle stitch, buttonholed cretan stitch, buttonhole cups, colonial knot, french knot, spider web wheel, and buttonhole bar.

The sampler is stitched on 5.5" x 7", 25 count linen. The two hand prints are from my two girls' hands, real size.

Now that all my samplers from PLOS are finished, I am trying to work out what to do with them. My current idea is to make a fabric sampler book out of them.......let's see how that idea develops!

PLOS Week 6 sampler 1 - work in progress

Well, it's the final week of PLOS! Gosh, time has gone fast. I haven't had much time to stitch this week because of work commitments, so I thought I would post a "work in progress", so that at least everyone can see that there actually has been some progress!

This week is about texture, and I was quite inspired by one of Sharon's postcards shown in the class notes of a footprint defined by texture (as if it were walking on a beach). I decided to try something similar with my girls' hand prints (but I skipped the beach part of the concept)......so here it is so far. I am not convinced that this is going to be all that successful in a design sense, but nevermind, that is the beauty of samplers (i.e. they don't have to be heirloom works of art!). Even if it doesn't turn out to be a work of art, it has already been useful in teaching me the following stitches:

Buttonhole wheel, palestrina stitch, basque knot, bullion knot, woven petals, cast on stitch, drizzle stitch, buttonholed cretan stitch, buttonhole cups, and.....well, that's about all I think so far. There is also a roman blind ring that I found in my sewing basket which I covered in Pearl 5 thread (the blue one), which gave me further ideas on how to add texture. I will keep going with this for a while and see how it does, although I am not sure if I will have the time over the next couple of weeks to complete the whole thing. Let's see!

I thought I would also weigh in on the slow cloth debate while I am at it:

Sharon B, the teacher of this class seems to have started a raging discussion on the textile blogs about slow cloth.

I want to put in my 2c on this discussion from the point of view of a young(ish) middle-aged(ish) person (well, late 30s – not young, not yet middle-aged), who loves hand work. I have just started embroidery but I have been working for several years on building up my skills in appliqué, especially intricate Baltimore Album appliqué. The idea of slow cloth speaks to me in the following ways:

Tradition – My family (on both sides) has a tradition of sewing – embroidery, knitting, and beautiful dressmaking. My mother is an accomplished seamstress who makes beautiful hand smocked dresses and lovely hand knitted sweaters for my young girls and whose “piece de resistance” was my extraordinary silk wedding gown. On my father’s side of the family my grandmother was a knitter and her sister an embroiderer. Therefore, for me, handwork is about my connectedness with the women who have come before me. But it is not about replicating or even preserving the tradition of what they have done before me, it is about building a new tradition that reflects my own varied life. I have lived outside my home country for 14 years, experiencing many different countries and cultures, including ones that are polar opposite from my own. So slow cloth for me is about developing a style of handwork through which I can show my experiences and who I have become as a result of those experiences.

Craftsmanship – I almost exclusively do hand work because I am much more skilled with my hands than I am with my sewing machine. I think that slow cloth is about developing the best skills I can and for me, this can only be achieved through hand work. For others it is probably quite different – their most beautiful work uses machines of various types and their products are absolutely glorious. I therefore don’t think that slow cloth is about the tools that are used, rather about choosing the right tools to help each individual strive for excellence in craftsmanship.

Identity – I am an engineer in a developing country and I spend most of my time working on wastewater treatment plants and landfills in areas of poverty where the people suffer from all manner of environmental problems. The places I work can be ugly and dirty – mine is not a feminine job. While this is who I am, this does not define me completely. I do have a love for women’s crafts and I very selfishly guard the time I have to work on them because I think it is important to work on my beautiful, creative, skillful slow cloths so that in the end, my girls will know who I really am. I want them to understand all sides of me, not only the most visible side of me: the engineer working in a dirty world. At my age now I want to make a few – just a few is enough – truly beautiful, creative things so that my girls will be able to understand me later when they reflect on who I am.

Art vs. craft – I am almost completely self-trained and much of my stitching is done in physical isolation from associations and groups because of where I live, so I am blissfully unaware of the storms that rage around the controversy of art vs. craft. Personally, I don’t mind whether what I do is defined as art or craft, but I do feel that my own level of innovation and originality is not yet sufficient in my work to call myself an artist. For me, that is something to strive for, but which I guess I may never achieve because of the limited time I have to pursue my hand work.

Originality – In my own experience, there are times in my hand work for complete originality, and also times when following patterns are more appropriate. I mainly use patterns, books and classes when I want to learn new craftsmanship skills. These allow me to build up my skills – and my confidence in those new skills – to a level sufficient to then move to original work. I do not follow patterns for quick “15 minute” outcomes, I follow patterns to learn new skills in a structured environment. After I have those skills and confidence, I then try to strike out on my own to develop my own traditions.

Regarding the mass-produced “quick” 15 minute wonder craft market – frankly I don’t mind if people do these – as long as they don’t equate them with what I am doing or label them the same way. I think there is a place for both in this world and I never feel that other’s work, whatever it is, disturbs mine. I am unlikely to ever enter an item I have made into a competition or show, and I only make these things for myself and for my girls, so it does not concern me if they do not fall into any particular genre.

What concerns me more is that textiles art/craft in general seems to be slipping away in many countries due to a lack of basic sewing skills. Even in China, apart from the real indigenous traditions, which still survive in many places, the general population is losing the ability to knit and sew. Sewing is seen as a trade (for tailors) not as a leisure activity for everyone. More and more local Chinese (in the cities) can afford to pay others to tailor their clothes. Local people also tell me that the number of yarn shops is dropping dramatically in Beijing as fewer and fewer young people bother with what they see as a utilitarian activity rather than an art form. On the other hand, cross stitch, an inherently western tradition, is taking root rapidly in China....so maybe it is more a globalization of arts and crafts that is occurring, rather than a diminishing of it.

I am very happy to have found a community of extraordinarily gifted appliquers and embroiderers that I can converse with online and through (infrequent) face to face gatherings. The internet has opened up the textile world for me, and the most extraordinary thing is the fact that I can live in one country and yet I can benefit from the amazing skills of the world’s best, no matter where they are. The result of this connectedness for me is a rapid increase in my level of craftsmanship and a stronger sense of community for what is for me, a lonely pursuit where I live. Both those things support my ability to achieve what I am striving for in slow cloth.

PLOS Week 5 second sampler finished

Here is my second sampler for PLOS week 5 - I call it "December in Beijing". I was coming home from the office the other night thinking about what kind of sampler I could design to use as a test for stitches as "organic shapes" and then I saw the sampler in my view out of the car window - the grey bareness of the winter trees after the leaves are all gone, the dustiness of the cold, dry land, the brittle remains of the summer grass and the leaden sky just waiting for snow....and with that as a backdrop, the bright red of poinsettias and Christmas decorations that the Chinese are now so fond of.


So here is my "organic shapes" sampler. The fabric is a piece of Mickey Lawlor Skydyes which unfortunately does not show up very well in the scan - it is much more perfectly grey and textured in real life! There is a streak of blue across the snow cloud covered sky - a suggestion of a sunny day coming. This fabric is also a fairly close weave (like last week's batik), but definitely easier to sew on than the batik. I worked the trees, grass etc in very grey monochromatic tones to highlight the dullness of the winter landscape. The poinsettias are sewn in shiny silk thread in a bright red color to act as a strong contrast. The sampler is 5.5 x7".

Here's the embroidery key:


1: Path is outlined in backstitch, then paving stones are made using 3 rows of stacked cretan stitch aligned so the spaces between the stitches form the paving stones. Sewn in Silken Pearl.
2. Trees in closely worked rows of Outline Stitch, in various threads including DMC Tapestry Cotton, DMC Pearl 8, 1 strand Silk 'n Colors etc. Each branch at the top is one thread from the trunk.
3. Pine trees in Knotted Cretan Stitch, the largest one in DMC Tapestry Cotton, the other two in DMC Pearl 8.
4. Grass in Blanket Stitch in single strand DMC floss
5. Clump of grass in rows of uneven feather stitch worked on top of each other in various threads. Some straight stitches near the bottom.
6. Another clump of grass in Slipped Cable Chain in DMC Pearl 8 (some rows also have an extra slip stitch in DMC floss), interworked with rows of wheatear stitch in Silken Pearl. Some straight stitches near the bottom.
7. Grass in Cretan Stitch in single strand DMC floss
8. Third clump of grass in random fly stitch in various threads.
9. Large poinsettia flowers are woven straight stitches on top of a bead (to make the dimension). Leaves in fly stitch or Berry Stitch. Poinsettias are in single strand Silk 'n Colors, leaves in Silken Pearl.
10. Random fly stitches in the sky in single strand DMC floss to add texture.
11. Small poinsettia in Berry Stitch in Silken Pearl.

I had lots of fun with this sampler! I got some ideas for the various grasses and trees (especially the knotted cretan stitch pine trees) from the TAST group flickr photos. That is such an amazing treasure trove of ideas!

I was particularly pleased with how the path turned out - stacked cretan stitch works really easily into a path type pattern.

Of course I have to add that the day after I started this (Sunday), it snowed! Good grief, the grey landscape outside our house turned into a brilliant white! Well, that will have to be the subject of a future sampler.............

PLOS Week 5 sampler 1 finished

Time is certainly flying in this course - it's week 5 (of 6) already! This week's lesson is about shape and direction......so my first sampler is an attempt to use various stitches to define shapes. I tried some conventional shapes (hearts, stars, circles etc) and then tried a rather unconventional one - the Chinese character "ai" meaning love. The sampler is stitched on Chinese linen (about 30 count) and is 5.5 x 7" (as usual!).

Here's the embroidery key:


1: Chinese character for love embroidered in closely worked herringbone stitch with backstitch around the outside in Colour Streams Ophir Silk
2: Two rows Antwerp edging in DMC Pearl 8
3: One row Beaded Single Knotted Buttonhole in 2 strands Gumnut Stars silk floss
4: Two rows running stitch in Silken Pearl laced with Caron Rachelette
5: Colonial knots in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors
6: Outside ring is Crested Chain Stitch in DMC Pearl 8, inside ring is chain stitch in Silken Pearl
7: Asymmetrical Cretan Stitch in Silken Pearl
8: Outside of star is Coral Stitch in Colour Streams Ephir (is that the correct name? It is the thick silk thread from CS), center is circular bead attached with woven stitches in Silken Pearl. The idea of this was not to see the bead, it was to use the bead to raise the stitches from the fabric.
9: Pistil stitch in Pearl 12
10: Blanket stitch in Silken Pearl
11: Outline is Palestrina Stitch in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, inside is Four Legged Knot Stitch, also in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors.
12: Diminishing Pekinese with backstitch in Silk 'n Colors, lacing in DMC Pearl 8
13: Spanish Feather Stitch in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors
14: Quill stitch in 2 strands Gumnut Stars silk floss (it is hard to make Quill Stitch go around a sharp corner!)
15: Asymmetrical Cretan Stitch in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors
16: Coolie Feather Stitch (don't like that name either!) in Danish Flower Thread.

OK, well that is all for this sampler. Now I am going to play around with something more free-form to see if I can stitch some good trees! It's a surly afternoon here in Beijing with some weather forecasts predicting snow and others just predicting continued surliness! Let's see, snow would be nice, it's been so cold lately..............

PLOS Week 4 second sampler finished (I think!)

Here's my second sampler for week 4 of PLOS. This is (supposed to be!) a study in density. It's the very first free form embroidery that I have attempted, so while I think I need lots more practice, especially on composition, I am pleased with the result of this attempt. It was really hard to scan this to get the colors even close to true. This is the best I could do, I hope the contrast is sufficient.

For obvious reasons I can't give a detailed embroidery key, but here's some ideas of what I used/did:

The piece is supposed to show a grading of density both in stitch density, thread weight and color. Not sure that I quite nailed all 3 of these, but anyway..... The densest part is the bottom right and density decreases as you move upwards (I hope that is obvious!).

The background fabric is a commercial batik which looks great but is a real pain to sew on! The tight weave made basically every stitch difficult, and now I have a few sore fingers!

I "fussy cut" the batik to have a darker section on the bottom and lighter up top. I chose my threads based on the colors in the batik and divided them into 3 groups - dark, medium and light. For the dark section at the bottom, I used thicker threads and chunkier stitches. Most of this is in DMC Tapestry Cotton, DMC Pearl 8 and 2 strands of Silk 'n Colors. I also used quite a lot of dark 4mm Silken Ribbon to make colonial knots (to fill) and black and gold beads. I added some rouched ribbon for added texture.

For the middle section (the somewhat lighter bit in the center) I used my medium threads which were generally thinner and a shade lighter in color. These were primarily DMC Pearl 8, 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, DMC stranded rayon, Silken Pearl, and lighter color 4mm Silken Ribbon.

For the top section I used the lightest threads and only thin threads - 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, 2 strands Gumnuts Star Floss, Silken Pearl, Kreinik 1/16" Metallic ribbon and 4mm Silken Ribbon.

For stitches, I went back through all 4 previous lessons and tried to use as many stitches as I could manage, at least once, as a "review" of the lessons. The stitches I used most were herringbone, chain stitch and its variations, buttonhole and its variations, couching, feather stitch, fly stitch, colonial knots and beading. There's a few other bits and pieces in there is you take a close look! At the start, for the long lines that make the basic shape, I followed the general direction of the color "blobs" in the batik. Then I filled everything in randomly to make the denser parts and to create texture.

Well, that's it for my first attempt at free form embroidery! It is a lot of fun! I also think I could do a better job at my next attempt, given everything I learnt through this first try. It is still a long way from a "sumptuous surface", but maybe that is the next thing to try....?!

PLOS Week 4 first sampler finished

Well, it is week 4 of PLOS already and now I am really starting to feel like I have learnt A LOT of new stitches! I am not sure that I have memorized all of them, mind you, so I may have to use my notes as reference for a while, but nevertheless, my main aims in joining this course (improving my embroidery technique and learning new stitches) are definitely being fulfilled!

Here's the first sampler for this week. After doing about half I decided I was not pleased with the colors, but oh well, it is supposed to be a learning tool.........(so I kept on with these colors and learnt not to use them again!)

Here's the embroidery key:

The first 6 rows of the sampler (i.e., 12 half rows) is a test of different textures and thickness threads using chevron stitch. The threads I used are:

Line 1A: DMC Pearl 8; Line 1B: Pearl 12
Line 2A: Silken Pearl; Line 2B: 4mm Silken Ribbon
Line 3A: 3 strands Brown Paper Packages Trio; Line 3B: DMC Tapestry Cotton
Line 4A: 7 strands DMC rayon floss; Line 4B: Knitting wool (not sure the ply, probably about 4)
Line 5A: Edmar Iris rayon; Line 5B: 1 strand Caron Wildflowers
Line 6A: Edmar Boucle rayon; Line 6B: 2 strands DMC floss

The rest of the sampler is a study in button hole stitch variations:

Line 7: Buttonhole stitch with height variations in DMC Pearl 8
Line 8: Buttonhole stitch with sloped vertical stitches in DMC Pearl 8
Line 9: Buttonhole stitch with varying height, flipped from one side to another, in DMC Pearl 8
Line 10: Antwerp edging in DMC Tapestry Cotton
Line 11A: Anterp edging close together, flipped side to side, in DMC Pearl 8
Line 11B: Antwerp edging with sloped verticals, flipped side to side, in DMC Pearl 8
Line 12A: Single knotted buttonhole in 1 strand Trio
Line 12B: Beaded Single knotted buttonhole in DMC Pearl 8
Line 13A: Double knotted buttonhole in 6 strands floss
Line 13B: Double knotted buttonhole in DMC Pearl 8 (it is better in Pearl compared with floss!)
Line 14: Feather and chain in DMC Tapestry cotton
Line 15A: Thorn stitch in DMC Pearl 8
Line 15B: Double thorn stitch in DMC Pearl 8
Line 16A: Knotted feather in DMC Tapestry cotton
Line 16B: Crossed buttonhole in 1 strand Trio
Line 17: Two rows offset Up and Down buttonhole in DMC Pearl 8
Line 18A: Diamond pattern in buttonhole in DMC Pearl 8
Line 18B: Buttonhole pattern in knitting yarn
Line 19A: Feathered Up and Down buttonhole in DMC Pearl 8
Line 19B: Flipped buttonhole in triangles in DMC Tapestry cotton (not sure if this has a fancy name in its own right!)

Phew, well, that is a lot of buttonhole. Actually, I like buttonhole a lot and enjoyed these variations. Now, on to my second sampler for this week, in which I intend to go a but more wild and crazy - let's see if I really can get up the courage to do something truly freeform......... (watch this space!)

PLOS Week 3 second sampler

Here's my second sampler for week 3 of PLOS. This is a study in chain stitch and its variations. It is stitched on Chinese dupioni silk in espresso ( or is it chocolate?!) color. I used this sampler as a way to try out several different chain stitch variations, especially to see how they would follow curves (which most of the chain stitch variations did pretty well, as you can see).

Here's the embroidery key:

1) Chain stitch in DMC Pearl 5
2) Sequins and seed beads (not sure if I like this, which is why I have only done one corner!)
3) Cable Chain in DMC Pearl 5
4) Knotted cable chain in DMC Pearl 5
5) Crested chain stitch in DMC Pearl 5 with red seed beads in chain stitch and gold seed beads in between the stitches. (I really like this stitch, it is quite easy to work and so effective!) 6) Cable Chain in DMC Tapestry Cotton
7) Rosette chain stitch in DMC Pearl 5 (this was the trickiest of the chain stitch variations that I tried because the rosette parts are inherently unstable - not attached to anything on their end part. The Knotted cable chain version of this stitch is easier, I think!)
8) Heavy chain stitch in DMC Tapestry Cotton (it was hard to get the tension right on this, especially around the tight curve, hence the puckering of the fabric. More practice needed!)
9) Twisted chain stitch outline in DMC Pearl 5 (not that you can actually see that!), infilled with colonial knots in DMC Pearl 5, DMC Tapestry cotton and seed beads.
10) Center medallion in detached chain (DMC Pearl 5 and DMC rayon floss) with bead highlights.

OK, so what did I learn this week from the 2 samplers:

1) Lacing provides interesting options for changing a stitch. Also, lacing seems to be an easy wasy to "create" a stitch using very simple stitches (eg running stitch). It is quicker to lace running stitch in a fancy way that to stitch a fancy stitch (if you understand what I mean!)
2) I don't particularly like stitching on aida, but it sure is faster than counting threads on linen! I started out the aida sampler using the hoop then decided it was cumbersome and worked without it, thinking there would be no difference, but in the end, I did see that the tension was not as good on the sections where I had not used the hoop.

3) Sewing on silk was very nice and quite easy. However, the hoop did mark the fabric where it was being held, which didn't matter for this piece because the hoop was larger than the sampler, but it would be a problem if I had to move the hoop around over the sampler. Not sure what to do about that problem..........
4) Previously I disliked chain stitch a lot but after this sampler, I really like it! Amazing how practice helps!! It works up nicely in different threads and all the variations went around corners easily.

Well, that's all for this week, the new lesson comes out tonight!

PLOS Week 3 Sampler 1

Here's my first sampler for this week, which is already week 3 of the course! This week's focus in on lines, so this sampler is designed to explore line weight, size etc. About half of the sampler is herringbone stitch, the other half is laced running stitch (and one laced detached chain). Some of the colors turned out a little pale on the while aida, so I hope you can see them. You may have to look at the larger size photo. This week I stitched on aida which I agree with my classmates, feels like sewing on plastic (even though I did pre-wash it), but it sure was quicker to count those squares than it is to count threads on linen! I will probably do the rest of my basic samplers on aida because I can spend more time sewing and less time counting, but I will still try out design techniques on other fabric. My second sampler this week is on dupioni silk. A post about that is coming soon .............!

Embroidery key:

Herringbone, herringbone, herringbone!:

Row 1: Quadruple herringbone with different weight threads designed to create a braid effect. Stitches are woven together. The four threads are DMC Pearl 5 (purple), 1 strand Silk 'n Colors (variagated strand goes from lime green on left to turqoise on right), 1 strand Brown Paper Packages Trio (lime green), DMC Tapestry Cotton (yellow).

Rows 2, 3 and 4: Variation in laced herringbone stitch width (height constant) to show different density effects. All 3 rows in DMC Pearl 5 laced with Kreinik 1/16" metallic ribbon

Row 5: Triple herringbone with different height stitches all in DMC Tapestry Cotton

Row 6: Varying height herringbone with ties in DMC Pearl 5

Row 7: Two rows stacked herringbone with 2 rows smaller stacked herringbone offset. All in single strand Silk 'n Colors. Seed beads to finish.

Here's where the lacing starts:

Row 8: Three rows stacked herringbone in DMC Pearl 5 laced with DMC Tapestry Cotton

Row 9: Two rows running stitch in DMC Pearl 5 laced with 4mm Silken Ribbon

Row 10: Two rows stacked triple running stitch in DMC Pearl 5 laced with 4 rows each of DMC Pearl 5. Note the middle rows are twisted together (hard to see with the light colors, sorry).

Row 11: Vertical running stitch in DMC Pearl 5 laced with DMC Tapestry Cotton and Edmar Lola Rayon. Dooflackeys in center in DMC Pearl 5 (I think that beads are needed.....)

Row 12: Four rows running stitch in DMC Pearl 5 laced with single strand Silk 'n Colors. This is the "twisted lacing" shown in the class notes, but stacked together (a bit fiddly to do but nice effect).

Row 13: Three rows offset detached chain in Kreinik 1/16" Metallic Ribbon laced with 4mm Silken Ribbon.

PLOS Week 2 second sampler - work in progress

Here is an "in progress" picture of my second sampler for PLOS week 2. It is a study on points (well, circles!). I want to add quite a bit more to this over the next couple of days but I thought I would post it now as I won't have access to a scanner for the rest of the week. I am having a lot of fun with this sampler! I love doing the circles, especially on the higher count linen (it's about 30 count I think) that I bought at the market the other day. It seems much easier to work on than the 25 count I have been using before (ie it has more body), although, of course it would be impossible to count threads on the 30 count so it is a good thing I am not trying to do straight lines!

Here is a key to the sampler at this stage, with the individual circles numbered as per the attached layout diagram:


1: Detached chain stitch in 1 strand of Silk 'n Colors, straight stitches infill in the central section in Edmar Lola rayon, detached chain stitch outer row in DMC metallic thread (not sure what it is, I found it languishing in the bottom of my sewing box!), seed beads in center.

2: Palestrina stitch in Weeks Pearl

3: Whipped long arm chain in 1 strand Caron Watercolours, detached chain stitch around outside in 2 strands Gumnut silk floss

4: Pistil stitch in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors

5: Berry stitch in Silken Pearl, bead in center

6: Two rows buttonhole stitch in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, bead in center

7: Chain stitch in Silken Pearl, seed beads and sequins around outside

8: Spider web rose using 1 strand Weeks Pearl and 1 strand Edmar Lola rayon together in same needle (it sparkles more in real life than in the scan).

9: Three buttons attached using woven chain stitch in 1 strand Brown Paper Packages Trio, colonial knots around outside in Trio as above, plus colonial knots in DMC Pearl. (this one looks like the green sheep of "Where is the Green Sheep?" fame, although that was an unplanned and rather unexpected outcome!)

10: Bead attached using chain stitch in DMC Pearl, detached chain stitch around outside in 2 strands floss, seed beads

11: Bead attached using woven straight stitches in Silken Pearl, colonial knots on outside also in Silken Pearl.

Line: Running stitch in Weeks Pearl laced with Caron Rachelette

I'll try to finish this sampler before the next week's lesson comes out!

Finding points in photos

As part of the homework this week for PLOS we are encouraged to look for points as a design element. I thought I would go through some of my photos from various places around China (especially historic sites) to see whether I could find some good patterns in them. Here is what I have come up with so far:

Points that come together to make lines:





Patterns in lines made from metal studs in old courtyard house door in Pingyao.

"Thousand buddhas" carved into a cliff face at Maijishan, Gansu. They are about 1000 years old.

Golden bell at the Labrang buddhist monastery in Gansu. (Note the same type of motif on the fabric hanging above the monks' heads in the photo below.)

Points arranged randomly that draw the eye through the photo:

Chilli on a courtyard step in Pingyao - interesting color variation, seems to draw the eye to the right.

Pear blossom on 350 year old historic pear trees in Shichuan, Gansu Province.

Buddhist monks entering the prayer chamber for morning prayers in Labrang monastery, Gansu. I am not sure if this photo quite shows what I think it does, but to me, the monks' hats form points that draw the eye from the bottom right to the door in the middle. (There's also points making line patterns in the fabric hanging above, but that's another category!)

Points that create a texture:

Historic mud brick wall in Qingcheng, Gansu

A flock of long-horned sheep at Mati Temple, Gansu. (The one green horn on the right identifies these sheep as belonging to one particular herdsman.)

Home-made dumplings on our kitchen table!

Point of emphasis:

The western terminus of the Great Wall in Jiayuguan, Gansu, called the Jiayuguan Fortress, built in the Ming Dynasty. The successive doorways create a point of emphasis that leads the eye to the farthest point in the picture, making you wonder what is behind that last wall? (Well, don't let me spoil the suspense, but what lies behind that wall is about 2000 miles of nothingness - the Gobi Desert!)

Also the Great Wall Fortress at Jiayuguan, Gansu. Not sure about this one - but it seems to me that the points on the silhouetted window carving draw the eye through to the point of emphasis which is the fortress tower behind. What do you think? Am I right?

Old Qing Dynasty courtyard house window carvings in Pingyao. Glass was not used in windows in old China, so windows had wooden carvings with paper behind. The central circular carving draws the eye towards the center of each window carving.

Window in a monk's house at Labrang monastery, Gansu.

I'd love to hear the class's comments on whether I have interpreted these photos correctly!

PLOS Week 2 first sampler finished

This week in PLOS we have two distinct concepts to test, which means I plan 2 samplers this week (ambitious!). I took some threads with me last week when I was traveling and started the first one. I finished it this evening. Here it is! The idea of this sampler is to take simple stitches ("points") and combine them in ways that make patterns, using point as a design element. I tried 12 different patterns, some worked better than others. I am not sure how well the "point design" will show up in some of them because it is done in beads, which may be too subtle for the scanner. The sampler is sewn on 25 count linen. Here is the key:

Row 1:
1A: Straight stitch spokes in Silken Pearl, laced as "partial spider web roses" with 4mm Silken Ribbon.
1B: Running stitch crosses in Caron Wildflowers, fly stitches inside the crosses in 3 strands of DMC floss.
1C: Running stitch squares in Weeks Pearl, ribbon stitch in groups of 3 in Silken Ribbon, large bead surrounded by seed beeds

Row 2:
2A: Fly stitch in 2 strands Silk 'n Colors
2B: Sheaf stitch with varying height ties to show "point pattern" in Silken Pearl
2C: Fly stitches in Silken Pearl, Colonial knot in Silken Ribbon, beads (one line has bugal bead, other has 2 seed beads)

Row 3:
3A: Crown stitch in Caron Wildflowers stacked together
3B: Moss stitch in 3 strands floss
3C: Lazy daisy flowers, french knot and straight stitch stars in Silken Pearl

Row 4:
4A: Tulip stitch in alternating colors stacked together in 3 strands DMC floss, colonial knot in Silken Ribbon.
4B: Squared palestrina knot in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, seed beads in diagonal rows
4C: Wheatear stitch in 3 strands Colour Streams floss

What I learnt:
- I still love palestrina stitch! This time I tried the squared palestrina stitch knot and it worked nicely stacked together.
- Fly stitch seems the most versatile stitch for this type of purpose.
- It was fun to work in squares not lines (like last week!).

Now on to the second sampler for this week, which will focus on all things circular!

PS. I really can sew straight, it is the scan that makes the whole piece look a bit wonky!

PLOS Week 1 sampler finished

Week 1 sampler is finished! Here's the embroidery key:

Rows 1-3 : playing with lacing and couching

Row 1: 4mm silk ribbon couched with 1 strand Silk 'n Colors and colonial knot in 2 strands DMC floss
Row 2: Two rows running stitch in Silken Pearl laced with 3 strands Caron Wildflowers
Row 3: Pekinese stitch, backstitch in 3 strand floss laced with 1 strand Caron Wildflowers

Rows 4-6: playing with patterns

Row 4: Three rows feather stitch in Silken Pearl
Row 5: Blanket stitch in Silken Pearl
Row 6: Chevron stitch interlaced, one in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, one in 2 strands Silken Pearl

Row 7: more lacing: Herringbone in 2 strands Silken Pearl laced laced with Weeks Pearl

Rows 8 - 10: Guilloche stitch

Row 8: Center running stitches in 3 strands Silk 'n Colors, laced with 4mm silk ribbon, glass bead in center, running stitch on top and bottom in Colour Streams E/L
Row 9: All in Silken Pearl
Row 10: Center running stitches in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors, laced with 4mm silk ribbon, french knot in 4mm silk ribbon, backstitch in Weeks Pearl

Rows 11-12: Herringbone stitch

Row 11: Double herringbone in Silken Pearl
Row 12: Single herringbone in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors with seed beads

Rows 13 - 14: Chained bar

Row 13: 4mm silk ribbon couched with Silken Pearl
Row 14: 3 rows 3 strands Silk 'n Colors couched with Silken Pearl

Row 15: Feather stitch in Weeks Pearl

Row 16: Laced running stitch - in Weeks Pearl laced with Stef Francis Boucle

Rows 17 - 18: Portugese Stem Stitch

Row 17: Weeks Pearl
Row 18: 1 strand Silk 'n Colors

Curved section:

Feather stitch in Silken Pearl and Floss
Laced running stitch in Weeks Floss
Chain stitch in Silken Pearl
Whipped Chain stitch in Weeks Pearl
Portugese stem stitch in 4mm silk ribbon
Palestrina stitch in 1 strand Silk 'n Colors

And the all important "what did I learn" comments:

- I like lacing! I think it gives an interesting look to the stitches. I found that it was equally effective to do a very simple lacing with interesting thread (eg row 16) as to do a complex lacing with less interesting thread (eg row 7)
- I like the knotted stitches, eg portugese stem stitch and palestrina stitch. They would be really effective to depict natural texture such as bushes. They also go around curves really easily, so that helps to "liberate" them from the straight line.
- I had some trouble using 4mm silk ribbon to do the lacing on the guilloche stitch. The first row I did like this was row 10 and I wasn't too happy with it because the ribbon didn't sit all that well. I think row 8 is better - it was a bit easier because I worked the stitch at a larger scale and I deliberately twisted the ribbon carefully as I was lacing it.
- I am not sure that I would use guilloche stitch all that often - it was good as a learning tool to start to think about deconstructing stitches, but it was also pretty rigid and I think it could only be used in quite formal applications.
- I love feather stitch and buttonhole stitch! I'm fairly ambivolent to herringbone!

That's it for now!

Personal Library of Stitches, week 1 in progress

Hi, I just started my very first online course this week - called a Personal Library of Stitches with Sharon Boggon, run by Joggles.com. I was traveling during the week when the class started, so I spent a couple of nights "swatting" the class materials, then got started on Friday night. I have had an interesting time playing around with different threads and stitches. I will post a proper key to the embroidery when it is all done. For now, here is my work in progress!