Not my comfort zone!!!!!!!!!

Okay, everyone, doing this was way out of my comfort zone I can tell you.  Just recently I felt like dyeing some thread, and thought perhaps I should do it with a purpose in mind.  The above hardanger bookmark is the result of my play.  I secretly have an aversion to coloured hardanger, and I really don't know why, as I like it when it's done.........go figure!! 

I also wanted to know how much thread this might use.  I measured four lots of 10 metres in perlé #8 and #12.  I thought it prudent to make something small, so it could be finished, and I could return to the big blue project.  I dyed a little Lugana as well, simply rolling it into a ball and squirting the two colours into it, then wrapped it in cling wrap for a few hours.  The Lugana I used is the piece behind the bookmark in the top photograph [I think it's a 25-ct, and yes it's cream].  Well, I can tell you I only used one length of #8, and one, plus a little of the #12, so I have some of this 'batch' left over.  More about that later.

I'd love to be able to tell you my inspiration was some exotic flower from a far away land, but alas, I can't.  I've taken this photograph, showing you the variety of colours I'm seeing in a paddock close to the houseyard.  This is a pasture grass called 'buffel grass', which makes great cattle fodder, not so with horses though.  As the seedheads mature, they take on a lovely maroon to purple colour.  The two colours I used were a purchased purple Procion dye, and my own mixture of Procion yellow and blue.  In real life the green leans very much to the yellow, and I also achieved a lovely warm brown where the two colours blended. 

Again, I have to stress that this is a first for me.  I quite like it now that it's finished, and I have to say the overdyed threads look really lovely.

I am making two more little things shortly to try something new, and with this bookmark/thread, these will form a give-away that I must do.  Some time ago I participated in a 'pay it forward' on Jennie's blog - [http://jennie61.blogspot.com/2011/01/pay-it-forward.html].  It will take a little longer yet, but I will pass on the favour.   I will try not to be so tardy in future!!!

Thanks again for the response to the wedding dress.  I love simplicity in most things.  Life gets complicated enough!! 

Hardanger Update

I thought it was time I added an update on the hardanger I'm working on.  I get time to stitch each day, sometimes quite a bit, especially rainy weekends when there is motor racing on TV!!  The photograph above shows the corner section with it's weaving completed, and another smaller section having a slightly different pattern.  This will be done all around the outer edge of the table runner.  I've more or less decided on all the patterning now, so it's just stitch, stitch, and more stitch from hereon in [oh and some pulling out when the counting is wrong!!].

The photograph above shows the full view of what will be the table runner.  I am sorry it's a little scrappy looking, I've not pressed it.  I won't do that until everything is finished, and it's had a little rinse out.  When I was a girl learning embroidery, my mother frowned on pressing work in progress, as she maintained one would set any body oil into the work.  Perhaps she had a point, I am not sure.  I just know I rinse everything out these days, prior to the final pressing.  I anticipate the finished article to be around 135 cm x 40 cm.  Normally I would not cut and weave prior to finishing all the kloster block work, but I had a little problem with unevenly cut fabric, as well as weaving patterns, so I did a corner just to see if all would work.  Then I had to go to the opposite corner and make sure the design would fit into what was left on that side, as that was where the offending crooked cutting was located.  Lesson learned, look, and look well before you leap, or stitch!!

This photograph is a bit of my design scribble.  I don't have a computer program for charting, and have to resort to copied clip art and good old coloured pens, not to mention sticky taping sheets together!!  Oh well, it works.


I think I should have enough fabric on the ends to make the eight drink coasters I am hoping for. 

Hardanger Progress

At the moment I'm stitching daily on my blue hardanger project.  Unfortunately, I've not had as much time as I'd like to devote to said stitching, but I'm enjoying it just the same.  I thought I would share a little of it's progress with readers.  I have 11 of these squares on point in the centre of my table runner.  I'm hoping the woven work will track over and under around each of these.
  

Perhaps this close up shot will show more of the Greek/Maltese Cross [??] weaving.  I won't cut the centres of the remaining squares until almost the end, as I'm doing a fine spider web in those cut out areas.  Obviously no pressing at this stage, so this is a rather crumpled offering.  Lots more work to go just on this centre section, then I'll think about the outer area.  I'm not sure yet of the exact dimensions, something around 40cm by 130cm.  I think [hope] there will be enough at either end of the fabric to make drink coasters to match [one full square including the Greek Cross weaving].   

Now, I must away to some more stitching before it gets too hot.  I also can happily report we have two Tawny Frogmouth babies, so cute at the moment.

My thoughts are with those who are experiencing flooding in Victoria.  It seems the weather has a little more in store for us yet. 

Hardanger [and a PS]

I have been absent from the blogging scene for a number of days for various reasons.  I have been trying to work on a new piece of hardanger, so thought I would share a piece I worked about a year ago.  The centre square part of this design was taken from a Burda Special Hardanger publication and was to be a cushion.  However, I had cut plenty of fabric and considering there was going to be a rather wasteful 'trim' if it was to be a cushion, I continued on my merry way, stitching and doing my own thing as I worked out towards the edge of the fabric.  This is worked on 22ct hardanger fabric, with #5 & #8 perlé thread in DMC #712.   My DIL was in raptures when she saw it, so it now lives with her, and I have to say that I can see she honestly loves it.  

Now that I know she likes this type of work, I have started a long table runner for her.  This piece is being worked on pale blue Lugana, which I feel is 28ct [I have to confess to not having counted the threads!!].  I am working with DMC #3753 - #8 & #12 perlé.  Again, I'm designing and working from the centre out.  I am hoping it will be useful for decorating a table and napkin setting in navy, some time in the near future [their chair covers are navy].  In order to help with counting/keeping pattern correct, I spent almost an entire day tacking at 40 thread intervals.  I found it a great help, and will do this again, especially if I'm working a larger piece.  This has 11 of these 'peaks'.  There is a lot of cutting and weaving yet to be done in this centre feature.  When I have that area under control, I'll continue to work my way out.  Perhaps others don't work their hardanger this way, but this is the only way I am comfortable designing.  I'm not much for mapping it out on paper first, and I don't have a computer program to assist with this task, so starting on a small central section first makes sense to me.  I've included a close-up.  The interlocking/interweaving area outside the central squares is to have cut and woven bars.  It should form a type of under/over track.  I have found by looking at lots of hardanger that there are things about some designs I just don't like.  I am not keen on the eyelets where you stitch into every hole around the centre point.  I'd rather use just the star eyelet or algerian eye stitch.  I also have to say I am not keen on edges where there is a straight section, with points jutting out from it.  Goodness, I'm picky!!!  I hope I can do the work justice as I continue to stitch.  I love the soft blue colour, the thread matches the fabric perfectly.  I'm not aiming for a 'masterpiece' in design, just something I know my DIL will use, and I can use some of the many oddments of evenweave I have in my stash.

Now for the PS:-

Again I feel the need to speak of the devastating floods that are sweeping the central and southern parts of my beautiful state of Queensland [and it is moving south into NSW, parts of Victoria, as well as bushfires in WA - what next!!].  The events of the past few days have left me numb.  Our little township has been fully evacuated again due to the prospect of the river inundating the town to almost the same level.  They had only just started the clean up.  The two towns to our east, Dalby and Chinchilla are again under seige from rising waters.  The beautiful garden city of Toowoomba saw a freak event unknown to any living person in our area, not to mention the path of destruction that cut through the beautiful Lockyer Valley [the place of my birth].  Our two large cities close to the coast are on high alert, and in the central areas, water is still an issue.  I am safe, my family and friends are safe.  We are suffering some inconvenience, that is all.  We have our lives, and our livelihood intact, but others' worlds have been devastated.  I cannot begin to find a way to help anyone in a way I would like.  We can only all help those in our immediate areas I suppose.  Thank you to those wonderful people who have offered support through my blog, and to me personally.  I don't know how you can help so much, but I will email some of you privately with my own thoughts.  One of our patchwork group has lost everything, and of course, we will all try to support her.  Apart from that, all we can do is watch and wait, and pray that everyone can move on and learn from this.  Thankfully, this country has a strong sense of community, we not a poor country by any means, and are in a position to help those in need, unlike many disasters  we've seen in recent years.  We will survive because that is what we do!!!