An Amazing Day

Today was the first day in 3 months that I felt able to get out of bed and actually do things.  Even my eyesight cleared and I could see really well.  So I got out the sewing machine and worked on several projects.  People who know me are probably shuddering right now.  I am a very clumsy person and my track record with sewing machines is quite bad.  In fact I have injured someone when the bobbin flew out of the machine and hit them.

At first when I got the machine out I was struggling to figure out how to even thread it.  But luck was with me and it worked wonderfully.  I used both a zigzag and straight stitch and sewed a tablecloth.  About half way through the sewing the bobbin ran out.  So then I couldn't get the bobbin rewound.  The truth is I couldn't get the first one wound either without moving the thread up and down while the thread spun around.  But with a little work I found the gadget that supported the thread and the bobbin wound evenly.  Then I tried threading the machine the same way and it made an awful noise.  Somehow I got the machine working earlier missing two gadgets and threading the needle backward!  This time I did it right and it worked great and I got 3/4 of the tablecloth finished.

 

Tablecloth of Japanese print and white satin.

 

Since the machine was working so well I also sewed a reticule using some heavy drapery type fabric.  I had tried to hand sew it but the fabric was to thick.  The fabric was from an old sample book that Lee's mom bought and shared with me.  I've wanted to make it for ages but I knew it would have to wait until I got the sewing machine working.  I am thinking of getting out the Kumihimo stand and making a matching cording for the seams and ties.  The lining was made from the leftovers of the table cloth.

 

 

Reticule pattern from about 1850's the fabric is beautiful.

 

Next I took some of leftover satin and made a Kippah.  The pattern was from "The Needle Worker" magazine August/September 1999.  It was a ribbon work project.  I haven't decided how to decorate it or what kind of fabric to line it, but then designing is half the fun!

 

 

Satin Kippah.

 

After all the sewing I decided to finish the Romanian Point Lace project.  While doing the needle weaving I saw where I didn't line up the braids so it looks wonky.  I love it!  It was a great experience and I hope to make another once I get the size 20 braid finished.  I wonder if a Kumihimo braid would work instead of the crocheted braid.  Well then it wouldn't be Romanian point lace anymore.  There are lace making techniques that use machine made braids.  I just don't know what they were called.  Part of the needle weaving problems I had was how thick the size 10 braid was.  It was so thick that it left little room for needle weaving inside the loops.

 

 

Finished Romanian Point Lace project.

 

I hope to have more productive days soon!

Romanian Point Lace and Other Stuff

The Romanian Point Lace project hasn't turned out like I was hoping, but I am still happy.  Sometimes you do learn more making mistakes.   When I taped project #1 pattern together I notice that it was slightly oblong.  But as I was just practising I didn't let it worry me.  Which is why I used size 10 variegated purple crochet thread, it was next to me at the time that I started.  The decision to use size 10 thread was because I was having trouble learning cord #1 in smaller thread.  Now that I know the pattern I've started crocheting braid for the next project in size 20 thread.  When I tacked the outside braid to it's path I didn't pay as much attention as it needed.  So there are some sections of the inner braid closer to the outer braid then it should be. I thought that if I drew a lace pattern in Coreldraw then I could print it onto some printable cotton canvas sheets.  That would make it a lot easier then trying to trace the patterns onto thick fabric.  I have been shaking more lately and Coreldraw should make things easier.  But even with all of that I am really happy with the project.  Here are some pictures.

 

Romanian Point Lace project #1.

 

 

The picture is a little blury but it shows

that the center worked out so lovely.

 

Lee went to the store and bought me some more DMC thread for the projects in the needle painting book.  Now I can start with project #1 and work my way through the book.

 

The Chrismas fairy has been on hold while I found fabric for her clothes.  Today I found a beautiful ribbon that I think will make a nice dress for her.  All of the stitching around her body is finished.  The wings are a concern because they are in the background so I can't make them to showy.  It has been a lot of fun to work on.

 

The research on hedebo and crewel work is going slowly but I've found some interesting information.  Now it is time to rest and sleep.  Tomorrow more lace work!

Burgundy Rose buds and the Brazilian Dimensional Embroiders Guild

 

Finished burgundy rose buds.

The Burgundy Rose buds are finished!  I wasn't paying proper attention to the large leaf and so it isn't shaded correctly. If I had followed the instructions the shading helps to shape the leaf, my leaf looks very flat.  While embroidering the leaves I realized I was still missing colors.  So I chose the greens as best I could.  The mistake I made was using two shades that were so close together that I had trouble telling them apart. So when they were embroidered it all looked the same shade.  But that taught me a lot about choosing colors.  Even with it's problems I am quite happy with the embroidery and I have learned a lot.  The book "Needle Painting Embroidery, fresh ideas for beginners" is a wonderful book, the only problem I had was with amount of thread required to do all the projects.  But if you buy the thread for just 3 or 4 projects at a time it isn't so bad.  I'm looking forward to the other projects especially the birds.  Tomorrow I will make the embroidery into a card.  I'm sure it will be beautiful.  Here are some progress pictures.

 

Filling in the leaf with shades of green.

 

 

Shading leaf.

 

Back of work.

Yesterday I was searching and found this web site http://www.brazilian-dimensional-embroidery.org/  Rather a specialized guild but interesting.  I like doing Brazilian work but not enough to join.  The EGA should give me plenty of inspiration.  The Brazilian Embroidery Guild have a free pattern every month and this months is beautiful!  Here is a link to the pattern.  http://www.brazilian-dimensional-embroidery.org/design_of_the_month.htm  The stylized flower is very pretty and it has some challenging stitches.  I've already copied it to fabric and went through my stash of Brazilian threads.  Not that I need to start another project.

Working the Romanian Point Lace project has been a little more difficult.  This morning I copied the 1/2 pattern doily and taped it together into a complete pattern.  Then I copied the pattern to a heavy fabric and couched the crocheted cord to the inside cord path.  I am having trouble understanding the second crochet cording pattern.  It uses three single crochet groups alternately, but I don't seem to quite get it.  I was thinking that it might be fun to make a more decorative braid and use it on the outside braid path.  If I can't get the recommended braid pattern I may just substitute another edging.  Here are some pictures.

 

Couching crocheted braid.

 

 

Close up of braid couching.

 

Finished couching crocheted braid to the inner braid path.