Last TAST of all . . .

. . . the raised chain bar and Spanish feather stitch. I put some normal feather stitch in among the spanish variety for contrast. I like the raised bar very much. Using the same thread for the foundation and the chains gives it a nice sculptural quality (top left) and contrasting threads can be fun, very textural possibilities there.
Have gone back to some earlier stitches to try out some couching and use up a bit more of my strip. The couched bits are offcuts from some Christmas knitting, scarves for daughter and grandchildren. Then couldn't resist a pic of some of the knitting yarn stash - a few more scarves to go there! Best wishes for a good and happy new year to anyone who reads this blog. Thank you to those of you who have said you enjoy looking at it. Apologies if I don't acknowledge your comments as promptly as I should. A bit of a resolution for this year is to try and blog more regularly. But thinking about it on its own is not going to make it happen. I guess that is what goes wrong with most resolutions. Some practical step needs to be implemented! So I'll think about that.

TAST update

Some pistil stitch and double detached chain. I liked using a second thread for the repeated chain, and they bunch together quite nicely. There are more things to be done with all the recent stitches, but I've only had time for rather sketchy dabs at them. But this is the sort of project that can be returned to whenever time allows. I still have at least a foot of my fabric strip to fill, so I shall have to keep going.

New stitching challenges . . .

Linda left a comment on my last TAST posting asking whatever would I do in 2008, with TAST finished. Well, here's the answer - Sharon B's new challenge. I've found with TAST over the year that the amount of stitching I've been able to do has varied a lot. Sometimes I've had a lot of ideas to try out on a stitch, sometimes none at all beyond simply doing the basic stitch. When other tasks have had priority and something has to be squeezed it has often been TAST, but iIhave tred to catch up when I could. There is quite a satisfying feeling to having stuck with it, however imperfectly at times. Musn't speak too soon, there are some more weeks to go! Here's thorn stitch and knotted cable chain - which is a bit like oyster stitch, isn't it, with an extended bit?

A second challenge is being run by Infinity, the Quilters' Guild Contemporary Quilt group local manifestation in Poole. This year members have been making A4 size journal quilts by the process described in my last post. We have one more of those - 'South America, animals, Picasso' are the three categories. Well, what would YOU do? The new challenge is to do a 12" by 12" quilt every 2 months, to a theme lucky dipped from words suggested by members. We've picked the first - 'beachcombing'. So, if I haven't got anything much to think about over Chrstmas all that can fill the gap!

So we have to have a nice beach photo. This is Dunnet Bay, on the northernmost mainland coast of Scotland.

And ok its a bit early for Christmas, but I've made one seasonally appropriate postcard.

TAST latest

There are only 3 more weeks to go with this challenge. The year has gone quickly! This is mainly pekinese stitch (week 45) and a small chunk of chain braid stitch (46). Didn't like the latter much, it kept falling over, as Sharon did warn us it might, and I tied it down with small stitches. 47, thorn stitch needs more examples to be done but a start has been made. I still have quite a bit of space left on this strip, (rolled up on top of the chair), so I may revisit some of the stitches that I didn't do much with and see if further inspiration is forthcoming.

TAST update

There's a mischmasch here of the last 2 stitches, plus some infilling. This panel will be finished shortly.

TAST latest

This week's double buttonhole is nice, though again I'm having trouble thinking creatively with it. An inadvertant variation is on the left. I tried doing the stitch without reference to the instructions and didn't remember it right. So I was doing the second loop along the bar next to the first loop instead of in it. Looks quite nice I think. The right hand line will be finished today. There is a piece of painted nappy liner laid over the fabric as it got dirty!!There's cable chain here, then rice stitch . . . . . . and the rods a friend has turned for me to make up my sample strips into scrolls eventually at the end of the challenge.

TAST latest

The latest stitches are a bit mixed up here as I had trouble thinking of things to do with them really. A bit of zooming will no doubt show scroll stitch, crested chain, portuguese knotted stem and shisha. There are 3 real mirrors which don't show up well, (one is half hidden by cast-on and drizzle stitches, which I can't help going back and adding to) and the glittery bit is some sequin waste. For UK stitchers who like a bargain, try the children's craft section in Tesco Extra - they have a pack of 4 different, very long rolls of sequin waste for peanuts (£1.97) I also tried using scroll stitch lines to fasten down some of it.

TAST catchup

During our move the only stitching I've managed are the TAST samples. Rather sketchily though, and I will come back to do some more sometime. So here are some pix at last - First, the latest - cast-on stitch. This I have to confess, was done at an EG workshop on Friday, and includes drizzle stitch, both single and double-sided. I will put some on my sampler strip, I promise.

Half and half chevron and cretan - interesting combination, but I wasn't sure what to do with it except stash rows together, and it kept slewing itself sideways. Hmm.

Underneath that - bullion. This is going to be useful for texture pieces. Bit of long/short at the side - can't get anywhere with that for now.

Then I tried a complex seam, which didn't work very well. Wheatsheaf I liked with the vertical lines different lengths, and packing it close is fun.

Arrowhead - just can't get it even, so gave up and went for the squashed effect with different threads, and the all over single stitch look. Also, the irregular lengths wobbly row. Suits me better!!

Buttonhole wheel - I love making the little holes in the middle - on the right. And piling up different sizes. Just started some distorted circles on the left.

I do like this sampling of stitches and wish I'd had more time and ideas. Am aware I've barely scratched the surface with many of the stitches, but I know I will be revisiteng them as time goes by.

Running stitch

Some years ago I made several of these dodecahedra and hung them up as a mobile in our living room. Tall people were always catching their heads on the lowest one! The stitching is all running stitch. A bit of tension causes the raised points, an effect I really like. Pelmet vilene is used to make the structure, with wadded fabric pieces stitched, beads added, and used to cover the vilene shapes. Then the shapes are oversewn together.

TAST latest

Our pc is still in a very ropey state, crashing frequently, so, briefly - butterfly chain, buttonhole with crossed legs and satin stitch. We are moving house in 2 weeks and my creative powers are very weak at the moment, so my samples are very cursory. I will catch up properly during the summer, I am confident. [Sorry, I wrote all this while waiting for pix to load, but I give up, blogger just will not load any more pix for me, so Tast must wait till next time.]

The fourth [only!] pic is kantha work, done at an EG workshop last week. It is all running stitch, each line taking its position from the line above in the coloured areas, and worked to fill the space and join layers in the background. There'll be more pix on silktownstitchers when I can get at it. The workshop was done by Rubina Porter, who visits Bangla Desh a lot supporting work at Sreepur caring for orphans and helping women to earn a living.

TAST palestrina and running stitch

I've got a bit bored with the plain white background so have running stitched over pieces of

yellow muslin, lime grees net and something else, not sure what it is! The funny dark bars are shadows across the table where I was taking the pic. I use running stitch a lot in a kantha-ish kind of way. I liked lacing /whipping / threading it. The circular motif comes up in a point - that happens if you have the stitch tension just that bit tight.

TAST oysters

Blogger scared me this morning by coming up 'this page cannot be displayed' every time I asked it to load a picture. Then suddenly it started complying, so I have put ALL my oyster stitch pix up while the mood is good!

Here's a 'seam treatment' idea, and flowers, and single 'filler' stitches, and- great discovery - the long-stalked variety!

I like the way you can pack this stitch together - the cream-green-brown-gold bit.

Bits of the next stitch - palestrina - creeping in at the bottom. That's the thing with my continuous strip, I don't really want gaps. And the long stalks a bit closer.

I like doing small amounts of stitching on small bits of felt, a sort of rival / companion to the main strip.

Why is an oyster stitch so called? Does it look like an oyster? Maybe a bit like part at least of the live thing inside the shell I got interested in the long stalk possibility and began finding things to do with the stalk - couch down with various stitches, wrap loosely, wrap with buttonhole (buttonhole bar) . . .

I did eat an oyster, just the once, when accompanying a school trip to Brittany. We had a tour of an oyster farm which finished with a plateful to pass around. Imagine 30 teenage girls squawking about trying these strange-looking things!

TAST miscellany -

- knotted cretan, which does make nice twiggy sprays. But isn't it close to feather stitch? I think it was the latter I was stitching some of the time!
- some couching, trying various stitches over the laid threads. Fly stitch across 2 laid threads is interesting. Also, vertically on the right, over the yellow thread I tried it with bonnet stitch. So long as the height of the stitch is right and the pass under is above the laid thread and the 'chain'-forming stitch below, it works well, with an interesting edge formed by the chain-like part of the stitch. Also used it to fill a space.
- barred chain, used it to fill spaces.
- I used a brown range of threads for a change, including wools.

Tast catchup . . .

. . . with the tail end of my long sampler strip. It's a bit scrappy, but there are examples of up and down buttonhole, including a seam treatment on the left with bullion stitches and beads. I've also 'invented' (maybe!) a detached version of the buttonhole - the four-legged stars. There are some more of them on the bottom strips of the postcards (which still need their edges doing). There's also some couching using various stitches, including alternating barred chain. And a separate piece of couching. I need to do more barred chain as I don't find it very easy. The loop always seems to collapse and squash up to nothing. Must try harder.

After some thinking about maybe changing the form of the sampler I've decided to use another long strip, and will be turning the finished one into a scroll for storing.

TAST catchup and chevron stitch

1. a catchup pic of some detached chain

2. ditto with cretan stitch

3. chevron on the strip sampler

4. doodling with chevron to make a background for the fish (kantha)

5. chevron used in a complex seam

TAST 4 cretan stitch first instalment . . .

. . . which I tried to put on the blog at the weekend so that there would be something for Sharon's roundup, but blogger wouldn't do it. The green bits are strips of net, couched down by the row of stitches, and the orange is a scrap of organza. I like stitching one row on top of another, in different colours. But I'm not much good at putting the stitches close together to make a solid shape. Meandering fairly freely seems to suit me better. There's some more experiments coming by the end of the week.

TAST detached chain . . .

I found it hard this time to think of variations with this stitch for myself . Except for the curvy line at the top where I was thinking a line in basic chain is obvious, but how could a line be done with separate stitches? And then I tried flowers, using the stitch both ways round, and one with long tie stitches. Also the textural 'jumble' of different threads. Then some couching. Also Sharon's padded flower. Then I resorted to Google and came across Velvet Stitch and an interesting sampler of detached chain, from which I have copied some ideas.

I still want to try some of the variations of chain stitch done as detached stitches e.g. twisted chain etc.
And if anyone please could give me advice on how best to work a 'jumble' of stitches? I found it more baffling than I expected, and I'm usually not bad at random!

New buttonhole sampler . . .

. . . completed this Sunday evening, 19.15 GMT. Looking at Sharon's counted thread samples I was struck with how different the stitch looks worked on that sort of cloth. I tried counting threads on my sampler strip but it proved to be too small for comfort and my eyes were hurting with the effort, so I gave up after two tries. Other bits are buttonhole wheel, done both ways round, couching, appliqué and a small detached stitch piece.

I particularly like the twisty lines top right, the filled areas, the laced back to back rows, the buttonhole bars and the eyelets below the bars (yes, they do have a hole in the middle, hard to see). I've also decided to try and use each stitch in a complex seam, as an interesting exercise , but I think this one could be nicer really.

Buttonhole stitch . . .

I've had a bit of a rest after last week's marathon - these pics were not done for TAST but for a hands-on session at the Macclesfield Embroiderers' Guild meeting in November where we could choose one out of five different stitches to play with. I was in charge of the buttonhole table and did these samples of a range of possible variations. So I haven't worked them again for TAST, but in my next stitchy post there will be a smaller sampler with some further interesting applications.
Using buttonhole to fill a space is interesting. If you work from the bottom (here, right), of the space, each following row will come over the ridge of the stitch and give a smooth effect.Doing it the other way round, from the top of the space down, you keep the ridges. These were circular pieces because they were in a small round frame. Obviously need finishing. One day! And this one, just 2 lines of buttonhole, but I like the effect of the space between them.