Lumps and Bumps . . .

. . . workshop for West Country Embroiderers.  Not a very elegant title!  I can't remember now if it was my creation or our programme secretary's when we were discussing what I was going to do!  Also known as 'calico gardens' or just textured stitches.  Traditionally it is done all in creams, on calico . . .

(no prizes for composition for the above, but it does include a lot of different ways of doing this work)

. . .but I thought - why not colour? and stitched a red tree . . .

. . .closely followed by an undersea sort of scene in blues . . .

. . . and a doodle in greens and pinks.

Another element I like to include in this is doing 'normal' stitches, like cross stitch, herringbone, and then wrapping them, buttonholing along them or weaving across them.

Oversewing objects that don't generally get included in embroidery is another option.  Guess the objects.  No prizes!

Varying thick /thin threads is rather fun too.  (Knotted cretan stitch)

Unfortunately I didn't get to take photos of people's work this time.  Sorry everyone!

Sunshine . . .

. . . in the sky again, thank goodness, and in a cyberfriend's generosity.  Mandy of Crazy Daisy blog has given me, along with 11 others, a Sunshine Award!  Read all about it on her blog, February 6th and the previous post.  Mandy is a great knitter and also does some unusual bits of embroidery.  And she has a nice cat!  Thank you very much, Mandy!

And at long last I am getting together a patchwork quilt for a granddaughter, and you could say there is something sunshiney about the middle section.  She likes yellow apparently.  Ok, I'm stretching things a bit!

It is pegged up on curtains over the shelves in my workroom.  It is quite a while since I did some straightforward patchwork, or made something bed-sized.

Today I got a border round it, made the backing, layered it all up on the table (useful 5 foot square, made by DH from 2 old doors) and tacked it.  So just the quilting to do now (by machine), and some edging which will probably be some facing strips.

Book making addiction strikes again . . .

. . . after seeing one of the Design Matters TV workshops showing how to stitch up a book using

 

tapes across the spine.  I have made books before but not for a long time, and didn't get to try this method then.  So I looked in my books drawer and found signatures and cover boards left unused from previously, hunted out some ribbons and got cracking. I used to think it would be rather difficult using tapes, but actually, once you get a couple of signatures stitched together and no longer feel you need 2 more hands, it all goes very smoothly.  Two of these 3 books are not done with tapes, but one has the signatures stitched together with a chain line top and bottom and long stitches in the middle.  These were then woven together using up the long end of thread.

The next has one chain and 3 groups of long stitches which were linked together to produce something that looks like herringbone.  Both these books have a place marker made by twisting the leftover ends of thread together and adding beads.

These three have ribbons stitched across and the stitches linked to each other.  And in two the ribbons have also been used to tie the book

As I only had these rather glitzy ribbons I've bought some plain white tape now and painted some of it, so that should be interesting.  It gives a bit more scope.  I also want to try using strips of fabric, and thick cord.  I'd also like to start using fabric on the book boards but am not sure how to fix it.  Is there anyone out there who can advise on a good sort of glue to use with fabric?  A brand available in the UK preferably.