I’ll just leave this here …

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Diane

I’ve had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind these past few weeks; turns out it was my internal alarm telling me that I’d not posted for a while.  Well, I’m back from all my travels and I’ve got some things to show for it.  Or in some cases, nothing to show for it.

The first two weeks in June were entirely given over to Spindle Camp (a wonderful gathering of friends in the foothills of The Sierra.  We laughed, we talked, we ate, we spun.  It was fabulous.  I took no pictures.) and then a week in Washington DC.  I really should do a whole separate post on DC (hint: it’s amazing. So much to do!  So much to see!  I took a ridiculous number of pictures!) but really, that can wait.  I got home a week ago and realized that Art Fair is just around the corner.  I’ll be there with handwovens of all varieties – particularly dishtowels.

So, I got busy and warped the loom.  This:

became this:

and today, the beam looks like this:

which is round two.  For those coming to the Fair, you’re benefiting from my rushing.  The towels that came off that first warp are longer than they should be – by quite a bit, actually.  I’m certainly not going to toss them – they’re gorgeous.  But, my DC-humidity-baked-brain is your reward.  About 10% more towel for the same price.   So it goes.  But!  I’m going to get it right this time around.  One more warp of towels after this one and I can move on to scarves and shawls.

And, lest you think I did nothing while in DC, I give you this:

my finished sampler.  Yes, wonky stitches abound, but that’s the point of a piece like this.  I really got me thinking about how to use embroidery when I’m making things – and now I’ve got lots of ideas for art-pieces.  Pairing this with shibori, or for accents on some of my clothes – maybe even here and there on scarves.  But that’s for next year’s Fair.  My brain is already full of ideas for *this* year.

And in two weeks, I’ll be back up on Salt Spring Island with Jane Stafford.  The summer is rushing by.  What are you all doing to keep up with it?

Posted in Sewing, Weaving | 4 Comments

Back to Basics

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Diane

When I was young, I did all kinds of needlework – hardanger, cross stitch, embroidery, blackwork, needle tatting and even bobbin lace.  Crochet also happened, but I was very much “all thread, all the time.”  It all fell by the wayside once I discovered knitting and weaving, but the process of making my own clothes has gotten me thinking about ways to embellish the finished garments and really make them mine.  So here I am, needle in hand, relearning all those stitches.

Traditional embroidery can be very fiddly and unforgiving – that precision and attention to detail may well be one of the reasons why I left it behind; I like being able to be more free-form and spontaneous when making things but I just didn’t know how to go about that on my own.  Fortunately, there’s a new book out called Rebecca Ringquist’s New Embroidery Workshops.   You may recognize the name because of her Dropcloth Samplers.  They’re hand-drawn samplers that encourage doodling with yarn and, once I saw one, I knew it was the thing I’d been after.  It’s the Modern Art of needlework.

Each section of the circle is divided into a particular stitch.  I started with the simplest stitch of all, Running Stitch.

If you’ve basted something together, you’ve done it – it’s just up and down, up and down, up and down.  The sampler nudges you into using different stitch lengths as well as yarn weights; turns out my thrums are great for this – particularly the silk!  Not to mention, of course, my well-aged stash of DMC cotton embroidery yarns.  Who knew I’d need these again?

The goal of working through the book and sampler is to get comfortable with the stitches, how to use them together and relearn working with color and embroidery.  All good tools for putting my stamp on what I make.

Anyway, if I don’t finish the sampler beforehand, it’ll come along to spindle camp next week.  I’ve got five whole days with no internet, no cell and lots of creative people.  Doing some needlework along with spinning and relaxing sounds like just the ticket.

Posted in Miscellaneous, Sewing | Comments Off on Back to Basics