Crewel Embroidery Stitching Progress 1

 

Here is the drawing.

 

And here is the first progress report. Working with the wool thread is so different than embroidery floss. I'm having fun learning the nuances of the wool and playing with new stitches and stitch combinations.

Why I Not Stitching As Much

 

The last two months of weather in Indiana have been beautiful.

So I have been spending more time in the garden than stitching.

I put the space above in order last fall knowing I wanted to do something new and different. First I added a stream.

 

Naturally the old mailbox lid became a drawbridge.

 

Odds and ends from the recycle bin became the bones of the castle.

 

Then I mixed my first ever batch of Hypertufa.

 

And I had enough of the mixture to "pour foundations".

 

Stayed tuned to the next stage of "The World Of Possibilities".

Crewel Thoughts II

 

The design I shared in my last post has been tweaked just a little more. I decided the piece would be perfect over the mantel in the living room.

 

So I rearranged the composition, printed out a full size mock-up and taped it in place over the fireplace. The last adjustment before I transfer to fabric is to trim half an inch from the bottom and add it to the top. That way the motifs at the top are not cut off.

Crewel Thoughts

 

Since dyeing loads of crewel wool a rainbow of delicious colors I have been playing with what to stitch with them. This first drawing is right out of my notebook.

 

In Photoshop I clean and add to the image. 

 

Then I expand. But the people are out of place.

 

This might be the image I use.

Teaching at Hen and Chicks

 

Here is the storefront of 'Hen and Chicks' Studio in Conrad, IA.

Just got home from a delightful weekend of teaching, stitching and shopping.

 

An original metal grate stills graces the floor.

Beautiful! 

 

Here are some of the Angels being stitched over the weekend.

 

All kinds of stitches were taught.

 

I was so impressed with the quality of their satin stitches! It is an easy stitch to do, but it is hard to do well.

 

Heidi Kaisand is the creative energy behind the Hen and Chicks Studio.  We never have enough time to get all of our 'visiting' done.

We are already planning another embroidery weekend for 2013.

Hope you'll join us!

Crepe Paper Dolls

 

Jack and Jill

Crepe paper is a great doll material. 

Playing With Filters

 

What fun to change the look of an embroidery just using Photoshop filters.

Happy Easter

 

The bunny cake tradition continues this year with an applesauce spice cake and cream cheese/butter frosting.

Drawing Again

 

Last week was my first ever visit to New Orleans.

What a great city! The people were the most friendly I have ever met, the food was an extra few pounds I didn't need to gain, and the music in the street amazing. In order to really soak up a feel for the city I decided to try my hand at drawing again. 

The sketch above is the head of Andrew Jackson's horse. 

 

This is the only sketch that kinda, sorta catches a tiny note of the music scene.