This Sunday, I worked on the blue cloud called shippo. This one is covered with twisted silk. Very simple, but that small area eats up a lot of silk. I always twist at least 6 strands at a time, stitch until all of them are used and then repeat. With this cloud, I would sometimes be able to put in two stitches before the strand became too short to continue.
I can't remember how many strands I needed but I did finish an entire spool of thread. Each spool contains 60 meter of thread. So a lot of silk.
One side effect of dry skin (the curses of winter) and constant twisting, is that your palm starts to hurt. I couldn't figure out why my right hand palm hurt and was overly warm until I looked at them. Luckily, I had just twisted my last thread for the day and could take a break.
The last step on the cloud is putting in a lattice on the cloud. I think I might have been tired by this point, because straight off I could tell something was wrong but couldn't figure out why. There were too many lines.
It's only after emailing my group and taking a step back to think about it that I realized what the issue is. First off I wasn't doing the lattice the right way, I was putting it in the way the lattice was put on the wrapping paper from phase 1. They should be done the way the valerians are done. Second, the distance between lines is supposed to be 1.8 cm, I've put them in 0.8 cm apart. Lesson learned, never stitch when you're tired. Especially something as complex as Japanese embroidery.
So the goal this weekend is to get this fixed and finished. If there is still time, I'll continue the last cloud. This one has twisted thread, so I'll need to make sure to moisturize my hands this week so they're ready to work on Sunday.
I can't remember how many strands I needed but I did finish an entire spool of thread. Each spool contains 60 meter of thread. So a lot of silk.
One side effect of dry skin (the curses of winter) and constant twisting, is that your palm starts to hurt. I couldn't figure out why my right hand palm hurt and was overly warm until I looked at them. Luckily, I had just twisted my last thread for the day and could take a break.
The last step on the cloud is putting in a lattice on the cloud. I think I might have been tired by this point, because straight off I could tell something was wrong but couldn't figure out why. There were too many lines.
It's only after emailing my group and taking a step back to think about it that I realized what the issue is. First off I wasn't doing the lattice the right way, I was putting it in the way the lattice was put on the wrapping paper from phase 1. They should be done the way the valerians are done. Second, the distance between lines is supposed to be 1.8 cm, I've put them in 0.8 cm apart. Lesson learned, never stitch when you're tired. Especially something as complex as Japanese embroidery.
So the goal this weekend is to get this fixed and finished. If there is still time, I'll continue the last cloud. This one has twisted thread, so I'll need to make sure to moisturize my hands this week so they're ready to work on Sunday.
I've done a little twisting, and it doesn't take much for my palms to hurt. My sympathies - a whole spool would indeed be a lot to be doing!
ReplyDeleteNice tutorial of Japanese Embroidery. Its simply stunning and looks difficult too.
ReplyDeleteKristen from Embroidery Digitising Services
This does sound like intense work! I’m amazed at how long these stitches are, I’d be so worried about my tension the whole time. I hope this weekend is productive for you.
ReplyDeleteThat cloud is pretty, but boy, did it eat a lot of thread! I hope your hand is doing better.
ReplyDeleteGoodness over 60 meters is a lot of twisting, wonderful embroidered result, not so for your hand.
ReplyDeleteThose special stitches look so hard
ReplyDelete