Dawn to Dusk - New Start

If you follow Fiber Talk, you'll know they're doing a SAL right now. They are stitching Karen Dudzinski's Dawn to Dusk. It's a counted canvas design that I happened to have in my stash, having purchased it after seeing the stitched piece in person back in 2017. The design is available in multiple colorways, but the one I really loved is the cream and gold desert sands on black canvas.

It didn't take much to convince me to pull it out, I just needed something to stretch the canvas on. I didn't want to purchase a set of embroidery stretcher bars as I don't really use them very often. Instead, I visited my local art supply shop and got a pair from there. They're also called stretcher bars, but they are used by artists to stretch their own canvases. A little thicker than I need but that's okay.

I've been working on the piece for the last few days and made some good progress on stitching the eight pointed stars. I have one more row to go. I like to do things in order and so it will take me a bit longer to get to the fun stuff which is filling in the stars. So far I'm loving the geometric shapes. It has a middle eastern feel to it, which is also why I went with the colorway I picked. It reminds me of the seashell boxes made in the middle east. 

(click on the post to see the animation below)

I've also been using this piece to practice stitching two handed. It's a great technique to practice on as the canvas holes are very big and the needle is also much bigger than usual. My aim is getting better, I just wish the needle was a little shorter. I've gotten so used to the smaller needles, it's been a while since I've stitched with a no 22.

Fiber Talk Podcast

No embroidery update from me this week. My friend recently bought a chalet in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region (5 hour drive) and invited me for the weekend. We had really nice weather and went blueberry picking. The area is known for their delicious blueberries.

While I was there, I also taped a podcast with Fiber Talk where I shared some of the projects I've stitched over the years. If you've never heard of Fiber Talk, I definitely recommend you check them out. Hosted by Gary Parr and Beth Ellicott, it initially started as a podcast and now it also includes video chats on YouTube. They do three podcasts a week; one is an interview with a fiber artist/teacher/designer, the second is a mid-week chat and the third is a live show on Friday where they invite stitchers to showcase their work. 

I was recommended by a follower on my blog. So I just want to say, thank you! I write this blog as a personal journal of my stitching journey, but I'm always happy to know that someone out there finds my writing useful.

Struggling with Superimposed Stitches

It took me longer than I expected. Things kept coming up on the weekend and I didn't want to share another update of just a pink area. In my last post I mentioned that the next step was tying down the foundation. The process involves putting in short holding stitches across the foundation using a 1/2 twist (couching thread) of the same color as the foundation. A different color can be used for effect, but this is not necessary for my cloud.

Normally, I would have stitched the superimposed cherry blossoms first and then put in holding stitches on the leftover open areas. However, as I've been having a hard time with the flowers I decided to do this step first. It will help keep my foundation in place and prevent it from shifting while I stitch. In the picture below, my finger points to where I stopped for the day. The area on the left has been held down and you can see that it looks smoother than the right.

Here is a before and after picture.

The next step is putting back the outline of the cherry blossoms. There is a number of ways to do this, here I am using the tracing paper method.

The elements are drawn on a piece of tracing paper, which is then held in place and the lines are stitched. You can use Japanese back stitch but here I am using the line of held thread technique as it gives me a nicer curve.

Once all the elements are transferred, I removed the tracing paper.

Here you can see all 5 cherry blossoms.

Here is where I was back to struggling. No matter what I did I couldn't stitch a petal I was happy with. I'm so used to seeing images of beautifully stitched round petals and no matter what I did, I couldn't recreate that. This weekend, I had a nice chat with my mentor on superimposed stitches and we looked at examples together. It turns out I was looking at this all wrong, jagged edges ARE okay. The smooth lines will come when you look at the piece from a distance. We are so used to having our noses almost pressed up to our stitching that we forget to take a step back and really look at what we've done. Once I got that in my head, I was able to get one petal stitched.

That was one hell of a pep talk, because look, I managed to stitch one whole flower! I'm so proud (and relieved).

So there will be three red flowers and two that will be silver. I originally wanted to do them in red and white silk, but the instructions ask they be done in silver and gold. Since I ditched the gold, I figured I will compromise and use the silver so I don't get in trouble if I submit my piece for review one day. 

By the way, ignore that silver petal. I was thinking about my progress the day after and was puzzled about the color of that petal. Why was it yellowish? Shouldn't it be closer to white? I took another look at the pictures I took and quickly realized that I used the wrong #1 silver. I used the twisted metal thread instead of the regular one. No harm done as it's only one petal, but I'm glad I caught it.

July TUSAL

Despite my lack of update, I'm still here and stitching. I keep hoping to have some progress to share on Hiogi but I'm still having trouble with those cherry blossoms. The weather has also been nice on weekends so we've been taking advantage of that and going out for day trips. We're being safe and going to places where there are no crowds.

During the weekdays, I try to put in an hour or two after work on Bramble and the Rose. It's really paying off. Maybe it won't take me another 7 years to finish. If anything good comes out of COVID, it will be this piece being finally completed.

Midnight Meander - Finished

I'm back at work after a week and half off. Since we're all working from home and there is no clear separation between home and workplace, it was great to disconnect for a long period and forget about work. I made very good use of my time, one of my goals was to complete Midnight Meander.

(click on the post to see the animation below)

I only had the stems and leaves left to do so I made quick work of them. I even made a video demonstrating how to couch lines of beads using two needles for those who are interested. I received some questions on Instagram and figured a demonstration would be clearer than explaining by text.

(click on the post to see the video below)

I don't normally remember to sign my finished embroidery, but I did this time. It's very tiny and in black, but it's there.

It took me a long time to attempt this piece but I'm glad I waited. Between Japanese embroidery and beading I had the skills to give this piece justice. If I have one regret, it's that I didn't consider changing the colors. The gray palette gives it an elegant look but it would have looked beautiful in other colors.

I've already decided I don't want to frame it. In Hazel's book, this piece is made into a cushion and mounted into a silver candy bowl. I'm not sure I want to do that. Instead, I think I want to mount it on a box top. It would look nice in the living room and instead of it being set in a candy bowl, we can put candy in it ;)

June TUSAL

I did promise to do better in this month's TUSAL to compensate for May. There's a lot of cut fabric in the jar, I've started making the Elizabeth trunk. Still trying to figure out some things but I keep getting distracted...

Major Milestone

A short post, but I just want to celebrate the fact that I'm almost half-way through Bramble and the Rose. *Cue fireworks*

I'm not quite at the half-way mark, but what's a few or 50 stitches when you're looking at the bigger picture. 

I was looking at my records and I started this piece the day before I flew out to South Korea on April 19, 2013. Since then it's been all over the place with me, if I traveled anywhere I packed it to go with me. The only time I worked on it when I wasn't travelling was New Year's eve. It took me 7 years to get to this point but that's okay. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

Speaking of sprints, I think Midnight Meander will get finished very quickly. I worked on it for a few hours on Sunday and progress on the stems were going pretty fast. I just need a good few days to just sit and stitch, and it will be done in no time. 

Isn't it great timing that I will be on vacation starting tomorrow? I will be off for a week and a half, chances are I will not post an update next week as I will be avoiding my computer. I will be posting on my Instagram account, so you can follow me there.