Karahana - Nearing it's end

 Over the weekend, I continued stitching Karahana. I spent all day Saturday on the turnovers.

On Sunday, I considered continuing the turnovers but decided I've suffered enough for one weekend. Instead I worked on the leaves.

These went by super fast, as I really enjoy the woven effect stitch. The final touch is a couched outline. I still need to plunge the ends, but I want to do it after the stem is in to get it just right. 

Here's what's left on my to do list:

• trefoil stems, I'm still trying to decide if I will do them in #1 gold or #1 twist
• outline the bottom leaf
• stitch and outline the other two leaves
• outline the stem
• stitch the petals - add spacing and couch round and round
• stitch the turnovers - add spacing, pad, couch to and fro
• remove spacing and clean up

As I'm so close to a finish, I'll be taking it for a visit to the framer on Saturday. It's always best to do this while the piece is stretched out. While I'm there, I will have them cut the mat board to the correct size and take it home. That way as soon as the stitching is done, and I go through the finishing process, I can stretch it on the mat board. I'm quite optimistic that my frame will be free in time to put the next piece on for class.

May TUSAL

I though my TUSAL jar was going to be very empty last month as not much stitching was happening. But thanks to the long weekend it's not that bad.

Karahana is moving along. The padding is all done for the petal turnovers. No idea how, but I was able to get it all done in one sitting. I have the sore fingers to show for it. It's time to get cracking and get it done so I can free up that frame. Just to make sure I don't forget, our kits for the June class arrived. 

I do have a backup plan. Our woodworker was able to ship me a brand new Japanese frame and I received it at the same time as the kits. I actually got two: a standard 29" and a 39" for future, bigger, projects. I really love his frames and I wanted to make sure I had a collection before he retired.

Karahana Progress

I've been steadily working through all the petals on Karahana. This weekend I started the last one and am happy to say it's done.

Now that I've gone 'round and round', it's time to go 'to and fro' on the turnovers. First, I need to put in all the padding. Tedious work, so I will have to find something to motivate me. Maybe pull out my beading piece Calm Flow? It's been a month since I've worked on it and it's so close to being completed.

If we look back at my to do list, I'm able to check off one item:

• trefoil stems, I'm still trying to decide if I will do them in #1 gold or #1 twist
• outline the bottom leaf
• stitch and outline the other two leaves
• outline the stem
• stitch the petals - add spacing and couch round and round
• stitch the turnovers - add spacing, pad, couch to and fro
• remove spacing and clean up

April TUSAL

 

Had lots done last month, so my TUSAL jar has lots of color. Mainly orange from all the work on Karahana. Sadly, except for stitching on the weekend I've been neglecting my stitching. Luckily, Karahana doesn't require a lot of thinking, just lots of mindless couching. I'm currently on the fourth petal.

I do have a finish from last month that I need to share, but I still have to write the post. I'm hoping I'll have more energy (and interest) once we finish Ramadan. Only 7 days left!

Karahana - Lesson 3

Last Saturday we had our final lesson on Karahana. We had two elements left to cover on this piece. 

The first one is the leaves, there are three total, which are stitched using the woven effect. This isn't a new technique for me as I covered it in Hiogi. It's done in four steps, but instead of silks we used a twisted metal thread.

It looked ok at the beginning but at some point it started looking funny and I wasn't sure it would look good at all.

Thankfully by the time all the steps are done it looks really nice. I still need to outline it in metal thread. That will help hide any imperfections in the shape.

The second and last thing we covered is the single thread "to and fro" technique to complete the petal turnover. This technique is very similar to a basket weave, with some slight differences. Instead of a pair of metal threads, we are using a single strand. We're also going back and forth, turning at the edges instead of ending the threads.

It was really hard getting that first line straight, so I put in a temporary guideline to help me eyeball it.

Another difference from the traditional basket weave is we don't alternate where the thread is couched down after every row. Instead, we're forming rows of 6mm before we change where we couch.

So after four weeks here is where my piece stands. My homework: finish this piece by June. The reason for this is that I have a class scheduled in June and I need the frame. I could buy another frame but I'm not sure our woodworker will be able to get it ready before then. So finish it I must.

Here's my to do list:

• trefoil stems, I'm still trying to decide if I will do them in #1 gold or #1 twist
• outline the bottom leaf
• stitch and outline the other two leaves
• outline the stem
• stitch the petals - add spacing and couch round and round
• stitch the turnovers - add spacing, pad, couch to and fro
• remove spacing

To throw an added complication, Ramadan started yesterday. If you'll remember I didn't do too well on the stitching side last year. So I'll take it by ear and see what happens.

Karahan - First Petal

I took the day off on Good Friday to extend the long weekend and meet with my Japanese embroidery group. We meet once a month, but there is a smaller group that meets on Fridays and I really wanted to work stitching that first petal.

This petal is the largest of the bunch and needs to get stitched first as we always work from foreground to background. Before starting thought, I put in a thin karayori thread to help maintain the empty space. It's the little purple thread that's sticking out.

Spacing isn't the only important thing in this piece, curves and edges are very important as well. The sharp edges, when stitched correctly and maintained throughout, will give a lovely "vein" to the petal.

It takes a while for it to come out, but after about six rounds it starts showing up. The picture below is my progress from Friday. 

One of my objectives for the long weekend was to complete this petal by Monday, so I continued working on it on Saturday. This was supposed to be a few days work, but I got so into the flow of things that I just kept going. Every time I wanted to stop, I'd look at what was left and just keep going.

Until it was all done. Just to give you an idea, that petal took around 14 hours of stitching. I deeply regret doing it in two days, it's too much goldwork for the eyes. At the same time, the big hurdle is over and the rest of the petals should go a little quicker.

Looking at the list of items to do before class on Saturday, I have the important stuff done. I could work on the stems for the trefoils as I picked up the missing threads. On the other hand, I need a break from this piece so maybe I won't. If I do work on it this week, it would be to put in the karayori thread to prep the petals on either side of the one I just completed.

• Complete padding the turnover - Done
• Put in the karayori spacing between the turnover and the petal - Done
• Start and complete the first petal. Once I start, I have to commit and complete it as we need the #4 gold for lesson 3 - Done
• Stems for the trefoils elements. I need to pick up some twisted gold for this - threads were picked up
• Extra: if the first petal is completed and I have time, stitch the curled stem that is next to it

I received a question on my last post from an Unknown commenter, asking where I purchase the patterns and pieces. All the Japanese Embroidery I've worked on so far are phase pieces and can be purchased from the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta. Keep in mind tuition is not included when you buy a kit. If there is interest, I can do a separate post to explain how it works for a student starting up.

Karahana - Lesson 2

 Last weekend, we had lesson 2 on Karahana. We mainly covered how to stitch the petal turnovers. 

The turnovers are outlined with two rows of a pair of metal threads. The inside is stitched in a technique called "to and fro", very similar to basket weave in English goldwork. Before we can get to the stitching, we have to put in padding.

Cotton padding is used and then these are wrapped very tightly. I used gold cotton sewing thread, the same stuff we use in English goldwork, as it'll give me a more rigid line.

The one petal turnover took all day. The padding is very tedious but it must be done. I'll have four more to look forward to in the future. For now though, I'll need to stitch the first petal. We covered other parts of the piece but didn't get the chance to stitch anything. So much is dependent on getting that first petal done.

For next class, I need to:

• Complete padding the turnover - Done
• Put in the karayori spacing between the turnover and the petal
• Start and complete the first petal. Once I start, I have to commit and complete it as we need the #4 gold for lesson 3
• Stems for the trefoils elements. I need to pick up some twisted gold for this
• Extra: if the first petal is completed and I have time, stitch the curled stem that is next to it

Homework Update

For the past week, I've been working like a mad woman on homework. I've made good progress on Calm Flow. The phase 1 group has finished their class, I still have 6 hours of class time with my teacher that I can schedule any time over the next month. There are only two techniques to cover in this piece so I'm not sure what else could be discussed. Right now I'm concentrating on putting in the couched lines. I'll put in all the filling beads at the end.

At this point, the lower half is "done" and I'm working on putting in the lines for the upper area. After that it will be bead, bead, bead.

As I am so busy with Calm Flow, I was only able to work one day on the homework for Karahana. Still made good progress. The six center elements are all done and outlined.

I made my karayori thread ahead of time so it would be ready for stitching. This is the type of thing I can do during the week when I'm not up to stitching. They need time to set, so I wound them around empty spools. I'm so happy I never threw out those Kreinik spools. You can pop out both ends, which means I can wrap my karayori and never cross the thread.

The karayori thread is used to set the space in this piece. Spacing is very important to the overall look of the piece. The thread is couched around the center elements, and between each petal. They will be removed later on, once the petals themselves have been stitched.

I had some time leftover and spent it on the little trefoil elements. My aim for this week is to complete them before the next class on Saturday.

Here's the current state of my homework:

1. Pad and cover the six center elements in #1 gold, and outline it with #3 gold - Done
2. Pad and cover the trefoil elements in #1 gold, and outline them with #3 gold - this is more a nice to have as it doesn't interfere with the next lesson - Almost
3. Make karayori and stitch it around the center elements. This is to conserve the spacing between the center and the petals - Done
4. Put in the padding for the bottom petal turnover - On hold, it was decided we need to put the outline first

Karahana - Lesson 1

This year is the year of online classes. We were very lucky that our Japanese embroidery teacher is willing to teach over zoom, so we were able to reschedule our cancelled workshop. Originally, we were set to start phase 4 in April 2020, but with COVID it was reschedule for fall and then to April 2021. With the current situation holding a class in person is still not possible, so we've decided to move online. In the end, I think this was a better option. Instead of holding classes over four (exhausting) days, we will have 3 hour sessions every two weeks with homework assigned.

Phase 4 is the goldwork modules of the curriculum and I've been looking forward to it for years. There are a few pieces available at this phase, but I went with Karahana which is purely goldwork. It's such an elegant piece, especially on the black.

In lesson one, we covered padding with padding cotton. This technique is used on the center and the trefoil elements. We also discussed a second padding technique but we didn't have time to try it.

Not much gets done in 3 hours, but we finished the day with a list of items we had to complete before the next class.

As we were meeting in the morning (eastern time, we also had a group from St John's who joined us), that gave me the rest of the day to get ahead.

So before next class, I need to:

1. Pad and cover the six center elements in #1 gold, and outline it with #3 gold
2. Pad and cover the trefoil elements in #1 gold, and outline them with #3 gold - this is more a nice to have as it doesn't interfere with the next lesson
3. Make karayori and stitch it around the center elements. This is to conserve the spacing between the center and the petals
4. Put in the padding for the bottom petal turnover