Friday, October 25, 2013

AFTER WILLIAM MORRIS!

At long last both of my William's are finished & mounted!
I needed to make a background to mount them on which used both background colours, so I painted a canvas with them using an archanthus leaf (typical of Morris) to tie them together.
Hopefully it will be accepted for the Embroiderers' Guild biennial exhibition this year.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

MORE AEMILIA ARS LACE

This flower was a "freebie" from the Italian site of Aemilia Ars of Antonilla Cantelli as a gift to viewers for last Christmas. I enlarged the lower layer & used a darker shade of mauve. The top layer is the original size. Lots of picots here! Good practice!
I love this lace & will do more in the near future.
I am teaching myself this technique from Italian books. I don't speak the language but the diagrams & photos are clear enough to follow.

Friday, August 2, 2013


AEMILIA ARS LACE (ITALIAN NEEDLE LACE)

For some time now I have been teaching myself Aemilia Ars needle lace from Italian books on the subject. It originated in Aemilia in Italy hence its name. I happen to love it. The technique for doing it is quite different from other needle lace & it takes quite a long time to do.
Here you see the completed doily plus a close-up.
I hope to do much more of it now that I am more used to the technique.
I have other pieces which I did earlier which I will post here later. Keep watching.

Monday, July 22, 2013

FISH PICTURE

Here is a photo of a partially stitched picture which when completed, will hang in my newly renovated bathroom. It is a circular design with another fish curved above this one. I took it from an image I found on the net. Watch this space for the completed work!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

 TOADSTOOL HOUSE PINCUSHION

I spotted a pattern for this pincushion in Australian,"Embroidery & Cross stitch" Vol 20 no 8, which was designed by Helen Dafter.
I don't usually do a lot of other designers' work, but this appealed to me so here is my take on it with one or two alterations to the design. Helen used silk ribbon which I did not have in my stash so I used DMC thread instead. I made a curved door instead of a rectangular one, & added a curved window beside the door &  doorbell.
 The left side showing the wisteria vine of beads.
 Right side showing the curved window & doorbell.
Slightly off centre showing a bit more of the vine & garden with stepping stones.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

 AN ELIZABETHAN DRESS-FORM PINCUSHION

I started embroidering this before the earthquakes 2 1/2 years ago! Now that winter is here I thought now would be a good time to get it out & finish it. Being a retired dress designer/maker the dress-form shape appealed to me. I designed the embroidered patterns which are worked in hand dyed cotton threads on a fine linen. The technique is Elizabethan which I love.
My next project is stylized fish in on a silk background for my bathroom with hopefully a seahorse to follow.
 How lovely to be this flat - back & front!
 And this small!
Dream on!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

 STUMPWORK PEACOCK

I worked this peacock quite a while ago before our awful quakes & quite forgot to post it here! I did it in the Stumpwork tecnique but it does not show to advantage here. Used DMC rayon threads plus metallic threads to simulate the shimmer on the peacock's feathers.
 Flowers are also raised like the peacock's body. Each petal worked then applied to the background fabric.
 The tail.
The body & crest on the head.

Friday, March 29, 2013

All five cushions now in situ!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

FINAL CUSHION!

This is the final cushion in the series of five for my bed.
Cream on cream with a touch of gold & pearls.
I used Pearl 8 & 12, stranded cotton & rayon.
Stitches used were, Heavy Chain, Reverse Chain, Trellis, Herringbone, Spider web, Buttonhole & Needlelace stitches.
Now I have to sew them up & place them in situ!
I very much enjoyed doing this piece. The design was one I found on the net, which I have made a few minor changes to plus of course the embroidery itself.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

 ANOTHER DRAGONFLY CUSHION!

This is cushion number 4 for the assortment on my bed. Hand dyed threads used with needle lace stitches & embellished with beads. Well on the way now with cushion number 5.
Watch this space!
Close-up of one corner of the work.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

ANOTHER CUSHION!

This is another one for my bed. I took the design from a quilting pattern & worked it as an embroidered piece. I used various hand dyed threads in varying thicknesses, dull & shiny, thick & thin to create texture. Then added the beads, pearls & sequins for a bit of bling.
This is a close-up of one corner of the embroidery.
As you can see I have used needle-lace for some of the fillings. This is a progression from the cream & gold cushion worked in my previous post.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

CREWEL WITH A TWIST!

This is a cushion I created from a pattern from the book called, "Crewel Twists", by Hazel Blomkamp.
I love cream & gold! It always looks very rich.
The cushion was made to compliment my brass bedhead in the same colours.
The stitches used are different from the usual crewel stitches hence the 'twist'. There are various threads used, some dull, some shiny  trimmed with twisted bugles, gold &  cream beads.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

DRAGONFLY CUSHION

Well after a bit of another spell in hospital I am now back stitching again!
This is a beaded dragonfly cushion which I made to tone in with my new duvet set for my bedroom.
I have used a touch of couched goldwork, beads, pearls, sequins of varying shapes, plus 2 Swarovski chrytals for the eyes.
I saw the idea in a catalogue for soft furnishings which sparked off the idea, & my mind went into overdrive!
Let me know what you think.