A new starting

Starting on my piece for next year's Stretching Art challenge, called Under Scrutiny.

I am in need of doing something that doesn't take all my energy. So, I thought I would do another Sew Large piece like this one.

H46in x W31in (117cm x 79cm)

I used slivers of fabric to recreate the image of the needle.

“Sew Large” - A closer look at one of the tools of my trade.

A simple hand embroidery needle stuck into a piece of cotton
covered with additional trial samples of cloth.

Any number of these can be found here and there around my studio.

The Stretching Art piece needs to be smaller, and part of the stretching is to try something challenging. So, I thought about using bobbin stitch  - where you work from the back using a larger thread in the bobbin.

Here is a trial (at the top above my order of sequins which came yesterday. Not to be used on this work, just taking one photo for both things!). I adjusted the stitch length and tensions using this thread I already had wound onto a bobbin.

I think it works like I wanted it to. Next step, create the quilt sandwich and figure out where to stitch.

Beads and sequins

I had run out of beads for the 'other bead project'. I was using a frosted (which I was calling matt, because they weren't shiny) black size 8 bead for the front. Then, as I realised I was nearing the last of them, thought I would use other black ones.
But the shiny black beads just didn't sit well with the others as the topic was about the abducted Nigerian women. So, I went with size 11 frosted black. But as time went on for those, I realised they weren't covering enough of the fabric or making enough of an impact on the jungle fabric.

The dress before I started adding beads.

The bead vendor I usually buy from at the Festival of Quilts, wasn't there this year. I thought I would be able to visit a few of them at the Knitting and Stitching show. But I realised I was just not well enough to go into London last week. I don't generally order online, but I realised it was the better option anyway...a savings, if you like, because I wouldn't be paying the entry fee nor nearly £25 for the train!

So. I pushed the button on Friday and ordered. One lot from Totally Beads came today. And I am expecting some more thread from another vendor.

Now I can catch up the other bead project. Something I can do in the evening when I have run out of energy for other things.

Speaking of beads...
I suspected I had not quite got the numbers right on the day/date of the daily beads. And especially as I have been posting the recent set from catching up for a few weeks, I realise I am out by about a week.
So, I have gone through to see what is wrong. Oh... in May, I posted only 24! Ok. No worries. I can get the little box with the May beads and matching with the screen, see which ones I hadn't taken photos of.

not as hard as I thought it might be because these were done with the grey fabric and I could match up the dots!
a bit of editing to adjust the numbers - ok alot - but as that is about as much as I can cope with at the moment. (adjusting to medicines)

70,273 project x's 148-157

More red x's for the 70,273 project.

x148

x149

x150

I have enough, now, for the 50 to commemorate my brother who lived about 25 more years after a rare kidney disease and a subsequent transplant. (on top of those I did in memory of my MIL.)

No, you don't have to do 1 for every year of a life in memory of someone as you commemorate of one of those murdered in the programme at the beginning of the Nazi regime. But I like stitching them when I have moments. And I also like goals. So, that is what I am choosing to do.

Now I am beginning some in honour of another family member.

x151

x152

x153

x154

x155

x156

x157

70,273 project x's 96-101

More red x's for the 70,273 project.

x96

x97

x98

x99

x100

x101

Still working on the red x's as and when. The blocks got a bit mixed up after I showed them at the TVCT group, so I grouped them by tens, putting like with like.

I wanted to send 96 to Jeanne in memory of my Mother-in-Law who died recently, aged 96. So, I selected 9 lots of 10, and then made up the above blocks in small sequins to equal the 96. And then, just because, I will put 4 of the others in the parcel anyway! ...because 100...

And now I am working on the next set which will be 50 in memory of my brother who died in 2015. You don't have to do it this way, but I like goals.

back to my own work

After hours of sewing on beads and sequins that were falling and kept falling off of the wedding gown (no.1), I finally got it finished. And today it was collected. Much falling in love with it all over again on her part.
Much joy to see the back of it on my part!

I don't know why I struggled with this. The alterations I had to do were simple, but the threads holding the beading were worn from being a shop model. This added to the complication that they had run the threads along for sometimes 3 or 4 inches under the surface of the lace with out a stop stitch. So, when a sequin had caught in the lace, the weight of the gown would pull the threads. Areas were puckered when she first brought it. and with all the pulling, something had to give! so the thread did ...
and then the sequins and beads slowly came unsewn. Being me, I couldn't just let broken threads hang off, completely unbeaded motifs remain amongst partially beaded ones. And the thought of it still shedding them as she went down the isle! I think I did major repairs on almost all the motifs!


Anyway, after a nap, I thought I would read a book. But my gown won out. And so I have spent a joyful afternoon sewing pearls on the gown (yes! for some reason it was totally different!)and listening to the cricket! And it was more like a summer day today, which probably helped.

I have already got halfway down the front as well!

I will be working on wedding gown no.2 next week. (My closest friend's daughter) My friend has been doing the unpicking, and there are no beads/sequins. Hurrah!
But somehow I think this one will be more joyful. I think I would rather (if I need to do alterations.) do them as a gift than even for reduced rates for friend's daughters.

But I think, judging from this, that I enjoy making my own designs and seeing them come together under my fingers.

Here is a photo of the lining at the point where all the seams come together in one spot.

You can see there is an inset seam to deal with on front and back, too! But love the putting together of the puzzle. I wouldn't probably do it on a quilt, but a gown...yes.

oh...orange sequins

So this month the daily bead has been using orange sequins for the little bits in the centre of the 'booklet pages'. I didn't have a great deal of these but I thought I had enough for the month.

Oh, but only enough for 4 more days.

So, what to do?
I didn't think any of the options in my sequins case would work. Either too red or too big or too something else.
So, I looked at sequins online. Well. not too expensive. One place online said around £1 for a pack of 250 or so. But I don't normally use orange - at all. So, just for 6 x 12 sequins...not worth it. Especially as they need you to buy at least £5 worth of goods. Okay, I can easily buy £5 worth of sequins! But at the moment, I do not need to start building up my sequin collection! I might buy a pack of orange sequins at some future date at a show if I see them.

New thought, what about punching holes in an orange bag?

Orange bag with holes

holes punched

oh...just a bit too big.

so stack them on a needle to trim them.

but when separated, they still were just a bit too 'not right'. (Besides having jagged edges!)
So, a bit more digging. probably a gold one is nearer.

I have settled on the lighter gold ones to the left. The photo seems to show the ones to the right look closer, but in real life, the others are closer and not as thick.

So, if I have done my sums right, I will combine the light gold sequins and the rest of the orange ones. I think I can do one orange one on every 'page spread'.

Watch this space for next Sunday to see if it worked.

But I haven't thrown away the punched holes. You never know...
and the mind races furiously into the future with ideas for using holes punched from plastic bags! I will get a sharper punch though!

trials for beading the sleeve hem

So, the beads.

Here are a few of the trials for attaching and embellishing the flower motifs on the sleeve hems.

And the one I settled on.

One sleeve done.

Only 2 more to do on the other sleeve, but it is bedtime. (Yeah, I almost typed beadtime!)


All of the first four attempts were done on a scrap motif... and of course I unpicked and started again each time.

So, when it came to having a think about the scattered embellishments on the garment, I got wise and decided to just poke some bead needles into the stacks, see what they looked like and so on. It was a lot easier to change! and this is what I think I will settle on.

Sitting beading and listening to the tennis...not on the telly, I wouldn't get anything done!

Sky Princess sleeves

Well, the "sun on the edge of the clouds cuffs" are just pinned at present and it all needs a bit of a press. But the cuffs may also get a few of their own beads.

If life doesn't continue to conspire against me, I should get them attached tomorrow.

NOT a good idea

Not a good idea to use sequined and beaded fabric for a background...You spend more time taking beads and sequins OFF than you would to put them ON! And then you get more fall off than you want, and have to put them back on...

So, I am doing facings for this because you just can't put a border on space...
and the scrap of lining is just the right colour.
But because I was fed up of removing beads, still broke 3 needles even though I sewed the facing on carefully.

I hope to finish this tomorrow. I am liking the look, though. Well that's a good thing! LOL

Midnight Dance by Moonlight - detail

Seeing that I haven't worked any more on the jeans from the workshop last week, I thought I would post some close-ups of the Bernina Garment. Some of you have asked for a bit more detail. Some of the details were hard to photograph since the light shone off all the sparkley bits.

Coat collar and star sequins - these are sharp! the coat is very heavy and when I tried to lift it up to Mademoiselle's shoulders I kept getting stabbed!
(Mademoiselle is the thin dummy's name; she is adjusted to suit the Bernina model shape. Curvy, thin, and tall...the other is M'Lady; she is adjusted for me and we won't go any further with that description!)Beaded tassels at ends of release darts.
Darts covered by line of blue bugle beads whipped with silver beads.
Beaded stars on "Shoon" moonbeam edged with silver metalic cord whipped with blue bugle beads. Some detail of the paterning for the beaded moonbeams.
Detail showing two of the beaded moonbeam patterns on the lower part of the coat.
Even closer detail of one of the six beaded moonbeams. I used the diamond pattern of the coat to guide me with the pattern. I only used one or two beads or sequins in more than one pattern.
Fuzzy view of one of the foiled moons on the skirt. I used circles of Misty Fuse which I fused to the skirt and then foiled with holographic silver foil.

Close-up of the front jacket where the man and lady sides met. The lady's bodice was done with another fused technique, stitched and then zapped with a heat gun and embellished with sequins and beads. The vintage brooch at the waist was a charity shop find. I knew it needed something so I went out on a mission and found just the right thing!!Detail of the boa before I overlocked the edges with royal blue thread from Sulky.