The Design in Question

One of the things I’ve been doing in this heat is reading out of print Victorian needlework books on my kindle — doing research for new crewel designs and new embroidery designs in general.

The other day i was happily bouncing through Ada Wentworth’s Jacobean Embroidery, its Forms and Fillings, Including Late Tudor, when I came across this description of a bed hanging or valance:

…measuring about 5ft. 8in. in length, and 1 ft. 8in. in width. Each leaf was about 22 in. long and 19 in. across.

I did a double-take. The length and depth of the work made sense to me, but the sheer size of each leaf amazed me. Crewel work today, even when “reproduction” work, is so much smaller in design? Can you imagine the detail and stitch variety available in just one of those leaves?

I’m going to need to reevaluate my understanding of this needlework genre. The largest leaf I have ever seen modernly is about 5 inches long – and that was considered huge. Working them so much larger, and in a heavier tapestry weight wool would make it much quicker to stitch a set of bed hangings than i have been imagining. I know the smaller designs existed as well – I’ve seen some of them. But my mind is still boggling from the idea of this scale… Maybe that shower curtain is in my future after all… I could use superwash sock yarn instead of crewel wool and it would be washable! …. hmmmm.

My finished projects:

• 18th century Pockets
• Dragon Banner – crewel stitches, cotton floss

To learn Crewel:

• 10 Tips to get good results from Crewelwork
• Small Jacobean Flower to stitch in Crewel
• My rant on Crewel kits

What we did was the following:

1. Find an iron on transfer or a line art/coloring design she liked from a clip art book.
2. Transfer it onto a piece of counted fabric. In this case, aida.
3. Now fill in the various areas with the stitch of your choice. In my friend’s case, I taught her long-armed cross stitch. You can also use tent stitch, cross stitch, satin stitch, or any other filling stitch, lacy or solid that you like. Or a variety of stitches.
4. Stitch over the outlines with stem or back stitch.
5. Voila! apparently counted work that wasn’t counted.

Note: I’m not sure how regularly I’ll be posting for the next few weeks. Our old lady cat is in home hospice care, in the last stages of thyroid disease AND renal failure, so I find myself watching her and worrying more than I ought to, perhaps.

In the meantime, I’ve been distracted a little bit from my model stitching (I’m having a grand time getting the new line ready – I’m planning on taking part in the Online Needlework show in October, so there’s a built-in deadline that reminds me that stitching isn’t goofing off any more – it’s actually work, no matter how much fun I’m having!) with a couple of projects.

I’ve got a project box that contains a pile of things I’ve started and never, for whatever reason, finished. In that is Tracy Horner’s Cirque des Cercles. When I take a break, I’m putting a few stitches into it here and there. Unfortunately, or not, I started it on black, in a variegated DMC color that isn’t made any more, so I’m HOPING that I have enough thread to finish it. I should – I bought out the store when I realized it was being discontinued! And if I’m one or so skeins short, they DO still sell it in the packages of all the variegated colors that they still sell, at least it wasn’t one of the completely discontinued ones! And I want to do the matching triangle design as well!

Artwork by Harry Clark - Studio, 78

Add to that my new obsession. You see, I’ve been researching Art Nouveau design for my next line of teaching patterns. And in one of the Dover books, I found this (click it for a larger view – it’s amazing!):

And me, being the obsessive I am, decided it HAD to be stitched. So I enlarged it – it’s now about 20X26 inches or so, and I’m in the process of tracing it off to simplify it for stitching. That’s one of the main keys to designing needlework – SIMPLIFY!! This piece in particular, is probably a bad idea, because of all the gorgeous pen and ink details. But when it comes to stitching, I’ve never been known to give up just because something’s a bad idea! (will I ever learn?)

So anyway. This is my new non-cross stitch project. It’s huge, it’s going to take forever, and I’ll try to keep you posted on the progress. I may need to set it aside for a while in the middle, too! I am thinking silk, beads, possibly sequins, and maybe even cotton and wool as well. It seems to scream for the overly baroque treatment!

So I’m stitching my models for the show (and having some of them stitched, again, if you’re interested in model stitching bellydancers or geometric pillow designs for me, send me an email and we’ll talk!). In my breaks, I’m putting a few stitches into my pile of half-started cross stitch projects, including designs by InkCircles, Indigo Rose, Teresa Wentzler and Miribilia (I don’t do anything that’s SIMPLE, do I?!)

Yes, I know I listed this three times, but it really is that important, especially if you are just learning. The inexpensive kits often have yarn that is inappropriate for the fabric or the size of the design, and sometimes just poor quality materials in general. This all adds up to a really frustrating experience. And stitching shouldn’t be frustrating over the long term (we all have our moments!), it should be relaxing!

When I look at my y embroidery collection, pieces I have that were made by my great-grandmother classify as heirloom in my mind – I never knew her, and they are all I have left. But most of them were intended to be used – and much to the horror of some of my friends, I have used them!

My mother was a graphic design major in school. Among my things I have several “kitschy” cocktail napkins that she stenciled, and a few that she hand-stitched. These are heirlooms to me, but probably wouldn’t be to others. They actually haven’t been used since i was a child – cocktail parties aren’t a thing in my group of friends, and I haven’t had a use for them.  I’d post photos, but they are living in a storage unit with my piano.  Soon I hope to have them home safe.

When we think of stitching an heirloom today, we often think of an elegant, framed piece for the wall. This is very well and good, but most of us only have so much wall space. I find, personally, that most of the heirlooms I cherish most are the things that weren’t made to be heirlooms – the things that were made to be used.

I cherish the black velvet dress my grandmother made me for Christmas in the 1st grade. I cherish (even as I use them) my great-grandmother’s table toppers, my mother’s napkins. The fisherman knit sweater Mom made herself that disappeared in college. (I took it with me to college after she died. Someone stole it soon after. I hope they were cold and it helped, but I doubt it.)

This has colored my view on heirloom gifts I give. I try to use materials appropriate for the item to be used – washables for tableware, high quality threads for wall art, things children can use and enjoy, knowing they will wear out but still be loved and remembered. I still have that little velvet dress – unfortunately, the rainbow dress from earlier the same year was worn into oblivion, but it still lives in my memory!

MY definition of heirloom?

“A tangible reminder of wonderful memories.”

Use the best and most appropriate materials you can — then send your work off to be loved and used. The pieces that survive truly are the heirlooms.

It has also renewed my interest in my little band sampler – I got it into my head to work all the stitch combinations in Carole Sample’s Crazy Quilt Stitches book in thread of some sort. Of course, choosing different thread and spacing can make the exact same stitch combination look completely and utterly different. Currently, though, I’m using what’s easy – the cottons in my “traveling” box with few, if any, beads or embellishments. I’m changing the weight of the thread by adjusting the number of strands, and I’m mostly only stitching each stitch combination once, in one color or thread-weight scheme. I may amend that as I go, but this is a DENSE book that will keep me busy for years as it is!

And then there are the historic works available online for free, like this book, which has nice, clear diagrams that “pop.”

Some of these techniques could be adapted to embellishing clothing – without the “crazy” element. Maybe that’s my next step… I do have this tunic in progress… and there’s that velvet choli top I need to finish so I have something to teach in….

Yeah. Rhys. I miss him.

Click to see the entire image in a larger format.

You see, what I mean is that the embroidery is finished, but the product isn’t. So.  Half-finished. You see, I hate prep work and “finishing” work with a passion. the prep work has to be done or I don’t get to stitch. but the finishing work — which entails either “real” sewing (and me terrified I’m going to ruin a piece I stitched and love) or more work similar to the prep work (for example, lacing to a board for framing),  or paying someone else to do these things is something I often don’t get around to doing. So, I have a box of unfinished finished objects in my studio that is getting close to overflowing, and none of my own work on the walls or chairs in my house.

Anyway, I noticed last week that the box was getting overly full, and something had to be done. So instead of tackling the main problem – the finishing work — I took photos of the work to share here over the course of the next few weeks. Yup. I’m still procrastinating about finishing them.

The first one is a piece that I did to hang in our bathroom, which is supposed to, in the long run, gain a Gothic Castle theme. There’s a shower curtain that is most definitely a UFO and will probably stay that way as well… I’m still considering whether to admit that I bit off more than I can chew with that one. I may go ahead and start a different one in a technique that’s more likely to actually get finished! LOL Click on the images for details.

Remember that I’m a horrible masochist when it comes to needlework. This is done in mostly satin and stem stitch… on cotton muslin, and measures about six or seven inches wide. When you look at the details — all of that satin stitch is done with one strand of DMC floss. I told you I was crazy…

This isn’t to say that it can’t be frustrating at times — when I miscount the same area of pattern 8 times — when I get 1/2 way through a sock only to realize my gauge is so off that it won’t fit my 12 year old godson, let alone the EO for whom it was intended!

If blogging can be considered a form of “talk therapy” (If I didn’t have y’all to babble at about my current projects I’d drive my non-shimmying-non-stitching friends and family absolutely batty! All right, I probably do that anyway (but it would be so much worse!), then needlework is a kind of meditation therapy, at least for me. I’m fond of the slow craft movement — I like the way it encourages us to slow down and enjoy the time we have. I feel the same way about the slow food movement — though I do tend to multi-task while I’m cooking!

I guess what I’m trying to say as I babble onto the keyboard here is — try taking some time while you are stitching or cooking, or walking the dog or shimmying or whatever you do, just to notice what and how you’re doing it — and to enjoy the process, not the finished product. You may find yourself a little awed at the little pieces of control that go into doing it — how your hand controls the needle and thread, how your body doesn’t fall over when the dog pulls on the leash because it instinctively balances the weight… Feel free to be in awe of yourself. We’re pretty amazing creatures, in the end.