Step 4

This week we’re going to finish the flower center. We’re now into the actual raised embroidery part of the piece. Much fun!I’m going to try something different with the images today. I’m adding them at the bottom of the post as a gallery – I’m getting really funky formatting otherwise. You can click them to enlarge them, and please post comments if you don’t like this arrangement and would rather have them in the steps. I’ll delve deeper into fixing the problems then!

1. Cut two circles out of your felt. The first one should be the size (and shape, because it’s not really a perfect circle) of the flower center. The second one should be a bit smaller. If you don’t want your flower center to be quite this raised, you can use just the larger piece of felt and leave out the smaller one. I like high relief.
2. Tack the smaller circle into the center of your flower first, and then cover it with the larger piece and tack that down around the edges as well. Putting the smaller piece down first means that you’ll have a smooth surface to stitch into later, instead of having to navigate “stairs.”
3. Cover the padding with french knots. Be careful not to pull the knots extremely tight in the center area of the circle. You want the padding to work as padding, and it’s easy to pull the felt down almost to the ground fabric, so that you lose the point of putting it there in the first place!
4. So that’s that! Next week we’ll get into the REALLY fun part — wired, detached petals and leaves!!!

The pillow in question

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have a phobia about REALLY finishing needlework. I’m working on it. But I’m always terrified (and it really is terror) that I’m going to ruin a piece of stitching that I’ve spent hours and hours working on. If it entails more than just lacing it to a back and sticking it in a frame, I freeze.

But I’m taking it gently. I have several pillow designs that I want to release this year. They’re going to include finishing instructions as well as the needlework design. (There, I said it!) So I’ve been trying to get myself to finish the pillows I have half finished around the studio so that I can do it.

I started with this candlewicking piece. I got the kit at a garage sale for about 25¢. The stitching was finished in about a week other than the three months I spent trying to find enough thread that matched for FOUR knots after I ran out. Candlewicking thread is NOT all the same. Ick. But I found it, finished the stitching three years ago and put it in my “Finished Objects to Finish box.” (As usual, click the photos to enlarge for more detail!)

The "scary" zipper... Not so scary after all!

Last week I dug out my Singer Sewing for the home book that my heart-sister the former interior stitcher recommended, teased the instructions out of three different areas in said book (not the best organized, but really good instruction!) and to paraphrase Nike, “just did it.” I’m pleased. I’m not completely happy with the zipper, which I wanted because we always have pets and cats like to bring up hairballs right where you don’t want them: In other words, the pillow cover NEEDS to be washable! But it’s more than serviceable. I’ve made a pillow form for the crazy quilted pillow I posted about ages ago, and now I just need to attack it with the black backing, black zipper and the same book. I figure by the time I get to the models, I’ll have enough stitched that I’m not QUITE so terrified any more.

The flower as it stands now

This was a difficult step for me. And it shouldn’t have been. The original plan was to stitch the petals in long and short stitch, but for some reason, whether it was an arthritic flareup, or the weather, or the particular embroidery floss I used, it didn’t stitch smoothly. I ripped it out three times before changing stitches and getting to this point!

Step 3

Fill in the larger petals.

1. Begin by extending the petal lines down to the flower center. You can draw these in, or just extend them when you outline them.
2. Using 2 strands of floss, outline the petals in either split stitch or backstitch. I used split stitch.
3. 

   Detail of the stitches - click for closeup

   Fill the petals in with one of the following options:

   • Using 1 or 2 strands of floss, use long and short stitch from the center of the flower out to the edges of the petals.
   • Using 3 strands of floss, fill the petals using Roumanian couching. This is what I did in the end. I came up at the center of the flower, brought the thread down over the split stitch border, and then couched it through the middle with one stitch. Mary Corbet of NeedleNThread.com has a very good video tutorial for Roumanian Couching stitch.  Fill in all the petals. I still need to finish the lower two, and then it’s on to the wired stumpwork!

The full dragon banner. Has tab hangers at the top.

FINALLY!

My godson/pseudo-nephew turned 13 yesterday. In honor of the event, I made a point of finishing his dragon banner – that he still doesn’t know he’s got, since he spent the weekend at his father’s. After I post this, I shall be delivering it to him.

Dragon Detail

Remember the banner? This has been a LONG year for me. While I finished the stitching back in the summer, I still have a phobia of ruining my embroidery during my attempts to really finish things. So it took me until this weekend, when, in a fit of  “I feel much better after a week of being sick, thankyouverymuch” energy, I just went and DID it.  I’m proud of the results. The EO says if the kid doesn’t like it, he’ll take it himself.

Click the images for more detail!

Edited 2/26/10 to add – Well, when he opened it he hugged it to his chest and went dancing around the room with it, so I guess it’s a success!

We’re both doing much better, thank you. And now for Step 2!

Supply Notes:

I was asked how much floral wire you need for this project. Eep. I haven’t measured yet. Floral wire comes either on spools or in packages of cut pieces. One of either will give you plenty of wire to do this project a couple of times over. About 1 1/2 to 2 yards will be more than enough.

I also neglected the small pieces of yellow felt you will need for the flower center. If you can match the color to the thread you’re planning on using, that’s even better.  2 pieces of felt, each large enough to cut the circle out of.  (I’ll edit the supply list with both these notes today as well.)

Step 2

Stem Stitch finished!

Note: When putting this into the hoop to start embroidering, I realized that my chosen fabric really wasn’t sturdy enough to support wire and padding on its own. If you even suspect this is the case, please get a second piece of muslin and when you put the embroidery in the frame, put the muslin onto the back of it to provide more support. I used a piece of polyester/linen blend that I had lying around that was the right size.

Again, you can click the pictures to see more detail of what happens to my stitching when I do it when sick!

And a slightly different angle and light source...

1. Once in the frame, use three strands of the green embroidery floss and stitch the stem in stem stitch. (Link goes to Sharon Boggin’s wonderful stitch dictionary!)
2. When you have stitched the main stem, use TWO strands of the green to stitch the tendril, also using stem stitch.

Note: Remember when stitching the stem stitch, that the tighter the curve you have to go around, the smaller your stitches need to become.

I’m going to start this today, and post the instructions as a stitch-a-long. You can stitch it with me, or wait for the end when I’ll post all the directions along with the crewel work instructions for the same design.

Supplies

1. Tightly woven fabric of your choice, 9X9 inches square.
2. DMC or silk embroidery floss in the following colors:
   • red
   • blue
   • green
   • yellow/gold
3. 6 inch embroidery hoop
4. 9X9 inch square of muslin
5. One package or spool of wrapped floral wire in 32 gauge. You’ll want white. That way if it shows, you can use a permanent pen to color it into the right color – I often use green for the leaves, but we’ll be wiring the smaller petals on this piece as well.
6. Embroidery needle – crewel or embroidery #9.
7. Tapestry needle – #26
8. OLD scissors or wire cutters to cut the wire Do NOT use your good embroidery scissors for this. Or even your not-so good ones!

Edited to add:

9. 2 small pieces of yellow felt to match your yellow floss – about 1 inch square each.

Pattern - click for full-sized printable version

Step One:

Print out the design. Note: the image to the left may be HUGE. If it prints at a full 8.5X11 sheet of paper, you will want to reduce it to 40%. OR, Click FlowerPattern for a pdf version that you can open with Adobe Reader.

Transfer it to a tightly-woven fabric of your choice, with the following exceptions:

DO NOT transfer:

The leaves.

The four small petals

My flower drawn on my chosen fabric. It's centered on the 9" piece of sateen.

I’m transferring it by tracing it onto a piece of polyester/cotton blend sateen that I have in my box (I collect scraps from interior designer friends who are getting rid of them for just this sort of purpose) with a permanent micron pen. You can also use the blue pens ones that wash out with cold water, but they sometimes feather into the fabric. Once it’s on my fabric, it doesn’t look like much, but this will show you what to leave out in more detail. Click the image for a larger version, if you really want the details!

Did I mention overly ambitious?

I got part of one sleeve cuff completed before I gave up. There is already over 50 hours of work in just this area, not including the time to design the thing (yes, the entire robe is designed. It’s NOT going to be made in its current incarnation!) I was, for the only time in my life, actually keeping track of how much work I put in, because I was curious.

Click to see MUCH more detail

The gold is size #1 japan gold by Kreinik (I couldn’t afford the real stuff then, even less so now) Very fine. It’s about the thickness of flower thread, to give you a basis for size. The dragon is, from tip of tail to tip of that finished front claw, about  four and a half inches. The satin stitch and split stitch are done in two strands of Eterna filament silk, and the entire thing is stitched on unbacked navy-blue dupioni. If I were starting over, I’d back it with muslin before stitching. (I’ve learned a LOT about goldwork in the intervening 20 years!)

It is, if I do say so myself, a pretty piece of work. And I decided today while scanning it that I DO want to finish this cuff. I’ll frame it and give it to its original intended recipient at some point. Maybe. If I can find the time for the fiddly. I’ll keep you posted when I do it.

they were never meant to be seen!

They were usually worn under a plain robe with the rank badge of the courtier on it. Rank badges are also gorgeous pieces of embroidery, but they are more reasonably sized! The idea was that you kept a humble appearance and the glory of your soul and talents was truly a personal and interior achievement: the clothing was meant to remind you of that.

Dragon robes consist of a standard format: mountains and waves at the hem keep you grounded. There is a large central dragon at each center front and back, smaller ones on each shoulder, and two at the base of the central dragons. The ninth dragon is embroidered also on the center front, but on the underlap of the robe, so it is hidden under yet another layer of fabric.

The dragons play with flaming spheres – the “sphere of wisdom” that we all look for in life. Flying among the coulds around the dragons are often bats, a symbol of happiness, and if you are the emperor, the symbols of your power as well. The color of the ground fabric is determined by the birth rank of the noble in question.

Wonderful things indeed, dragon robes! You can see some in the following links, and explore a bit further.

• San Diego museum online Dragon Robes
• Kyoto National Museum Dragon Robes
• 30 Dragon Robes were auctioned off in Beijing last year
• A pdf article from the Epoch times, featuring a photo of a couple wearing reproduction robes This is nice, because you don’t often see them ON people!

Part of this is probably due to the fact that the University of Oregon Art museum has one of the largest collections in the US, and I got to spend hours and hours there when I was in school (and after) just looking at it. Especially interesting to me was the huge wall hanging of peacocks done in #1 japan silver couched down, and flat silks. And when I say huge, I mean it’s at least 8 by 12 feet.

The museum has changed a lot since I lived in Eugene – it’s expanded dramatically, and added to its Asian collections, making it even more tantalizing to me to get back there! (I think it may also have been renamed – or is finally broadcasting it’s name: the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.)

At the time I was there you could get very very close to the some of the stitching. I don’t know about now, but sometime this year I aim to find out!

Zahra - A New Series Start

This has been quite a month for me, as you probably noticed, I didn’t post a lot.

My day job was getting stressful, and it culminated in a layoff at the beginning of December. The day after that, my 4 year old Dora-cat was in the Emergency Vet being diagnosed and treated for kidney failure. I’ve spent the last few weeks nursing her, thinking a lot about where I want to be in the next year, and recovering from a cold I’ve been suffering with as well. Dora is doing much better, thank you, and I should be soon.

I have, over the course of this year, wanted more time to work on designs, and on trying to make things more interesting here on the blog. Some of the things I want to provide you require stitching on my part! and as you’ve seen, that just hasn’t happened.  So the extra time, is welcome, if the extra paycheck is missed.

Things I’d like to happen for 2010 around here:

First, I’m going to post regularly here. I’m planning on once a week, at the very least. I’ll try to get a button up soon so that you can have the blog sent to you via email or RSS feed if you would rather.  I suspect once a week will become plenty, since I can’t keep up with the blogs that I want to read daily! One that went monthly, very apologetically and I sent her an email thanking her, because now I’ll get to not only read it, but probably even have time to use the information she posts!!

Second, the newsletter. I want to try to get one out to those of you who have asked for it monthly, at the very least. It will contain lots of information about things to stitch on, how to use your stitching in ways other than framing it on the wall, and possibly some free patterns.

Third, the business. I really don’t want to go back to work for corporate America. What I find myself living for is designing, drawing, making art, and writing.  So I’m going to try to build that into a way to make a living. I have a lot of ideas, including translating the designs and art I have built up into more than one form of needlework: for example, offering both a cross stitch chart and a quality crewel kit or design…and I’m teaching – both shimmying and stitching.

Fourth: Myself. I want to develop my abilities as an artist, and to develop myself as well as everything else. To this end, I’m taking Kelly Kilmer’s “Life Made by Hand” art journaling class this year. And I’m taking more walks, continuing to practice ShivaNata, and trying to listen to my Spirit more.

Which all leads to: I’m excited about the New Year. I hope you are, too.

Happy New Year everyone!