09.08.09
Posted in General at 7:00 am by deRomilly
And so little time to play with them!
Just offhand, I can think of bargello, berlin, broderie anglaise, hardanger, mountmellick, stumpwork, cutwork, punto in aria, zardozi, bunka, japanese embroidery, wessex embroidery, counted cross stitch, band samplers of every ilk, canvaswork, goldwork, shisha, macramé, blackwork, or nué, crewelwork, schwalmwork, Dresdenwork, Assissiwork, and so on…
My problem, of course, is that when it comes to thread I am a glutton. I want to learn everything and try every technique, no matter how complex. Of course, this isn’t feasible, especially when you realize that I include all thread work in that desire – including knitting, crochet, bobbin lace, needlelace, sprang and any number of other techniques that escape me at the moment, including plain sewing. (I have made a conscious decision NOT to try naålbinding — knitting on TWO needles was confusing enough for me. I don’t really want to try knitting with only one, however historical it is. 
There isn’t, of course, enough time in the day to explore everything I want tot do. I try not to let that stall me, and just keep going. I do find myself back at three in particular that I love: cross stitch, silk shading, and crewelwork. I’m sentimental, and these are the three that my mother and grandmother taught me. Somewhere I still have my first cross stitch sampler — the one that took me four years to finish because I kept getting bored. When I find it I’ll post it. I have some sort of idea of charting it (it was stamped on cheap muslin) and doing it again in my current ability level and then framing them side by side. I think it would be cool. Will I make the time? Who knows.
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02.23.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 7:00 am by deRomilly
I have put several needleworked/embroidered pins up on my Etsy shop. The original intention was to get them up early enough to be available for the holidays. Unfortunately, life really intervened! I thought you might like a few details of my thought process on these -
The first three are embroidered beadwork. The purple ones were created a couple years ago as I bean playing with found objects. The main purple focal point cabochons are rescued from a vintage pair of earrings. For earrings (posts, no less!!) they are huge. but re-purposed into a brooch for someone’s jacket they work beautifully.
The cameo at the center of the white piece was a gift from an artist friend years ago that has been looking for a home ever since. I like how it fits here. The surrounding beadwork on all three of these grew organically, which is a very different method from the very structured way I usually work embroidery. Mostly I just added beads until encrusted. With the asymmetric purple pin I spent a lot of time forcing myself to keep it asymmetric, because my personality always leans me toward perfect symmetrical balance; something that can become boring over the long run. I’m working on it!
The off-white and green triangle I’ve decided to keep. It’s more symmetrical, less organic, and more my typical style, and I’ve fallen in love with it.
As a bonus, here are photos of a work in progress – it’s a commission for a local tribal-style dancer and drummer who loves copper and can’t have anything up near her throat – it will sit at the collarbone when I get the band on it. It still needs assembly and then drops or fringe added. I’m inordinately proud of it.
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12.26.08
Posted in Book Reviews at 7:00 am by deRomilly
On the same shiny, glitzy front as last week’s review, we have Bead and Sequin Embroidery Stitches by Stanley Levy. If you ever think you might want to bead your own cabaret bellydance costume, or just add a bit of shiny glitz to an embroidery project or crazy quilt, this book will teach you how to do it.
Mr. Levy has been doing beadwork since World War II, and has become highly respected in the field, beading many of the costumes for British figure skaters — and later teaching beadwork for the City & Guilds program. It is this teaching background that is wonderfully evident in the book.
One of the first things Mr. Levy tells you is something he tells his students — “do it my way and then go on to do it your way.”Once the basics are known, experimentaiton is what develops good design and new technique.
What I like most about this book is is carefully designed excercises for learning how the materials work with the stitches he teaches. I highly recommend getting sequins and beads specifically to play with and create a sampler of these excercises. The rest of the book contains a chapter of designs you can use to embellish clothing or costumes, or just to practice and frame. The book wraps up with eye candy and inspirational pieces from Mr. Levy and his students.
Very very pretty, and a book I go back to repeatedly when I’m working on a beaded costume.
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