Banksia Cushion 1

 

This is a 60cm square cushion I have just finished for a granddaughter who is setting up a shared home with a friend.

The embroidered motif is one of Dijanne Cevaal's prints, purchased some time ago. 

When I bought it, I envisaged introducing a lot of texture, and purchased a variety of beads, some quite large, to use. When I came to create it, I decided such hard textures would be uncomfortable in a cushion, and restricted myself to threads. 

The fabric is Banksia Mini, from Missy Rose - a limited print. I had only ordered a half-metre, so needed to cut it to form a border, rather than appliquéing on to the print.

I used a range of threads from my stash, many of them special orders or runs given to me as gifts. The stem is a very narrow braid from the Painters Threads Collection.

To integrate the embroidery into the background, I quilted it down with running stitches in a similar green to the stems on the background fabric.

I am very pleased with the result - achieved in my usual way of working it out as I go along!

I have one more of Dijanne Cevaal's Banksia prints. I've now begun one more cushion for myself! I can't claim I need another cushion, but I do have room for it - justification enough!

When you're on a good thing...

The 90 stars bag worked so well I decided to try a variation, this time for a 20th birthday. While 20 figures are a lot less than 90, I decided to make these all different sea creatures - so increased the challenge, while reducing the number. I had enough of the shells fabric left to make the front of a bag. This time I tried a different construction. I cut two large rectangles, one in the shell fabric and one in a brown linen, joined them, then folded and stitched down sides and a base - a much simpler technique. Because I was experimenting I did the construction first, then the embroidery.

For the most part that worked well. It is a neater result on the corners than I get cutting separate strips for the sides and bottom.

Great care has to be taken in mounting it into a hoop to embroider. It is easy to catch an extra edge of fabric under the hoop, as I discovered to my detriment. 

To begin, I made a sketch of 20 sea-related things I might include. This acted as a rough guide, rather than a blueprint.

I began with a leafy sea dragon.

Then worked whichever took my fancy. 

I really enjoy creating these little figures. It's fun to work out what might fit the project and how to create it. For these I mostly used linen thread, but a bit of variegated stranded as well.

Construction was relatively easy because I had the exterior before stitching. I tried a couple of linings, but settled for the same cotton I had used for the 90th birthday bag, since I had enough and the colours work well.

The back is a light brown linen, one handle is in the linens, one in the cotton lining.

I think it's a useful bag with a bit of a story.

I ordered some more half-metres of Ink and Spindle linens while they were on sale. I seem to now have enough for another 16 bags! Better get designing!

Bee Scarf

 

Another mad idea last week - to embroider a scarf with bees as a birthday gift for a family member who is a beekeeper. I had bought a rather lovely hand-woven scarf from the Handspinners and Weavers Guild with the intention of embroidering it with threatened Australian flora and fauna during the bushfire crisis, but when that crisis was overtaken by floods, my design seemed inappropriate. It occurred to me last week that I could turn this into a useful and appropriate gift by embroidering bees - another threatened species.

After playing around with a few designs I settled on a larger than life bee on each end of the scarf, using wool.

Some stems of green added context and I found a variegated grey/mauve/pink that worked well for wings. The wings don't show up strongly on the light woven background - but neither do bees' wings show up strongly against the sky!                              

I really enjoyed working these. It took a couple of days - the first one at the Tuesday Stitchers Group at the Guild. The two ends are similar, but not identical. I was interested in impact ahead of geometry.

It's a bit of a mad project for an Australian February birthday gift. Hopefully the recipient will get to travel to colder climes later this year.

The wrapping for the gift was a bag made from some fabric purchased from a limited run of cotton from Missy Rose. 

There's a lot of satisfaction in a project like this one - with a strong sense of purpose, a deadline and a recipient in mind. Note to self.

90th Birthday Bag

Today I finished a project I conceived a couple of weeks ago - a gift for a friend who is turning 90 tomorrow, and having a celebration lunch this coming Friday. She is comfortably off, with most things she needs, but has no family at all. She puts a lot of effort into making and keeping friends. I wanted to give her something special.

Serendipitously, Ink and Spindle sent out a notice of a sale of their discontinued or remnant stock and Shells i

n Brown Ochre caught my eye. I did some measurements and calculations and ordered enough for a tote bag. 

When it arrived, I cut out the pieces for the bag - two to make the front and back of the bag, each with 40 shells, and 40 nice blank spaces, two for the sides and a base. I then began embroidering stars (or, if you prefer, as I do, starfish).

I used the lovely Knox linen thread I bought a while ago from Studio Flax.                         

I tried out a couple of star stitches, but settled in the end for the one simply woven around six spokes. 

I laid the spokes out from the centre, then took my needle around from the centre, under each spoke, then over and on to the next one. It probably took me about 15 hours to work 90 stars.

On the bottom panel I worked my initials, my friend's initials and the year.

On Friday I raided my fabric stash for suitable lining and settled on a brown cotton with sprays of small flowers.  Today I spent several hours at the machine (and, yes, the iron!). I had to repair two stars that threatened to disappear into a seam, but anyone can count 90 stars on the bag. 

I am very satisfied with the result. I think L will like and use it. She doesn't read my blog - so I can post it in advance of the Birthday Celebration without spoiling the surprise! 

All ready to go.