Twelfth Skyros Man and Chair Finish

 

The twelfth man is finished, along with his two flower motifs. I stitched the smaller sections in darning stitch and the two large bits - his pants and top - in Bokhara. 

 

Here is the final panel washed, ironed

 

 

 

 

 

and pinned in place on the chair cover, ready for stitching in place.

 

It is awkward stitching it on my sewing machine. A long-arm or  industrial machine would be easier, especially around the front of the arms.  

However, I managed. I'm glad I decided to buy a cover for the chair and stitch to that, rather than hand-stitching the linen to the chair itself by hand. While that may have given a tighter fit, being able to take this off to launder or repair gives a level of comfort.

It isn't an easy object to photograph, but here are a couple of shots of the finished chair in situ.

 

 

I still have quite a bit of thread left, somewhat to my surprise. Bokhara stitch should use more thread than running stitch and I thought I might need to buy more, but I have plenty left for a small back cushion, or other projects.

 

 

I'm so pleased with this project. I was enchanted when I saw it as a director's chair in Inspirations 78, and I have finished the adaptation to an armchair before Inspirations 80 has arrived.

 

Thanks to all my family and friends for encouragement along the way.

 

Now to sit and stitch in my chair!
--------------------------------------------------



Earlier posts on this chair can be found at
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/men-of-skyros-preparation.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/men-of-skyros-stitching-begins.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/men-of-skyros-original-darning-man.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/men-of-skyros-bokhara-man.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/men-of-skyros-lattice-man.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/bokhara-coat-man.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/men-of-skyros-panel-one.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/men-of-skyros-chair-panel-one.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/skyros-man-6.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/skyros-man-7.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/skyros-man-8.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/second-skyros-panel-finished.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/skyros-man-9.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/skyros-man-10.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/skyros-chair-eleventh-man.html
http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/skyros-chair-cushion.html




 

 

 

Men of Skyros Preparation

I really, really loved Alison Snepp's Men of Skiros  director's chair in  Inspirations 78  and thought for  a while I would make one for my craft room. In the end I decided it wasn't the right chair for the room, so hatched an even more ambitious plan.

After a lot of thought, discussion and hesitation, I bought a chair at Ikea. The idea is for the men to be stitched around the inside back of the chair.
I bought the chair without a cover, thinking I would make panels to stitch over the chair itself. After measuring and cutting 3 toile panels in calico to try out inside the chair, I decided it would be better to buy a cream cover for the chair and stitch the panels to the cover. That way the panels can be laundered without unstitching, and I can also machine stitch the panels to the cover as opposed to handstitching them to the chair itself.


Once I had the bought the cover, it was also a lot easier to cut the calico toile panels more accurately - I could mark the curve rather than relying on a series of measurements around the chair.

I basted the calico toile panels together and tried them for size. Then I undid the the basting and used these as a pattern to cut the linen panels, allowing about an inch all around for seams.

My method of tracing the pattern is to photocopy the figures, then go over the outlines with felt pen and trace from these outlines using a light box. Black felt pen gives a nice dark line to trace from. I used brown archive pen on the linen.

I only traced on to the middle panel so far. I had to wait for the thread pack and didn't want to get too far ahead of stitching in case something doesn't work.

I then basted the centre linen panel to calico strips, and mounted it in the oval floor frame that I bought in Berima in about 1977. I used it when I bought it, to stitch, as I remember, tablecloths, but I have not used it in years. It is a great frame, and having a craft room now makes it much more practical to set it up and leave it in place for a large project.

It is also fitting to use it sitting in the chair for which I am working the cover!
Now for some stitching!

Men of Skyros Chair Panel One

Stitching the first finished panel on to the chair cover was an exercise in pinning, adjusting, repinning - and manipulating a lot of fairly bulky fabric under the sewing machine and over the chair. Originally I intended to stitch the embroidered panels on to the chair itself, but changed my mind and bought a cream cover for the chair, with a view to stitching the panels to the cover. I'm glad I did this - more secure than hand-stitching to the chair, and much easier for cleaning.

I didn't take photos of the process - couldn't really see what to photograph that would show anything but bundles of fabric. Ironing was also a bit of a waste of effort - impossible to manipulate the bulk without creasing again. I'm counting on the fabric straightening itself as I use the chair.

I figure if I were never to finish the chair, the single panel looks OK.

However, I am inspired to keep going, so have traced up the next panel, to go to the left when sitting in the chair. This time I have used pencil rather than archive pen. More men coming up!

Jacobean Medley finish

It's about three weeks since I last posted about the Jacobean Medley from Beating Around the Bush.

I soon finished what was in my hoop at the end of that post.

I then moved the hoop for the last time.












Here's the finished piece - crumpled and crinkled from the hoop.

I couldn't wait to block it - on  a towel on the carpet overnight.


It is so rewarding to see the smooth piece emerge from what looks like a rag!



 I had been giving a lot of thought to what to do with this. My original intention was to make just one more giant cushion, but I realised this was not big enough for what I had in mind, so I mulled it over - and had an idea.

I have a small Ikea Solsta Olarp bucket chair in my sewing room. It occurred to me that I might be able to add some crewel work to it. I already have an embroidered Ikea chair - with Alison Snepp's  Skyros men, but it isn't the same model.

The Solsta Olarp chair did not have a loose cover. Ikea did not supply one for this chair. To add embroidery, I really need a loose cover. It is too difficult to stitch onto the chair itself - and too hard to clean.

I discovered two companies that make loose covers for Ikea chairs, including the little Solsta Olarp. After some hesitation and investigation, I ordered a cover, in Panama Cotton, from Comfort Works in the USA.

The cover arrived - very efficiently - yesterday. I couldn't wait to unpack it, test my embroidery against it, and try it on the chair.

The cover is beautifully made and the fabric lovely. Comfort Works have followed up with emails to make sure it meets my requirements. That’s impressive!

I had a bit of trouble fitting the cover over the chair. It is, of necessity, a tight fit. It is a trifle long. I'm wondering if I should try to get slightly longer screw-in legs. It would be neater if about 3cm shorter. I could also just turn it up a little. Comfort Works are looking into it.








I pinned and machine-stitched the Jacobean Medley panel to the seat cushion cover.







I needed to tighten it a little at the top - easier for me by hand.


I have plans to cover the rest of it with crewel work. I'm already working on the Running Hare panel to put on the inside right. I have a couple of small pieces I am also playing with. A friend is shocked that I will allow anyone to sit on the embroidery. No worse, in my view than putting feet on an embroidered footstool!

I have a feeling I am going to be a customer of The Crewel Work Company for quite a while before I am finished with this chair!

My Crewel Work Chair is Finished!

 The Aesop frame is in the crewel chair, which is now finished.

I wasn't looking forward to attaching the Aesop panel as it involved removing the cover from the chair, stitching the panel on and replacing the cover. It's a tight fit, with no zip. It proved, however, easier than I had feared.

I finished the text  using Quaker stitch and blocked the piece for a second time. I was pleased with the text but it blocked a little spiky, I probably could have used a larger font, but it is quite readable.

My faithful little Janome sewing machine was probably not designed for stitching of this weight and shape, but rose to the occasion. The space left on the chair was exactly the size of the Aesop panel, so I folded the linen right to the border of the frame and stitched in the ditch.

I must have improved each time I've removed and returned the cover as it seemed to go on in record time (not easily, but easier). 

The following are photos from various angles to show the final result. 

The chair was originally in my sewing room but I moved it a couple of months ago into my living room where it can be viewed from all sides.

The back view.

There are 21 Crewel Work Company works on the chair (counting the Feathers as one work, although they are distributed separately around the chair), 

some large, 

some small.

I considered adding small pieces to those narrow front panels, but decided it would be overkill.  I like the contrast of the plain linen.

View from the top.

It isn't a large chair.  The one I worked years ago to accommodate Alison Snepp's Men of Skiros is larger and more supportive for longer sitting.

It is nevertheless comfortable and useful. I'm pleased to have done it. It has been a satisfying project to work on - and will remain a tribute to the beautiful historic works produced by Phillipa Turnbull and the Crewel Work Company.

And yes, of course it is for sitting in - it's crewel work after all!

Skyros Chair Cushion

I needed a design for the cushion seat of my Skyros Chair. I could have repeated some of the men, but wanted to retain the effect of the line of men dancing around the back of the chair, so I spent quite a bit of time looking through my books to find other designs that were appropriate to Skyros embroidery.

In Embroidery of the Greek Islands and Epirus Region by Sumru Belger Krody, I found a number of examples of Skyros work, that include a range of exaggerated and mythical animals. I settled on a bed-hanging that used a series of embellished roosters.


I enlarged and adapted one of these roosters, and traced it on to the cover of the cushion that came with the chair. The fabric on this original chair cover was a strong, woven cream linen-like fabric, soft and loosely enough woven to stitch.

I tried it in my sitting frame, hoping to be able to move it around the house more easily than the large frame in which I am still working the Skyros Men, and thus work both projects at once.


I soon found, however, that the project worked much better out of the frame altogether.

The stitches used in the bed hanging, according to Krody, were outline stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch and a form of counted-thread running stitch. As I could not count the threads in the chair fabric, I restricted myself to the other three stitches - mostly outline and chain to take the wear it is likely to get. These stitches were much easier to manage out of the frame.


I took the general colour palette from the original and used mainly threads I had - including a couple of hanks of Gloriana silk, oneblues/mauves/greeny-gold and another pinky-reds. I had several shades of Madiera silk in golds and greens, and bought a few more when these ran out. I used  DMC perle 8 for the heavy outline.

I am pretty pleased with the result. My rooster takes himself a lot more seriously than the Skyros Men take themselves, which provides a nice contrast.

Chair progress - Jacobean Stag finish

When I last wrote about my project to cover an ikea bucket chair in crewel work, I had just finished the Running Hare and purchased three more kits to work and add. Those kits arrived in good time, and in between Christmas projects I have been working on the Jacobean Stag.






I used Phillipa's sitting-hoop-with-cling-wrap method (plus her cover-with-shower-cap-to-keep-clean trick).

I began with the stag - loved the rhythm and instant effect of the shaded long-and-short stitch.

The flowers were equally satisfying - the red is fantastic.















Left to my own devises, I doubt very much that I'd have got the shading right. The colour combinations were not ones I'd have chosen - but they worked a treat.

I needed to move my hoop twice to fit all the design in. The last move allowed me to work on the left side of the hillock on which the stag is standing.


I loved the comfort of this piece - a good variety of stitches, but within my comfort zone. I really enjoyed the addition of Portuguese knots.






I finished the piece on 30 December and blocked it overnight, tightening it several times in the drying process.

On New Year's Eve I began the process of adding the panel to the chair.






To fit the panel to the curve of the chair I needed to shape one bottom edge of the panel. This gave me a triangular off-cut that I inserted in the gap at  the top of the chair in the curve. I stitched it in by hand using machine thread, then embroidered over it with wool.





I managed to crib another triangle from the Running Hare panel to insert on the other side and repeat the process.

It isn't perfectly balanced - but, hey, I'm not an upholsterer. I'm following my grandmother and mother in making-do, using what I've got in terms of both materials and skills.

I have a bit of a plan for covering the strips at the side of the seat panel, but it will need to wait until I've covered the back. I may also extend the triangle points right down between the panels to the base.

The photo to the left was taken before I had secured the bottom edge of the panels. The panoramic view below was taken after the lower edge was secured.













This is a work in progress, but I'm very pleased to have reached this point at the beginning of a new year - and to be able to write about it as the first post for 2019  (and my 481st since 8 October 2010).