Bird Applique

Layered background fabrics, applique, hand embroidery

Blackbird Applique [2]

I didn't realize it was so long since I posted the last bird applique [Jan]

Layered fabrics, hand stitching

Flower and Mushroom Applique

Painted with Koh-I-Noor watercolour paints on fabric, the paints are very vibrant. Layers including a piece of vintage tablecloth.  The pieces were hand sewn into place with running stitch.

Fat Book Pages - 8

Embroidery on a vintage tablecloth.

Embroidery on a vintage tablecloth, pens, lace.

Hand painted fabric was woven, machine embroidery, dyed lace, scrap of dyed net curtain, hand embroidery. 

Layered dyed net curtain, sheer fabric scrap, handmade paper, tweed scrap, hand embroidery. Running stitch and chained bar [Tast 122] 

Printed fabric remnant, layered sheer fabric and net, gold work scrap [from Indian garment], embroidery.

Printed fabric remnant, layered sheers/net/metallics. Hand embroidery and beads. Tast 111 - zig zag coral stitch, running stitch, cross stitch.

Fat Book Pages - 4

A flower from a lace curtain, dyed and beaded.

Layers - dyed net curtain, a rectangle of screen curtain, a crazy patchwork ATC, embroidery. Stitched over with decorative machine stitching.

Dyed lace and broderie anglaise, handmade paper, embroidery, red fabric, tweed fabric scraps.

Vintage tablecloth, lace fabric, lace edging, beads, stitching. [It looks better in real life]

Dyed laces, a fabric photo print [my grandparents wedding day], vintage cloth covered buttons, fabric postcard [this postcard and paper fabric is available from my Spoonflower shop], embroidered and beaded braid.

Woven fabric strips [cut from my Spoonflower swatch edges]. The background fabric was also from there too.

Fat Book Pages - 2

Hand painted/stamped background fabric, layers of organza and net, clay butterfly, embroidery.

Layers of organza and printed fabric, handmade paper, embroidery, bead.

 Layers of organza and other fabrics, handmade paper, embroidery, beads.

Layers of organza and lace fabric, handmade paper, embroidery.

TAST 133

Take a stitch Tuesday - Triple chain stitch

Stitched on aida - does it look different to normal aida? It has two layers of coloured organza and a layer of net on top of the aida but below the stitching. Painted lace, more organza underneath on top of hand painted fabric.

And some personal news - my son and his girlfriend came back from a trip to New York engaged. It's taken him a while to propose, I think it is eleven years they've been going out together. The strange thing is, when I put my hand in the bag of potatoes to make dinner I came out with a heart shaped potato. How weird is that?

Tast and SC4,5

Hand printed leaves on fabric, chiffon layers, embroidery and beads.

The stitches on the left include variations of beaded buttonhole stitch (tast 118), beaded feathered chain stitch (tast 113), beaded fly stitch, running stitch.....the one that looks like a caterpillar is beaded vandyke stitch (tast 116). 

On the right is beaded fly stitch and feather stitch to which I applied the beads afterwards.

If you want to learn to embroider or learn some new stitches join in the tast challenge. 

Take a stitch Tuesday.

Below are two quick drawings for the 30 day drawing spoonchallenge

prompt 4 - river

prompt 5 - lemon [incorporating hand lettering]

Stitched Leaf Print

I finished stitching on the leaf print today. It will be a page[s] in a book eventually ....I think.

Running stitch, zig-zag coral stitch, feathered chain stitch, long tail chain stitch.

Leaf printed background, organza layers, pearl thread, flower thread.

Tast 106 and 107

Layered and distressed sheer fabrics, net, metallic fabrics.

Take a stitch Tuesday 106 and 107 which are looped cretan stitch and beaded looped cretan stitch.

The other stitches I've used are running stitch, feather stitch and pistil stitch. 

Distressed Layers Embroidery

I've started a new fabric book as I have a stash of sheer fabrics I want to use. I used a soldering iron to distress them in places and to fuse them together with the background. I'll not be doing it again unless I buy a better dust face mask. There are several layers so it would be better to click on the image to see them closer. 

I thought I would include a couple of TAST stitches {Take a stitch Tuesday} as I haven't done any for ages. If you go to the tast faq page there is a whole list of stitches to try.

Above - I started on the left with a zig zag coral stitch [Tast 111] and in the v's I used a detached chain stitch and fly stitch and then applied a bead in each detached chain stitches. Other stitches used are running and cross.

Below - I didn't use any of the recent tast stitches, I used running, fly and cross stitches. The sequin leaf was part of the fabric.

Below - there are a few metallic fabrics on this piece and sequins. I used Tast 108, rice stitch. This is normally stitched on canvas, aida or linen but I used it in a free form style so it is untidy. Maybe I should call it distressed rice stitch to match the fabrics.

Green Book - Pages 1-8

Page 1- mono-printed fabric, handmade washi tape [the berry tape], ribbon, recycled stamped wipes, recycled bird from greetings card, trianglar foam shape-painted and indented.

Page 2- Altered stamped card from Ikea,painted doiley on music, altered sprout wrapping paper  - all cut up, re-arranged and stitched.

Page 3- A picture - paint, tyvek, gold foil, distressed voile layer, lots of hand embroidery.

Page 4- painted inkjet print, art work, found paper [bottom], dyed lace, vintage button, decorative machine stitching.

Page 5- hand painted art paper, map, inkjet print [book page], appliqued fabric figure, plastic racket.

Page 6- hand painted art paper, wrapping paper, handmade stamp print, appliqued fabric figure, metal purse charm.

Page 7 -painted inkjet print, printed plastic on top. Some of the marks on this are reflections.

Page 8 -hand painted art paper, layered, hand embroidery, sparkles.

Close up of page 7.

Click on the images for a bigger picture.

Blue Book - the first 6 pages

Page 1 [007]

Navy background fabric.Layers and machine stitching - painted paper, t-shirt transfer [own design], painted paper, lino print [own design], found image and musical notes.

Page 2 [008]

Navy background fabric. Layers and machine stitching - painted papers x 3, painted laces x 2, found image [CPS], decorated tag, feather charm.

Page 3 [009]

Navy background fabric. Layers and machine stitching - gingham fabrics x 3, inkjet prints x 2, embroidery/beads on aida fabric, printed ATC [own design], paper bag with added text, square beads, decorative machine embroidery, hand embroidery.

Page 4 [010]

Navy background fabric. Layers and machine stitching - inkjet print [own design], painted inkjet print, playing cards, plastic counters and circle, jigsaw piece.

Page 5 [011]

Navy background fabric. Layers and machine stitching - own art printed, painted and collaged, painted letter tags, embroidered/beaded aida, painted flower held on with stitched fabric.

Page 6 [012]

Navy background fabric. Layers and machine stitching - recycled envelope with artwork in window, stamped artwork decorated with blue sand and gem, textured artwork and gold machine embroidery,hand embroidery on aida on a tag, ribbon, gems. 

Click on the images to enlarge.

Workbox article

Some of my 'Layers' work is featured in the new issue of 'Workbox' [Aug/Sept 2010] together with work from other members of Vervey. [mixed media & textile group]. the article is spread over 4 pages with images too. For more details of Workbox click here. For more images of the Layers project click here.

Another surprise this week, I received a parcel from Purple Missus because I won a random 'give away'. In the parcel was a couple of textured & stitched postcards, some printed postcards, some heat transfer foil and sheets of tyvek paper as well as the gorgeous hanging. Aren't I a lucky girl then and I'm looking forward to having a play day soon!