Posted on 11 Comments

ooh la la!

1Year_01So, feeling smug that I had completed a year’s worth of Made On Monday, and even been awarded a certificate for it which you can see here, I decided to embark upon another year long project. “1 Year of Stitches” involves doing at least one embroidery stitch every day for a year. You can read about it here: http://www.brwnpaperbag.com/1-year-of-stitches-2017/.

I have never really enjoyed handstitching, I had a bad time at primary school with a really nasty teacher who used to hit me on the back of the hand with a ruler if I dropped knitting stitches or made messy French Knots (more of which later). I have dabbled in it on my customised clothing, but really only for comedy effect, nothing serious. I decided to give it a go anyway, after all, just 1 stitch a day can’t be that traumatic. One thing I know, though, was that I cannot be doing with delicate embroidery floss in pastel colours. Gives me the shudders. So I gathered some of the fancy yarns and variegated threads that I already had, and stretched some thick, dark woollen fabric over an embroidery hoop.
I decided to do my stitching in the shape of a pocket, so that if it was any good I could use it on one of my customised jackets. I didn’t really think it would be, and anyway it would probably take me all year to finish it. Turns out I was wrong about that. These are my very first stitches ….1Year_02
…. and with them I felt a frisson of excitement and a feeling of satisfaction that I did not expect. The second night I had been to a neighbours for a belated New Years celebration, and got home after Midnight a wee bit tipsy, and all I wanted to do was stitch, stitch , stitch! Next day as I soberly surveyed my wonky drunken stitches I realised I was hooked. Rather than the year I though it would take I had finished my first pocket shaped hoop within a week. I used it on this jacket, and also did some handstitching for the button area and the cuffs.1Year_09
I was ready for a new hoop in week 2 and this time I used a piece of curtain fabric with a circle design on it. I handstitched pieces for the back, the pocket and the buttons. I then machine-stitched over my handstitching to make it more durable.1Year_18
1Year_23denim_yr1a denim_yr1b denim_yr1d
For week 3 I decided to not make something that would go on a jacket,and this allowed me to use longer less secure stitches. Again I used curtain fabric, and used the design as a guide, I picked out a heart shape, and made a hanging heart from it.1Year_26 1Year_27 1Year_30
For my next hoop I used a piece of hand dyed cotton fabric by Sue Trevor, one of my favourite textile artists. You can see her work here.
I had by this time acrued quite a selection of threads, most of them from Stephs Crafty Bits . I know my New Year’s Resolution was to not buy any more textile supplies, but I have to admit I am now addicted to hand dyed variegated thread. There is no cure, so don’t bother me with your helpful suggestions.
I was becoming more adventurous with my stitching, but it was all just variations on the few stitches I remembered from school, straight stitch, chain stitch and French Knots, the messy ones that used to get my knuckles rapped. I realised that if I was going to be doing this for a year, maybe I should learn some more stitches, and I came across a website where I could do just that. It’s called “Take a Stitch Tuesday” and shows a different stitch each week, and has a stitch dictionary as well. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, so I can’t be hanging around waiting for Tuesdays, I’m learning a new stitch every day, sometimes more. I finished this hoop ….1Year_40
…. and (cue the music from the shower scene in Psycho) cut it up to make a hanging heart.1Year_41 heart
I’ve kept the bits I trimmed, and will add them to future hoops.
And by the way, it turns out I AM BRILLIANT at French Knots, I could represent Scotland at the Stitching Olympics in the French Knot category. Well, maybe the Highlands of Scotland. And only if the Womens Rural Institute are still banned.1Year_38
Take that , horrible teacher.!

 

 

11 thoughts on “ooh la la!

  1. Fabulous – so inspiring that it’s NOT all neat & pastelly ! Keep going !

  2. Beautiful and very entertaining blog!

  3. Your stitching is fabulous and certainly needed the gorgeous hand-dyed variegated threads so of course you had to buy them!

  4. Love it!! Very inspiring and hilarious also!

  5. Love them all, your stitching is wonderful and so creative, and bravo for conquering the troublesome French knot and shame on that teacher for years gone by. My french knots are improving and I’m happy to say they no longer resemble tiny cauliflower heads. It is a pleasure to see all the wonderful projects coming out of this challenge.

  6. Lovely blog! I had the same introduction to hand embroidery. But like you I am now addicted. I am on my 3rd hoop and hope to put them all together somehow. I am not a dainty stitcher either and like colour and thick threads

  7. Ha ha. Inspirational as usual, Fran. Glad you’re enjoying yourself. And no – I REALLY can’t see you with a delicate piece of organdie and pretty pastels!!!!

  8. Fabulous work, looks like you really are hooked, and fingers up to that horrid teacher x x

  9. Lovely to see your work and read your blog. I had been interested to read about the year of stitches and thought that I would do it too – and then I forgot! Now I feel inspired to do a month of stitches at a time and see how that goes. I prefer hand stitching as my sewing machine doesn’t seem to like me much. My main stitchery project this year is to make a purple clerical stole for my friend who was ordained last year.

  10. The next stage is to dye your own threads, this is equally addictive and it is such a pleasure to use something you have coloured yourself. I love using my own hand-dyed variegated threads. You will never look at commercial threads in quite the same way. I also sometimes dye my own backgrounds too, with broken colours, this allows for LOTS of colour combinations. Your work is fab, keep up the fun!

  11. Sew-sew X

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