Heart Beats

My inspiration for this week’s TAST Stitch, Chevron stitch, is a little whacky.
As you will see in the journal entry I was possibly going to do just couched threads/cords etc in straight lines. I was also considering a scene with steps and a zig zag pattern.

While my friend, Shirley, was laying in her hospital bed my husband and I were observing the heart monitor. The idea for my chevron came like a bolt of lightening and I couldn’t wait to get started on my ‘Heart Beats’ piece.

During the time we watched the monitor, one line was particularly erratic ( 2nd from top) and on another line some of the ‘bleeps’ went below as well as above the line from time to time (bottom line).  Eventually it all evened out and became regular (top line). 
I have couched some yarn, some ric rac and some cord.  The dark purple ‘bleeps’ are topped with a half chevron stitch.  The border is one chevron done over the other in a different colour.
I have really enjoyed experimenting with this stitch.  It is a stitch which I thought had no flexibility, but looking at what others have done with it has proved that theory wrong.  Check some of them out HERE.

Sticks & Stones–Herringbone

Week 5 at Take a Stitch Tuesday brought us the Herringbone Stitch.  I love herringbone stitch and once covered all the seams on a quilt with it –  see it HERE.
This time I had to push myself a little though to explore it a little bit more.  There is still much more I could try with this stitch but……later….

I have called this little piece Sticks and Stones.  The round selvedge pieces being the stones and the zentangle-like pattern in the background, the sticks. The border is made with the woven herringbone.  Definitely going to use this again in my embroidery.
This zentangle pattern always reminds me of that childhood game we used to play called ‘Pickin’ up Sticks’.  Loved that game!
I am still doing the journal page for each TAST stitch but neglected to put the cretan scribblings up last week.

                              Cretan Ideas.                                                        Herringbone Ideas.
It is quite helpful to sketch ideas first as it often triggers something, sometimes ending up nothing like the sketch.  Interesting.
Have a great weekend everyone and happy stitching.

Clowning around with Cretan

The stitch for TAST this last week was Cretan. 
It turned out to be not my favourite, but I hope in the future with practice to love it.  It was just difficult to get the rhythm going.
The first idea didn’t turn out very well, so I changed tack and made up a new design based on shapes in Aboriginal Art pieces.  Also, I wanted to used some colour in a different way.
Here it is :

The circles were particularly hard but I was quite happy with it in the end.  I was thrilled with the border and will use this one again somewhere, sometime. Also, I was happy with my colour choices and I am still in love with variegated. 
If you want to see some really incredible cretan stitch samples pop over to Stitchin Fingers HERE or go directly to Sharon’s Pin Tangle page for the Cretan Stitch and check out people’s links in their comments.  What some people have achieved with this stitch is truly amazing.

Little Feather Trees and Buttonhole Scene Finished

My aim with the TAST stitches is to produce a small piece consisting only of the featured stitch.  It is taking a lot of self control not to embellish with something else!!  Maybe down the track I might add bits and pieces to them but for the duration of the challenge I will try to continue the way I am going.

It has been fun creating my feather trees and Shirley helped me with colours and threads when I was feeling it was all just a bit blah.  Thank you my friend. 
The border is closed feather stitch and the trunk of the willow tree is single feather stitch worked closely.  I used a strip of sari silk folded thinly and couched with feather stitch for the trunk of the central tree. We saw this idea in a book and I had to give it a go. 

Also, while watching the Australian Open tennis, I finished off my tropical scene in buttonhole stitch.  Added a bit more strength of colour to the leaves and completing the border in closed button hole.  Well, fairly closed.
I am now loving variegated threads and particularly perle cottons which I have a very, very small supply of.  Will have to do some stash building there!!
All in all a very productive Sunday.
If you would like to see more of what people have done with the feather stitch, go across to Sharon’s Pintangle blog HERE - go to the comments and follow the various links to their blogs.  Some real eye candy there!!

Inspirations - TAST Week 2

Views of Rainbow Beach
We went a little further north last week and re-visited our old home town, Rainbow Beach.
This was a very windy day, misty day so the coloured sand cliffs are not visible. :-((

Top left to right:  Views across to Fraser Island through the casurina trees.
Surf Lifesaving tower
View to Fraser Island through the pandanus
Mr Virgo on Rainbow Beach (coloured cliffs in background
Rutile Sands
Our friend's cruiser


 

Inspiration for my TAST piece this week.  The palm trees at the back of our holiday unit.

  

 My piece is still a work in progress.  It will have a wavy border all done in buttonhole stitch and I will add a little more colour into the palm leaves.  I have only brought a very limited amount of threads to the beach with me and the leaf colour was not really what I was after.

 

 The waves were done with lovely variegated sashiko thread which was gifted to me by Judy.  Thanks Judy - I just love the texture this gave me. 

  My journal notes for the buttonhole stitch.
There is much more inspiration for the buttonhole stitch on Sharon B's Pintangle page HERE and also on Stitchin' Fingers.  Amazing how much can be done with the humble buttonhole stitch (blanket stitch)

This beach bum life is pretty darn good - coming to an end on Thursday. :-((  sad, sad, face.

TAST - ing Fly Stitch

If you haven't seen already all over the blogosphere,  the 1st week of Sharon at Pintangle's TAST challenge was the fly stitch. The link to week 1 is here and it is amazing just how many different and innovative ways people have used this stitch. Have a look at the comments and then follow the links to the various sites for some real eye candy.


Here is my poor ol' version.  Snowflake - fireworks thingys.
Snowflakes for January as in some places of the world it is snowing right now, and fireworks for New Years.
It is only a small piece and I intend doing just small pieces for the whole challenge on fabric I already have, and perhaps at the end making it into some kind of wall hanging.  Who knows?  Just seeing where it takes me at the moment.  I enjoyed experimenting and making my mind think of some way different to use this stitch which I have used many times in the past.

 

Using my beautiful journal Shirley gave me to record my TAST experiments.

As you can see I used my first idea and I have notated the threads used.

The border was going to be a neat little affair but random flys won out!!

Looking forward to tomorrow morning to see what stitch is offered for Week 2.

Late Christmas Report

 
Lilian - the cutest ever Santa's helper at my sister's house before we went to the beach

 

My sister, Lyndelle (enjoying a cold ale) with cutie pie.

(Maroochydore Beach)

Then we went to the beach for a few weeks.

The weather has been very mild and not as humid as usual.  Just devine!!

Our Christmas lunch was delicious.  A very quiet affair.  There was only a few of us but we had enough food for about 15 people.

 

Entree - made by our daughter.

Prawn and Mango salad with a lime dressing.  It was really yummy.

 

Main Course - Leg Ham, Roast Pork, Asian noodle salad, Stuffed eggs, Potato Salad, Green salad with fetta.  Delicious.

Dessert (no photo) -  was fresh fruit salad, plum pudding, custard, cream and ice cream.

Eat today -  for tomorrow we may diet....