Making progress

I've had my head down working on the new project I recently gave you a sneak peak of. It's working out nicely, apart from one section that was a case of third time lucky – unpicking is extremely laborious and frustrating.

Anyway, here's a little more to whet your appetite:




I learnt a new stitch in the process: cable plait, also known as braid stitch or figure of eight and found in mountmellick embroidery. I don't have a physical list of favourite stitches, but this one would be quite near the top if I did. It's not half as tricky as it looks to do and the end result is satisfyingly chunky but streamlined.

And my bullions are improving, which is a huge relief. As you may or may not know, bullions are my nemesis. But they don't seem to be going pear-shaped anymore. A small victory, in an ultra geeky embroidery freak kind of way.

All's well

…with the world when you wake up late and rested sans alarm and the air is still and calm with the promise of sunshine. The builders next door have downed tools for the day and the chores are all done. Spotify is shuffling a Death Cab for Cutie playlist as a soundtrack to the morning, while a cup of tea sends up spirals of steam. A day of embroidery stretches ahead into the distance as my still sleep-fogged brain muses: This must be heaven.

Stashbusters

Appliquéd embroidery doesn’t take much fabric, and generally requires a small print. And as I seem to be doing mainly embroidery these days, rather than a mix of textile crafts, my fabric stash isn’t diminishing. I love rifling through it, but seldom have reason to use any of the fat quarters and bigger pieces of fabric that fill the drawers.

My stash really isn’t all that big and I do have ideas for it, if not the time to execute those ideas. But it’s rather coincidental that I’ve come across two great stashbusting ideas in the past month, just as my lack of stashbusting has been on my mind.

I came across Tejo Remy’s Rag Chair at design store Droog in Amsterdam, and it immediately struck me as a useful way to use up unwanted stash fabric or recycle UFOs. I didn’t have the guts to throw myself down on it in the store, but it did look pretty comfy. And you could shape it anyway you please, really, if you took on the task of making one yourself.


Sidebar: I did try out Nina Farkache’s Come a Little Bit Closer Bench, though. It had a sign alongside saying “feel free to try me” and gliding along on marbles looked like fun, which it was.


Another great idea is to upholster furniture or adorn accessories in patchwork, a la Squint mode. They use bright and cheerful prints, but you could create any palette to customise your furniture. Two-tone patchwork or shades of a single colour would also make great statement pieces.

Fresh and fired up

I recently had one of those rare moments when a bunch of projects came to an end around the same time. It's satisfying, but it also left me feeling a bit "what now?".

So out came the sketchbooks, fabric and threads… and I've just spent a blustery but blissful morning getting going on a new project. Here's a sneak peek:



The design incorporates a bit of appliqué and some new stitching ideas I've been wanting to try out. And it'll be available as a pattern in the near future.