EAC Seminar 2009 Kingston, ON 10 July 09
Posted by melissabchris in Brazilian Embroidery, Canvas Work, Carolyn Mitchell, EAC, Sylvia Murariu, WIP, embroiderer's association of canada, embroidery.Tags: Brazilian Embroidery, Canvas Work, Carolyn Mitchell, EAC, Sylvia Murariu
1 comment so far
I had a good time at seminar. My favourite part was the boutique. Five different vendours had all kinds of threads, fabrics, patterns, beads and books available for purusal and purchase everyday!! There isn’t a needlework shop of that magnitude in Halifax so it was a real treat and my only regret is not being prepared with a huge list of things that I wanted. I’ll take a picture of my stash haul later (camera batteries are getting charged up).
The two classes that I took were great. Carolyn Mitchell is a really nice person and a great teacher. She made sure that we knew how to stitch the more complicated / out of the ordinary stitches and talked about the design so we would be prepared to work on it individually after we got home. My second class was equally pleasant. Sylvia Murariu also made sure we practised the stitches and talked about the use of rayon threads. I would recommend both ladies as teachers, they definitely put thought into how to present the designs in a manner that will make it a good learning environment for students.
Here are the pictures of my class projects progress as of today.
Mystique by Carolyn Mitchell
Plumage Extravaganza by Sylvia Murariu
Back from vacation but… 8 June 09
Posted by melissabchris in Uncategorized.add a comment
I got back from my trip to the Kingston, Ontario stitching seminar a couple of weeks ago, but have had a bad sinus infection ever since and haven’t been up to posting. I’ve barely been stitching. I started being sick half way through seminar (not cool) and had to take a few sick days once I got back. I had to miss our guild’s last meeting for the 2008-2009 year. Despite the sinus infection I did have a fun time and will write about it later on in the week. My anti-biotics are working away at the infection and at least the pain has gone.
Free Needlework Carrier Pattern & Instructions 8 May 09
Posted by melissabchris in Free Project, Town Clock Stitchers.Tags: Free Project, Needlework Carrier, Town Clock Stitchers
add a comment
This has been added to our guild’s site. Please take a look, hope you like it.
A heart and a garden 22 April 09
Posted by melissabchris in Emie Bishop, Martina Webber, Town Clock Stitchers, WIP, hardanger.Tags: Chatelaine, Emie Bishop, hardanger, Martina Webber, Watergarden
3 comments
I’m busy at work and on the computer all day. I haven’t felt like using the computer when I get home. I have a couple of pictures of the things that I’ve been working on though.
Emie Bishop Hardanger heart, our guild is working on a few for our Christmas Fund Raiser
Update pictures of Watergarden
March Town Clock Stitchers Meeting 8 April 09
Posted by melissabchris in Emie Bishop, Town Clock Stitchers, WIP.Tags: Emie Bishop, Town Clock Stitchers
2 comments
The majority of this meeting was taken up by our programme. Elena is teaching us to stitch a padded tulip. The example she was working on wasn’t all finished yet, but far enough along to get the rest of us going.
I only have the padding stitched down so far…planning on working on it over the next two weeks.
Patterns and material for our fund raiser were distributed and I am working on a Christmas in My Heart ornament by Emie Bishop. I’m almost done and will post a pic over the weekend.
My Year for Hardanger Improvement 30 March 09
Posted by melissabchris in Town Clock Stitchers, WIP, hardanger.Tags: hardanger, Janice Love, Town Clock Stitchers, trebizond silk, wedding present
1 comment so far
I have a three wedding gifts to stitch this year. July, August & September. Two cousins and a co-worker. I am going to stitch the same pattern for all three because I like the design, it works up quickly and I want to improve in hardanger. I should be fairly proficient by September! I really like hardanger but need practice and this is a good way of getting it. I would put myself at the high end of the beginner scale, could easily tip over into low-intermediate. I used Trebizond silk perle on August….looking forward to the other two because I am not using silk on them — perle cotton all the way! I find that no matter how securely I am anchoring the silk it slithers undone in places. I also occasionally pick the silk with my needle while I am stitching. My hands are really dry from winter and that doesn’t help out either. The final nail in the silk coffin is the expense versus cotton.
I started August first then found out about July and September. I am thinking of adding a couple of sparkly items to July to make it special and then for September I am going to change the colours completely to complement the bride’s colour scheme.
My guild has settled on what we are stitching for our Christmas Fund Raiser and there are some cross stitched ornaments and hardanger ornaments. I signed up for a hardanger ornament.
I am comfortable with cutting the fabric…think about what I am about to cut…count the threads…think some more and then cut very carefully. I am ok with kloster blocks. I prefer woven bars over wrapped bars. I am hit and miss with picots right now, although I’ll have plenty of opportunity to improve. Dove’s Eyes are coming along. I have Janice Love’s book Basics and Beyond. It’s been a great reference. I am going to have to get her other book, Fundamentals Made Fancy.
As of last night I am very close to finishing August. The top motif is bullion roses, french knots and silk ribbon leaves. I finished the hardanger and added the beading to the completed portions. There are about six roses and I’ve gotten 1 1/2 done so far. I’m going to bring it in for show and tell to the guild meeting tomorrow night.
Alas no pics of these gifts until after July’s wedding. I am going to finish the beading on Deck the Halls by Just Nan once I am finished with the August gift. I have ordered the fabric for July’s gift and will stitch on whatever catches my fancy among my UFOs until it arrives.
There is so much going on over the next few months. Only about a month and a half until Seminar!
The latest 19 March 09
Posted by melissabchris in Cross-Stitch, Just Nan, WIP.Tags: Cross-Stitch, Deck the Halls, Just Nan
1 comment so far
I got Deck the Halls by Just Nan (along with the embellishment pack) for Christmas and since I had to take some time from the gift that I was stitching to await the arrival of more fibres for the gift I started it. I have finished the cross stitch portion of the design so now there are some specialty stitches and beading left to do. I’ve been using my laying tool on it. I’m beginning to depend on the laying tool more and more these days, I just like how neat and tidy the stitches are.
Town Clock Stitchers February Meeting 11 March 09
Posted by melissabchris in EAC, Richelieu, blackwork.Tags: blackwork, Colleen Darling, EAC, Margaret Beemsterboer, Richelieu
add a comment
At the meeting we talked about what we’ll be doing for a fund raiser this year. We have decided to do the same amount of stitching but some of it will be different. We’ll be doing Snow Baby ornies and something in hardanger instead of two sets of the same designs. I volunteered to do a hardanger ornie. As yet I have not gotten very into finishing projects as ornaments so I am looking forward to learning more about that.
The programme team continued with the Richelieu doilie instructions. I was worried about doing the ‘Y’ button hole bar, and wanted to stitch it in the meeting so I would have help if I needed it. ‘Y’ bar wasn’t that bad.
A few of us were talking about how to do buttonhole stitches on the outlines because we want to keep things even looking. Someone mentioned a basting stitch which I will end up doing. When the designer was contacted to ask if we could use her pattern for the group she was more than happy that we planned on doing the doilie. She wants to see pictures of the various doilies that everyone is producing. There are many different colours on the go….variagated and solid. The designer’s name is Margaret Beemsterboer.
I have been working on my Beginner Blackwork piece from EAC’s correspondance course designed by Colleen Darling. Once I finish the border I’ll post a full picture.
What’s in a name… 20 February 09
Posted by melissabchris in Canvas Work, Carolyn Mitchell, Cross-Stitch, EAC, Finished, Sylvia Murariu, Town Clock Stitchers, embroiderer's association of canada, embroidery, hardanger.Tags: Brazilian Embroidery, Canvas Work, Carolyn Mitchell, EAC Seminar, Name Tag, Sylvia Murariu, Town Clock Stitchers
add a comment
In our guild (and I think this is common to most guilds) we are supposed to have a stitched name tag. I’ve been with my guild for three years now and haven’t gotten around to stitching one. I am tagless no longer, I finally stitched my name and am in the process of finishing the edges. I used PCStitch to make a cross stitch pattern for my name from the Curlz font. To answer the question of what’s in a name…silk. I had silk perle left over from doing a project and I like the colours so I used them. Gloriana Stranded silk 124 Holiday Blue for my name and for the edgeing I’ll be using Thread Gatherer Silk Perle 081 Forget Me Not. I have never done hardanger edges before, so I tried a little test of six kloster blocks and button hole stitch edge, then I cut the outside fabric away. I still need to work on the inside turns on the button hole stitch. Here is the finished name tag:
The new motivation to finish a name tag comes from my May plans. I am attending the EAC Seminar “Thousand Islands Thousand Stitches” in Kingston, Ontario. I am taking two course (each two days long). The first one is called “Mystique” taught by Carolyn Mitchell it’s canvaswork. The second class is “Plumage Extravaganza” taught by Sylvia Murariu, it’s Brazilian Embroidery. I am looking forward to both, and think that it will be really interesting to learn the Brazilian Embroidery because it’s seems to be more about working with different fibres because I know the basic stitches involved. Flight and accomodations are booked.
So aside from that I have two wedding gifts to stitch for the summer. The first wedding is in July and the second is in August, both for cousins.
Town Clock Stitchers are participating in Seminar 2011 which is going to be held in Sackville, New Brunswick. We are going to be facilitating the design and distribution of kits for stitched fund raiser items. I’m on the Fund Raiser committee. The Maritime guilds are all pitching in to cover different aspects of the seminar.
Tomorrow is the Saturday Stitch In and I have to get the TCS newsletter finished this weekend.
Free Project 3 February 09
Posted by melissabchris in Free Project, Town Clock Stitchers, hardanger.Tags: blackwork, Free Project, hardanger, Town Clock Stitchers
1 comment so far
Town Clock Stitchers has added another free project to our site. Please take a look; feedback would be great.
