Long Arm Cross Stitch

In the past, I've fiddle around with long arm cross stitch, but didn't really feel like I'd really mastered the skill. It's not that the stitching is particularly hard, it's just that it's different from a lot of counted work I've done so far and it was hard to split my attention between a chart and a stitching diagram. Additionally, even when I have projects on the frame I like to have a lap project that I can carry around with me. I needed something was portable and not too fussy to pick up and put down frequently. Then the other day, I ran into a lovely little pouch based on the Goss vestments and I felt really inspired.

The handout very nicely put together and contains a great summary of the project. The original is from the blog http://www.zeitboten.de/seiten/u6almosenbeutel_goess.html . The pouch was so pretty and I thought - here is a pattern that doesn't need a chart! Hooray!

One thing that really makes long arm cross stitch look nice is the shine off silk provides a directionality and flow for the stitching. My spun silk is soft and nice, but not as great on shine. I rummaged until I found a box of cheap sari silks that I bought a few years back on an impulse buy. They aren't the nicest silk, but they have a great shine! I debated ground fabric for a while. I pulled out several great options - evenweave linen, some monaco cotton, and some aida. Ultimately, I surprised myself went with the aida. I have lots of it floating around. The aida is designed for cross stitch and it makes stitching easier in challenging circumstances. A lap project should be friendly and I figured there would be less squinting and fidgeting with those perfect little squares. The aida makes for a heavier ground than the linen does, but the stiffness also means I don't need a hoop - which is another plus for portability.

Now that I've made some progress, I can confidently say that this is a great lap project! The aida makes life easier and the silk has amazing shine. I really, really love the texture of the stitching; it makes an interesting geometric pattern really beautiful. The silks are as fussy as I remembered and they have these little slub chunks that are truly infuriating, but they were cheap enough to use on random projects. The first square was very easy to stitch, with almost no counting. I just followed the stitch lines and the geometry remained true. When it came time to start the second square I realized I needed a method, but the counting turned out to be very easy for this design. I haven't really figured out the final parameters of the project, so the connecting knot work on the edges is left open until I make some decision. I think if it's a pouch then it should be at least two squares in width. The ground is an 18 count aida to give some scale.

Finishing touches

I let my little dragon sit on the frame for a short bit and finally added a few finishing touches. They pale yellow I used for the claws and teeth was so light that they didn't show up, so I added a pink outline for contrast. The maroon I used for outline, didn't give the kind of contrast I wanted on his back, so I added some white as highlight. About halfway through the swirls I wished that I'd used the pink, but it was too late. I absolutely hate picking out stitches - especially wool! So, here he is, my ferocious little dragon is all finished up.

Stitch along dragon

Previously

• First post on stitch along
• Second post on stitch along

Here are some updates on my stitch along progress. Cute little dragon starts to come together

Technically, he is done here, but I will probably keep futzing about. I think that the maroon outline looses some of the detail and will need highlights. Also, I may add some detail highlights to the claws, because the yellow is so light that you can hardly see them.

Progress on stitch along dragon

Previous Post on Dragon stitch along

I'm really enjoying this stitch along. Bayeux stitch is one of those things that I've been meaning to do for quite some time. I think the hardest part of this project is staying patient with stitching progress. Fortunately, we had an SCA demo this weekend and I got a nice chunk of time to get some stitching in.

The outlining stitches always make such a difference! They are enormously satisfying, since you can begin to see the project really take shape. Stitch on!

Stitch along dragon

I'm a huge fan of the blog Opus Anglicanum. I really love her both her design work and her stitching. So, when she put together a stitch along for a Bayeux stitch dragon, I just couldn't resist. If you are interested, the materials kit is in this post and the stitch-along starts here.

I started my project off by trying a new design transfer method - quilter's mesh. I picked some up recently at a clearance store for very cheap and it seems like a neat option. Here is the mesh and the dragon template I downloaded.

I traced the template using a Sharpie permanent marker and it traced pretty easily.

Here is what the mesh looks like with our cute little dragon drawn on.

I have a nice Micron pen that I use for embroidery, but the tip is small and too stiff to work well with the mesh. The mesh holes have just enough depth to snag the pen tip a little, over and over. Instead I went with the Sharpie felt tip and it worked really well. When you lift the mesh up, you get a nice little dotted line to trace.

Here is the design with all the dots connected and the lines smoothed out a bit. My little dragon is ready for stitching!

Laurel's Prize Tournament

In Ansteorra, the Laurel's Prize Tournament isn't really a tournament. It's more of a mentored art show. Participants set up displays of their art for the event and then hang around to chat and demonstrate their craft. You pre-register for the event and the coordinators schedule several Laurel's who best match your area and goals to come by and visit you. It's a lovely, high energy event that has people exchanging technique, research, and general project planning. I like to call it the shiny, happy nerd fest. It's a very popular event for a lot of good reasons - it's fun for everyone. It's also very tiring since the whole day is busy.

Mistress Amata was kind enough to take a picture of my display this year. I brought Giant Sparkly Banner, the populace banners, one of the mouse hats, the German brickwork bag I am working on, and a few sundry fiber arts bits. I also brought my research binders and got some excellent feedback on them. I finished up my new dark blue dress and light blue under dress for the event, which I am wearing in the picture.

I took quite a few photos this year, but my camera is dying so many of them didn't turn out well. I did manage to get some good pictures and they are posted on Flickr in this album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helene83/sets/72157647188468460/

Brick stitch pouch

Sometimes I post pictures to my Flickr feed with all intents to write about them - and then forget. Such is the fate of the brick stitch pouch that I am currently working on, so we will take a quick trip back in time. This project started out as a quick doodle to test out some new fibers that I picked up at the local embroidery store. Having recently played around with some filament silk, I was looking for something that was a cheaper approximation of that pretty high shine and that soft hand. DMC has recently changed their rayon line again, so I pick up some DMC red and green. The Reaissance Designs "Silky" threads were another synthetic option that was just so shiny and soft that I had to get a couple of skeins in blue and yellow.

I started stitching this little doodle using an impromptu brick stitch pattern and was really having fun with it. It just kept getting bigger!

The DMC rayon is in a very familiar skein, that are individually wrapped in a plastic tube. The rayon is very slippery and easily separates into six strands. Each strand barely has any twist at all and reminds me in feel and look of flat silks. I used two strands for the stitching on the 28 count linen, but I think that next time I would use three. The fibers are finicky like silk, so got find your hand lotion and check your cuticles. I love the feel of stitching with this rayon and really, really love it bright shine. I do not like the feeling of starting, finishing, or tying off knots with this thread because it fights back and seems to leave you with the feeling that the second you turn your back it's going to spring out of place. After finishing the stitching however, the piece feels very solid and I don't have anything wiggling out the back. The threads do snag, so you have to be careful with your hands and environment. They can also tire easily, so shorter lengths are better or you get fuzzy parts. Overall, the red and green are beautiful and shiny and soft, and I think they are a good option for that silky look.

The Renaissance Designs "Silky" comes in a lovely twisted skein and also separates out into smaller threads. These threads seem more solid than the DMC threads and were much less likely to fuzz or snag. They had the same springiness that made starting, finishing, and tying threads a bit unnerving. Two strands of the blue and yellow provided really good coverage on the linen, but they seem to have more texture and less shine. Some of the texture comes from the threads having a bit of a twist, so if you are looking for that twist this thread is a good option.

At this point, it was clearly a "Project that Must be Finished" and so I had to figure out what it was going to be. (to be continued)