Sinister Craftiness

Occasionally I’m asked if I make mistakes while cutting the Hardanger embroidery, and if so, if there are any mistakes which can’t be repaired.

To which I reply, Oh, yes!  Fortunately the Janice Love books have many suggestions to restore almost any kind of cutting accident back to neat, and I’ve usually had great success fixing little cuts here and there.

But while I was working on the christening gown collar — in fact, while I was cutting the excess fabric away from the finished collar, back before Christmas — I slipped and cut into the blanket stitches, front and center.  The collar began to unravel, and there was no good place in that area to reinforce or redo the cut stitches.

I want this christening gown to be perfect, and the collar is a focal point of the gown, so there really was no debate:  I had to start a new collar, and I was now the sadder but wiser owner of a “scratch and dent” or practice collar.

One month later, the second collar is done, and I’m so happy to see that it turned out perfectly:

What about the scratch and dent collar?  From certain angles or placing an object over the unraveled area, I think it will do well as a doily for taking pictures of other stitching projects.  It’s a good reminder to be careful when working on the cut parts of embroidery:  always use a bright light, sharp scissors (I love my Dovos), and take rest breaks whether you think you need to or not.  I was in a rush to finish the collar (it was so close to being done!) and haste combined with fatigue made me clumsy.  For the second collar, I cut a moderate section away from the excess fabric, took a break, then returned to the job.   It took longer but half a day of cutting was better than spending another month to make collar #3.

Now I hope I’ll have time to finish the petticoat lace!  The petticoat follows the same designs as the collar.  My little niece or nephew is due mid-February so the gown won’t be needed until March at the earliest.

Wow!  The sleeves took much less time than I thought they would!  With the over skirt and both sleeves complete, my sister-in-law and her mother will be able to work on the dress over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Taking a picture of the sleeves proved a bit difficult.  Unlike the over skirt, the embroidery stops with a margin on both sides (to sew the sleeve together) which makes the sleeve look, well, unfinished.  This photo shows both sleeves, embroidered ends facing each other.  The pattern photo shows what the sleeves will look like after my sister-in-law and her mother have worked their sewing magic.  I’m excited to see the pieces put together!  Meanwhile, I’ll start working on the dress collar, which has more openwork than the sleeves.  Each piece of this gown is prettier and prettier.

Thanks for visiting!

The over skirt of the christening gown is the simplest to embroider, and would make a nice enough gown on its own if I weren’t able to complete any more pieces, so I worked on it first.  Total stitching time for the skirt:  about three weeks.

I’m using 32 count Monika evenweave (a mercerized cotton/modal blend) by Ubelhor of Austria.  I love this fabric!  It’s perfectly suited for a christening gown:  silky soft with great body and a wonderful drape, holds the shape of the pulled and drawn work exactly so, and irons like a dream.  Wonderful!  I bought it from Nordic Needle where I was lucky enough to catch it on sale plus a storewide shipping discount.  The pattern is stitched with DMC white perle cotton in #8 and #12.

Next:  the sleeves.  The embroidery is more detailed than the over skirt in that there is more openwork, but of course there’s much less to do than on the skirt.  We’ll see how many weeks it takes to embroider the sleeves.

Thanks for visiting!

I’m working on a few Hardanger projects right now.  First, I’d had a table runner pattern from Lillill Thuve’s Vakre Hardangerdesign kitted up for ages, but hadn’t started it.

I began it, but a fiddly part of the center motifs slowed me down and I’ve put it aside for a while until I’m more interested in it again.  I’m realizing why I hadn’t gotten around to starting it.  The fabric (Dublin) and the thread (Watercolours) are a delight as always, but there’s something about the pattern that just isn’t doing it for me.

The pattern that’s really captured my interest right now is one of the winners of the annual Nordic Needle design contest.

I love the pattern, the stitches, and the colors I chose.  I’m using 30 count Legacy Linen in Baltic Green, which looks antique green or blue depending on the light.  Love, love, love Legacy linen:  it’s stiffer than Dublin, but full, feels great in the hand, and so luxurious.  I had really wanted to stitch this centerpiece in silk, but the Baltic Green color proved tricky to match up:  if I found a shade of Trebizond or Soie Perlée that worked well with the linen, I couldn’t find a matching Soie Gobelins, and if I found a suitable Soie Gobelins, neither Soie Perlée nor Trebizond looked right next to it.  The expense of silk, that pesky hobgoblin, also looked like it would be a factor in this medium-sized project, so after tidying up all the spools I’d pulled out of the drawers of the LNS, I chose a shade of DMC perle cotton which is a great fit for the fabric and didn’t break the budget.

I completed the surface stitches in two weeks’ time and am currently slogging through the eyelets.  This pattern features a lacy edge, or as I call it, Zombie Hardanger.  The cutting phase will be messy and scary, but well worth it.

But wait; there’s more!  My sister-in-law (the owner of this birthday biscornu) is expecting her first baby, and we’re going to make a christening gown.

I’ll be using another pattern from Nordic Needle’s design contest to embroider the fabric, and my sister-in-law and her mother will sew the dress.  My new niece or nephew is due mid-February; once the fabric arrives, we’ll get started.

Christmas in Virginia by Betsy Morgan
2011 exclusive Christmas in July ornament, Swan Sampler Guild
Stitched with Gloriana silks and DMC perle cotton

This pretty needle book was a quick stitch and finish, and will make a lovely year-round stitching accessory.

I’m picking away at a few other Christmas ornaments and trying to finish up the Button-up Birdies series.  Thing Two is impatient with my lack of progress, but now that he’s in kindergarten, he’s not around to nag me — and I can actually make more progress on stitching — so we’ll see how many small and Christmasy things pop up on the blog over the next few weeks.  The empty nest is taking some getting used to, but I’m loving all the extra stitching time.

Hardanger doily, Diana Craft Journal 1997
Cameo Rose Belfast linen (32 count)
Stitched with Trebizond and Soie Gobelins

Two years ago I stitched this lovely little Hardanger doily from a pattern in the 1997 Diana Craft Journal, and took the pattern up a notch by stitching it on 32 count linen with long filament silks.  That doily was a gift, and this summer I got around to stitching another one to keep.  I managed to finish it in time for the local state fair, where it won a second place ribbon:

This is the first time I’ve submitted anything to the fair, but it won’t be the last.  Those ribbons are addictive!

Halfway through the year, and halfway through the Crazy January Challenge:  the Victorian Rose Sampler by Victoria Sampler is finished!  This pretty design can be finished either as a bellpull or a small framed sampler, plus an additional sugarplum ornament which I’d like to stitch in time for Christmas.  The finish was fun and relatively quick, so now I’m motivated to dig more VS bellpulls out of my stash.

On April 30 I attended a finishing class hosted by the Northwest Sampler Guild.  Sherri Jones is a wonderful teacher; very helpful and friendly.  This was my first time taking a class and first time meeting my local sampler guild.  It was so much fun to spend the day with fellow stitchers!  I look forward to attending future guild meetings and classes.

Sherri had brought several current teaching projects to show, including the Lounging Hare Sewing Box (box made by the same craftsman who made the Blue Ribbon cherry wood box), the Button Brag Book, Ring of Roses Reticule, and other projects whose names I’ve forgotten but they were all gorgeous.  There was also a table of past class projects for sale, which vanished quickly.  I picked up a cute small, the Rabbit’s Round Tuit, which will hopefully make an appearance on this blog in the future.

But for now, on to the Blue Ribbon Sewing Box:

The handcrafted cherry wood box is a replica of an antique sewing box.  The ivory scrimshaw ruler, thread winders and plaque (created from piano keys) are optional accessories.  The slip pockets and smalls are stitched on 32 count linen with NPI and HDF silks.

Thing Two loves the little box and its smalls.  He says, “There’s a party inside!”

See pictures of the Blue Ribbon Sewing Box, Lounging Hare, and Button Brag Book on A Gathering of Embroiderers 2011 schedule.

Hardanger brikke “Elise”
from Hardangersøm med variasjoner by Lillill Thuve
Antique white Dublin linen (25 count)
Stitched with Caron Watercolours “Delphinium” and Anchor #8 perle cotton

Back in April I posted about a knitting/embroidery exchange with Knitika, and at long last it’s done!  This little centerpiece measures 14.5″ (37 cm) on 25 count linen.  This is my second time using Dublin linen and I really like it for Hardanger:  it’s soft and supple, with a nice drape to it.  Plus it’s very close to the count of Hardanger fabric, so I can be lazy on the math when calculating supplies.

A closer look at the embroidery:

In exchange Knitika made me not one, but TWO pairs of handwarmers!  I’m so spoiled.

The pattern above is “Aragorn” and the pattern below is “Dashing“.  I don’t know yarn, but I do know these handwarmers are made of awesome. (Knitika, on the other hand, does know her yarn, so check out her exchange post.)

Both pairs are so pretty, so soft and toasty warm.  My hands are very happy.  Thanks, Knitika!

A personal note today:  I’m sorry to have to report that my father passed away last week after several months of declining health.  Between helping my mother and my own grieving process it will be a few weeks before I’m up to finishing any current stitching projects and blogging about them.   A modified version of my father’s obituary is posted on our family blog.

Thanks for your kindness and understanding.