A weft yarn

Almost finished my first ever, teensy weensy, stumpwork project

It is the size of a walnut. And there's no way such an uninspiring title conveys my enthusiasm for this project or for this type of embroidery. In the photo Jane Nicholas gives you at the start of this project, you can see that the finished object can be presented as a tiny pincushion stuffed into half a walnut shell. Or you could mount it on a pendant to hang around your neck. So...not big. But yet, tiny things...can be massive and exciting.

I started this little project on a one day course in Goulburn last July. We were deep in the middle of our renovation and I had to wait to see the builders before I could make the hour long drive to Goulburn, so was late arriving in Goulburn. Then I had to leave the course earlier than planned and so only got to spend about an hour and a half learning the techniques of stumpwork. After this taste of the class with Jane Nicholas I thought I had learnt enough to want to do more, so kept an eye out for another beginner's course in stumpwork. I had been advised that it was wise to do a beginner's level course with this type of embroidery.

Anyway, the little tiny piece of stumpwork sat in the two frames for nearly a year. Then as part of the preparation for the next beginner's piece, I pulled out Jane's book and started thinking about how to be a bit better prepared for the next class. I'd had enough of a taste in the first class to realise that Jane takes you at a fairly focussed pace and there isn't much time for fluffing around not exactly knowing what you are doing. Earlier in 2012, I had signed up for a class at Mosman Needlecraft to do another beginner's piece called California Poppy and Bumble bee. I had the class requirements list and so realised that I needed the two frames that were currently occupied with the ladybug and boysenberries.

 

The universe was telling me to jump in, finish the the first tiny sampler piece and thus release my hoops for the next two day class. So I did. Thankfully, it was quite a bit easier than I expected. Sometimes I build things up in my mind and they seem way bigger than a walnut! I am pleased I pushed myself because it meant I have nearly finished a project (just need the walnut) and more importantly, I felt that going into the next class that I had done a bit of preparation. Probably most, most importantly though, I confirmed that I really did like this type of embroidery. Playfulness and precision. An interesting mix.

Just as a reminder, this is what I had finished after the course in July 2011. There are two hoops in the photo below. The orange one has a leaf and a stem finished. And the green hoop has a piece of red homespun cotton with a wire coloured red to match fabric and thread, shaped into the opened wings of the ladybug.

Previous posts

Stumpwork - new project (September 2011)

Back to the Ferry

It is back to the Ferry, I go. It has been quite some time since I've worked on this. It seems I last put needle to canvas in October last year. Perhaps Santa has been getting more than his fair share this 2012 year. Well, what's a fair share?  I return to this structural piece of furniture that requires some thoughtful wrangling to establish a comfortable stitching arrangement. It doesn't lend itself to little bursts of stitching because by the time I've got it in place, and myself ergonomically adjusted to stitch away, I don't want to have to leap up and finish a bit of laundry, or make a bit more of the dinner. The Santa stocking being a slighter little thing could sit next to the chair in the study nook and as I chatted with the kids, I could put a stitch in here, a stitch there.

Once I find myself positioned in front of the Ferry, I get caught up in this tableau. Who is this Nanny? She is carrying the baby and a umbrella. It is clearly a lovely day and they are beautifully dressed. On their way to a party, I think. The umbrella is about shade. This is the baby's first outing as he is only 6 weeks old. His name is Emile and it was an easy birth. He has an older sister, Ernestine. His mother Cecile is still very pleased with his arrival and they are enjoying the warm Spring day.  I'm glad I finished stitching the umbrella to give him some protection on the trip across the river.

 I must admit this technique of multiple needles, multiple threads is driving me nuts on this canvas. The fine oblique slav, which is stitched in stranded cotton in a eucalyptus-like grey-green colour, has to be stitched from the bottom to the top. I wish I'd realised this before I launched into this canvas. I would have held off until I'd put all the fine oblique slav in, and THEN I'd revert to the DSL technique of multiple needles. In the meantime they just get in the way. I've pulled a lot of the dangly long ones up onto a magnetic needleholder but the others then need to be moved as I get to them. Sigh. I thought it was such a brilliant technique when I started. But like most things, requires some thoughtful adaptation.

Ah well. Lessons learnt. I have lots and lots of rippling, painterly, river water to stitch so its probably worth my while to adapt my style.

Previous posts

The Ferry tapestry - progress after Tapestry Guild weekend (October, 2011)

The Ferry tapestry - the 2011 September Tapestry weekend (Sept 2011)

The Ferry - E.Phillips Fox - Baxtergraphix Tapestry (April 2011)

Spinning

I have made reference to our new spinning wheel in a couple of my previous posts. It is a Pipy Spinning Wheel and was made in New Zealand. It was made sometime between 1962 and 1982. It is a lovely little thing. Quite small and with a few gentle nudges of the treadle it whirls around in a smooth and hypnotic way. Can we spin anything though? Hmm.

We mentioned that we were interested in learning to spin after we went to a Spinners and Weavers exhibition two years back. So my mother-in-law gave us her old spinning wheel and some fleece. We were very excited. Unfortunately, a part was broken and although the resident handyman tried to repair it, you would kind of need a professional wood turner kind of person to make this small wooden part properly. It is a moving part and so does need to work well. As we didn't know anyone with those skills, it sat in the corner gathering dust. Then about a year later, at my tapestry Christmas party in December 2011, as we were saying our goodbyes, I happened to mention something casually about spinning (and our desire to have a go) and lo and behold, my friend had just received her fourth spinning wheel. Her husband was making noises about numbers of wheels in the house...so...she was...very keen to find a home for her 'overflow' spinning wheel. She just about insisted I should have it. She insisted so much, I think I got it for an absurdly ridiculous low price. A few days later, we went around to her house, gave her some loose coins, a few bits of lint and fluff from the bottom of my handbag and then we had a beautifully constructed, tiny bit of women's fibre history and ancient craftmanship sitting in our lounge room.

Taken from this website..Pipy products were coded, in hand writing under the table or treadle - M.A. (+ some numbers) is the Pipy saxony, M.B. the Wendy, M.C. the Poly, and M.D. the Sprite (picture at right) rather like a metal-wheeled Poly, of which only a few were made. A few early Polys have a metal wheel also, but can be identified by the code. Website: An Identification of New Zealand Spinning Wheels and their Makers.

So based on the photo we have a Pipy Saxony.

Pipy was one of several types of wheel made in Auckland by Philip Poore (Pipy Craft Ltd) from 1962. This is an early Pipy; later he made the legs a little more sturdy. It was designed for double drive but can be adapted for brake tension or even bobbin lead.

The bobbins have a metal shaft, and the spindle runs in metal bearings. A hook flips over to secure the orifice. A cord is used instead of the usual rigid footman. "Queen Victoria had a spinning wheel with a cord footman" says Mr Poore, "which is all that is needed for a downward foot movement and is very light."
More on Pipy wheels

Well.....can we spin? It goes like this. The wheel came home with us after a demo at my friend's house. Then we had a few goes in our lounge room and could make no sense of it. My husband was all for taking the machine apart because clearly it wasn't working properly. I encouraged him to think maybe it had something to do with our technique and skill level rather than the mechanics of the wheel. As proof, I suggested we just go ahead and wind on a bobbin of wool. So we took a ball of knitting wool and managed to 'spin' or wind it onto a bobbin. In the top photo of this post you can see a bobbin with some blue commercially spun wool on it. So -  yes  - the machine works. Must be us. We spent a couple of days over the Christmas holidays spinning fleece onto the bobbin. It was fun but really pretty hopeless and completely unusable.  It was reasonably even but so thick it was like rope. We knew it wasn't meant to be like this but it was still a great lot of fun to get some fleece out of a bag and through our hands and onto a bobbin. Clearly though we needed help and practice.

My friend had said that we could come back in January and have a proper lesson with one of her friends. So, Tess and I spent a really lovely morning with Ester and Alexis teaching us how to spin. For a few beautiful and magical fleeting moments I could feel, really feel how to spin. But like all new skills, a few moments later I lost the art of getting both hands and foot completely in sync and we were back to overspinning the fleece.  This below is the product of a morning's proper tuition.  It isn't even - so maybe it looks like a step backwards but I don't see it like that. Some of the spinning is producing a thinner result, more like something vaguely like a yarn instead of a rope. So - that's progress. I'm not 100% sure where spinning fits into the crafting world of two suburban home bodies (Melissa and Tess). I know we have loads of encouragement and support from Alexis so it's really up to us whether we want to take this skill forwards and give it a go. I am tempted.

Here you will see a relative of my spinning wheel (scroll down to bottom of post). I used to read Poppalina all the time. I think she's gone silent now. I loved her blog...she even had ducks ...and she's a much better spinner..

This story is about restoring a Pipy Spinning Wheel - but not a Saxony - a Wendy instead.

Bush Rose : Dolly quilt block : from Material Obsession

I was thrilled to finally get started on the Dolly quilts. They have been slowly collecting into a program of epic proportions.  I am not yet sure what I will do with the blocks or Dollies. Originally, I was thinking that they would just be dolly quilts...but I'm not sure I need dozens and dozens of dolly quilts. I'm wondering now if I can't somehow sew them into a complete quilt. I'll give it some thought as I go. This week's Dolly Quilt is called Bush Rose and is made from beautiful Aboriginal design fabrics from this company.

This little quilt is exactly my kind of thing. I love the pattern, the fabrics and I also enjoyed learning how to sew it together.

You cut rectangles and squares. The small dark squares become the design focal point. The point around which the design rotates.

At first it looked like the small dark squares formed into rows, but then the twirly pattern as well as the rows became apparent. I guess good designs can take on multiple forms as you gaze at them. I also love the way so many fabrics, colours and designs are used but yet the underlying integrity of the images on the  Aboriginal fabric blend together into a new-almost-dot-painting image.

The instructions for how to sew it together had me a bit confused at first. Not because they were confusing. More because I had never done this before, so I didn't have much experience to help me visualise the process. When the instructions said to sew each small dark square to a large square, half way down the seam. I understood it but didn't understand why I would do that. I had laid out the design on the floor of my study/sewing area.

As a way of moving forward, I just started piecing the quilt top together (ignoring that particular instruction) and then after I had sewn the first 12 or so pieces together, I understood the requirement and did as instructed. In the photo below you can see in the top right that I've sewn a block together of about 12 pieces. Below them are a few of the 'two squares sewn together' and below them are the blocks laid out in the orignal pattern.

You can see in the photo below, I've sewn a large block to a small block and sewn half way down the seam. The blocks then need to go back into the design in the correct place so I needed some system to make sure it all made sense now that the two sewn together pieces no longer looked easily recognisable.

I settled on a method. I put the two squares together, one diagonal row at a time. When I finished the row I put it back down on the pattern in the correct order. Then once it came to piecing the whole top together I sort of added a horizontal row at a time. I had photographed the original design and so uploaded it to the computer.

With the image on the computer screen as reference, I placed the partially completed quilt top on the chair next to the computer - looked at the image and then selected the correct '2-squares' from the laid out design on my study floor.

It might sound a bit confusing, and it's obviously not essential that you understand this, I just felt really pleased with the little system I got going to sew it together. It helped me retain the original design and get a bit of a production line thing happening. After I did all this, and the quilt top was done, I thought maybe I should take the advice of both Material Obsessions books, other quilters and the Dolly instructions themselves and look into a design wall. So I could get up off the floor. It wasn't too hard with the dolly sized quilt to be down on the floor, and I was really thrilled how to work out a sewing method that very quickly settled into a pattern, with no mistakes, but perhaps there's an easier way.

I did a bit of reading, looking at blogs and reveiws for products and decided that the quickest solution for me, without heading out of town (either financially or physically) was to hang a flannel sheet on the back of the door. I'll look into a better long term solution later down the track. For now, voila. Two completed dolly quilt tops and miraculously they are about the same size!

Midnight peacock purse: nearly finished stitching but put aside nonetheless

I am nearly finished the bargello stitching of the Midnight Peacock Purse. I just have to add a few more lines of black and then the blue centres of the peacock tail and then it could be moved on to the next phase.

The phase of being sewn up into a purse. Or rather, I like to think of it as an evening bag. For going out. In the evening. Obviously, it is not for me.

I have actually been out in the evening this year - twice in fact. So there, it is not impossible. One of the events was a friend's 50th birthday party at her house and the other was during the Folk Festival. Not much call for a black evening bag at either of those. Not sure why I'm mentioning all this.

This is not intended for me. I have tried to catch the way the light falls on the stitching and how it sparkles and almost looks like a beaded evening bag. I think...maybe...I might like one of these. If I ever went out, that is. I have run out of one of the black threads, so it might need to sit aside, in the corner of the dining room, until I solve the problem of how to order Kreinik thread in Australia. Trying to buy one reel of Kreinik ribbon for Santa's stocking has been fraught to say the least.

 There is no deadline associated with this stitching. When it's done, it's done. And then it will go live in someone else's house and hopefully it will escort someone out....in the evening. To evening bag type events.

Previous posts

Midnight peacock purse (April 2012)

Zig Zag : Dolly quilt : from Material Obsession

I made a quilt when I was in high school. It travelled the world with me, was much loved, fell apart and then two years ago, I decided to try making another quilt. So, I did a course, made my Dad a very simple quilt with lots of love and flaws. Then made a cot quilt for a friend's first born, then started a massive quilt for our bed ....then in 2010 signed up for a Block of the Month program at Material Obsession called Dolly quilts. It has now, two years later, morphed into a BOM called Starting Blocks but you can find on the MO website the original dolly quilts as separate one-off purchases (or if you are crazy ....like moi...you stay with the program while it morphs from Dollies to Starting Blocks and you can keep receiving little packages of goodness) .

My early experiences of dipping myself back into the world of quilting was that it was large universe of details and precision and I didn't know where to start. So after I had a couple of goes and realised I had a lot to learn, I put myself on a quilting infusion drip. Material Obsession came within my radar and Kathy's blog is in my blog reader as - let me check..it's either in my Favourites (collection of gardening, crafting, cooking, political blogs) or it's in my Craft - everyday Reads group. OK - everyday reads.

As time has passed, these monthly drips have overflown their storage container and really...I..MUST...DO...SOMETHING...with all these little packages. First cab off the rank - Zig Zag quilt. As part of the Dolly program, because you sign up to dolly programs to learn - make samples etc, you are probably interested in trying new techniques, acquiring patterns, fabrics and tools, rulers and templates. Purchasing the added bits are always optional - but I usually always opted in. This month, we got a Flying Geese ruler.

After much cutting - you position the triangles at odds to each other (that's a technical expression) and then sew them together into rows.

Here you can see my rows laid out on the study floor next to scaleable items. You see it was never mentioned anywhere (I would have ignored it even if it was) what size the finished object Dolly would be. I happen to have two dolly quilts, which were actually used to tuck dolly in...and note the difference? The MO zig zag dolly quilt is about 20 inches square - slightly bigger than a fat quarter. Ah, interesting.

I was rather pleased when I sewed the rows into the block that I managed to keep most (if not all) my triangle points. My first few experiences of patchwork cutting and sewing were more on the 'that's done' side rather than the 'quilting-guild-badge-of-honour-precision-sewing' side. I'm still on the bell curve down on the 'that's done' side but would like to see how far towards 'precision sewing' I can move, without bending myself out of shape. I don't want to win awards, I just want some beautiful objects, something warm on our legs in front of the TV and I want to learn as I go.

If you're interested, I found someone on the interwebs who seems to have made a number of dolly quilts. Back in 2009, she also signed up for Material Obsession's dolly quilt program. She seems to be still blogging, but not so much quilting.

It's always funny reading really old posts...there's quite a story in the link-throughs on that blog. Dolly quilt swaps 1, 2 and 3, unkind words, one quilter pointing out that someone's quilting just "wasn't up to standard of a swap"....ouch. Like many people, I got involved in swaps when I first started reading, and then writing, blogs. To be honest, I found them pressured and anxiety ridden (or is that me?). There were deadlines. There were questions one asked oneself about one's competancy...am I good enough for this? And there was always the odd feeling that even though they said 'thanks ...I love it"` was it really useful or beautiful to them? So, I stopped doing swaps and maybe it's where I read these days, but I don't notice that many these days. Do people still do them? Personally, the bake-along that I did was the most fun, least stressful, kindest group of women to share an activity with. I wish I'd signed up at the beginning instead of the end. But hey, that's life.