I’m excited about this update because I worked on the Christmas stocking!
SAL Update 9/18/2022
This is where I was the last time I updated. I have worked on this for about an hour everyday for the last three weeks and this is where I am now:
SAL Update 11/20/2022
The painted canvas makes it very hard to see the progress in a picture. The top portion of the stocking is done.
I think it’s a little clearer in this photo. It took me a little bit to get used to the “tent” (?) (half cross stitch). The dragging of the thread on the back to make sure everything is covered is also new to me.
Left side closeup
Right side closeup.
It’s really fun to see how much progress can be made in just three weeks. Providing I actually work on it!!
Please stop by and see what the other stitchers in this SAL are working on:
The Christmas Stocking that I am supposed to be doing for this SAL hit the back burner these past three weeks. I had another week long intensive course in Tambour last week and I spent the previous two weeks reacquainting myself with my hook. Last week was amazing! Our teacher, Bob Haven, is fantastic. Besides having to drive an hour and a half each way, this class was perfect.
Samples
This is my tambour frame. We were working on silk organza fabric. What you see above is our “sampler” of sorts. We learned different techniques and practiced them.
Wired Flower
This flower shape has wire around the edges so that when cut from the cloth, it can be manipulated and attached to something else to create a 3D item. There are two rows of sequins around the edges and beads done in open vermicelli in the center of the leaves. All are done with the tambour hook.
Flower
This flower has lace appliquéd in the center and then a row of beads around the outside to cover the stitches. Both were done with the tambour hook.
Leaves/Petals
These leaves are also wired around the edge. There are sequins attached to both sides (with the tambour hook – no easy task!) making them reversible. These will also be cut from the cloth and then added to the center of the sequined flower above. Once finished, it can be turned into a brooch, added to a hat or purse, anything really. In my future, I see dragonflies and butterflies done in this method.
Leaf
This leaf was no easy feat. It took approximately 2 and a half hours to complete. The thread was done in a method called Point Tiré which means drawn stitch. Completing this stitch with the tambour hook took lots of practice. I have not taken a picture of the lines of practice! The gems in the middle are called lochrosen and are flat on the back but have a raised center – yes, they are applied with the tambour hook.
Beaded Half-Circle
This was also done with Point Tiré. The line of beads on the outside of this semi-circle is plain tambour. The radiating lines are Point Tiré. By now the stitch was pretty easy; however, getting the beads to lay flat and where they were supposed to be was a challenge. The look is very nice though.
Leather and pearls
First we were given a piece of leather and told to stitch it down with needle and thread. The leather needed to be stitched so that there was a “hump” in the middle, it was not to be stitched flat. After that, small stitches were taken in the middle of the “hump” to create interesting texture from the folds. Shatong gems were added to the leather with needle and thread, then the pearls were done with the tambour hook around the outside edge.
Lace
The last thing we were given was a piece of lace and told to embellish it. There a several different techniques used and I’m quite happy with the result. For homework, we are to design something for a wearable. I have a few different ideas and will start to draft a pattern this week. It should be fun although I see lots of ripping in my future as I experiment.
The Christmas Stocking will make an appearance on my next post for this SAL. I plan on working on it every night while the hubby and I watch our shows!
Please take a look at the other talented stitchers taking part in this SAL:
I found fabric for the back and made it up into a stocking. The hanger is braided yarn.
It doesn’t show up very well, but the back is quilted. The lining is a very cute Christmas penguin fabric and my daughter LOVES penguins. It feels so good to finally have this done! My daughter will be so excited to see it hanging from the mantle this year.
This stitch-a-long has helped me so much in getting things complete. That’s definitely true for the last two Christmas stockings I have completed.
Please take a look at the other people participating in this SAL. They are such talented stitchers creating beautiful works of art.
Every month my local EGA runs a special program at their general meeting. The program for the night meeting in August was reversible blackwork.
The pattern provided is located on the EGA website (you have to be a member of EGA to access it). One of our members is an expert on blackwork and does a lot of reversible blackwork. After her demonstration, we all got started.
This is the front of my work. In total, I ripped this 3 times – this is my fourth attempt and so far, fingers crossed, it is going well. I am using a 28ct pewter cashel linen stitched over two.
This is a closeup of the pattern.
Here is the back of my work. It’s pretty much the same except you can see a darker, thicker line where I had to weave in my ends. At our next meeting, I’ll ask about that.
And here is the closeup of the back that really shows the ends woven in. This has been (I’m not finished yet) a very interesting experience and not one I could duplicate without help. The instructions are amazing with the stitching pathway clearly shown. I’d love to do more of this, but it’s going to take quite a bit of mental gymnastics to make it work.
I’m excited that I have made a decision on my next big project for the stitch-a-long! I waffled back and forth between several projects. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to start something else big or do a few small ones first. Well… I finally decided on this,
Christmas Stocking for Jack!
This is the kit I bought for my youngest child (now 17 years old!). It also marks the last of the stockings for my kids (I still have to do one for my husband).
Canvas
This will be a change for me as this is needlepoint. I have played around with needlepoint here and there. I’ve never tackled anything this big before, but I’m actually excited to do it.
SAL Update 9/18/2022
I dove right in. It appears to be going pretty quickly. This represents about an hour of work.
This SAL that I am a part of is so wonderful. The stitchers involved are so talented and supportive. We post once every three on a project of our choosing. If you have a moment, please take a look at what the rest of our group has been up to:
For this update I was going to have my daughter’s Christmas stocking sewn up. I have tons of fabric and have been sorting through it but have not made the final decision for the back and the lining. This month, hopefully, I’ll make a decision and completely finish!
I did decide that for this three weekly update I would make Christmas ornaments. I need to make 9 of them and the goal was to start working my way through.
The first three. I really was enjoying making these!
The second three. Boy was I on a roll. After cutting out the tree, star and trunk pieces, everything else went very quickly.
And the last three!! Each tree took approximately 40 minutes to stitch up and once started, I couldn’t stop. Now… after I sew up my daughter’s Christmas stocking, what will my next SAL project be??? I could work on something that is in the WIP pile…. or I could start something completely new… I’m not sure. I’ll have it all worked out next time!
I love this SAL! It is different from some of the others as we choose our own project and then work on it and post our progress every three weeks. Please take a look at the other stitchers taking part in this SAL.
The goal was to just finish the cross stitching on the toe. Well, with just a bit more time, the stocking is complete! Now to sew it up. That is the goal for this next three week check up.
Please check out what others in this SAL are stitching:
I feel like I managed to get a fair amount done this time. This is where I was at our last update:
SAL Update as of 6/26/2022.
And this is where I am now:
SAL update as of 7/17/2022
The goal for this update was to have finished the outlining in this section before I needed to move the hoop. Yes! I did it. I did something different for the backstitching on the ties for Santa’s bag. I wasn’t very happy with the way the outline looked on Santa’s list – it is choppy and looks strange with the long stitches and then the short ones. The outlining for the ties in the pattern call for it to be done the same way. I decided to couch down the outlining threads instead of back stitching them. I really love the way this looks and will probably go back and redo the outlining for the list so it is the same.
There is only the toe left to stitch. My goal for the next three weeks is to get the cross and half cross stitching done in this area, then do the outlining for the following check-in. Meaning that hopefully I will finish with all the stitching on this project at the September check-in. Wish me luck!!
This SAL is very unique in that the members are not stitching on the same project. We pick one thing and work on it and report back each three weeks. In this way, it motivates us to finish – this is working well for me with this project!! Please take a look at all the other stitchers participating in this SAL:
It’s that time again! The time I get to share my progress on the Christmas Stocking I have been working on for a long time. This is where I was last time:
SAL update as of 6/5/2022
I had finished the back stitching and was ready to move the hoop to the next section to start the cross stitching there. This is where I am now:
SAL Update as of 6/26/2022.
All of the cross stitching in this section is done. Yay!! The plan now is to do all the back stitching in this section and then move onto the toe portion. I can really see the light at the end of the tunnel!
This SAL (stitch-a-long) is run by Avis and is unique in that the participants choose any project they wish to work on and post on regularly. Please take a look at all the other stitchers participating in this SAL:
I used cotton clothesline and ripped my fabric into one inch strips. Wrapped the fabric around the clothesline and used the zig zag stitch to sew everything together. I love doing this!! I think coasters are next!
Connie's Creations 