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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen, Connie, Cindy, MaryMargaret