fanTASTitchia

March 5, 2019March 5, 20199 Comments

Although I’ve been following along with the TAST stitches in my practice/doodle squares, I thought it would be nice to make something combining the stitches so I have started a new project. I don’t have a plan beyond including the weekly stitches so we will have to wait to see what this ends up looking like!

CHAIN STITCH TREE
CHAIN STITCH DETAIL

I began with a chain stitch tree.

And then I started making a very small man and modified my ‘rules’ to include applique because I tried to stitch him and didn’t like the result! I made his head by stuffing a scrap of flesh coloured fabric and I will embellish him in time.

BUTTONHOLE STITCH SUN
STRAIGHT STITCHED CENTRE

Then I made a buttonhole wheel because I’ve seen some amazing ones on other people’s blogs and it’s something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. You’d think drawing the guidelines would have resulted in a neater effect but for that, it seems, I just need more practice…

And, after that, I decided to put a lady in the tree and that’s as far as I’ve got.

During the next month, my goal is to add to this piece in some way that includes the first ten TAST stitches and, in the meantime, I’m going to link this post with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal March Link-up.

What are your goals for March?

Janine @ Rainbow Hare

A Little Stitching

February 19, 20199 Comments

Last year (as blogged on 7th April), inspired by a photo of an amazing embroidery stitch sample book by the wonderfully talented Maya Matthew from Million Little Stitches, I resolved to join in with TAST (‘Take a Stitch Tuesday’ at Pintangle and I made a Running Stitch ‘page’. But I soon decided I wanted my fabric book to be a story and one thing led to another eventually resulting in ‘About Time’ (blogged here).

ABOUT TIME

This year, I would like to make another fabric story book but I had an idea for a secret quilt, which kept nagging me until I’d finished it.

As I have not settled on how to begin with the new book yet I decided to make some more TAST samples. Including last year’s Running Stitch, I have now have five stitches done (I combined the chain stitch and detached chain stitch in one block) and TAST is in week eight so I hope I will soon catch up and then keep up for the rest of the year.

Unfortunately, here in the UK, it is not the season for photo taking just now but I’ll show them again once I’ve got them all done and perhaps that will be on a sunnier day :)

Happy Sewing!

Janine @ Rainbow Hare

Stitching, stitching and more stitching…

April 7, 201811 Comments

Long ago, in my pre-blogging days, I used to do a lot of stitching, mainly cross stitch and some blackwork. Back then, it was the sort of pick-up-put-down portable work that knitting has been, for me, lately. Every now and again I find odd pieces mixed in with fabric scraps and I sew them into a cushion or something but I remember the stitching was always slow going and, as I found when I was asked to sew a verse on a bridesmaid’s handkerchief for a friend of my daughter’s a couple of years ago, my eyesight is no longer so keen as it was.

So it has been years since I have felt the slightest inclination to stitch again, let alone embroider something for its own sake. And long may that have continued had I not chanced upon a photo of an embroidery stitch sample book by the wonderfully talented Maya Matthew from Million Little Stitches. Do check out the link and then I’m sure you will be able to understand my unexpected stitching obsession! Then, as happens in blogland, one thing led to another and I found myself at Pintangle contemplating whether to join TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday)…And to cut a long story short, I have embarked on three stitching projects and I am basically following the TAST stitches – though I am very far behind and may never catch up. I have started my first piece with the 2018 image from my Makery Log and I plan to have this as a ‘Year of Stitches’ project and possibly add it to the Unexpected Alphabet (‘A’ for ‘a year in stitches’?).

The first ten TAST stitches are:

TAST Stitches by number

Stitch 1: Running Stitch
Stitch 2: Buttonhole Stitch
Stitch 3: Fly Stitch
Stitch 4: Detached Chain Stitch
Stitch 5: Herringbone Stitch
Stitch 6: Chain Stitch
Stitch 7: Feather Stitch
Stitch 8: Stem Stitch
Stitch 9: Cretan Stitch
Stitch 10: Couching

And, so far, I have used half cross stitch (not on the list), running stitch, buttonhole stitch and stem stitch.

And for my second project, I am making a linen stitch sampler book, in which I will follow along with ‘Beyond TAST’ and maybe add anything else that happens to appeal to me.