New Project... TAST Challenge 'Layered Stitches'

I've very slowly been working at the layered stitches challenges for about a week now.  I know the challenge is long over, but I figured I've been behind so long now I might as well just pick a challenge that suits rather than the latest one.

And I'm terrible at freeform embroidery.  So it is definitely a challenge!

I still did some googling (couldn't help it) and I decided I like all the hand painted fabrics.  But as usual I was ready to stitch and didn't want to be waiting on fabric to dry.  So I decided I'd paint the fabric with stitches instead (its supposed to be layered after all right?).  I used a running stitch in 3 shades of a creamy-light brown colour and just attempted to fill in the hoop with a mix of thicker areas and more random areas (which scratched my itch to sew 'something', so that was good).

Also whilst googling I found Henriette Ousback who has done some amazing embroidery of moss and lichen.  Go check her out she's awesome.  So if you were wondering what the brown-green splotches are thats my moss 😀  Its quite funny because a couple of days before I saw Henriette's moss embroidery I spent a good few minutes checking out the moss and lichen on the fence at my doctors surgery, didn't take a picture at the time due to a flat battery, but maybe I should go back and do that.

Meanwhile I'm actually quite happy sitting here doing French knot after French knot while I watch TV.

No idea where I'm really going with this.  I'm just winging it.  Trying to free form it, or whatever the cool kids are calling it these days.  😆

But its keeping my hands busy while work and home is still crazy.  Doesn't look like much yet, but fingers crossed it will eventually.  And if it doesn't, thats Ok too.

'Toast'

Yep... Four or five washes later I still have white pen marks on the isolated stitches project.  Dang it!  So 'Toast" and I are currently not on speaking terms and he's sitting in the bathroom on the towel rail where I left him to dry last weekend.  If he apologises I might wash him one more time this weekend, iron him up and call him done.  I'll post the pic on TAST and then file him away in a drawer somewhere.  Although I guess at this point I should just throw him through the machine... its not going to hurt if he's only going to end up in the drawer if that doesn't work.  Fabric was awful as well, was some kind of quilting cotton, but I've never seen any fabric gather so much dog hair and fluff.  All my embroidery ends up with a good portion of my fur babies included no matter how hard I try to keep it away from them.  But that blue stuff was like a magnet for it.

Maybe it was just never meant to be.


Thanks for stopping by!

There's good news and theres bad news...

Shall we start with the good?  My isolated stitches rooster is finished!  the crowd goes wild (in my mind).  Yep he's done.  I'd like to say I used a gazillion different single stitches, but I haven't.  And the design I chose I think limited the stitch choice.  I'm sure we all remember those terrible bullions for a start!

So what have I used?  Detached chain, French knots, woven bar, arrowhead, pistil, and some...um I'm not sure if its still a picot if its attached or if its called something else?  Well whatever they're called I used some of those for his thighs.  So in the scheme of stepping outside of my comfort zone I think I did ok.  I also have long/short stitch, whipped chain, regular chain and some back stitch.  I don't believe I've done a project to date that has used as many different stitches as this one.  So I definitely think I can tick off having challenged myself.

Now to the bad news... my pen hasn't washed out.  Uh-oh.  Its a new white pen.  Same brand as I usually use, although I usually use the blue.  And yep I did trial it first on the piece of the fabric and yes it did wash out.  But today, its not washed out.  Is it just that its been on there too long?  I don't know.  Maybe its a knock off pen?  Possibly, I bought it off an auction site so you never know.

I'm not crushed about it though, which goes to show my heart hasn't been in this project as much as usual.  But that also isn't surprising considering how I have struggled with it.  I'll give him a more thorough wash tomorrow and see what happens.  Fingers crossed.

Somehow he hasn't acquired a name as he's been stitched.  So I think I'll call him 'Toast' cause the whole thing is toast if that pen isn't going to wash out!  😆

Thanks for stopping by!