Stitching Idyllic

Stitching by Ann Bernard

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A Garden of Spring and Summer Flowers

Here is an original piece of embroidery.  There was no inspiration except for her imagination and the pencil drawing of her plan.  Lilian Henrikson used all the flowers in both of my books, Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring and Summer Flowers, and, she included some she created herself.  What was remarkable, was that Lilian never once asked for any guidance or interpretation of the instructions, which to me, meant that the instructions were complete.  It is good to know that the books cover the subjects completely. It is also good to know that it is possible to create and add flowers of one’s own.  You may not think that you would ever do that but Lilian did and, so can you!  That is, if you wish to do so.

It started as a sampler trying out some spring flowers.  You can see snowdrops, crocus, daffodils and narcissus here in small numbers plus a forsythia bush.

From there it grew to include groupings of flowers.  Note that Lilian stitched lots of daffodils, many hyacinths in different colours and some primulas.

Here are the hyacinths again plus some tulips and iris. At the top, an unusual spring flower called Crown Imperial Fritillaria. It is tall and striking, and smells terrible.

Lilian moved on to summer flowers.  Here are delphiniums, shasta daisies, several roses and orange cone flowers.  Next to the holly bush (red) are asters, below is alyssum, the blue are gentian, the orange are cone flowers, the light blue are hydrangeas, and the pink are a feathery spike flower but the name is unknown

A close up of the portulaca which are my favourite in this garden.  These are the first ones I have seen other than the ones included in the book.  The colours of these flowers is vivid and different as is the stitching technique.

At the top left corner are hollyhocks and in the top right are sunflowers with lupins and peonies in between.

This is the completed Spring into Summer Garden.  Lilian planned the pathway which makes the eye wander onwards.  One should always pay attention to the scenery when walking through a real life garden.

It has been framed in dark green which sets it off nicely and does not detract from the embroidery.  The glass protection reflects the lights and I was unable to get a satisfactory picture of it completed.

Here is Lilian who is obviously pleased with her achievement.  And, she likes flowers -also obviously!  She says she should have included a bunny somewhere!

This took many months to complete as Lilian is a busy person and mostly stitches for one afternoon a week. This is OK because I know that it took me many months to years to work out how to portray the 46 flowers, bushes and trees.included in both books.  She comments that the project was fun and that she never got bored with repetition.  Stitching kits can be really boring because of repetition.  Quantities of repetition.  It is not you, it is a fact of life and of kits.

Would you like to purchase a copy of both Spring and Summer Flowers ebooks at half price?  Post a comment to this blog entry and see what happens.

The next blog will be a close up look at the contents of my two books.  The half price offer will be included.  It will be in time for you to consider this for a seasonal gift to yourself or someone else who enjoys stitching.

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Spring has Sprung: Posted on my Front Door.

Phantasy Flowers.

It is Easter weekend and we have April weather.  Chilly rain and wind out there.  It has been an endless winter but I say that every April.

I have just completed this spring bouquet for my front door.  Am in the process of writing a book on how to create these.  They are easy to make but there are potholes that can be avoided if you are aware of them.  Why fall into them if you do not have to!

Enjoy a post from the past

Happy Easter Wishes to all readers.

Ann

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“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind”.

This famous quote helps us through the depths of the winter weather.

To help both you and myself, let us anticipate spring.  It is bitterly cold here in southern Ontario.  Today looks lovely but it the cold goes right through even the warmest coat and gets into ones bones.

It is a day to stay indoors and dream of Spring Flowers.

Here are some hand stitched spring flowers which are based on chain stitch.  It is amazing what one can do with the most basic and best known stitches if one plays around with them a little.   One never knows what will happen.  To achieve flowers that are  recognizable it is important that the proportion of plant height and flower size be correct and that the colours of both foliage and the flowers also be correct.  Otherwise, our eyes do not recognize them.  They become generic, rather than specific.

Snowdrops.  Except for celandines, these really are the first flower of spring.  One can have both snow and blooms in the same flower bed. Use a white Perlé thread to give the flowers some sparkle.  In nature, they really do sparkle.

Crocus also bloom in early spring.  DMC floss thread in the correct colours gives us a good rendition of these popular and fragile blooms.  Note that the foliage colour of all three plants is different.

Tulips are both taller and much later in the season.  These flowers bloom in a multitude of different colours.

My good friend, Mary, created card inserts using the instructions for tulips.  I would love to receive such a card for a birthday or to wish me well if I had been sick.  It is such a personal gift to, or from, someone important in ones life.

Enjoy a post from the past

You will find the instructions on how to stitch these flowers together with the DMC floss colour numbers in this ebook.

Hand Stitch Recognizable Spring Flowers published by ebookit.com

The book contains the instructions for 23 different flowers, bushes and trees.  It also contains, and this is important, information on setting up a frame with fabric that is taut.  Basic, ‘how to stitch’ information is included plus finishing and mounting ones completed work.  As most books assume that everyone knows the basics, they do not cover this vital information.  Because it is not widely know, I have included it in mine.  It saves beginning stitchers falling into  potholes and embroidery is full of them.  The experience is more enjoyable if one knows where the potholes are and is able to avoid them.

The book is published in ebook format because of the high cost of colour printing.  You can print it on your printer for your own personal use.  We have proved many times that the instructions are complete and you will not need other assistance.

Have fun with this and enjoy anticipating Spring.

Ann

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Straw Embroidery. A historical technique that has been revived and modernize.

It is a pleasure to introduce you to Natalia Lashko.  She uses straw as her creative medium and her pieces are dazzling.  Her website includes pictures of many pieces some of which are floral and others are religious.

Snail by Natalia Lashko

Straw was used in Russia since the 16th century (according to some sources – even much earlier) as an imitation of gold embroidery.  Natalia was aware the actual process had been lost over time.  Through much experimentation, trial and error, Natalia began a journey of discovery, including her love of quilting (as evidenced by the fabric selections she draws together in her work).  To further her knowledge and skills she travels the world, visiting exhibitions, holding courses and master classes with leading foreign masters of patchwork, a word she uses to describe her pieces.

Natalia has developed her own style of straw embroidery;  one that creates dimension by not necessarily sewing each piece of straw as it might if it were thread stitched. As a result Natalia has taken straw embroidery into the current century.  The straw works of Natalia look both traditional and original and alive. Her masterpieces of straw that may take as long as five years to complete.  Her works, some being 5 feet in length, may be found in private collections in Israel, France, Russia and Poland.

                                                                     Madonna and child

According to Natalia, “Straw is a flexible material. Working with it is difficult and at the same time enjoyable. ”  There was difficulty with portraits, because they have to be graceful and beautiful. I had a lot of experimenting. Imagine the face of  Jesus just two millimeters and centimeters, in which I must depict the eyes, nose, lips, and that it was a child, with plump cheeks that he was beautiful. From all that I have embroidered, and this many characters, Jesus was for me a pleasure.

The Straw Shop is privileged to be the only American website granted permission to share her works.

I googled their site.  I found information on straw and several examples of its use.  I did not find anything by Natalia Lashko.  This is free publicity for you both.

You can see more of her creative work by entering Natalia Lashko on your browser and clicking on Images.

Enjoy; and be dazzled.

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More Summer Flowers – a Second Peek

Lavender  Lavender is featured in Water Garden and Briarwood Garden.

Lavender is a bushy plant with long, delicate stems and leaves. The blue/mauve flowers form long spikes with a knobby  texture. It looks to be related to Veronica but the structure and colour of the leaves are different.

Stalks and Leaves: Green 988 (2).

Flowers: Blue/Mauve 340 (1) + 210 (1) = 2.

Stalks: Stitch some stalks in Straight Stitch adding a few shorter straight stitches as leaves to fill out the base of the plant. Add some flowers to the stalks. Create bends or curves in the stalks by displacing the stalk to one side with the point of an awl or with another needle. This is done while the flower spikes are being stitched. Add until a lavender bush of the size and shape you wish is achieved.

Flowers: Use one thread each of the blue and light mauve. Stitch with Open Herringbone stitch. Start at the upper end of the stalk and cover the desired length of the stem. Note that the stitching is narrow in width and that the stem forms padding for the flower spike. Start stitching  just above the tip of the stem, or start slightly below the tip for a flower spike that is not yet fully open.

Water Garden, stitched by Ann Bernard (original is 4″ x 6″)

This garden  includes both Lavender and Veronica. These two plants are visually similar except for the colour of the blooms. Also, the leaves are different in both form and colour.  Start by stitching the green stalks and leaves of all the plants you wish to include in your garden. Leave the threads posted to the spare cloth border so that you can recapture the thread and add or make alterations easily. When you are satisfied on the placement in terms of position and balance, return to each group and complete the basic stalks and leaves.

The directions for stitching Alyssum are included in the book.  The plants need a base of green stitching behind the french knot flowers.

Contents:  Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers

Fabrics for your Garden: Batik, dyed fabric, photo print, paint the fabric, silk and wool rovings, silk fusion, machine embellishing, machine pieced quilting.

Backing fabric and back-basting : Straight of grain: Supporting your frame.

Frames: Dressing Your Frame: Staples, thumbtacks, Q-Snap Frames, Grip-n-Stitch Frames. Ring or hoop frames. Supporting your frame on a table

Threads: Stranding, Stripping, Mixing and Saving. Threading your needle, thread management, Resources such as Google, DMC  Thread Colour Cards, Tools.

Stitch Directions: Split, overstitching, seeding, stem, detached chain, enhanced chain, fly, feather, cretan, herringbone, woven spider web wheels, french knots.

Summer Garden Flowers:

Border Plants: Alyssum, dandelions, impatiens, lily of the valley, portulaca.

Daisy Family of Plants Stitch directions: Asters, black eyed susans, cosmos, english daisies, purple coneflower, pyrethrums, shasta daisies.

South African Daisies: Gazanias, gerbera daisies, osteospermum.

Herringbone Flowers: Delphiniums, lavender, liatris, veronica.

Enjoy a post from the past

Roses – Stitched with bullion knots, woven spider web wheels, stem stitch.

Tall Plants: Double Hollyhocks, lupins, peonies, sunflowers.

Small Projects: Coasters, card inserts. Distorted straight stitch.

Cover Story: Come Stitch With Me:

Silk Flower Conversion: Technique; Clematis, hibiscus, single hollyhocks, petunias, leaves.

Funtasy Flowers: Poppies, and creating. Coasters.

Mounting Your Garden Ready For Framing:

This book is published as an ebook.  Commercial colour printing is expensive and there are a huge number of colour photos and diagrams.  An ebook makes the price affordable.  You can print it on your printer for your own personal use.  Priced at $12.99, this is a bargain and the information included makes it a good investment for both experienced and new stitchers.

Go to eBookIt.com.  Bookstore is at the top of the home page.  Go down to Crafts and Hobbies, Select and proceed to Purchase.  Select the format that is compatible with your computer.  You can also download it onto a tablet or iPad.

If you have any problems with purchase or downloading, email ryan@ebookit.com

I hope that you enjoy this book, use the preparation strategies and try out the flowers.

Nothing, particularly stitching, is very difficult once you know how!!!

Thank you,  Ann B.

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Summer Garden Flowers – Take a Peek

Hello Friends and Fellow Stitchers,

Lazy Daisy stitches and French Knots have been used forever for portraying flowers.  Using alternative but basic stitches was my mission when I developed and then published Hand Stitching Recognizable Summer Flowers.  After much experimentation and, many failures, here are the results.  You will not have to do what I had to do.  You can pick up your needle, the correct coloured thread and stitch up any of the flowers in this book knowing that the result will be as pictured or, your own personal interpretation of the information.   I am  including one if the 23 flowers in this ebook as more is content overload for one entry.

Purple Coneflower

The Purple Coneflower grows in clumps and reaches a height between 2′ and 4′. It blooms from mid summer into the autumn. Each flower opens with pink/purple petals and a flat center similar to a Shasta Daisy. As the flower ages and the seeds in the center ripen, the petals droop down to become vertical and the center becomes larger and domed, eventually becoming cone shaped. One plant can have many flowers in different stages of development. The birds and bees love this plant.

Stalks: Green 987 (6).   Leaves: Green 702 (2) + 988 (1) + 987 (1) = 4.

Petals: Pink 3609 (2), 3608 (3), 3607 (1). Explained in Petal directions.

Centers: Brown 433 (1) + 938 (1) = 2.Orange 721 (1 doubled in the needle) = 2

Stalks: Using long Straight stitch the stalks of the plant.  Indicate the centers of each of the flowers with a small Cross stitch in either of the two brown threads.

Petals: Stitch a few Straight stitch petals in each bloom using 3609 (2). Add more petals using 3608 (3). Note that the petals are uneven in length and that the petals can be darker towards the center of the flower. You can Overstitch the base of the petals with one thread of 3607 but this is not essential.

Centers: 433 (1) + 938 (1) + 721 (1) = 3. Overstitch a few horizontal Straight Stitches across the central brown Cross Stitch. Using 721(1) doubled in the needle = 2, Overstitch a few French Knots on the centers using a fine needle for this such as a Crewel 9 or 10.

Leaves: 702 (2) + 987 (1) + 988 (1) = 4.

Detached Chain stitch with the catch stitch towards the stalks of the plant. The upper leaves are stitched with 702 (2) + 988 (1) = 3. The foliage on this plant is fairly dense with the leaves being an oval with a point at the tip of the leaf.

The angles of the leaves vary considerably.

                               Stitched size is 2″ wide x 2 1/4″ high.

Briarwood Garden, stitched by Janet Sunderani (original is 6 1/2″ x 5 1/2″)

Briarwood Garden

This delightful garden reminded Janet of, and is named after, the garden she had to leave behind when the little used road next to her property became a four lane highway. All that noise would not suit this peaceful scene.

The background fabric was created using loose silk threads that were machine needle felted into a scrim background.  We generally used pale green batik cotton fabric for the backgrounds which is easy to stitch on. We also used photo prints on fabric for many of the gardens.  The directions on how to do this are included in the book.

The flowers in the above garden are Purple Coneflowers, Black Eyed Susan, Lavender and Roses.  You will find them all in the book Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers.    eBookIt.com   Go to Bookstore – Crafts and Hobbies and select this book and/or Spring Flowers.  Choose your download method and then go to purchase.  eBook format makes these books very affordable.

Learning by trial and error can be missed experience by those who follow the information in the section on preparation of fabric and threads.  Few embroidery texts include all this information which is why I included it. The assumption is that everyone already knows the whys and hows which is not always true.   You will jump ahead in embroidery skills and be delighted with improved results when you follow the directions that are included in both these books.  Knowing exactly how to do things can make learning the skill of embroidery enjoyable rather stressful.

Tune in tomorrow for the second part of this posting.