Ta-da! Here’s my second hand stitched piece, finished and framed.
Click any image for a larger view.
The stitched area is only 5″ x 7″, but the framed dimensions are approximately 16″ x 19″.
Here’s a detail shot:
I think I like it as much as the first one! And I definitely enjoyed stitching it just as much.
Now, I need a name for it. Maybe some reference to the surf? Any ideas? If so, I’d love to hear them.
Ellen Lindner
Once I started hand stitching I really enjoyed it. So, I started a second piece. This time, I used the same background colors, but with different colors of threads. Although I intended to orient it vertically, this shows the design for this new piece.
Click any image for a larger view.
As before, I added stitching to the background, for interest and texture. Plus, I outlined the interior shape and the outer border.
Then, I got busy stitching. My plan was to use only cream, white, and light tan. I pretty much stuck with that, but it looked pretty boring to me at this point. I was hoping a healthy dose of beading would bring it to life.
In the next post, I’ll show you the finished product and you can judge whether or not the beads did the trick.
Ellen Lindner
I was recently away from home for about a month, first in a hotel, and then in an apartment. Knowing I’d need entertainment, I decided to take plenty of art and quilting supplies with me.
Since we have a van, we took out all but two seats and I started loading! (My husband just quietly shook his head.) That van was pretty full, because I took my sewing machine, table, and chair, a card table, a design wall, most of my thread, and my entire collection of fat quarters! (See why he was shaking his head?) Oh yeah, there were some suitcases and “normal” things, as well.
This was my set up in the hotel. I had a suite, so I used the hotel ironing board as a base for my desgin wall and wedged it all in between the TV and small eating table. The card table held more supplies to my right.
Click any photo for a larger view.
The bedroom was not spared either. In it, I put the wire drawers with my fat quarters, and under the wardrobe, a drawer full of threads.
This all worked quite well, and I figure the maids got to ”admire” my progress when they came every day. (They were probably shaking their heads too!)
In the apartment I had a whole bedroom as my studio. Woohoo! I pushed the twin beds against the wall, parked the fat quarters in the closet and got busy.
Fortunately, my sewing table closes up to be like a card table. (You can see it in the foreground.) So, I had a fair amount of work space for painting and hand stitching. As it turns out, I never used my sewing machine, but I made a good amount of progress nevertheless.
My husband asked me if I was happy with my decision to haul all that stuff with us, and I answered without hesitation, “Absolutely.” My projects really did a good job of keeping me entertained!
Ellen Lindner
P.S. Do you suppose the maids miss me?
The great thing about a challenge is seeing the diverse results that come from it. For the Flower Wagon Challenge, Kathy Edwards decided to crop the primary image, focusing on the lines of the wagon and one back wheel. I really like her crop and the impact of that big red wheel.
Click image for a larger view.
Her piece is called Wagon of Flowers. It’s actually a glued collage, a result of Kathy’s participation in my online “Sticky Fingers” class. (I KNOW her fingers were sticky after this!)
Kathy is very creative. If you visit her blog, you’ll see many interesting things, including several posts about the progress of this collage. (See June 2 and forward.) The Sticky Fingers’ Student Gallery on my website also includes one of Kathy’s pieces.
THANKS for participating and sharing your results, Kathy!
How’s everyone else coming on their challenge pieces? I can’t wait to show them off.
Ellen Lindner
Ta-Da! Here’s my finished piece, all nicely framed.
Click any image for a larger view.
What do you think? I’m really happy with it. Especially after framing! Isn’t it amazing how much farming adds to a piece? (Not only visually, but also figuratively. The stitching measures only 5″ x 7″, but the framed dimensions are 16″ x 19″.)
I love the texture of this little abstract piece. Here’s a detail shot.
I need a title for it. Any ideas?
This hand stitching was great fun and I’m already working on another one. I can definitely see myself creating more.
Ellen Lindner
Updated 7-27: I named it Unexpected Treasures. (It sold right away!)
After establishing the background colors with large shapes, I worked smaller ones on top. Lots of partial buttonhole wheels. Next, I started adding more texture and color with bullion knots ( the ones that look like caterpillars.) I decided they were too much work, so resorted to that old stand by, French knots.
Click on an image for a larger view.
At this point, I was pretty happy with the BACKGROUND stitching, but I thought the French knots were too high contrast in places. I hoped I could integrate everything better with the beading.
Here’s a detail shot of my results. I think I succeeded in integrating the colors pretty well. (Who am I kidding? I was actually delighted with the results!)
As you can see from the photo above, the stitching distorted the fabric (see the curvy border) so I blocked it back into shape.
I’ll show you the finished results in the next blog.
Ellen Lindner
P.S. There’s a tutorial on blocking on my website. See it here. (It shows quilts, but the process is exactly the same for handwork.)
Did you accept my challenge to create artwork inspired by my Savannah photos? If so, how are you coming?
Cheryl Gebhart took up the challenge and decided to realistically paint the primary image. She did so in her sketchbook, along with notes about the challenge and the date. Click the image for a larger view.
Didn’t she do a good job?
I can’t wait to see how everyone responds to the original images. My interpretation will be much more loose, focusing on just three snapdragons. How about you?
This challenge is VERY loose, with no concrete deadlines. That means it’s not too late to join in. When you finish yours send me an image and I’ll post it here. (Mine still needs work!)
Ellen Lindner
Woohoo! I’m so excited! My article in Spaces magazine just came out. For those of you in Brevard County, FL, it will arrive with your local paper, and you’ll find the 8 page article starting on page 36.
It’s also available online. Check it out!
Here’s a sneak peak at the first 2 page spread, featuring Mangolicious,
on display in my dining room:
Not only does the article include beautiful photography, it’s extremely complimentary of my work. How exciting!
Ellen Lindner
P.S. You can read about my experience being interviewed and photographed here.
This hand stitching is fun! Especially since I’m doing everything very free form, with a minimum of planning.
I have limited expertise with hand embroidery, so I searched online for some stitch tutorials. I found Sharon Boggon’s excellent stitch directory, as well as her stunning examples. Some of Sharon’s pieces are heavily textured with stitches literally piled on top of each other. I immediately loved this look and decided to go for something similar.
I started by stitching a 5″ x 7″ outline. It seemed to me that some background stitching was in order, so I added that, as well. I plan to frame the finished piece with an 8″ x 10″ portion showing. Therefore, I folded the fabric to these approximate dimensons – just to help me judge the scale.
Click any image for a larger view.
(This piece will probably have a vertical orientation, but most photos will be shown horizontally.)
I wanted my stitching to represent movement, in response to a group challenge. So, I sketched and stitched an undulating line with this in mind.
I had no idea how to go about designing an embroidered piece like this. I studied some online examples and then just jumped in and started stitching shapes that I thought would be appropriate for the background. (The buttonhole wheels shown above were too open for my liking. I later filled them in with more spokes.)
Randomly selecting from my palette of threads, I continued working the background of the line shape.
The colors were looking a little hodge podge at this point. However, I wasn’t concerned, since I knew they’d later be covered with lots of french knots, bullion knots, and beads. And besides, I was having fun!
Ellen Lindner
P.S. If you didn’t already click on the link for stunning examples, you really should. Very cool stuff!
While waiting for a shopping opportunity, I put my mixed media book aside, and started on something VERY different (for me.) My new project is the result of several fairly diverse ideas.
It all started with my admiration for a friend’s beautiful hand embroidered piece. Although I loved it, I certainly had NO plans to tackle anything similar.
Click any image for a larger view.
- Meanwhile, I was busy working on snapdragons for my Flower Wagon Challenge.
Next, my friend, Martha, sent me a wonderful care package. It included all the supplies needed for hand stitching, including linen, as well as floss and beads in the colors of my snapdragons.
Since I had some time on my hands (and now the needed supplies) I enthusiasticaly began to plan a hand stitching project. However, I had some beautiful perle cotton threads in colors of gold, tan, and rust, so I decided to use them as my palette, rather than repeating the floral colors.
Finally, my fiber art group announced a project involving the theme of movement. I thought that was perfect for an abstract subject. A beautiful undulating line and lots of texture should do the trick!
So, now I’m off in this new direction. First things first: change the color of linen. I did this by painting it. Since I used artist acrylic paints, this had the added advantage of stiffening the fabric. So, I won’t need to use a hoop.
I bought some fantastic beads and I’m ready to start! Gorgeous colors right?
Soon, I’ll show you my early results.
Ellen Lindner
P.S. I’m enjoying hand stitching, since it’s a slow and meditative process. A good activity when your husband selects the TV show!
