Winter Workshop

What a fabuluous weekend!  Three days of making Christmas stars and two of the workshops at my new studio. 

We had a lovely time stitching and sharing, helped by copious amounts of tea and cake.  Thank you to everyone who came along.  Look out for more workshops in the New Year!

Christmas is coming..

With Christmas only 6 weeks away (oh no it isn't, oh yes it is!) my attention has turned to making a few cards for friends and family.

These simple designs use shapes cut from silk and Bondawebbed onto linen.  The Christmas tree design uses open Cretan stitch on the body and a 'closed' version of the same on the base.  The snowflakes use a mixture of fly stitch, lazy daisy and French knots.  The star is simply running stitch.  Easy peasy.

Ring O' Roses

Learning new skills is so enjoyable and none so much as ribbon work embroidery.  I took a class last month with the lovely Nicola Hulme organised by Skipton Embroiderers' Guild.  Not really knowing what to expect, I thought the workshop might broaden my horizons but would be altogether too fiddly for my liking. 

Like the worst kind of convert, I cannot stop talking about ribbon work and have been feverishly practicing ever since!  Here is a little (think button sized) brooch made with a simple woven rose, some buds and loopy flowers (who knows what they really are but they look good!).  Its finished with some fly-stitch leaves and a smattering of glittery thread.  A perfect pick-me-up for any outfit.

Nicola teaches classes in ribbon work and other types of traditional embroidery at her studio at East Keswick.  She is a fantastic teacher and her relaxed approach means that you get great results with your first attempts.  Her website is  www.simplystitch.co.uk

Twinkle, twinkle

This fabulously-glittery star is another exploration of gold-work techniques.  I've adapted it to make it quicker and more accessible for general stitchers and I'll be teaching it at workshops during November.

The project can be completed in two evening workshops or one full-day and will be taught at my new studio in Keighley Business Centre.  The dates are Wednesday 23rd and 30th November, 6:30-9:00pm or Saturday 26th November 10:00-3:00.  The cost is £45 which includes all materials.

Contact me on 07904 010430 or cketteman@aol.com to book a place.

All that glitters

 

I've ventured into the realms of traditional embroidery over last few weeks and have surprised myself with the results.  Yes, there are elements that are a bit too precise or fiddly for my liking but on the whole I've loved the challenge.

The two brooches shown are adapted from a design by Rachel Reynolds that first appeared in Hoop-La magazine in Spring 2015.  The original design was for 'gold-work' which involves the use of precious metal threads and wires that are couched onto the surface of a fabric.  But I wanted to explore how I might use fancy yarns and general haberdashery items to create a similar effect using the same basic techniques.   The results are rather stunning and certainly got the seal of approval from my friends at Skipton Embroiderers' Guild.

Yorkshire buttons

A Yorkshire button made in salmon pink embroidery thread is the perfect finishing touch for my little felted jewellery purse.

Taking a slow stitch to organisation

Slow stitching has taken over! I've collected some fragments of fabric: linen table cloth, scraps of lace, fine silk; and stitched them onto a piece of wool blanket.  The rhythm of the stitches changes as I move across the different textures.  I work in straight lines but curves in the damask pattern encourage me to stitch a circle.  Neutral colours soothe jangling nerves. 

The piece is finished as a haushuf: a place to keep needles and threads neat and tidy on my travels.