Chatter

Morning all! Time for a cuppa and chat. There are few odd threads that have emerged in both email and comments left here so ... I thought I would indulge myself with a chatter type entry. Are we sitting comfortably? (sorry Aussies will get that joke)

I want to say that although I do not respond to each and every comment I always read them and enjoy them. Please don’t take offence if I simply publish the comments. I see the comment area as more like a conversation over a cuppa with no need to but in and add my bit to what everyone says. Imagine if you were in a group where one person was always chipping their bit – it gets annoying! Also time is an issue, but I do want people to know I am nodding and there at the table.

Stitch varieties
Through the week I wondered if Elizabeth of Quieter Moments had once again found a new stitch variety a post by

Deepa of This and that...my random thoughts, asks if this stitch is a version of Loop Stitch or Ceylon stitch. I am not sure and really don’t want to be the final judge but I think Deepa is right as the action or motion needed to make such a stitch is so similar that it is almost the same stitch.

The interesting thing is how the whole process of experimenting with stitches leads to not only the discovery of how a stitch might be used but also illustrates how other stitches are developed. It also illustrates how difficult it is to classify stitches!

Fabric Postcards
A comment was left asking me about what I put on the back of fabric postcards. I use an iron on interfacing on the back and then another piece of fabric. I find that this keeps them firm enough to feel as if they have some substance but not too stiff that they are no longer a textile.

I have this link on Fabric Postcards which is a list of resources on fabric postcards. I know I need to update the list and there has been a good few tutorials written on making fabric postcards. If anyone has any tutorials on their site or knows of any can you leave a comment with the link so that people can follow it to find out information on the subject?

A mystery
Another email I received through the week was from Nora who had stumbled on a blog but could not find it again. She describes it as “ The blog I’m looking for had a Flicker of some 600 or 800 pictures. Her stitching was so pretty. She had lots of blue denim and embellishments. The colors of her work were on the dark and bright side, no pastels or ‘cutie’ kind of stuff. No country either. There were no children or pets or flowers, only stitching, sewing and quilting.”
Can anyone think who fits this description? I have been scratching my head but to no avail. Leave a comment if you do!

On another note
Recently Eve (my daughter) asked me if I had any quilting cottons. Would you believe it I didn't! As I am not a regular quilter, I do crazy quilting but have never accumulated quilting cottons just fancies. I have made quilts and even made quilts for Eve but the stash is distinctly bare. Eve has just bought herself her first sewing machine and boy did I feel a failure that the only stash I could not help her with was quilting cottons! The upshot of it is I have been poking around the quilting sites.

Anyway here is a link to over 1600 Quilt Blocks which will keep the imagination busy.

A big thanks
Finally I want to thank Pam of Kitty and Me for this wonderful parcel collected from the mailbox yesterday. A big thankyou Pam!

Sumptuous surfaces

I have received a couple of questions about my online class Sumptuous Surfaces

I do not re-hash what is already online on my site. So if for instance you are participating in TAST it is not the same material. TAST is simply a challenge and far from a structured course as such. Please don't confuse the two.

There is always a strong design component that is applied to stitching. The class lessons explain both the principals of design and "how to" of design and are structured so that you move from stage to stage in coherent manner. The lessons include illustrations and step by step instructions about the process.

Throughout the course I have focused intensely on texture as design element. Understanding texture is key in the textile arts.

Week 1
The first week is an introduction to the design process. The same basic process is used to design everything. This process is often described in three steps, Concept, Form and Content. Simply put the Concept is the idea, the form is the technique and the Content is the meaning in the realised project.

In this first week key principals of design are covered in order to develop a design for a monotone piece of embroidery. I cover where to look for design ideas and how to develop them. This week we cover key concepts such as, composition, shape, geometrical and organic shape, space, handling positive and negative space, scale, density, weight, line, movement, direction and texture.

Week 2 and 3
In week one we discussed Concept and developed our designs. In week two and three we look at form. In other words we deal with techniques that can bring your project to fruition. In these two weeks we look at the nuts and bolts of stitching, thread choice, working with textured stitching, found objects and beads.

In these two weeks you give form to your concept. This is the physical part of the design process for embroiderers it is the time when you actively work your ideas in thread. At this stage you can never tell what might happen. Along the way ideas change and develop. Flexibility is an important artistic skill and this attribute and what it does to the design process is discussed.

Week 4
Colour is a huge topic so I have devoted a week to it. In week 4 once again we return to the design process and work up a design in colour. So it is out with a colour wheel, and learning how to use it applied to textiles and in particular hand embroidery. Once again we are exploring ideas on paper or in a visual journal only this time we are dealing with colour principals and design combined. New designs are explored and worked up with an eye to creating them over the final two weeks.

Week 5 and 6
Once again in these two weeks you give form to your concept. In this time block it is the time when you actively make up and stitch your design or designs. This time you learn to handle colour as well as combining the skills learnt in the first section of the course. During these weeks I introduce more stitches and new techniques to help you realize your design.

There are two major components of online classes; the lessons themselves and the forum. The lessons are the main part of the class and in the forum you can get feedback from me.

If you have questions you can ask me in the forum and since I check in everyday they are usually answered within a 24 hour period. Each student is invited to register at the forums which is where all class communication takes place. Participation in the forums is totally voluntary. Some people are not interested in chatting and posting of messages part but I think it is a really fun part of the process. While not real time chat, you can post questions and show me what you have been doing so I can give feedback.

The lessons are an Adobe PDF document are disseminated to the students by joggles.com. Each student is given a User ID and password by Joggles.com as well as the URL to the class webpage where you are expected to go and download each lesson. There is a one lesson per week.

I have designed the lessons so that people can work at them as much or as little as they choose. Some people have more time to put into them. Others do not. I understand this and encourage people to work at their own pace.

I hope this answers all the questions! Let me know if you have any others.