This type of caddy not only looks good but is also very useful. If you have not seen this type of design in use they hang over the arm of a lounge chair with the pockets falling either side of the arm.

If your chair has a very wide arm just add an inch or so to the middle of the pattern and they sit perfectly holding your scissors, needle case, odd threads etc The padded section in the middle you can use as a pin cushion.

The design is a classic and Maureen has adapted it for crazy quilters so pop over and down load a free copy of her sewing caddy  

Band 200 was the end of section 13 so it is time to introduce the next.

From here on I am afraid my band sampler documentation gets a little complicated. I have decided to keep  section 14 private, as this sampler was used to demonstrate some points in my online classes and I dont publish free on this blog what people have paid for. It is unfair to my online students. 

Section 15 was worked in 2006 as a small sampler that includes ring pulls from the top of drink cans. It was worked on a nylon curtain net as I wanted to use as much recycled items as possible.

Sections 16-22  I will also keep private as these 6 pieces also demonstrate points I make in my online classes.

As you may guess there is a good few number of stitches sampled in these sections!

Section 23 (the beaded section above) I will however reveal. It is a sample worked in 2006  for the Develop a Personal Library of stitches class. When ever I show this piece in life people love it and want to touch it. 

I worked it on linen in a mix of threads and beads 

Section 24 (the long piece to the left)  is piece I finished in 2007. As you can see it has bands of stitches set on an angle as you would in a crazy quilt. 

This sampler was something I had started a couple of years previous and in order for it not to become a UFO I completed it and added it to the strip. In doing so it set me off on another tangent which I will reveal when I introduce section 25. 

This is worked on dress linen and many of the threads and ribbons on it are hand dyed by me. 

As you can see it features a mix of techniques including silk ribbon embroidery. I also signed it - so that the sampler would be signed because  at the time I was rabbiting on to a friend about how many anonymous women have stitched down the ages when I realised I did not often sign my own work! 

Monday will see us at band 307  and a return to my regular band by band documentation.

Yes, that is right I will jump from band 200 to 307. It is nearly a third of what I have shown you so far but as I say my what I teach in my online classes and what I write on my blog is different material. For this reason I have to keep some of the samples private.  

n case a search engine has landed you here this post is part of series documenting a hand embroidered band sampler, which now measures over 44 feet long and is still growing as I still stitch it. All posts in the series are in the category For the Love of Stitching band sampler 

Other related posts

Introductory Post - how and why this sampler came to be made 

A few questions answered about fabric choice and width

Extending and backing the sampler

For the Love of Stitching Sampler Sections 1 and 2, 3 and 4, Section 5 ,  Section 6 ,  Section 7 ,  Section 8,  Section 9, Section 10, Section 11,   Section 12 and Section 13 

It is time for the letter Q. I hope you will enjoy browsing these blogs over the weekend.

I know I mention it each time but to be listed, I choose blogs that stay on topic at least 80% of the time, are written by textile practitioners and designers who do such things as quilt, stitch, dye, sew, embellish fabric, and bead. Or are kept by people who are interested in art, design or paper related crafts, such as bookbinding, altered books, visual journals or studio journals. By 80% of the time I mean that when I visit, 8 in 10 posts are on topic. If a blog has not been updated in the last 6 weeks or so I don’t include it as I think readers enjoy current and active blogs.

I often find blogs that are not in English and translate them via Google Translate 

For the rest of the alphabet here are the letters A , B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P and now I would like to present the letter Q 

Quaker Inspired focuses on Quaker samplers 

Queen for a Day by Heidi Wallace writes about contemporary crafts

Queen of Fifty Cents tracks thrift shop finds 

Quicksilver Workaholic Author Cathy Johnson keeps a blog about her  drawings, paintings, collages, photomontages and prints and her sketchbooks and tutorials are often in her flickr stream

Quilt Therapy  is written by quilter Tammy Harrison who has published good instructions for free quilting projects.

Quilted Librarian Dana Fisher is a contemporary quilter who often provides good tutorials and resources on her her blog.

Quilters Buzz  covers news in the quilting industry

Quilters Cottage Norfolk Jane Clark is a British quilter and fiber artist, tracks her interest in contemporary textiles. 

Quiltifications  Tirane tracks her current quilting projects in her blog

Quilting and Life in General  Doni is a quilter who tracks the proces of making the quilts she creates

Quilting Arts  is the blog of the magazine by the same name

Quilting in the Valleys  Gina blogs her quilting activities

Quilting Twin Keryn is a fellow Aussie who lives in country South Australia and quilts 

Quiltkunstquilt  Christiane Kühr describes herself as a textile artist who paints, dyes, stamps and stitches fabric. Dont miss her blog as some of her daily sketches are great designs.

Quilts hidden histories untold stories is a fascinating blog written by Sue Prichard of the Victorian and Albert museum

Quilts 'n Things  is Candies quilting blog. Her other blog which covers crazy quilting is  Candi's Eyecandy

Quilts & Creativity  Maria Peagler's blog discusses quilts, offers tips and houses lessons

Quilts4U Gina keeps a contemporary quilting blog 

Quilts n' More  Pamela is quilter who writes about the contemporary quilts she creates.

Quiltville Quips & Snips  Bonnie Hunter is a long time quilter who blogs about her interest

Quinn Creative writes about journalling and art journalling which is why I have included it on this list but in reality it is not on the topic of textiles or fiber. Many articles focus on communication skills, writing and along the way Quinn offers advice and tips 

Quipsologies described as “a division of underconsideration, is bent on keeping the design community aware of as many things as possible through an ever-growing cluster of creative morsels found on- and off-line.”

Quodlibet Jane O’Leary tracks her fiber and textile projects and is studying for a City and Guilds Diploma in Stitched Textiles

Enjoy browsing these as I did!

The detail:

This detail decorates the sides of lace with three straight stitches and seed beads

The lace runs across piece 4 on block 24 of the "I dropped the button box" quilt.

The back story:

This is part of a series documenting the seam embroidery and embellishments in crazy quilt blocks in my quilt. All articles in the series are categorised under Crazy Quilt details

Links to the crazy quilt blocks covered so far are, block 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24

I realise only a percentage of my readers have and use Photoshop. An even greater percentage of readers have Photoshop but do not use it because they find it too difficult.  I could not resist posting this link, particularly for those readers that would like to improve their digital skills.

This list is really worth bookmarking, and in your quiet times returning an working through the tutorials one by one. Anyone who did this would learn a lot.

Feedback wanted:

Can I have feedback on how many people are interested in links like this? I often encounter both beginner and more advanced photo manipulation links, graphics resource sites, links for drawing packages like illustrator etc.

I was wondering as more and more textiles and fiber folks are using a graphics package as a design tool are people interested in resources like this being added as a regular feature? By regular I mean as maximum once a week but more likely to be twice a month. I do not mean a total change of topic. I have always posted links to resources online for manipulating graphics. So, I am suggesting  increasing this type of information slightly (or even more if I get a resounding response to it) and asking how readers feel about the idea.  

If you have time leave a comment  and let me know. I would appreciate knowing.

The detail:

This detail is probably a favourite stitch of many crazy quilters. It is two lines of feather stitch that have seed beads attached to the arms of the stitch. 

These lines cover two seams that sit either side of fabric piece 2 on block 24 of the "I dropped the button box" quilt.

The back story:

This is part of a series documenting the seam embroidery and embellishments in crazy quilt blocks in my quilt. All articles in the series are categorised under Crazy Quilt details

Links to the crazy quilt blocks covered so far are, block 1,  2,  3,   4,  5,  6 , 7,  8,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17 , 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24

It is called Beaded Hedebo Edge and consists of a foundation row of cross stitches which are then worked over in beads and scalloped with a form of buttonhole.  

For purposes of this sample I used 3m beads, tapestry needle size 26 and perle 8 thread.

A note for those who did not do TAST 1. You may want to take a look at up and down buttonhole stitch because the the second part of working up and down buttonhole is the same hand action as the knotted buttonhole stitch on Beaded Hedebo Edge. 

How to work Beaded Hedebo Edge

First make a line of half cross stitches almost as if you were working alternating cross stitch but make every second stitch longer. 

Make the return run to complete the cross stitches. 

Bring the needle to the front at 'A' and thread a seed bead on your needle.

Take it back into the fabric at 'B'

Your bead will sit at an angle as illustrated.

Bring your needle out of the fabric at 'C'

Pass your needle upwards under both bars of the cross stitch but NOT through the fabric.

Wrap the thread behind the needle as illustrated. (Don't worry about the fact that I have already worked a stitch I just mucked up the first photo) 

Pull the needle through in an upwards motion. Half way along the length of the thread change direction and move your hand downwards. This means you are stitching in an up and over motion.

As you tighten the thread slightly a loop is made at the bottom of the bar.

Pull until snug. 

NOTE: Your are not stitching through the fabric

Continue along the cross bars until the bars are snug, packed with stitches.

Take your needle to the back at the base of the bar 

Bring your needle out at the base of the small cross stitch, take up a bead thread it on your needle. Take your needle to the back at the top of the stitch. 

Bring your needle out at the base of the long cross stitch ready to repeat the process again.

Continue in this manner until you have worked all the bars.

How to join in. 

Work an example of the stitch. Experiment a bit , photograph it, and put it on your flickr site or write about it on your blog. Please remember to link back to here so others can find the challenge too

Come here to this post and leave a comment to tell everyone where your site is. (Click on the title and it will take you to this post on an individual page if you bookmark it you can find it again) 

Visit a few sites of people who have already left a comment. See what they have done. I am sure everyone will enjoy  following the links left in the comments. If you have time, let other people know on their site that you have seen their work.

Other groups and networks

You can also share your explorations with other members on  stitchin fingers group and the flickr TAST site 

All posts relating to this challenge are in the Take a Stitch Tuesday category and the guidelines and list of participants is here.

Stitches

This is simple a line of crested chain stitch that has been worked in perle thread.

Thread 

A  #5 perle cotton thread

Fabric:

Linen hand dyed

Dyes: 

Procion dyes used on the fabric and thread 

Size:

The sampler is 15 cm (6 inches) wide and all sections are stitched together in one long band sampler.

The sampler is currently 44 ft 5 inches or 533 inches (1353.83 centimetres) or 14.8 yards  (13.53 metres) long and still being added to.

Date:

This section of the sampler was worked in January 2006.

The back story:

This series is documenting a long hand embroidered band sampler, which is still growing as I still stitch it. More about the band sampler are in the category For the Love of Stitching band sampler  

Other related posts

Introductory Post - how and why this sampler came to be made 

A few questions answered about fabric choice and width

Extending and backing the sampler

For the Love of Stitching Sampler Sections 1 and 2, 3 and 4, Section 5 ,  Section 6 ,  Section 7 ,  Section 8,  Section 9, Section 10, Section 11,  Section 12 and Section 13

The fabric flower illustrated is quite large but for those who want to make flowers to attach to embroidery or crazy quilting you can make smaller flowers. Kenneth King points out this technique can be scaled easily as he uses the width of the ribbon as a unit of measure 

I bet this would look delicious is you used some lovely hand dyed silk ribbon!