Seams French

Blocking Boutis: Between all of the machine sewing and quilting that have kept me gainfully occupied over the last few months, I have taken a little time to work on my boutis. You may remember the little saffron coloured boutis rose window below from my post on October 15, 2014    http://seamsfrench.blogspot.ca/2014_10_01_archive.html . Once stitched and corded, it was soaked in a basin of warm water with a little gentle soap (such as Orvis), and then straightened and squared up with thumb tacks on a heavy sheet of styrofoam. It was originally destined to become a pin cushion, however, at 5" x 5", I find it too large to be practical for that use. Currently, it's ultimate destiny is undetermined. I used only 2 basic stitches on this piece: the running stitch and the back stitch. For more info on the stitches and their variations, click on the above link. Done a number of years ago, the little cicada used in both of the pieces below was my first attempt at boutis...

You may recall my post on July 31, 2014, (which I just republished because I somehow returned it to draft mode?!?), in which I showed a few of the boutis projects that I am currently working on. In that post I show one rose window, completed in white batiste, which will become a wall hanging, (stay tuned!), and another rose window that I had just started in the saffron batitse. Progress in July. This saffron boutis rose window will become a pin cushion and be partnered with the "cigale" needle fold shown in the post from August 12th . In this little project, the two basic stitches that I have used  are the back-stitch and the running stitch , as well as variations to the pattern of each stitch. The back-stitch completes the tiny round petals in the center of the design. It is also used in the background, where a variation of the design creates the "point de vauvert" stitch. Everything else is stitched in just a plain running stitch. In the photo direct...

Honestly, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, but sometimes, days and weeks just disappear! Vanish! Into thin air! How does that keep happening? Aside from enjoying the first summer in Canada for more then 8 years, I have been busy working on a number of new projects. High up on my priority list has been designing and stitching up a number of new boutis patterns that are simple to stitch and quite manageable in size. Easy to pick up anytime and take along just about anywhere. Below are two of the new boutis projects. This first one, stitched on an amber coloured batiste, will be a needle envelope. Although I have used a variety of stitches around the cicada motif to add interest and give it a bit of emphasis, it can all easily be worked with the basic running stitch. The first photo shows the needlefold being blocked after the stitching had been completed. I had to wet it and block it for a second time. The first time, I had not used nearly enough thumbtacks to keep it...