Seams French

It's TGIF Day; "Thank Goodness It's Finished" This little pouch, which is a prototype, certainly came with it's fair share of headaches as I learned to deal with the peculiar characteristics of hand stitching on silk, see my post of   (Feb.10, 2014) , but now that it's finished, I have forgiven it all it's obstinate idiosyncrasies and am looking forward to more projects with silk in the future. The little phone pouch, finished and set to travel. Once the boutis piece had been blocked, it was trimmed leaving a generous 1 inch seam allowance around the perimiter. Next I cut a facing piece to the identical size as the stitched piece. I opted to make the facing from the same silk fabric that I used on the pouch itself. There are 3 sections to this pouch: from right to left - the front flap closure, the middle section (or what will become the back of the pouch), and the last section, (which will be under the front flap). The middle section and the...

What a Relief! Boutis is a play of light and shadow created by first, stitching the motifs and channels of the design (created specifically for boutis), and then inserting cotton yarn through these same channels. It's with the addition of the cording that the relief is created and this is what defines and gives life to the patterns and motifs of the piece. When working boutis, the cording process is just as important and time intensive as the stitching. That being said, the little mobile phone pouch on silk that I have been working on is finally stitched and corded. Stitched and corded, the little silk phone pouch that I have been working on is ready to be assembled. Once all of the cording was completed, I soaked the piece in cold water and tacked it tautly it to a sheet of Styrofoam. This is the opportunity to square up the finished piece of boutis and ease in (or out) any irregularities. In my post of February 11/2014, "Boutis...

Staying on the theme of embroidery, I thought that I would share two of my current favourite books. The first time that I heard about Annemieke Mein was when I discovered her book, "The Art of Annemieke Mein: Wildlife Artist in Textiles", first published in 1992 by Penguin Books Australia, Ltd.. An Australian of Dutch descent, Annemieke is an artist who uses textiles as her medium to portray her passion for the Australian wildlife. To create her realistic, sculptural wildlife tapestries, she uses an exciting combination and variety of fabrics,  paints, threads, beads, etc.. Cover of "The Art of Annemieke Mein: Wildlife Artist in Textiles". Her work is amazing in it's realistic portrayal of elements of nature. Her skill with a fine tuned needle and thread is extraordinary. Here you can see how she combines sculptural relief with hand applique, machine threadwork and painting. Aside from providing some serious inspiration and an exploration...

I love watching "period" films and TV programs like Downton Abbey or "Game of Thrones", partially, of course, for the glitz and glam of the intrigue and romance of the story, but mostly, for the glitz and glam of the costumes and the sets. When "Lady Mary Crawley" dresses for dinner, it's the lavish needlework on the gown that has my attention. In "Game of Thrones", London embroiderer Michele Carragher hand embroiders many of the intricate designs, that she has also created, onto the costumes. Her website is worth checking out ( www.michelecarragherembroidery.com ). Thinking of all of the detailed beadwork embellishment and intricate embroidery in these gowns, made me remember these "petites cigales" (hidden somewhere in my stash), that I started in 2006, the first full summer we spent in Montpellier. That summer, I did not have a sewing machine there, and I had not as yet taken up "Boutis". So armed only with my basic s...

Cell Phone Pouch On the learning curve once again. As with any type of hand stitching like embroidery or quilting, (or machine stitching for that matter), precision and accuracy are key to a presentable product. Being familiar with silk fabrics from machine quilting and from sewing clothes in a former stitching life, when I started this little boutis pouch on dupioni silk, I was not at all concerned or intimidated by the fact that I was working on silk. Around the central motif, where all the channels are rounded, the stitching was fairly straightforward and presented no unsual circumstances. The above photo is of the front flap of the little phone pouch, where the rose window motif is stitched with a back stitch. However, once off of the central motif and onto the body of the pouch, where all of the lines and channels are straight, two things became apparent very quickly. First: When working with silk, appropriate lighting is crucial.  With insufficient light, the ...

Dapper Dog! Meet my friend Winston. Doesn't he just blend perfectly into the gentle, pastoral scene of the French toile? Aside from being a well mannered, polite young man, Winston is always impeccably groomed; clean and coiffed, without a hair ever out of place. So, when Winston's "staff" (aka: "his people") approached me with a request to update his wardrobe, I was up for the challenge, even though I have "retired" from the fashion aspect of stitchery. Being a resident of the Pacific Northwest coast, rain gear is a wardrobe essential. For those long walks in the park on all the wet and soggy winter days, we chose this very cheerful and vibrant red waterproof material which is paired with a multi-animal print fleece. Fabrics and pattern ready to go. And here we are, Runway Ready! A second coat, which will do for those crisp and chilly early morning walks along the seawall, is made from faux fur with a Burberry"ish...

Although the re-org. process is still on and strong in my life, my stitching hands have not been completely idle. Since my hummingbird boutis has been completed, (see my post of Nov. 23, 2013), I have been working on drafting some smaller boutis pieces. Below are 3 of the designs ready to be stitched. Rose windows from some of the many churches and cathedrals that I have photographed over the years, were the inspiration for two of these designs. This first piece, which will be a cell phone case, is my first attempt at stitching boutis with dupioni silk. Although Swiss cotton batiste (in white), is the most traditional material used for boutis, a number of the more contemporary boutiseusses are experimenting with silk. Silk is less forgiving then cotton, so consistency in tension, and accuracy in stitch length and placement become more crucial because of their greater visibility.  In this little mobile phone case, I have used the two most basic stitches of boutis: " point ...