New Christmas Book: Stumpwork Embroidery

Fingers crossed that we don't have a power interruption!  We are getting lots of rain at the moment with high winds. I did get to the post box this morning and was surprised to finally get my 3rd Christmas book, Stumpwork Embroidery by Helen Richman. What a lovely book!

The book gives practical advice on working with threads as well as how to stretch and prepare fabrics. There are over 900 coloured photos to guide you through a wide range of decorative and raised stitches. Detailed instructions are included on combining stumpwork with a range of other techniques to create unique designs. Helen has provided ten projects to show how to use the stitches in designs, including stumpwork human figures. Don't you just love the figure on her book!

Follow Helen on Pinterest HERE. Also visit the Bluebird Embroidery Company, which showcases her embroidery artwork and embroidery kits.

Enjoy!

New Book

I received several books for Christmas. Embroidered Landscapes, Hand Embroidery, Layering & Surface Stitching by Judy Wilford, is one of them. This hard covered book, with 287 pages, has lots of coloured photos and sketches. I've haven't had time to really get into this book but I can see that it will be a great reference. I'm especially interested in her stitching of various plants, grasses and trees. It's a great book for the beginner and experienced embroiderer interested in creating small landscapes.

Judy Wilford has 30 years of experimentation, refinement, and tutoring under her belt, and her process combines and adapts different genres, textiles, traditional stitches, and embroidery styles. Part 1 covers the materials and equipment, lays out a simple landscape, and demonstrates background layering and surface stitching. The second section contains a range of projects, each developing and extending the various techniques. 

Artfully Embroidered

Artfully Embroidered, Motifs and Patterns for Bags and More by Naoko Shimoda, is one of my newest books. This book combines both traditional Japanese and western motifs to create fresh and modern looking embroidery designs. Step-by-step instructions and templates are provided to create sewn or embroidered projects. The motifs can also be used in original work. This book also includes projects to create handbags, totes, coin purses, and beaded brooches. Each project has coloured photos showing the hand embroidery. Several paper patterns for a few projects in the book, are included.

I may not make any of the projects in this book, but the combination of the various embroidery motifs gives food for thought!

Mr. Finch

As I was going through some of the recent posts I frequently read, this site popped up: Mr. Finch, a Yorkshire fiber artist. Finch is actually his surname. Thanks to Deborah Schlegel of Art Threads for posting.

Finch's work is amazing. His use of vintage materials to create insects, bugs and small creatures, is definitely a work of art. This photo from his web site, says it all. He also has a new book: Mr. Finch: Living in a Fairy Tale World. Please pay him a visit and see his work for yourself!
Enjoy!

Knitting Book

A few days ago, I wrote about a book that I purchased at the yarn shop, From Ewe to You. The book is 75 Seashells, Fish, Coral & Colourful Marine Life to Knit & Crochet. It has lots of colourful photos. The creatures would make nice gifts.

Enjoy!

Jacquie Gering, Modern Quilting

Last evening, the three guilds in our area, Eastern Edge, Cabot, and Ocean View, invited its members to a presentation of modern quilts by Jacquie Gering, a modern quilter. Over the last year or so, quilters expressed an interest in learning about modern quilting. One of the books on the subject, Quilting Modern, by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen, was purchased by several quilters and was found to be a very good source. It was decided to invite Jacquie here to teach several of her workshops. If you are interested in the ones she teaches, they are listed on her blog.

Jacquie gave a very informative talk about her evolution into the quilt world and how she got into making modern quilts. Her blog, Tallgrass Prairie Studio, is just chock a block full of her amazing quilts. Most of the quilts we saw, are on her blog. Here's a few of them. Permission was given to photograph the quilts and post them here for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks, Jacquie for a wonderful evening!

Enjoy!

Stitch and Structure

I've just added a new book to my library: Stitch and Structure by Jean Draper. This book is for textile artists ' looking to expand their repertoire into two and three dimensional work '. Jean Draper takes the reader through the process from designing through construction to embellishment with mixed media. There are lots of diagrams, detailed drawings and stitch information to guide you through the various techniques suggested in the book. For more book description, go HERE. Also, check out the Textile Study Group. Jean Draper, among many others, is a member.

Kitchen Stitches

I had a quiet flight to Halifax yesterday. Certainly not like my trip from Chicago last week. During that trip, there was a major snowstorm in the Halifax area and my flight was delayed several times.

As I was relaxing in my hotel room with a hot cup of tea, and catching up with some of the blogs I follow, I came across a new book called Kitchen Stitches on Jackie's Art Quilt blog. Jackie has something to be proud of as one of her designs is in the book - congratulations! She also has great photos showing some of the projects. Did I mention she is lives in Ontario, Canada?


Reading Amy's Creative Side, I discovered that Amy has a table runner in the same book.
Lots of creative ladies have wonderful projects in this book.

Enjoy!

Book Purchase

Yesterday, I paid a visit to Jo-Ann's in Chicago and  purchased, The Complete Photo Guide to Art Quilting by Susan Stein. The colourful photos are wonderful.

Overview

This comprehensive how-to book explores all the concepts and techniques involved in creating art quilts, including composition and design; making whole-cloth, pieced, and appliquéd art quilts; fabric manipulation and surface design; quilting/stitching; embellishing; and working in a series. Readers will find easy access to information with step-by-step directions and hundreds of full-color photos for clear understanding. Easy projects provide opportunities for the reader to try the techniques, and galleries of art quilts by various fabric artists offer beautiful examples and enticing inspiration.

(Taken from the Barnes & Noble Web Site)

Luck of the Draw!

Well, my luck continues. Last month, at the Cabot Quilt Guild, I won the raffle draw, which included a book by Karen Griska called Quilts from the Selvage and some fabric. Last evening, I won another draw. In fact, when I put my name in I commented that "I would love to win those fabrics!" And guess what - I did! Isn't this a wonderful selection of batiks from Timeless Treasures - Blueberry Pie.

Here are a few pattern / projects using batiks:

Quilts and More
Batiks Etcetera & Sew What Fabrics
What to Make With Batiks
The Art of Batik
The Batik Braid Quilt Tutorial
Bali vs. Batik - What's the Difference?
Batik Quilts on Pinterest

Enjoy!

Another one of my fish using batik fabrics

From My Bookshelf

I just added a couple of new books to my collection. They were purchased on my recent trip to Chicago.

Stitch, Cloth, Paper & Paint by Angie Hughes, is a mixed media book with lots of inspiration for the adventurous quilter and stitcher. She guides the reader through several techniques (preparing the surface; machine stitching; hand stitching; and making your own embellishments) and then supplies three projects to try. The photographs and instructions are well done. Each step is explained so that you can create your own special works of art. Also check out her blog.

The second book is Reflections of Nature: The Art and Embroidery of Jane Hall. This is not a 'how to' book but one that lets you into her artistic world. It explores her passion for embroidery, the materials and various techniques she uses. It is also an ideal source of inspiration for textile artists and embroiderers of all skill levels. You can watch a short video of Jane at work.

EEQ Show & Tell - Part 1

The Eastern Edge Quilters met one last time before summer vacation last evening. Here are some of the quilted pieces on display. Two of the quilters have been working together to learn some new techniques. They used the book, Quilted Symphony, by Gloria Loughman. I'm sure you will agree, they did a fantastic job using her techniques and patterns. Both ladies used different colour schemes in their pieces.

Book Review # 4

I just received Drawn Thread Embroidery by Moyra McNeill. This is from the Batsford Classic Embroidery collection. The following description was taken from the back cover of the book:

Drawn thread is a form of decorative embroidery that has been practised for many centuries. Traditionally worked on fine linen, it achieves its effects through the contrast of open and closed areas created by removing threads from the fabric. The traditional aspects of the craft are considered here in detail, but exciting and experimental innovations are given equal importance in this comprehensive guide.

An introductory section explains how to withdraw stitches and secure ends. Different stitch types and various borders are then examined and clearly illustrated with line drawings and photographs. As well as basic techniques such as ladder and zigzag hems, more experimental styles, including working with colour and weaving with fabric strips, provide plenty of design ideas.

Chapters on the many drawn thread techniques - needleweaving, reticella, Russian drawn ground, Hedebo and Hardanger - continue the exploration of both new and old approaches. A final section on experimental machine work provides many ideas for modern embroidery.

I'm looking forward to using this book in future work.

Book Review

Photo by Judy Cooper

I received several books for Christmas. A Fiber Artist's Guide to Color & Design by Heather Thomas was one of them. This book, with its 160 pages, has a hard cover with a spiral spine inside, so it is easy to lie flat. It is loaded with hundreds of photos, examples and illustrations. Besides providing color and design theory, Heather includes 12 Workshop Lessons with project goals and guidlines. Read here for more information from other reviews on this delightful book. You can also take a peek inside!
Heather's blog

I think I have a bit of reading to do!
Enjoy. . .

Royal Wedding

Since this is Royal Wedding week in Britain, I thought you might find some of these interesting:

Wedding Quilts from the Satin Moon blog (lots of stuff here)
Royal Wedding 2011
Book: Knit Your Own Royal Wedding
Colouring pages of London
Colouring pages of Kings and Queens of England
Royal Wedding Baker  

#4 Textile Art From England

I was asked by the Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Council to do a photo essay for their newsletter of the textiles I saw while on the England tour. This is part of the essay showing photos from the embroidery guild tour.

Hampton Court Palace, built during the reign of Henry VIII, is the home of the Embroiderers’ Guild of the UK and the Royal School of Needlework. We were very fortunate to have behind the scenes tours of both organizations. 

The president of the Embroidery Guild of the UK gave us an entertaining lecture and display of work. I have many more photos but these were a sample from this part of the tour that I selected for the newsletter. 

Or Nué on Book Cover

Embroidery by Constance Howard

The Or Nué (Gold Work) is on the cover of a book. I could not get the photo to turn the right way even though it is rotated correctly in my files. Go figure! I tried everything but this is it. The piece beside the book cover was done by Constance Howard, a well known British embroiderer. She wrote The Constance Howard Book of Stitches, first published in 1979. I have this book and it is an excellent one for hand embroidery.

The box cover below is another stunning addition to the guild. It was a gift of Miss Hester Clough, founding member of the Mid-Wessex Branch of the Embroidery Guild. More information about this box is in another post.

Stump Work on Box Cover

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Living on the eastern coast of North America, Christmas Day arrives here first. In fact, we have out own time zone which is ahead of the rest of the country by 30 minutes. The tradition here at my house is to open one gift just after midnight. I was delighted to receive the book, Fibreart Montage, by Judith Baker Montana. You can read a bit about the book on her site. I have several of her books which tend to be good references for hand stitching. Crazy stitching/quilting is one of her specialities. Go here for some free crazy quilting patterns.

My quilting friend sent this to me however she did not know who wrote it. If someone out there knows the source, I'd appreciate an email so I can give credit to the author.

A Quilter's Dream come true!

'Twas the night before Christmas,

And the quilts were not made.

The threads were all tangled, the cookies delayed.

The stocking weren't hung, the pantry was bare.

The poor weary Quilter, was tearing her hair.

Stacks of fat quarters, tipped over in streams.

Visions of Log Cabins, had turned into dreams.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear,

But a bus full of quilters with all of their gear.

They went straight to work with just a few mutters,

Sorting and stitching and brandishing cutters.

The patterns emerged from all of the clutter,

Like magic the fabrics arranged in a flutter.

Log Cabins, Lone Stars, Flying Geese & Bear Tracks

Each quilt was a beauty-even the backs.

Her house how it twinkled, her quilts how they glowed.

The cookies were baking, the stockings were sewed.

Their work was all done, so they folded their frames,

And packed up their needles, without giving their names.

They boarded the bus, and checked the next address.

More quilts to be made, another quilter in distress.

She heard one voice echo, as they drove out of sight,

Happy quilting to all and to all a good night!