TAST 2012: Bullion Knot

Here is a bullion rose garland stitched on wool felt and a couple of samples from the original TAST; a single rose stem and a rosebud on a button.

TAST 2012: Crossed Buttonhole Stitch

TAST 2012: Wheatear Stitch

TAST 2012: French Knots

I worked on my fabric collage a little more, adding French knots to the butterfly.  I used them singly to outline the shape and also in groups of three to create a pattern within the shape.

TAST 2012: Stem Stitch

As I was getting ready to add this familiar stitch to my sampler, I checked it out in Sharon B’s Stitch Dictionary and learned something I didn’t know before. The thread is worked to the right side of the needle.  If it is worked to the left side, it is the outline stitch.  I always interchanged them, depending on the direction I was stitching, never noticing the difference in appearance.  I see it now, although it's difficult to detect in the photo below.

TAST 2012: Satin Stitch

Here’s a peek at a work in progress, a fabric collage based upon magazine images from a course taught by Susan Sorrell. I usually use chain stitches to fill in shapes (see the iris and pupil), but thought I’d try satin stitches to fill in the lettering.

TAST 2012: Whipped Wheel

For the first whipped wheel, I used a nylon washer as the base. Not wanting to leave it plain, I covered it with buttonhole stitches to add some color. The other sample is a whipped long arm chain stitch, one of my favorite stitches from Sharon B’s Personal Library of Stitches course a few years ago. It has a kind of nautical look, I think.

TAST 2012: Running Stitch

Still trying to get all my ducks in a row...

TAST 2012: More Chain Stitch Variations (and a Little Bit of Couching)

Here are a couple more chain stitch variations; the blossom stitch (which is a combination of the stem and chain stitch), reverse and heavy chain stitch and, lastly, regular chain and zigzag chain stitch (couching novelty thread). The chain stitch can also be used as an outline for appliqué. I keep thinking the heavy chain stitch would make a nice braid trim for doll clothes. And, speaking of doll clothes, I’ve include a photo of an outfit just finished (Simplicity pattern #2296) where I’ve used the zigzag chain stitch to couch rickrack. My model is the adorable Little Sister doll “Tess” by Gotz. She can share clothing with American Girl dolls.

TAST 2012: Herringbone, Chevron and Detached Chain Stitches

I’m not quite (but very nearly) caught up with my TAST stitching. DH and I have been ill with some sort of cold or flu for the past week or so – stuffy heads and zero energy… We’re both just beginning to feel better.

The first photo shows two versions of the double herringbone stitch, both of which are illustrated in Sharon B’s Stitch Dictionary. The next one shows a couple rows of Chevron stitch combinations. In the third photo, I appliquéd a piece of felt to my sampler and stitched some lazy daisies (detached chain stitches). These flowers were inspired by one of my favorite embroidery books, The Embroiderer’s Floral, by Janet Haigh.

Also, I have been working on a doll outfit trimmed with zigzag chain stitches over rickrack (fun, but time consuming!) I will add a photo soon.

TAST 2012: Cretan Stitch

I’m a week overdue on my TAST stitches! Here is my sampler with stacked Cretan stitches and a row of knotted Cretan stitches. Below, I added a little felted piece with knotted Cretan stitches that I made for the original TAST a few years ago.

TAST 2012: Feather Stitch

Note to self: Don’t add eyelash yarn to a sampler until you've stitched a few rows away from it. Those strands were everywhere in my way for the first two stitches (closed and up and down buttonhole feathered). The third stitch is my version of the chained feather stitch. It is traditionally worked as separate stitches down the row; each stitch pulled to the back and a new one begun on the opposite side. Mine is worked as a continuous row, more like a regular feather stitch – and it works up very quickly! This might be my new favorite! It's very easy to do and I've photographed the tricky part:

1. Make a chain stitch on the left slanting toward center of row.

2. Proceed to the right and make the loop part of a feather stitch.

3. The thread that would normally anchor the feather stitch is, instead, taken back up and through the fabric just to the left of the rightmost stitch, forming top part of a chain stitch.

4. Hold down the lower loop and the working thread and take a stitch through to the front, finishing the chain stitch.

5. Take thread to the left, make another feather stitch and repeat down the row.

TAST 2012: Buttonhole Stitch

I had done a few variations of the buttonhole stitch on my (still in progress) Stitchin’ Fingers” sampler, but found two more to add to my new TAST sampler. They both call for two rows of stitches and can be used to create nice, thick bars. The second stitch, below, is a variation on the barb stitch adding couched threads.

I will add the buttonhole stitched areas of my first sampler to the Take a Stitch Tuesday group on Flickr.

TAST 2012

Not wanting to make yet another commitment (kinda swamped here), I tried really hard to resist the temptation of joining the new TAST 2012. (I had participated in the original TAST as well as the Stitch Explorer Challenge – and thoroughly enjoyed both and learned so much!) But, I went over to Sharon B’s blog and had a peek at the first stitch and realized resistance was futile (sigh…). I love the fly stitch! Dang! So, here is a row of simple little fly stitch roses. I had seen this pattern (or something similar) a few years ago in a crazy quilting book that contained some illustrations of easy seam treatments. Unfortunately, I can’t recall the name of the book.