I stitched a tree with Bullion trunk and then got carried away with doing 19 of the previous stitches as well.     I have posted old works here

The fabric I used is a rubber-backed curtain sample and I had no bother stitching through this.  Waste not-want not.

I am not sure if WordPress will move my pictures apart from the text but here goes..The crown of the tree is a piece of mohair wool lace that is Couched with Fly stitched DMC rayon

The birds are Fly stitches made with the same thread in brown

The swing is Chain with the seat Couched over 3 pieces of rayon floss.  The background lawn is just lots of straight small stitches with DMC stranded threads

The cyclamens are Detached Chain, French Knot and leaves Buttonhole all in DMC stranded cotton

Whipped Wheel in Sassa Lynne variegated thread; DMC Stem stitch stalk and Detached Chain leaves.

The vine is Alternating Barred Chain in DMC rayon and Sassa Lynne French knots

The green bush on the right of the tree is Barred Chain.  The left half has the bar on the left and the right side has the bar on the right side.

White daisies have a single rayon strand Bullion stitch with a Detached Chain outer wrap.  Stems are in Stem-stitch and straight stitch leaves.

Johnny-jump-ups,-or violas- and leaves are done with Detached Chain

Last one is Feather stitch with French knots.

Grasses on wall are either Fly stitch or Up/Down Buttonhole

The Wall top and bottom is Herringbone stitched with burgundy DMC perle 8 .

The bricks= Running stitch and the mortar between, Buttonhole(Tailor’s buttonhole).  I used DMC perle 8 for bricks and single DMC stranded cotton for mortar.

Grasses in left foreground :- Half Chevron, Crossed Buttonhole, Fly

The dark one is Cretan gone mad.  The white flowers Detached Chain with French knots.

The tree trunk is deliberately made with loose Bullion stitches to get a textured effect but the 6 grass Bullions at the base are ‘properly’ made. Threads used are Edmar Nova, Lola and a weird rayon with no twist for colour addition. Perhaps Cire.

There are random Stem stitched lines of grass  at the base.

To the right of the tree trunk are Wheatear stems using 6 strands DMC stranded cotton and below this Up/Down Buttonhole

There is green Chevron grass edging and a Bullion Snail too.

The missing stitch is Satin.  This was meant to be my bricks but as they were not padded,it is only Running stitch and I certainly can Not claim my bees to be Satin stitched’

They are made with 2 Straight stitched DMC strands and a single yellow thread which is Couching.  so still no Satin stitch example.  The wings of the bees are Detached Chain in gold metallic thread.

Now let’s see what Mr WordPress has done to my tidy post.

EDIT.. and my apologies if you have persevered this far as the words were meant to be with the right photo.

I hope there was something worth while here.

These four examples are from my Tast 1

and these three are for the current Tast.

I used a section of a pattern from The Antique Pattern Library that Sharon pointed us to.

The first was stitched with perle 8 pink  for Detached Chain and a white perle 8 straight stitch centre.  Olive Stem stitch and Bullions and hand dyed green silk thread for Crossed Buttonhole

The next used hand dyed silk green thread, hand dyed cotton for the Satin stitched flower. The Crossed Buttonhole and Bullions  – sorry I have forgotten the name of this variegated thread.

Lastly a funny green 2 strand DMC for the Crossed Buttonhole with DMC 2 strand green stem and the Oyster stitches were done with Perle 8.

French knots  and Black Pistil stitches used single strands of DMC rayon.

I traced the first pattern and the others were hand drawn and therefore wonky.

There is more information about TAST here  and you can read back through articles of TAST here

NOTE:-  I had been asked by Rose how I made the medallion example.  I meant to add it but forgot.

I trapped a bead between two layers of fabric and worked the Crossed Buttonhole around and over this.  Then laid the metal charm over the centrepiece and stitched that down with pearl beads and more Crossed Buttonhole, using Silf thread, which, sadly,  is not made anymore.

The fan was stitched with one  strand of DMC  -6 strand -gold metallic thread

I have thoroughly enjoyed stitching along with Anita while she coached many ladies to embroider Chikan work, with a well planned tutorial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Base leaves = shadow-work edge and drops are worked with Double Back stitch.  The leaf centres are Running stitch which are then Overcast.

The Base is Double Backstitch.    The stem – Laced Running.    Curved stems – chain.

The two ovate leaves are also Double Backstitched

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Leaves at top – Running stitch centres and Blanket stitch edges.

Vine leaves are Straight Stitch Variation.    Stems – Whipped Back stitch

Heart – Double Running border and Drops and Wave Stitch for the centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Top leaves – Slanted Satin stitch

Below that are 3 Eyelet stitch flowers and to the right a flower worked with Roman stitch.

Stem stitched long stem.

To the left, the large double teardrop is worked with two rows of Chain stitch and the centre

has 2 Detached Chains….one on top of the other.

The outer spokes are Satin stitched.

I am very pleased I had the chance to join in and complete the work.  Thank you Anita.

I didn’t add the top section of the embroidery that I re-did.  The Slanted Satin stitch was Not right.   I padded 3 leaves with running stitch, which has improved it somewhat.

You may note that the top right leaf is raggy  that’s the one not padded.

This completes  the second last lesson for the SAL with Anita.

Hovering over a photo will show the stitch name but not where it is done.

The straight stitches are the leaves in the 2nd photo.

The outer ‘arms’ in the next photo are first stitched by overcasting with Satin stitch and the ends are slightly slanted.

The twig in the centre of the shadow work is Overcast.

Our holiday to Norfolk Island has put me back for the TAST stitching.  Here is my Satin stitch and French Knots in one project

I worked a Blue peony from a book I have,  a small version that is. I used Satin stitch for the leaves and to couch the cord.

Looks like WordPress are playing silly devils again.  My thumbnails are meant to be below the large photo.

These samples are old ones -Stem stitch whipped and also plain for week 15

 

 

 

You can find about Sharon’s TAST  here

I really was not happy about my stitches and Anita kindly helped me correct my errors.

The first was entirely due to my bad stitching and not the number of strands I used.  I hadn’t used 6 ply here but 2 ply and I was just clumsy with the needle and thread.

For the leaves on the vines I used the full 6 strands of DMC but Did Not separate and replace as one.  What a huge difference that made.

Even so, I took forever to carefully stitch the patterns.  Whoever coined the phrase ‘ Necessity is the Mother of Invention’ is surely right.  I cut a small card and used

that to place on the fabric as I drew the thread up and down through the fabric.  How much neater it is and so much faster… if you can call 25 minutes for 7 leaves fast.

Unpicked and redone and I am much happier.  The top petal isn’t twisted, it’s just a photographic error. ( that’s my story)

the ‘card trick’ is on the right hand side.  Thanks for your timely help Anita.

I’ve just brought my work up to date and am now ready for lesson 7.

I’m not happy with my straight or satin stitches.  I had undone them

several times and still can’t get them right.  The satin stitches are

at the top and the straight are the leaves on the vines.  Both stitch varieties

use 6 DMC strands.

Along with our daughter, son–law and my DH we spent 10 fabulous days on the island.

We have been promising for about 6 years to visit Mary – of Devon House  fame and finally managed. I’m not linking to Mary’s Blog as she has woeful photos of me there.

What a pleasure it was to meet with her again and see the wonderful island.  Originally a penal settlement for the British it now belongs to the descendants of the Mutiny of the Bounty.

No matter which way you turn there is something to delight the eyes.  The people are so friendly and helpful to all.

We were greeted at the airport by our gracious hosts Mary and her DH Bernie, taken  to our unit and given coffee and cake and later went to their home for a delicious

meal of local fish and vegetables.  The fish was to entice the men to catch their own, which didn’t happen as the weather turned wet and windy, due

to the tail end of the Fijian cyclone.  Not that the weather stopped us touring and it was never cold there.  Showers were intermittent.

I fibbed…. DH caught a 12 inch Parrot fish which he threw back. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had several meals with Mary, Bernie and family and they were most enjoyable.  It is always

good to meet those whose photos you’ve seen over the years.

Mary’s son hung a whole bunch of green bananas outside our unit and we picked them as they ripened daily.  Such bananas !! I have never tasted

any as wonderful as these.  Sooo fat it took 2 bites to eat across them.  The bunch has been

much reduced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the view from the unit. Too busy sightseeing to use the pool.

Just a few samples of what we saw.  I’ll try for more later but now it’s time to do catch-up on TAST and my SAL of Indian Shadow work with Anita.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anita of

http://artisticfingers.blogspot.com.au/

is teaching this embroidery which combines Shadow work, Pulled Threads and Surface embroidery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tear-drops are worked with Double Back stitch or  by the Indian name – Bakhya/Bakhiya or Bakhia

There is also Stem stitch or – Rahet  and     Chain stitch – Janjira.

Not only am I learning how to do these stitches but also a few new words.

I have wanted to try Shadow work before but never started.  I like it and hope to improve my stitches.

I have wanted to try Pulled threads but was too nervous to begin… fingers crossed that I can do it.

The work is on pale green muslin using white DMC thread.

Thanks Anita.