Tasty Nibble #9

Nearly there....

Tasty Nibble #8

Now we're getting somewhere

Tasty nibble #7

Ooooooo....


Detail of the progress on my IRCC pocket project.

Tasty Nibble #6

I've begun work on my pocket and realized one very important thing.


Hey, This is fun!

(More info on the 'What Holds Breasts Up?' page.)

4/24/2011 and we have dragons!

Aren't they cool?



Not even pinned down at the moment, but since the green man's body, arms and all the greenery below his hands *are* sewn on I'm not complaining.

I still need to attach his head, and all the dragon/greenery parts above the hands, then do the outlining and detailing in couched thread (black) as in the bottom section of the pavilion. Maybe another week or two of work since I currently quite distracted by the Italian Ren. Costuming Challenge. Which I am off to work on now (Red and white trapunto sleeves, here I come!)

I'd rather forgotten...

how long it takes to prep applique pieces when they are full of itty-bitty curves and curliques and tendrils. Which is to say that I am still working on the front roof of the pavillion. Yes, I haven't even finished all the applique pieces. Yes, I haven't even pinned it all together, let alone started attaching the applique. Yes it feels like it is taking forever.

I started laying out the pieces I have finished because I was going to take a picture to prove that I was still working on the pavillion but right now seeing all those bits scattered in all that white space is making me rather depressed. So, maybe not.

In other news I have finished my first pair of slippers, updated the pictures on the 50 pairs of slippers project page, and started the artwork for my next pair. I find I continue to be facinated by moorish tracery so my next pair will continue the theme. I'm thinking to do an embroidered motif across the vamp of the shoe.

Something like this:

I've been really busy, and I've got something to show for it!

I've prepped numerous bits of applique for the roof, stiched 27 of the 28 eyelets in a light cotton gown for Pennsic (the butter dress), I've learned two new embroidery stiches, and, oh, my shoes...my shoes are stunning! If you look at the 50 pairs of slippers page you'll see what I mean.

Pretty, Yes?

They say the best is the enemy of the good. But, in my experience, the good is not the enemy of the best. I can hardly wait to finish this pair and try for something even better!

Photo updates!

The doorways are assembled at last.

Front













Back

My darling husband says that, from a phenomenographic perspective, my focus has shifted from the doorways to the tent as a whole and that is why I am having trouble appreciating what fine doorways they are. I want the whole thing to be done!

I am progressing on the applique for the front roof. I've added some close-up pictures of the process to the feb post on the process of applique if you are interested. Now back to work for me!

The doorways are finished! Well, almost.

As you know, I have been working on the black outlining for the top and sides of the back doorway of the pavilion, and the blue-green band on the bottom--or leading, depending on your point of view--edge of the awning flaps, front and back. I'm trying to get all the work I can done on each seperate section *before* I put them all together because each part will get *much* more difficult to work with as the other huge chunks of canvas get attached. (It's one of the basic rules of sewing: Finish what you can *before* assembly*) And I'm happy to report, success! By which I mean that the prep work is done...now I just have to remember how it is supposed to go together

hmmmm.....

I'm thinking no pictures today , sorry.

Pavillion Progress Update-1

In case you were wondering...

Yes, I'm still working on the pavilion.

I've finished the black couching on the second mottoe panel, and am currently working on the same outlining on the WATER panel for the back doorway. My hope is to get both back doorway panels done, and the two doorway/awning sections assembled this weekend. Look for pictures by Monday!

On other fronts, I am considering what to use to make the soft furnishings for the outside of the tent. I know I'll be making cushions for our chairs, and probably a mosquito netting screen house which I can attach under the awning flaps. (Mosquitoes really love me, but the feeling isn't mutual!) And I agree that we need standards...

Oh yes, and poles of course!

But all of that is for another day, right now it is all about the couching.

Update on the Mottoe

The second section of goldwork is finished! Amazing. I thought it would never be done and then--poof--FINISHED! OK, OK, I still have to do the black outlining on that section, and two of the doorway panels, but still, FINISHED!

I might--just possibly--actually finish this pavillion in time for Pennsic. (I sure hope so, or we'll be sleeping in a day shade!)

The Funny Thing About Giving Yourself Permission...

NOT to do something, is that it sometimes has the opposite result!

After spending last night working on the design for the back roof of my pavilion, I got up this morning and promptly started to work on the second section of the motto. Go figure.

Giving myself leave to do something else seems to have put it back on the 'fun' side of the scale and I am already halfway finished with the ribbon-work part of the task. I'm not promising this rate will continue but to go from 2 1/2 letters finished to 15 finished and several others started feels great!

Maybe there will even have to be pictures soon...

More on the Mottoe

I have been overcome by the coolness of the way black outlining makes everything seem crisper, and somehow clearer, and so I have completely neglected moving forward on the second section of the mottoe while I outline each letter of the first section.

Black outlining in progress

I'm finding that it works really well for me to have the cord on a tapestry needle and the sewing thread on another hand sewing needle. I knot the cord on the back of the work, bring it to the front using the tapestry needle, stitch it down with the sewing thread/needle, bring the cord to the back of the work again and out at the next section. If there is a lot of space between sections I knot the cord on the back at the beginning and end for security but it is still much tidier than when I used to start each letter with a new segment of cord. Works for me!

Here be Dragons!...

OK, now couching down the black cord on the door panels goes really fast but the gold lettering on the mottoe? Not so much.

As you may remember, I am looking at about 29 feet of lettering. At my current pace of 2' on a weekend day and about 6" on a weeknight that would be....a long long time. About 2 months of a long lllllooooonnnnnggggg time.

My hands hurt just thinking about it.

...but... Oooooh!, SHINY!!!

So I will persevere. If I am a very lucky girl I will get better (stronger, faster) with this process also. I sure do hope so.

To keep myself entertained in the meanwhile, I have been pondering my approach to the top most part of the center section of the Pavilion. I know it is going to be 3'x9' with the upper 1' covered with a band of the same glorious blue-green fabric I have been using throughout. I also know that I am going to be appliqueing on a period motif of a man capturing dragons (on the front of the pavilion) and my adapted version of a woman capturing (luring) them (on the back of the pavilion). I've been putting it off because I wanted to be sure that I have cut all the large continuous pieces I will need from the applique fabric before I start on the little bitsies that make up the dragon motifs.

Since I'm going to need a break from all that mottoe stitching, I guess the time is near at hand.

Wow. Gold ribbon? NICE......

I am so glad I looked in my stash. The ribbon is magnificent on the lettering. There is really no other word for it. It sparkles--even in the dark. It is just the right size. And strangely the weave of the ribbon even makes it look like the whole letter was embroidered in satin stitch. (But all I had to do was stitch the edges down. Woo hoo!)

I have no idea if it will hold up once it is out in the elements, but I am really glad I decided to try it out. Below, see the wonders of what cheap-o "gold" ribbon can do in the right application:



























The lettering on my Pavilion, in progress

More is More

As you have probably gathered, I come from the Guild The Lily school of stuff-making for SCA reenactment. This explains--at least in part--why I started embroidering my doorway panels on Friday. You know how it is; it snows 14 inches, you haven't decided how you are going to approach the next scheduled task (the mottoe, in my case), embroidery is *way* down the list in the 'if I have time' section of the plan but you suddenly feel like winter will *never* end and you might as well keep busy...

So anyway, I had a ball of thin black crochet cotton sitting around which I am now couching down around the outline of my applique. I've never done couched embroidery before (so I'm probably doing it all wrong) but it goes very quickly thus far (one day and I'm practically done with the first doorway panel--fire) and it makes an amazing difference!


As promised, Pictures!

In other news, I remembered that I have a large quantity of metallic gold ribbon hiding out in my fabric stash. I had absolutely zero plans for it--it was just too good a price to pass up, back in the day--so I've decided to use it to make the letters of my mottoe. I'll be stitching on two widths of the ribbon for the thick parts of my letters and one width for the thin parts. We'll see how it goes.

Wish me luck!

(BTW, if anyone wants to share a Latin translation for "more is more" I'd be very grateful!)