materialistic

Spreading the love : Embroidered heart tutorial

2012-02-12T11:24:00.000Z

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. I'll be honest. My cynical side can't help but think it's evolved into a clever marketing ploy that creates unrealistic expectations of love and romance. But I'm happy to give a nod to the essence of the day and a hand-crafted token of love isn't exactly buying into the corporate swindle, so I've put together a hand-embroidered card tutorial to give the day its dues. And the heart design is in no way limited to card, or even Valentine's Day. It's got legs - in ad industry speak - and can be used in myriad ways to spread a little love.

Supplies:

6" square, plain white card
Embroidery design, printed and cut to size
DMC six-stranded cotton embroidery floss: Red (304), pink (605), grey (168) and white (B5200)
Needles: embroidery (size 8), milliner (size 9)
Pin
Awl
Thimble
Cutting mat
Embroidery scissors
Masking tape

Instructions:

1. Print the design at 100% (no scaling) and cut to size. Place the card flat on a cutting mat and position the design over the front of the card. Tape in place with masking tape.

2. Use the pin to prick holes in the card according to the dots on the design. Use a thimble to save your finger.

3. Start each new thread with a small knot and end by threading it away on the back of the card. Stitch the outer heart in stem stitch, using four strands of red (304) DMC embroidery floss. Embroider it as a stab stitch, holding the card firmly between your thumb and forefinger and as close to the hole through which you're stitching to stop the card from bending.

4. Use an awl to make the holes of the inner heart a bit bigger before embroidering it in back stitch, using six strands of pink (605). Hold the card as before to stop it from folding and embroider as a stab stitch.

5. Use three strands of grey (168) and two wraps each to make the French knots, using the pattern as a guide.

6. Stitch the remaining French knots using three strands of white (B5200).

Click on the image below to get the full-size pattern, save to your hard drive and print from there.

R 5, p, 5, p, 5, p, 5 Cl

2012-02-06T06:34:00.002Z

I had no idea there were so many different forms of lacemaking until this past weekend, when I went for a lesson in tatting. My mom has been keen to learn shuttle tatting since having her appendix out as a child and watching the nun who sat with her in the hospital making lace in this way. So I tagged along, but opted for the easier needle tatting.

We were expecting to be part of a group of tatters, but as everyone started pulling out their work we saw Carrickmacross and Romanian lacemaking, Irish crochet lace, weaving and Tunisian crochet, as well as surface embroidery and stumpwork being done. I saw and heard about techniques I'd never come across before, which made for an interesting morning.

So my first attempt at needle tatting goes a little something like this (a butterfly):

And then I got on to creating a border, although I confess this is my second attempt:

There's something of crochet about it, which interests me. But there's a lot of knotting and fiddling with long threads and concentrating on tension too, so we'll see. Whether or not needle tatting ends up being a regular in my arsenal of techniques remains to be seen, but for now I'm simply enjoying learning a new skill, and seeing and hearing of other people's adventures with needles.

Of note

2012-01-23T15:36:00.002Z

I've stumbled across some enticing online content lately. I'm always on the lookout for exceptional stitching, beautiful images and inspiring people, and these definitely fit the bill.

Elizabeth Bookey of This Tiny Existence has an eye for colour, which is evident in her thread illustrations (as I like to think of them). Crafting Shelves is what originally caught my eye and got me twigged on to this artist:

Marie Viljoen is a South African-born writer, photographer and garden designer living in New York. Although nothing to do with stitching, her blog features beautiful photographs that I find especially inspiring when it comes to colour. To see Marie's photos, go to 66 Square Feet.

Kate gives us a glimpse into her life as an organic farmer, cook, mom, wife and maker over on Foxs Lane. The way she stays true to the life her family strives to lead is inspirational, and she even manages to find time to craft:

The clean lines of Corinne's designs appeal to me hugely. And her blog, So September, is a pleasure to read too. Head over there to see her embroidery.

Stitchers and designers Carina Envoldsen-Harris and Nicole Vos van Avezathe have joined forces to produce embroidery e-zine &Stitches. Being the producer of a digital magazine myself, I had to include them in this post as I know just how much work went into their first issue, which looks great. Find out more about it on the &Stitches blog.

Note: All the images in this post are © the owners. Please click on the links to see their individual limitations on use of images.

Embroidery is not for sissies

2012-01-14T07:17:00.000Z

Sissies (noun, plural) : wimps
Common use in South Africa: "Don't be a sissy." As in, don't be afraid.

Hand embroidery is not for the faint-hearted. It requires skills similar to those found in endurance athletes.

Determination : Seeing a project through to its end takes a large dose of determination and will power, especially if it's a large project and you have a deadline.

Endurance : It always takes twice as long to get that section done as you think it's going to take. This requires a certain level of patience and endurance in the stitcher, to keep going when your inner sissy is screaming for you to stop.

A high pain threshold : Needle pricks, neck, back and shoulder ache, cramping fingers and stunted eye sight after hours of stitching are common injuries among hand embroiders. You need to be able to withstand these and push through the pain.

Mental strength : This comes into play particularly when unpicking is required. Knowing you have to backtrack when the finish line is right there in your sights is a particular kind of torture known only to those who have lived to tell the tale.

A healthy attitude towards failure : Sometimes needlework projects just don't work out as planned. Knowing when to let go graciously and accept your failure is vital, even when you know that taking this course of action will result in a UFO that taunts you with its beady little eyes and knobbly filthy fingers from deep in the bottom drawer.

But when the end is in sight and the elation starts to build, when you finally put down your needle and survey the hours of stitching before you, that feeling – the one where your heart rate increases ever so slightly, your breath comes a little shorter and a grin creeps its way across your face – is like, well, winning a marathon.

A bit after the fact…

2012-01-07T13:39:00.000Z

...but I got some stitchy bits and bobs forChristmas.

I love how other stitchers know just whatyou want and need. Especially when that other stitcher also happens to be yourmom.

So two Cath Kidston kits (in tins that look like books), a bobbin holder, a tailor's awl and a buttonhole cutter - the last two are the same make as my seam ripper. Rather a nice little haul there.

Jacobean Leaves reincarnated

2012-01-01T09:50:00.000Z

I had a great response to my first range offree designs, Jacobean Leaves. Such a great response that I decided to expandon these designs – by introducing new stitches to the existing leaves andadding completely new ones – and incorporate them into a new project.

The result is a plush 40x40cm cushion made ofsoft white cotton fabric, covered in embroidered leaves. I've maintained thecrewelwork basis of the designs, but introduced a new colourway. I've resizedthe leaves and adapted the stitches accordingly. And the placement has gonefrom panel to square.

Rather a good way to kick-start the newyear.

TheJacobean Leaves cushion pattern is available on my website. It includesinstructions on how to make up the cushion.

New year, new stitches

2012-01-01T07:30:00.000Z

Well, for me at any rate. Remember thatbook I was on about a little while ago? Gladys Windsor Fry's Embroidery & Needlework? Well it'sturned out to be even more of a gem than I originally thought.

There were stitches I hadn't learnt yet:

Cretan stitch

And variations on familiar stitches:

Zig-zag chain stitch

Closed feather stitch

Double back stitch

And these are just the ones I've had achance to try out. More await me.

Another new stitch in my arsenal is wovenspider web, from Yvette Stanton and Prue Scott's Mountmellick Embroidery. I love this one:

Incidentally, these all feature in one of the newdesigns I'm working on.

I wish you all an awesome year filled withnew ideas, new stitches and new projects. Happy 2012.

The Stitch and Thimble : 06

2011-12-13T05:51:00.003Z

Right, so here it is. The next issue of the Stitch andThimble. And it's a goodie.

There are two projects in this issue that give a nod to thefact that it's the end of the year – a gift bag for the festive season, whichyou can adapt to any size really, and a pencil case for the new year, becauseit's nice to have something to bolster the spirits when the celebrations areover and a brand new year stretches out into the distance.

Geeky things appeal to me, well to my inner geek. And I'vebeen determined to master circles, so they keep their roundness afterstitching. My science sampler fills both these needs and it's my favouriteStitch and Thimble sampler yet.

You'll find a neck cushion and some fruity pot holders inissue 06 too, both of which are really easy to make. And the pot holders featuretwo of the stitch ideas I've been working on.

It's available now on my website, so head over there if you'd like acopy.

Catching up

2011-12-04T11:39:00.001Z

I've been neglecting my blog. It's been over a month since my last post. Life simply got in the way for a while there.

Once again there have been major changes in my personal life, the biggest being our decision to settle in Johannesburg rather than Port Elizabeth. When there are two of you to consider, and two sets of dreams to try and achieve, things don't always work out as planned. But ultimately I think it's the right decision for us both, even though it took us a while (and an extended road trip) to work it out. So now the search for a home, workspace and income begins in earnest.

There has been some stitching going on between all the discussion and decision-making, though. My mom-in-law's birthday came and went:

My aunt bestowed a bag of buttons on me that she'd picked up for a song at a church fête:

And I got around to photographing the embroidered quilt my mom made out of her Bloomin' Marvellous squares:

I've been working on the next issue of the Stitch and Thimble, which also took a back seat on account of all the goings-on in my personal life but is still somewhat on track in terms of the deadline, all be it a self-imposed one. And I've made a fair bit of progress embroidering a new pattern design. My head remains full of ideas that just need time and space to germinate, and I'm hoping 2012 is the year in which everything comes together and gets done. After a rather tumultuous 2011, that'd be nice.

Festive feast

2011-11-01T09:44:00.001Z

Christmas is eight weeks away. I won'tpull out all the usuals about how the year has flown and leaving gift making alittle late, etc, etc. Instead I offer you an easy out if you're the kind wholikes to add a handmade touch to the holidays, in the form of a specialChristmas edition of the Stitch and Thimble.

There are so many traditional ideas, designs and patternsout there that I went quite contemporary. I've put together some ideas for the table and gone with a rose theme. To keep things festive, I've stuck tothe traditional red, white and green – albeit not the traditional dusky shades.

I loved stitching these designs, because I got to try out anidea that's been brewing in the back of my mind: continuous line design. Which means literally that, coming up with a design in which the stitching follows asingle line. The obstacle to the idea was keeping it interesting to stitch –one long line of stem stitch isn't that exciting to do. So although the mainelement of each design can be stitched in one go, I've broken the lines up intosections of differing stitches, whipping and beading.

The issue includes patterns to embroider and make up acutlery holder, napkin, coaster and name place for each of the family membersand friends who'll be gracing your table this Christmas. Just add fresh roses.

A little bit of history

2011-10-19T07:53:00.000+01:00

How can you not covet a book with the subtitle: 'Being a Textbook on Design and Technique'? And colour plates in lieu of glossy pages? And an unused book plate that is "a work of great beauty and considerable artistic merit" by "Mr. W. P. Barrett" who has "designed book plates for an imposing list of Kings and Queens"?

I came across just such a book, well technically it's a textbook – Embroidery & Needlework by Gladys Windsor Fry – on a recent trawl through a gem of a second-hand store called Books and Bygones. The illustrations suckered me in completely, as did the extensive list of stitches. I've already found a few that are new to me.

Naturally, I wanted to find out more about the author. But a Google search doesn't reveal much about the person, only about the book. Does anyone know anything about Gladys Windsor Fry? I'd like to know more about her life. Apparently the edition I have was printed around 1936, and the next edition was printed about a decade later. The only other info I can glean is that Gladys possibly did paintings or artists' renditions as well.

Either way, I'm feeling rather smug about my find and looking forward to trying out some new stitches.

PS. You can see some different pics from the book over on Moonsilk Stitches.

Colour contention

2011-10-10T21:00:00.003+01:00

So we'vebeen living in Port Elizabeth now for about 10 days – not in our own place yetbut working on it. In the meanwhile, we're getting into the swing of things ina smaller coastal city, which for me on the stitching front started with a tripto the Spring exhibition of the local Diaz Quilters' Guild.

All thevisitors were asked to pick their favourite quilt, make a note of the number ona slip of paper and place it in the box on their way out. The idea was that thequilt with the most number of votes would win the viewer's choice award for theexhibition.

I duly tooknote of each of the quilts that stood out for me, and made my choice. But whiledoing so, it struck me just how much colour plays a part in liking or dislikinga particular piece of work.

Take purple,for example. It's taken me a long time to come around to this colour, and stillonly certain shades appeal to me. So when I came to a mainly purple king-sizebed quilt, I automatically wanted to dismiss it. But for once I forced myselfto look beyond the colour choice and it was actually quite a nice design.

It got me tothinking how many other good designs I've missed out on simply because thecolour choices didn't appeal to me. And how many times my own designs have beenpassed over because of the colours I've chosen to embroider them in.

No oneconsciously chooses to like or dislike a colour, though. It's just one of thosethings. But I'll be looking twice in future, after this little reminder that a colourscheme may just be detracting from great design.

The Stitch and Thimble : 05

2011-09-15T14:47:00.001+01:00

Get tanked on tea with a cosy to keep the pot warm, serve up a tray of delights on a Deco-inspired cloth and corral your clutter into embroidered fabric boxes.

To find out how, pick up the new issue of the Stitch and Thimble from my website. You'll find all the instructions you need to embroider and make up the needlework projects in this, the fifth issue:

I've really come to love putting each issue of the Stitch and Thimble together. And I’m starting to see trends develop too, such as the potential of almost all the items I make up for the publication to function as rather nice gifts. And with Christmas being just around the corner… yip, it's that time of year already if you can believe it.

The best thing about the items I've been making for the Stitch and Thimble is that they can all be made in a relatively short space of time – in needlework terms – so they're ideal for gifts. And some of you have used just the pattern and then added your own embroidery design, which is great. Carol from Buffalo in New York used my cosmetic bag pattern from issue 03 of the Stitch and Thimble to make a present for her eldest daughter's birthday last month:

And I have to say I've been enjoying working out the patterns as much as the embroidery designs. Thank goodness mathematics was one of my strongest subjects at school – all this designing is definitely a good example of a real-life application for the subject.

Nose to the needle

2011-08-25T10:26:00.005+01:00

So the gallavanting is over for now and it feels good to have needle in hand again, with the result that I've made a solid start on embroidering the new design.

I've learnt a new stitch, too. Portuguese stem stitch. I rather like it.

Wandering wanderers

2011-08-07T09:17:00.004+01:00

Nomadic. That's been my life for the past two and a half months. And there's more to come. We're back in the Jo'burg/Rustenburg area after a wonderful month or so in Port Elizabeth and surrounds, and will be packing our suitcases again today – we head east (towards the Kruger Park) tomorrow to visit my sister and her husband in Hoedspruit, and then we all move on to Hazyview about an hour and a half's drive from there for my stepbrother's wedding next weekend. It's going to be a big family affair, where we all stay on for a week afterwards to catch up with everyone who lives scattered around the country/world.

On the stitching front, I've taken a few small steps along the way. I've struggled a bit to adapt to working on the move. I'm missing my studio, even if it was just a table in the spare room that I had to share with my husband. But I'm slowly learning to work flexibly, which should stand me in good stead in the future (this is me looking for the silver lining).

Nonetheless, since arriving back in South Africa I have managed to get an issue of the Stitch and Thimble out and start work on the next one, albeit just ideas at this stage. My free Flutter By range of embroidery designs is complete, although my brain has yet to let me know what it's thinking in terms of a new range. And I've met some great women on my travels – shop owners and a guild committee member – who have given me much good advice and been complimentary about my work (a boost for morale).

I'm also working on two new designs, which have been a long time coming. They're finally traced on and ready for stitching after living way too long on paper! And I'm slowly getting things in place to expand my range of products.

Oh, and my online shop front over at The Secret Arcade is now "open". Many thanks to Samantha and Denise Allan for the design and slog work to get it up and running. It's all rather nifty.

But I've spent far more time travelling, socialising, exploring and generally pottering about than I should have. Once the wedding and subsequent family gathering are over, the hard work needs to commence. For real. Hopefully the coming of spring – with its bright colours, lengthening days and warmer weather – will help keep me on the straight and narrow. And hopefully my next studio space will be a little closer to becoming a reality.

Flutter By : 6

2011-07-18T13:19:00.001+01:00

Here it is, the last of the butterflies in my Flutter By range. And a new stitch to boot. Well, for me anyway.

Hungarian braided chain is a bit of a fiddly one, but the effect is so worth the effort – particularly as I chose to use yellow, which doesn't always show up that well on white. Hungarian braided chain is thick enough, though, to give any lighter colour substance.

As always, I'd love to see what you've done with these six designs. So please get in touch with links, uploads or emails of your work.

Download the pattern for Flutter By 6 from the free patterns section on my website. And go to the useful links page for stitch books and online stitch libraries.

The Stitch and Thimble : 04

2011-06-30T07:06:00.002+01:00

This has been a truly cross-continental issue of the Stitch and Thimble – starting in the northern hemisphere and ending in the southern. It's been a good lesson in working on the go and kept me busy for the few quiet moments in the past month when we haven't been hanging out with friends and family.

There's a kid's placemat and drawstring jewellery pouch, a pincushion with vintage-inspired embroidery and covered buttons, and a Scottie in trellis work. I also learnt two new techniques putting this issue together: making twisted cord and covering buttons, both of which I recommend giving a try.

This issue also marks the end of the Stitch and Thimble's first year in existence. It's been a big success from my point of view as a designer, as I've learnt and grown so much from putting these first four issues together. It hasn't been that successful commercially, though, which it needs to be if I'm to make this a career.

So I'd like to ask a big favour: If you like it, please would you pass on the word and let your embroidery friends know about the Stitch and Thimble? It'd be so appreciated. And if you don't like it, please let me know! Feedback is vital and the whole point is to come up with designs that needlewomen around the world actually want to stitch.

That said, a huge thank you to everyone who's bought the publication in the past year. And issue 04 is now available on my website for anyone who'd like a copy.

On the road

2011-06-27T07:01:00.004+01:00

It's been a whirlwind of a month so far, catching up with family and friends in Johannesburg and Rustenburg. And we arrived in Port Elizabeth (where I was born) on Friday to visit more family on my side (I have a big one). We drove down in two days, staying over in a little town called Bethulie on the border of the Free State and Eastern Cape provinces.

Driving through the picturesque landscape around Bethulie reminded me how influential your surroundings can be on how inspired you feel. The endless rolling grasslands and mountains made me want to take out my sketchbook and get to work – a feeling I haven't really felt since we arrived in South Africa. It was almost like I had room to exhale again. But this is something I already know about myself, and part of the reason why we're travelling around the country.

Not only are we catching up with everyone, we're also scouting for a place to settle. It's one of those situations where we don't really know where, but will know it when we see it. We'd love to live somewhere with big open spaces, a place where we wake up feeling inspired on a daily basis. Somewhere we can indulge our desire for a creative, more outdoors way of life in which time is measured by the sun and the seasons rather than office hours.

In the meantime, though, I've been snatching hours here and there to work on the fourth issue of the Stitch and Thimble. I'm getting there…

Flutter By : 5

2011-06-02T08:02:00.005+01:00

So we arrived back in South Africa just in time for the coldest cold spell, before winter had officially even begun. And houses here are built for the long summers, not winter – you won't find much in the way of double glazing or heating. Suffice to say it took a fair bit of effort to warm my fingers up enough to hold a needle.

Fortunately I'd prepared the fifth butterfly in the series before we left the UK, so all I had to do was stitch it up. And it was like an oasis in the mayhem of moving countries to sit in the late morning winter sun for a few hours with my thoughts and a needle.

But now I've encountered technical problems with my website... So I've posted the pattern for you here in jpeg format, as my internet access is sporadic at the moment and I don't want to keep you waiting (click on the pattern to get the full-size version). Hopefully I'll be able load it on to kellyfletcher.co.uk shortly.

On a jet plane

2011-05-23T07:34:00.005+01:00

In Flight luggage tag, the Stitch and Thimble : 02

Today's the day. Suitcases packed, passports at the ready.

We leave this evening - just ahead of the next ash cloud! - and will be back under the African sun again tomorrow.

Farewell Britain. Hello South Africa.

Back to the future

2011-05-15T07:50:00.003+01:00

Big news. We’re moving back to South Africa. Next week.

We’ve had an interesting three or so years in England but are now heading home, mainly to be closer to family and friends again, but also to give me a chance to have a go at this embroidery lark full time.

I haven’t been happy working in an office for a while now. And it feels like the right time to take a leap of faith and pursue my passion. I’ve been testing the waters for about 18 months, as those of you who have bought patterns and issues of the Stitch and Thimble through my website will know (a heartfelt thank you to all of you). I’ve learnt so much in this time about everything from designing embroidered pieces to drawing up patterns to setting up a website to putting together a publication on my own to blogging… some areas still need polishing, but now I'll have the time to work on them.

Right now though, I’m just really excited to apply everything I’ve learnt in a more structured way. By this I mean spend more time on and make better use of my design ideas, and extend my product range and offerings. The nerves do surface from time to time – what if I’m not good enough, will I be able to make a living out of this, will I be able to run a business successfully?

But mainly I’m just excited. Striking out on my own has always been my plan, all I needed was some direction. I feel I have that now and hopefully it all works out. I’ll keep you posted.

PS I may be AWOL for a week or three while we move. Please don’t be alarmed or send out search parties, I’ll be back.

Bookish

2011-05-08T11:11:00.005+01:00

I splurged a little on books not so long ago.

Cheap Chic by Emily Chalmers and Ali Hanan:

I’ve owned Flea Market Style by the same authors for a few years now and never tire of browsing its pages. And I can see Cheap Chic is going to be the same.

Creative Walls by Geraldine James:

Each photograph in this book is jam-packed with interesting details. And I’m always on the look-out for ideas on how to display embroidery, so hopefully this’ll come in handy.

The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin:

I’m about halfway through this gem of a book, and am going to have to read it again and again to allow all the golden nuggets to sink in.

Made in France: Blackwork by Sonia Lucano:

Technically, I bought this for my mom. But I haven’t given it to her yet and I keep finding myself flipping through it. I’ve never done blackwork, but Sonia tempts me with her contemporary designs.

Flutter By : 4

2011-05-02T09:02:00.004+01:00

I try. I really do. I had all the colours picked out for this range of free designs and put them in a separate “project box” and everything so that I’d stick to the selected range. But not even halfway through I was already dipping into the “other” floss boxes for alternatives.

And I confess I gave up completely with this one and just picked a bunch of new colours that caught my eye. I love them, though, and this butterfly goes just fine with the first three so why not. C'est la vie. Such is the creative life.

Download the pattern for Flutter By 4 from the free patterns section on my website. And go to the useful links page for stitch books and online stitch libraries.

Spring cleaning

2011-04-22T10:39:00.002+01:00

Updating my blog has been on the cards for a while now, the task just kept getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list for one reason or another. But two long weekends in succession don’t allow for much wriggle room.

So here it is. The new look blog. Which isn’t all that different from the old look blog, it just feels fresher. I'll probably still tweak it here and there, as one is wont to do. But I'm happy with the direction in which it's going. And the best part of not procrastinating this time around is that there’s a whole long weekend ahead sans that nagging little voice trilling in my head.

WIP

2011-04-17T07:49:00.005+01:00

There's a fair bit that needs doing around here today and no sunshine to tempt me outside. Yet, I live in hope.

I have to blog (tick).

I have to finish drawing up (half tick) and then trace on the next Flutter By design, ready for stitching.

And I'm working on a new project that's going really slowly (quarter tick):

So I'd better get on. Have a great Sunday.

Looking back

2011-04-03T10:33:00.003+01:00

For me, designing is all about the next big idea, the excitement of working on new patterns, the process of creating. My mind's usually on the next project before I've even finished the one I'm working on, and finished items are quickly relegated to a drawer or cupboard to make space for new ones.

So I decided to take a little trip down memory lane and haul out everything I've made in the past two or three years, just to see what and how much embroidery and sewing I've done during this time. I often berate myself for not putting enough time aside for stitching, but looking at it en masse – and bearing in mind that these are almost all original designs that have then been worked up into patterns or issues of the Stitch and Thimble – it didn't feel that insubstantial. And it's kind of nice to see all your work together like that, to take a moment to reflect on the outcome of all those hours spent sketching, stitching and sewing.

Flutter By : 3

2011-03-27T12:10:00.003+01:00

This range of embroidery designs is looking more and more apt amid the sunshine, spring flowers and green leaf shoots.

I've gone with real spring colours on this one – light lemony yellow and new shoot green with a splash of budding bloom cerise.

Blanket stitch worked out perfectly for the edges of the wings, providing a nice strong frame for the lighter colours inside. And some Ghiordes knots add a slight 3D effect.

Download the pattern for Flutter By 3 from the free patterns section on my website. And go to the useful links page for stitch books and online stitch libraries.

The Stitch and Thimble : 03

2011-03-24T07:26:00.008Z

The third issue of the Stitch and Thimble is done, finished and complete. And it’s available to purchase on my website.

For my new followers (welcome and thank you for signing up) who might not know anything about the Stitch and Thimble, it’s a digital publication of original Kelly Fletcher embroidery designs that I’ll be bringing out four times a year. You’ll find five original projects and a set of templates in each issue: two main projects, a new vintage project, a sampler and a quick stitch project. The complete instructions and patterns for the embroidery and for making up each item are included.

For this issue, I embroidered a tortoise bib, which was more fun to stitch than anything I’ve done in a while. And it’d make a great baby shower gift.

Then I did some lacy, feathery stitches on a white pillowcase in crisp but calming colours that remind me of the ocean. I’ve always wanted to embroider a set of bed linen, so this was a good way to test the idea. I interspersed the stitching with white lace and have to admit I’m rather pleased with the end result. It looks great with all-white linen, although I’d love to do a version with myriad colours combining a variety of patterned fabrics… one day.

I’ve had the 60s-inspired floral sketch I used on the retro cosmetic bag in my sketchbook for ages, waiting for its moment to shine. This little bloom was a perfect fit for this issue’s new vintage project and it felt rather good to bring those casually drawn lines to life. I lined the bag with a piece of quilter’s cotton fabric in similar colours that has a 60s feel about it.

Easter is just around the corner, so a rabbit sampler and Easter egg templates are timely designs. This one uses filler stitches (and it’d also work well as an alternative design for the bib). There’s nothing you can’t do with an egg shape, the ideas are endless. But of all the ideas I toyed with, I like the four that made it into issue 03 best.

I’ve made a fair few quilted fabric coasters for our home and as gifts – and they go down well every time. I kept the embroidery design simple enough for it to qualify as a quick stitch project, and also in case you wanted to make more than one without spending days on the embroidery.

Hopefully this whets your appetite enough to make you want a copy of your very own. If so, head over to my website – I’m pretty sure you won’t be disappointed.

Blog nod

2011-03-20T08:45:00.009Z

I don't have much to say today, so thought I'd share some of the blogs I've been browsing recently:

Contemporary Embroidery
Creative, contemporary and inspiring freestyle embroidery by Karen Ruane.

Dottie Angel
Tif's delightfully unique writing style and oodles of imagination make for great escapism.

Super Cute Tilly
Nic uses her distinctive illustrations to create gorgeous handmade products.

UK Handmade
An inspiring website that used to be a blog, showcasing all that's going on in the craft world on this side of the pond.

UK Lass in US
Dawn's down-to-earth blog features lots of tutorials. And I love her UK to US word translations.

White Threads
Sumptuous mountmellick embroidery by designer and author Yvette Stanton.

All images © the blog owners.

Curiouser and curiouser...

2011-03-13T08:25:00.019Z

I asked recently if anyone could help me out with a discrepancy regarding cloud stitch in Crewel Embroidery, edited by F. Anderson:

Julie left a comment saying she knows this as cloud stitch. Celia said Jan Beaney calls this wave stitch in her book, Stitches: New Approaches. And Suz looked it up in Mary Webb's book, Embroidery Stitches (2006), where it's referred to as open wave stitch.

So I went searching again, and these are the results I've come up with:
Sharon B’s cloud filling stitch:

Sharon B's wave stitch:

Country Bumpkin’s wave filling stitch in A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2:

My mom's friend Fiona scanned in cloud filling stitch from one of her older books for me, although I have no idea of the title or author:

Needlecrafter.com has four stitches:

Cloud filling, also known as Mexican stitch:

Wave stitch filling, also known as straight-line stitch and a variation of arrowhead stitch:

Open wave stitch, which is related to cloud stitch and closed wave stitch:

And closed wave stitch, also known as looped shading stitch:

Henryart.org says “don’t confuse wave stitch filling with wave filling stitch".

Wave stitch:

Wave stitch filling:

Wave filling stitch:

So the plot thickens. I’d really like to get to the bottom of this, because I’m keen to use my original cloud stitch in a design sometime. Actually, I’d like to use both of these stitches. But I can’t really unless I know for sure which stitch to put in the instructions.

As far as I can work out, there are two stitches here – wave stitch and cloud stitch. Wave stitch is Henry Art's wave stitch, which is used to create wave stitch filling. Then cloud stitch is the same as wave filling stitch, which includes open and closed wave stitch. And cloud filling stitch is simply a variation.

Anyone agree? Disagree? Have another stitch to throw in the works?

Flutter By : 2

2011-02-27T10:08:00.001Z

I combined palestrina and back stitch in one of my Jacobean Leaves designs, and liked the effect so much that I've used it again here. But I learnt a trick or two this time round.

Stitch the palestrina first, keeping inside the outline of the wing. Then do back stitch along the line. I did it as a stab stitch – each back stitch in two moves, up then down, rather than one – which made it easier to get a neat and evenly spaced line of back stitch alongside the row of palestrina. And use a lighter shade of the same colour for the back stitch to get the same effect using a different colour.

Download the pattern for Flutter By 2 from the free patterns section on my website. And go to the useful links page for stitch books and online stitch libraries.

Living in the moment

2011-02-20T15:23:00.006Z

One of the things I love most about skills such as embroidery is that they’re more often than not passed down from generation to generation, and usually within a family. It ensures the survival of that knowledge simply by instilling a love of the craft in each successive generation, becoming a common thread that weaves its way through family history.

Trends may come and go – the current trend for homemade and hand-crafted will pass just as surely as it came around again earlier this century – but it’s good to know that those with a lifelong passion for their craft will continue the tradition and likely pass on their skills and knowledge, thus keeping it alive and well.

In the case of embroidery, I can only imagine how many women (and men) through the ages have derived much pleasure from the act of stitching. But as sentimental as I am about having learnt to wield a needle and thread from my mother, who learnt from hers, who learnt from hers… I have to admit that I’m glad to be a stitcher in this particular day and age. I feel as though I'm living in a transitory period between old times and new, which makes for an exciting crossroads in the evolution of the craft.

The notion of being conveniently alive at this particular time in the history of needlework struck me when I came across an old book on crewelwork in a charity shop a little while ago. By old I mean published in 1974. It appealed to me because although the projects were dated, the stitches and techniques were not, and they immediately threw some new (old) ideas at me.

Later on, when I had my new purchase safely ensconced at home with a cup of tea, I came across the instructions for cloud stitch. I’d never heard of it, neither had my mom. And although it was included in the stitch instruction pages, it didn't seem to have been used in any of the projects. So there was no photo reference for this stitch.

This is where living in modern times came in handy – log on, Google, 0.10 seconds… Cloud stitch, also known as Mexican stitch, is a filler stitch done by working an area of evenly stitched straight stitches and then weaving a contrasting (or not) thread through the straight stitches to this effect:

A quick browse of a few other references to cloud stitch yielded the same instructions as Sharon B's. But this isn't the same stitch that's demonstrated in my book:

Fortunately, search engines aren't all there is to the web. And so I'm using it to put this question out there: What stitch is this? Can anyone tell me? Is it the same stitch, just a lesser-known variation?

The very fact that I can put a question like this out into the ether and (hopefully) get a reply from anywhere in the world got me to thinking about the advent of the internet and how it's benefited crafters. If I'd been living in Elizabethan or Victorian times, would I have known someone who knew all the stitches? Only if I was upper class and had time to indulge in embroidery, for sure. And even then, I'm sure some stitches were more fashionable than others, or simply less obscure.

It's quite remarkable the way the web has linked us together, allowing us to share our passion and knowledge – for embroidery and textiles in my case. It made me stop and think for a moment, how it really is a phenomenal resource that shouldn’t be taken for granted. I know how I feel when things go wrong and I can't get online… And I wonder if the latest resurgence of craft would have happened to such a large degree if we hadn’t had the net?

Then again, it's all too easy to get caught up in the modernity of the craft. The speed at which I can surf myriad websites is seductive and the latest books are full-colour, glossy and design-driven. But technology without content is all flash and eye candy, and embroideries and resources from the past can be great teachers. My experience with cloud stitch – or whatever stitch it turns out to be – has taught me to keep an eye out for the little gems from the past that simply require you to look past the dated applications. Because old stitches can learn new tricks.

Flutter By : 1

2011-01-30T16:57:00.005Z

And so a new series of free designs gets under way – six butterflies, with a hint of summer in the colourway.

I love the vibrancy of cerise mixed with orange, and whipping green chain with snow white creates a candy-striped outline to the wings. If you're going with your own colour scheme, use any two contrasting colours for the whipped chain to create the desired effect. And stem stitched clockwise gives a smoother line.

Download the pattern for Flutter By 1 from the free patterns section of my website. And go to the useful links page for stitch books and online stitch libraries.

Update: I originally wrote to stitch stem anti-clockwise, but French 75's comment made me realise my mistake. Sorry about that.

The return of the Jacobean Leaves

2011-01-22T15:34:00.002Z

Now that issue 67 of Inspirations magazine has come and gone, I’ve been able to put my Jacobean Leaves embroidery patterns back on my website.

You can find them once more in the free patterns section. Just click on the images to download the PDFs for the patterns you’re after.

Celtic Leaves

2011-01-15T08:56:00.002Z

This project took a bit of a back seat after I posted two sneak peaks of it towards the end of last year. But some time off over the festive season allowed me to finish off the embroidery and draw up the pattern.

I’m quite chuffed with the way it’s turned out. Each leaf is completely different, which made for interesting stitching. The stem took a bit of working, as I went with a variegated perlé thread and had to work it in such a way that all the darker bits ended up on the central stem to create the effect I was after. But it was well worth the effort, as it turned out even better than I’d hoped.

It’s a partner project for Celtic Stems in what could easily become a signature style. It’s a fun project to stitch and doesn’t take that long to complete. The pattern’s available now on kellyfletcher.co.uk if you’d like to give it a go.

New year, new projects

2011-01-08T09:23:00.001Z

Happy new year, everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are raring to get stitching again, because I’ve got a new pattern coming out soon that I think you're going to like. I just need a smidgen of sun so I can photograph it…

I plan to load the first in my new series of free designs – Flutter By – on to my website by the end of the month. It’s a range of six and there'll be a new one each month for the next while. And now that that's down in black and white, I'd better get stitching!

I finished off a bunch of projects at the end of last year, cleared my sewing table so to speak. I'm looking forward to getting going on some new ideas now, the first of which are for issue 03 of the Stitch and Thimble. This'll be out in March, so look out for it.

Other than that, I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous year filled with hours of stitching.

Handmade Christmas

2010-12-19T12:32:00.004Z

I love the idea of handmade gifts, but this is the first year I've actually gotten it together early enough to make some. Okay, only having two couples to consider made it a whole lot easier. But I'm not going to let that diminish my sense of achievement.

So they'll each get a tote bag made out of cotton shwe shwe fabric with a light blue lining – all of them being regulars at their local farmers' market – and a set of coasters for my brother and his fiancée in colours that'll go in their living room. And I'll be making and putting some edible goodies in the totes closer to Christmas Day.

The Stitch and Thimble : 02

2010-12-04T12:55:00.002Z

Issue 02 of the Stitch and Thimble – my digital hand embroidery publication – is finished and available for sale on my website. And there are some nice ideas in there for last-minute gifts, should you find yourself needing to stitch up a stocking-filler or two.

You'll find cupcake baking mitts, a vintage inspired notebook, a padded glasses case in shades of black, white and grey and a swallow luggage tag, plus a snowflake sampler and four sun templates in the latest issue. And if you're taking a break from the needle over the festive season, hopefully the projects in issue 02 will give you something to look forward to stitching in the new year.

And the winners are…

2010-11-28T15:12:00.001Z

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my 100th post, they buoyed up my week.

But without further ado, let’s get straight to the business at hand. The winners of the two packs of appliqué fabric plus Celtic Stems patterns are:

Chrissy, aka Crafty Cripple
Marjorie, aka Moonsilk Stitches

Please send your email and postal addresses to me on mail@kellyfletcher.co.uk or using the contact form on my website and I’ll send those off to you post haste.

Thanks everyone for taking part in my first giveaway.

Happy 100

2010-11-21T08:53:00.003Z

This particular post on Materialistic feels a little unreal – 100 blog posts! But it’s taken a while to get here, so it also feels like something of an achievement.

I uploaded my first post in April 2008. And going back to find that link has led me down memory lane. Since then, I’ve designed two free ranges of embroidery patterns – Jacobean Leaves and Bloomin’ Marvellous – mused about anything and everything stitch related, set up a website and started an online business selling hand embroidery patterns, been featured in two craft magazines and on a couple of websites, and conceptualised, produced and started selling my own publication, the Stitch and Thimble.

Not only has blogging helped me realise that my true passion is for hand embroidery and that I’d love to do it for a living somehow, it’s also pushed me to achieve far more than I would have otherwise. And I’ve come to know a vast number of incredible artisans, who are all keeping the textile skills I’m so passionate about alive and well.

It appears to be a tradition among crafty bloggers to host a giveaway when you get to this point. I’ve managed to locate all but one of the fabrics I used for my Celtic Stems embroidery – by far the most popular pattern in my shop. There’s enough to make up two appliqué packs, with a close substitute for one of the stems, which I’ll be giving away to celebrate this blogging landmark. I’ll also send you the pattern, or another one of your choice if you’re one of the lovely ladies who’ve already bought it. Simply leave a comment and I’ll draw the winners next week Sunday afternoon after, say, 3pm London time.

A huge thank you to everyone who reads my musings about fabric and thread, especially the 91 of you who’ve signed up to follow Materialistic, but also those of you who just pop over every now and then. It’s not often I find the time to reply to comments, but I do read them all and appreciate each and every one. And a special thank you to my friend Kath, who got me to start this blog in the first place.

Bloomin' Marvellous does a runner

2010-11-08T08:51:00.003Z

I finally got around to photographing the table/sideboard runner I made out of my Bloomin' Marvellous squares. Better late than never.

I pondered a variety of fabrics, but ended up going with plain black cotton and Irish linen as the muted tones allowed the blooms to take centre stage. Now all I need is the furniture to match…

What have you done with yours?

Making progress

2010-10-31T10:46:00.006Z

I've had my head down working on the new project I recently gave you a sneak peak of. It's working out nicely, apart from one section that was a case of third time lucky – unpicking is extremely laborious and frustrating.

Anyway, here's a little more to whet your appetite:

I learnt a new stitch in the process: cable plait, also known as braid stitch or figure of eight and found in mountmellick embroidery. I don't have a physical list of favourite stitches, but this one would be quite near the top if I did. It's not half as tricky as it looks to do and the end result is satisfyingly chunky but streamlined.

And my bullions are improving, which is a huge relief. As you may or may not know, bullions are my nemesis. But they don't seem to be going pear-shaped anymore. A small victory, in an ultra geeky embroidery freak kind of way.

All's well

2010-10-17T08:28:00.002+01:00

…with the world when you wake up late and rested sans alarm and the air is still and calm with the promise of sunshine. The builders next door have downed tools for the day and the chores are all done. Spotify is shuffling a Death Cab for Cutie playlist as a soundtrack to the morning, while a cup of tea sends up spirals of steam. A day of embroidery stretches ahead into the distance as my still sleep-fogged brain muses: This must be heaven.

Stashbusters

2010-10-10T12:16:00.006+01:00

Appliquéd embroidery doesn’t take much fabric, and generally requires a small print. And as I seem to be doing mainly embroidery these days, rather than a mix of textile crafts, my fabric stash isn’t diminishing. I love rifling through it, but seldom have reason to use any of the fat quarters and bigger pieces of fabric that fill the drawers.

My stash really isn’t all that big and I do have ideas for it, if not the time to execute those ideas. But it’s rather coincidental that I’ve come across two great stashbusting ideas in the past month, just as my lack of stashbusting has been on my mind.

I came across Tejo Remy’s Rag Chair at design store Droog in Amsterdam, and it immediately struck me as a useful way to use up unwanted stash fabric or recycle UFOs. I didn’t have the guts to throw myself down on it in the store, but it did look pretty comfy. And you could shape it anyway you please, really, if you took on the task of making one yourself.

Sidebar: I did try out Nina Farkache’s Come a Little Bit Closer Bench, though. It had a sign alongside saying “feel free to try me” and gliding along on marbles looked like fun, which it was.

Another great idea is to upholster furniture or adorn accessories in patchwork, a la Squint mode. They use bright and cheerful prints, but you could create any palette to customise your furniture. Two-tone patchwork or shades of a single colour would also make great statement pieces.

Fresh and fired up

2010-10-03T15:00:00.003+01:00

I recently had one of those rare moments when a bunch of projects came to an end around the same time. It's satisfying, but it also left me feeling a bit "what now?".

So out came the sketchbooks, fabric and threads… and I've just spent a blustery but blissful morning getting going on a new project. Here's a sneak peek:

The design incorporates a bit of appliqué and some new stitching ideas I've been wanting to try out. And it'll be available as a pattern in the near future.

Going Dutch

2010-09-26T13:38:00.011+01:00

Amsterdam is known for its canals, red light district and coffee shops. But what they don't tell you in the guidebooks is how full of detail the city is. Aside from the ubiquitous XXX city symbol – which appears everywhere from street poles to flags to buildings – there's graffiti, ornately carved stonework, creepers climbing the walls, personalised houseboats, flower boxes on bridges, decorated bicycles… and no billboards. It's an inspiring place with interesting sights around almost every corner, just waiting to trigger an idea:

I visited two or three craft stores, but Den Haan & Wagenmakers was the one that stood out. It's a quilt/fabric shop that reproduces Dutch chintz from the 17th and 18th centuries. The store also stocks vintage reproduction cotton quilting fabric and I recommend a visit if you find yourself in Amsterdam.

The Albert Cuyp market is another must if you're looking for fabric. There are quite a few stalls selling fabric, but the bigger stores are behind the stalls. Look out for them – they have a great selection for everything from coats to quilts and a substantial selection of notions as well.

For some more interesting shots of the city, head over to my friend Kath's blog.

Eye candy for stitchers

2010-09-12T07:28:00.004+01:00

I love the paraphernalia that comes with needlework. I think we all do. Haberdasheries, fabric stores and stash drawers are the things dreams are made of – quite often literally – and sifting, sorting, winding, folding and organising threads, fabric and notions is my kind of therapy. Neat rows of sewing supplies appeal to my innate sense of order, and old-fashioned and vintage reproduction supplies push all the right buttons.

So my breath caught and my stomach did a little flip-flop when I discovered Merchant & Mills. Their notions are drool inducing. I know the packaging is playing with my emotions on a huge level, and that the goods themselves likely look the same as those I already have. But why have ordinary looking supplies when your stitching paraphernalia can look like this? Sigh.

The Stitch and Thimble

2010-09-07T07:50:00.003+01:00

It's done. I finished it. The inaugural issue of the Stitch and Thimble is now available.

There are five hand embroidery projects in issue 01, which I hope you'll agree is a steal at just £5. And I've kept the file size to a minimum to avoid it clogging up your inbox.

I'm not going to go into too much detail here, because it's all on my website. Please pop over there to take a look and pick up a copy if it tickles your fancy.

(There are some pics of the projects inside on flickr)

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 12

2010-09-04T13:41:00.003+01:00

Finally, the 12th and last bloom. Which I can post now that I have my computer back and didn't lose any data, phew. I like the geometry of this one, and couldn’t resist another clustered centre, just with smaller beads.

This series took me way longer in the end than planned, so thank you for sticking around. Hopefully it was worth the wait.

I've made my 12 embroidered blocks into a sideboard runner, which I'll photograph and post soonest. What have you done with yours? I’d love to see your finished items, so please leave a comment that links me back to you, email me, get in touch through my website or post a pic to flickr.

I’m a bit swamped at the moment finishing off the first issue of the Stitch and Thimble, which I hope you’re going to love (fingers are extremely crossed). But I’ve briefed my brain to come up with ideas for another free series and hopefully it throws something at me soon — I’m keen to start some new projects.

Get the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 12 on my website, along with links to stitch libraries and books.

When life gives you lemons…

2010-08-22T07:51:00.002+01:00

My laptop died this week, and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

I was putting the finishing touches on the first issue of the Stitch and Thimble, and had planned to upload the last Bloomin’ Marvellous pattern this weekend. But my machine won’t even switch on and my data may have been obliterated – I hope not, but am expecting the worst as it isn’t looking good.

So I’m being forced to take a break from all things digital for a while. And although I’m gutted and the thought of possibly having to redo all that work is making me feel slightly ill, I’m trying really hard to see the positive side of this dreaded machine meltdown.

For starters, I've suddenly had a whole weekend free. I’d planned to knuckle down and spend it on the computer, finishing off said projects. But I've done some embroidery instead and might get out one of my quilting UFOs and make use of my other favourite machine, the Bernina. It's overcast today, which also makes me want to crochet – and there’s another long overdue project in that department that needs attention. And at least I can still blog from my husband's computer...

My gain, though, is also a loss. I have no idea if I'll still be able to launch the Stitch and Thimble next month, which I’ve been looking forward to doing for weeks. All I can say is I’ll keep you posted, and please keep your fingers crossed and thumbs held that I haven't lost the entire issue.

Bloomin' Marvellous : 11

2010-08-08T08:11:00.003+01:00

And so the penultimate bloom – photographed in overcast and rainy weather, so apologies for the not so great photo.

I've used woven filling stitch for the base, which is really easy but really effective. In looking for an online reference to link to, I came across Janet McCaffrey's blog, Stitch School. It's another great online library with step-by-step colour photos of a whole bunch of stitches.

Go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries, and to download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 11.

Tick tock tick tock

2010-08-01T07:11:00.006+01:00

It’s been a busy time lately. I’ve redesigned my website to reflect the fact that I seem to be heading down the embroidery road these days.

And the new issue of Inspirations has just come out, featuring four placemats that I embroidered and made up for the magazine.

Recognise the Jacobean Leaves?

Among other things on my site, you’ll see I came up with a much better solution to the paper size issue – one which had been staring me in the face for ages... So no more choosing between paper sizes, my patterns have all been resized to fit on any size paper (including the free ones).

I’ve drawn the line at 12 Bloomin’ Marvellous designs and the last two will be available shortly. I hope to start a new free series soon, perhaps once I’ve finished the first issue of my latest venture, the Stitch and Thimble.

So that’s what’s been happening in my world. And with that, it’s back to work.

Bless my cotton

2010-07-25T07:03:00.005+01:00

I’ve been reading a rather interesting book called Confessions of an Eco Sinner: Travels to Find Where My Stuff Comes From by Fred Pearce, published in 2008. He’s a British journalist who's traced all the products he uses – food, clothes, electronic goods, wood, gold, metals and so on – back to their roots to find out where they come from and under what conditions they're sourced, mined, manufactured and farmed. He focuses a fair bit on the people in the supply chain and it's a real eye opener.

I’ll never remember all the facts (there are loads of them on every page), but it’s quite scary how many of the things we consume on a daily basis have suspect origins – illegal logging in rainforests, ridiculously low wages and long work hours, intimidation and illegal land grabs, sweatshops, government corruption, entire ecosystems wiped out... and mainly in poorer, developing countries.

But there are positive flipsides, such as the relative liberation of rural Bangladeshi women through sweatshops, believe it or not. It’s not all doom and gloom, particularly for those who benefit from supplying the west. The richest and most successful businesswoman in the world used to work in a Chinese sweatshop before she started importing waste paper to recycle into product packaging. But the overall impression I’m getting from the book is that the Third World is providing or making most of the products the western world consumes, simply because it’s cheaper that way – although more often than not it seems to be to the detriment of the developing countries in the long run.

Pearce takes into account not only the environmental implications of the journeys our goods travel from raw material to finished product, but the social and economic angles as well. And he made me realise that I really do need to take all three aspects into account when considering my conscience.

There’s a section about cotton, where the author tries to trace his T-shirt and socks from UK retailer M&S back to their origins. I had no idea Uzbekistan is the world’s second-largest cotton exporter after the US. Or that cotton has basically led to the country’s environmental and health downfall. In Australia, the cotton industry has cleaned up its act as much as it can in a country where water is in short supply – cotton is a thirsty crop – by improving their farming practices and cutting down on pesticides and chemical sprays. Still, it got me thinking about the cotton we use in our craft, be it 100% quilting cotton fabric or cotton embroidery threads. Where does this cotton come from and can I use it with a clear conscience? Under what conditions is it grown and processed into the products I use?

I looked at various brands’ websites, but naturally they focus on the final product rather than the origin of the raw material or manufacturing process. I considered emailing or calling up some of the companies to ask, but I doubt I’d even get a response. If a seasoned journalist like Fred Pearce couldn’t get to the bottom of his cotton socks...

Does anybody know where our needlework suppliers get their cotton from? Should we be concerned? Is there an “ethical cotton” standard manufacturers can obtain that entitles them to mark their products with a symbol or logo, giving consumers the choice to use ethically sourced products? Or would this simply give suppliers an excuse to double their prices without actually helping the people before them in the supply chain? I haven’t seen anything like this out there, but maybe there is?

Anybody have anything to add to this train of thought?

Bloomin' Marvellous : 10

2010-07-20T08:24:00.001+01:00

A nice, open flower head.

Keep the Chinese knots small and tightly packed for a dense, full centre.

Go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries.

Download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 10 here.

Is that a Made in China death knell I hear?

2010-07-11T13:03:00.000+01:00

Two things are happening in China at the moment that will hopefully have a positive knock-on effect for designer-makers around the world – the government has unpegged the yuan from the US dollar, which will allow it to gradually appreciate in value, and Chinese workers are demanding higher wages and better working conditions. These two things combined will inevitably push up the price of goods mass-manufactured in China, contributing to the decline of the Made in China era.

Besides the obvious human rights benefit to China’s factory workers, these two factors should wear down the massive price difference between producing in China and producing goods in developed countries, bringing about greater price equality between east and west. And when the cheapest of the cheap option is no longer available, it'll force us to re-evaluate our purchasing power. We'll probably have to cut down on the amount of stuff we buy, but maybe it'll encourage us to buy the best quality we can afford to extend the lifespan of the things we do buy. And original, quality products made in small runs trump goods mass-produced at a factory any day.

There’s a strong possibility I’m dreaming – China will not loosen its grip on cheap manufacturing without a fight. But everything starts somewhere, and I’m hoping recent developments in China will kick-start a new wave of consumerism – one in which we buy less, but are willing to spend a bit more on better quality items, ie handmade goods.

Bloomin' Marvellous : 9

2010-07-04T08:04:00.004+01:00

This one's a little vuvuzela-like, in honour of the Fifa football World Cup being held in my home country. I think South Africa's done a fantastic job hosting one of the biggest tournaments in the world. Viva Africa!

Stitch the curly bit of the stem anti-clockwise for a smooth, rounded line of stem stitch.

Go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries.

Download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 9 here.

Limited editions

2010-06-27T08:34:00.004+01:00

All that pondering about the quilts on show at the V&A's Quilts 1700-2010 exhibition and I forgot to show the two generous fat quarters I brought home from the museum. The V&A teamed up with Liberty to produce 18 limited editions based on prints in the various quilts on show. These were my two favourites:

Petals: From a coverlet of early 19th century printed cottons. Possibly made in Wales in 1830-40. (Although this one is called Leaves on the selvedge?)

Coral Leaves: Taken from a coverlet of block-printed cottons from the 1780s and 1790s. Made in Britain and dated 1797.

And mom couldn't resist this print:

Lattice: From a coverlet of printed cotton and linen with appliqué and embroidery. Made in England in 1802-1830.

Still deciding what to make out of them…

Bloomin' Marvellous : 8

2010-06-20T08:58:00.002+01:00

I've always wanted to embroider a leaf of the Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba), so couldn’t resist adding one to the series…

Go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries.

Download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 8 here.

History isn't repeating itself

2010-06-12T08:44:00.006+01:00

I went to see Quilts: 1700-2010, the exhibition of British quilts currently on at the V&A in London, with my mom during her recent visit to the UK. And I'd recommend it to anyone with a passion for needlework.

It was fantastic seeing quilts from a historical perspective, rather than a modern quilting perspective, in a museum setting. And the array of old British quilts was awe-inspiring. I can't say the same for the modern art quilts interspersed among the old. It's not that they weren't well made or conceptualised — Punctuation was a thought-provoking piece of modern textile art that clearly took Sara Impey hours and hours to create. It's a detailed, extremely neat and poignant work. But Punctuation was the exception. The other pieces from the 21st century simply did not draw the crowds.

I think what struck us most was that the old quilts were involved, detailed and time-consuming, yet they were made for purely practical reasons. And they were made by women who, for the most part, are long forgotten. They were not artists, these quiltmakers. They were homemakers. And they used whatever fabric they had available to them at the time — old robes, sheeting, factory offcuts, ribbons, silk handkerchiefs... You can see where one fabric ran out and another was introduced in some of the exhibits. These women's quilts were not intended to provoke thought or convey social commentary, they were to keep families warm during cold British winters.

'Sundial' coverlet, England, 1797

Because they were made for practical purposes, the old quilts are mostly double bed size or bigger. And small blocks and big quilts make for hours and hours of hand stitching, just to piece the top. Add to this the tendency to incorporate hand embroidery into the blocks and one can only imagine how much time was spent stitching these quilts, probably by candlelight or later an oil or gas lamp.

There was also a trend in days past to make commemorative quilts for special occasions, where quiltmakers surrounded a detailed central panel with uniformly sized shapes that made up the rest of the quilt. But these quilts generally commemorated patriotic or royal events, such as King George III reviewing volunteer troops in Hyde Park, rather than family events. The only downside of the exhibition was the inability to scrutinise all these central panels. Many of the quilts were exhibited on "beds", putting the panels at an awkward angle for viewing. Tilting these beds towards the viewer slightly would have made it possible to better see the detailed work in the centres.

George III coverlet, Britain, 1803-05

The approach of women past to creating quilts is far removed from quiltmaking today. In a reflection of our times, quilting appears to have succumbed to the larger societal notion of instant gratification. We think nothing of simply going out and buying swathes of pre-matched fabric designed for quilting, whipping up a quilt top in a weekend and then palming it off on the nearest machine quilter to finish off. Scraping the fabric barrel, hours and hours of hand stitching and all that effort for events outside of the family are history, literally.

Another interesting bit of history that came to light was that men, particularly military and naval men, who are considered most manly nowadays, were equally likely to pick up fabric and thread. In fact, they were encouraged to do so while on tours of duty abroad or recuperating from war injuries to prevent them from succumbing to gambling, women and alcohol. One such quilt was hand-pieced entirely from hexagons that couldn't have been more than an inch in diameter, and it's big enough to hide a queen-size bed under. It's only in the past few years that I've heard of perceived manly men picking up the needle again.

The one thing these quiltmakers did have on their sides, though, was time. Before feminism, social equality and the industrial revolution, women — particularly more affluent women — had hours of downtime every day in which to stitch. I like to think only those that enjoyed needlework took it up, although I'm sure there were many who didn't and were expected to quilt and embroider anyway. I'd never wish to live in an age when women were deemed inferior, but I do sometimes envy the amount of time they had to spend stitching. I realise that modern woman's free time is directly proportional to the quality and volume of the work she is able to produce.

As with all historical artefacts, seeing how quilts and quiltmaking have evolved over the past 310 years made us view our own stitching efforts and their worth and purpose in a new light. I've been toying with the concept of time, skill and value from a needlework perspective for a while now, and this exhibition really brought home the fact that dedicating time and effort to one's craft — making time to perfect skills and create masterpieces — is worth it's weight in goldwork threads. And if people were already bypassing the 21st century textile works now, there won't be much to show at the V&A's Quilts: 2000-2310 exhibition if more of us don't start stitching with a little more integrity.

Bloomin' Marvellous : 7

2010-05-15T15:08:00.002+01:00

It's a great feeling when things just go your way. That's how it happened with this one. The colours chose themselves and the stitches offset each other with no unpicking on my part.

I cheat a little to get sharp points in stem stitch. When you get to the point, end off as you would a normal row of stem and take your thread to the back at the point. Anchor it by threading your needle under the last stitch in the row, and then come back up through the same hole you ended your "row" on and carry on stem stitching down the other side of the petal. This way, you don't get that stray strand running across the inside of the point, or a rounded point.

To form the "overblown" centre, stitch a row of beads along the outline of the circle first and then fill in the middle, clustering the beads.

Go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries.

Download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 7 here.

Fleur reincarnated

2010-04-27T08:26:00.005+01:00

Remember these? Well, I finally got around to drawing up patterns for the embroidered versions of my Fleur designs and they’re available for sale here.

I incorporated a bit of appliqué to keep the designs true and added padded areas for interest, raising mostly the centres of the blooms. If you haven’t attempted padding with felt, you really should. It’s easy and fun to do, and adds a nifty 3D element to your work (without you having to wear the dodgy specs). I've also used a couple of beads here and there, as well as metallic thread to add some texture and shimmer.

I aim to frame mine eventually, but they’d look equally good incorporated into a quilt top – perhaps combined with the bigger, appliqué-only versions. You could stitch them on to little girls’ clothing or bedding, or use them to brighten up a plain tote bag. Anything, really. And they’re a good way to use up any small scraps of favourite fabric left over from bigger projects.

Larking about

2010-04-17T07:57:00.003+01:00

Discussion around our dinner table not so long ago turned to body clocks and states of daily wakefulness, with one diner saying that the time of day at which you were born is the time of day at which you’ll feel most awake.

An entertaining theory, but I’m not convinced – even though I was born around 9.30am and tend to be most alert around this time, perhaps a little earlier. Early morning is when ideas for new embroidery designs or sewing techniques pop most freely into my mind, and then my creativity levels start to flag around lunchtime. It’s not unusual for me to wake up with an idea or image of a finished item already in my head, make a cup of tea and head straight for the “studio” to get it down on paper. And then I’m in the needlework groove for the next few hours and everything else gets put on hold, all the annoying daily routine stuff. This is on the weekends, at any rate. A day job tends to put a damper on these sorts of things.

Wakefulness is more a product of your DNA and melatonin levels. My husband is a night owl in the extreme, which has led to minor investigation into the double helix and sleep patterns. And his birth time and “most alert time” aren’t even close.

During the latest of my sojourns into attempting to understand molecular biology – which entail rather more googling and random web surfing than any kind of scientific research – I came across an entertaining excerpt from a book called The Body Clock Guide to Better Health by Michael Smolensky and Lynne Lamberg. The authors split people into larks, hummingbirds and owls, depending on their state of wakefulness during certain hours of the day. Basically, larks are morning people, owls are night people and hummingbirds are inbetweeners.

Based on this theory, I’d say I’m a hummingbird leaning quite heavily towards larkishness. And clearly my other half is an owl, through and through. This works rather well for us on a practical level as we share a creative space – I get it in the mornings and he uses it at night.

So what I’m wondering is whether the majority of stitchers are larks, hummingbirds or night owls. Do you wake up craving the feel of a needle between your fingers or do you stitch into the wee hours? Or are you one of the lucky stitchers who can pick up a needle any time of day or night and get the same amount of pleasure out of needlework, no matter what the hour? Lark, hummingbird, owl – which are you?

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 6

2010-04-10T13:19:00.005+01:00

Flowers are great, but they often need a little greenery for us to fully appreciate their form and colour, and allow for maximum impact. This is also true of embroidered blooms, so here are some leaves to provide the neutral backdrop that'll allow your blooms to "pop".

I've stuck to just two shades of green so as not to detract from the blooms, but used textured stitches to create interest. And of course you can use any stitches you like – using chain for all the leaves, for instance, would create a similar effect.

If you're unsure how to do any of the stitches I've used, go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries.

Download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 6 here.

Amoebic Leaves

2010-03-17T09:19:00.005Z

Part of the joy I get out of embroidery is learning new stitches and mastering not so new ones. And when I came up Amoebic Leaves, I knew immediately that it was an opportunity to use a number of stitches in one design.

It's a sampler of sorts, using familiar stitches as well as a few that are hopefully new to some. And it contains my favourite of the moment, heavy chain.

It's not always easy working on black, because of light issues, but colours really pop against dark backgrounds and this design lends itself to a huge array of colourways. And of course it can be embroidered on to any colour fabric.

It could be split up into four individual amoebic leaves and used to create a set of tableware, or stitched as a whole, off-centre and slightly above the hem of a skirt for an individual touch.

The possibilities for this design are endless. And if you're a beginner stitcher, simply switch the stitches for simpler ones until you feel ready to take on the more intermediate level stitches contained in the pattern.

My Amoebic Leaves embroidery pattern is available for sale here.

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 5

2010-03-07T10:03:00.003Z

It's been a little while, but here's Bloomin' Marvellous 5.

I used heavy chain for the outer petals, which is a stitch I'm quickly coming to love. Not only because of its streamlined look, but also because of how pleasurable it is to stitch – it flows almost as smoothly as palestrina.

If you're unsure how to do any of the stitches I've used, go to the useful links page on my website for stitching books and online stitch libraries.

Download the pattern for Bloomin' Marvellous 5 here.

Show and tell II

2010-02-20T13:21:00.003Z

A little while back, I mulled creating a flickr group where those of you who've stitched my designs can post photos of your work and see how others have interpreted them.

I got some positive feedback, so have gone ahead and set it up. All you need to be able to post to the Kelly Fletcher Designs group is a free yahoo account. And then you can browse all the other inspiring needlework that’s on flickr too...

UFO lurking

2010-02-14T10:13:00.003Z

Funny things, UFOs. Those sad, unfinished mishmashes of fabric and thread that lurk in the back of the drawer. There are so many good reasons why they remain unfinished, and yet it’s so hard to throw them away. They’re like the runt of the litter, the underdog, the sibling that fades into the background.

And being someone who instinctively roots for the underdog, the quiet one, the one with less going for him or her is probably one of the reasons I can’t bring myself to throw these half-finished projects away. I brought them with me all the way from Africa, for heaven’s sakes. It was the perfect time to say good-bye and yet I bundled them in with the rest of the “to do” projects being shipped to the UK, even though they screamed UFO.

So why do I still have them? And why will they more than likely follow me to the next place we decide to settle? Well, I guess:

1) The aforementioned affliction of always rooting for the underdog.
2) They remind me of certain times and places in my life.
3) They’re a reminder of what not to do.
4) The idea may be good, just not the execution.
5) They’re a good indicator of how personal taste changes and develops.
6) Just like Sixties fashion, their appeal is bound to surface again at some stage.
7) The eco-friendly option would be to upcycle them into something fantastic.
8) And I know that the minute I throw them out, I’ll find a use for them.

And that’s my attempt at justification. So looking at what I’ve just typed, I could:

1) Make an exception.
2) Take photographs.
3) See 2 above, and make notes in my book of all things stitchery.
4) See 3 above.
5) See 2 above.
6) No. No it won’t.
7) The best idea as far as I can see.
8) See 7 above and find a use for them.

Or perhaps I could just lay them out, have a little look and make a note to read this post again sometime…

Fishy Love...

2010-02-07T08:03:00.004Z

Grrk, grrrk, grk, grrrrrk. That’s the sound my mouse recently began making as I moved it across the desktop. Rather annoying. And it felt kind of “gritty” too. No idea why, it just started out of the blue.

I’ve never used a mousepad – mainly because I’m not really fussed, but also because the plasticky commercial ones just look horrible and they’re generally too small to use when designing anyway. But the grrk sound was starting to grate. The nearest thing to hand at the time was a piece of fabric left over from a project I finished recently (but can’t share for a while).

It worked brilliantly. So I decided to make a “proper” mouse mat for myself, one big enough to allow unlimited mouse manoeuvring when designing. And while I was at it, why not incorporate a little embroidery, based on a sketch I doodled a while back?

I rather like it. And it works really well. So well that I’ve made the pattern for my Fishy Love mouse mat available in my online shop. Obviously you can make it whatever size you please. And it’d make a great gift, too.

Seeing the light

2010-01-27T07:09:00.003Z

I should have bought a daylight lamp two years ago, when we first moved to the UK. But little did I know then how much the lack of sunlight would affect my ability to stitch, particularly when it comes to finer work like hand embroidery.

Well, those dark days are now firmly in the past. My Daylight Twin Fluorescent with two – yes two – 15W daylight tubes has become the most coveted of my possessions. Its super-adjustable arm (it’d win a game of Twister hands down) and table clamp rather than space-hogging base are great design features. Put simply, it just works.

I’m not a night owl by any stretch of the imagination. But when I got the urge to “just quickly embroider that bit there” well after 9pm one night, it was a revelation to be able to flick a switch and do so – without having to unpick my floss squiggle the next day.

And I didn’t have to stop sewing on my machine or risk bloodshot eyes when what daylight we had faded at the end of a rather dismal Saturday recently. A quick flick and my entire work surface was flooded in natural light. I only stopped when the nagging kink in my back – the one only those who use a sewing machine can relate to – rendered sewing unpleasant.

I’m not punting any particular brand here, just the concept of a daylight lamp or bulb. If you live far from the equator and are subjected to dark and gloomy winters, you need one of these. It’ll alienate you from your loved ones and deprive you of sleep – I guarantee it.

Show and tell

2010-01-20T09:08:00.002Z

A lot of you have downloaded my free Jacobean Leaves and Bloomin' Marvellous patterns, and I can't help but wonder what you've been doing with them. Would you be willing to share your interpretation of the designs? Actually, why limit it to the free patterns – would you be willing to share your version of any of my designs?

I use flickr, so I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to create a group to which you could post your work based on my designs. Or is that a tad egotistical? Let me know if you have a better idea and if there are enough of you willing to post photos to such a group (I wouldn't want it to be a sad little group that fades into obscurity due to a lack of interest).

A keen interest in creativity with a needle and thread, and good old-fashioned curiosity are my reasons for wanting to see how you've used the designs. So let me know if and how you're keen to share your work, and I'll get something set up if that's the way things go.

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 4

2010-01-09T12:44:00.004Z

A new bloom for a new year…

Download the pattern here.

The end of a decade

2009-12-28T09:00:00.001Z

The last year of the first decade of the 21st century is drawing to a close, and what a decade it’s been. I’ve gone from twenties to thirties, single to married, South Africa to England… How about you?

I’ve also moved from the stitching sidelines right into the thick of things over the past 10 years. And there’s no going back once the needlebug’s bitten. One can only keep moving forward.

So in keeping with the spirit of this onwards and upwards journey through the world of needlework, I’ve given my free designs a bit of a facelift. It came to my attention recently that the Jacobean Leaves series was proving tricky to print (thanks, Pat). So I’ve reformatted them as PDF downloads and loaded them on to my website, along with the Bloomin’ Marvellous designs I’ve posted so far. This makes them a whole lot easier to save and/or print, and keeps the size of the design true. Browse by range under the “free patterns” section.

Another oversight that was brought to my attention is the rather obvious fact that the US uses letter size paper rather than A4. The patterns I have for sale in my online shop at the moment print at letter size without any problems, but I’ll be offering both sizes from now on – starting with the free designs. Simply click on the size you need to download the pattern.

The lesson learnt? Feedback is really important to me. So if you have any problems at all with my designs, including the free ones, I’d really like to know so I can fix them as soon as possible. Please leave a comment or email me – mail(at)kellyfletcher.co.uk.

That said, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and are gearing up for a brilliant new year. It’s going to be good…

The purely practical purpose of patchwork

2009-12-06T11:07:00.001Z

You know how old things can sometimes be new to you? Like when you discover a band that’s been around for ages and there’s an entire back catalogue of albums to gorge on. Or come across a book that was published ages ago and you can’t believe you haven’t read it yet, because it’s by an author that you know well.

A Painted House by John Grisham (2001) is one of my new old books. It’s different to any of his other novels that I’ve read. It follows a seven-year-old boy through the cotton picking season in rural Arkansas towards the end of 1952. And I’m guessing his mother would have been considered somewhat of a liberal back then, for spending days cleaning the hayloft above the barn and filling it with pillows and quilts to make it comfortable for the Mexican migrant labourers who would live there for the duration of the picking season.

This particular scene reminded me of how integral quilts were to the American way of life in those days. The women who made them were not precious about their quilts. They were functional, everyday items made from whatever was available for the sole purpose of providing warmth and comfort. I’m sure some were more elaborately pieced or stitched than others – the creative spirit lives in us all in varying degrees – but ultimately they had a purely practical purpose.

And when you think of how warm and cozy and at home it feels to be wrapped in a quilt, suddenly it doesn’t make much sense to hang them on walls or keep them ‘safely’ packed away. They’re meant to be snuggled under and picnicked on and used to build cocoons against the world. When last did you immerse yourself in a quilt, just to feel its goodness? I highly recommend it.

Christmas fear

2009-11-29T09:49:00.004Z

Christmas has snuck up on me once again. I had grand visions of a house full of decorations this time round, but alas this has not come to pass. I confess that I haven't even gotten around to getting a dowel on which to hang our advent calendar.

I have this grand notion of handmade Christmas tree ornaments, temari with metallic threads, embroidered bunting and quilted stockings. I've sketched ideas and bought fabric, set aside threads in red and green, all but sat and down made the decorations.

As I began berating myself once again for being a Christmas slacker, I had a thought. Wouldn't it be better to make one or two more time-consuming and detailed decorations each year that will always remind me of that particular Christmas? Perhaps even stitch the year somewhere.

This is a great idea on so many levels. I let myself off the hook for this year (and every subsequent year). I can take my time and actually enjoy stitching the one or two a year that I choose to make. And I'll eventually have a substantial amount of quality decorations. Works for me.

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 3

2009-11-15T15:04:00.005Z

Here goes. Number three. It's a little less is more, but I like the way it makes the yellow stand out:

Download the pattern here.

www.kellyfletcher.co.uk

2009-11-14T15:14:00.015Z

I’ve been a little scarce of late. And now I can tell everyone why. I’ve been setting up my website and online pattern store.

Yes, you can now buy my designs online. So if you like what you see and it makes your fingers itch to be stitching, feel free to make a purchase.

Patterns available include some old favourites:

… and some new designs:

You’ll find a mix of embroidery, appliqué, beading and quilting. And I’m already brimming with new design ideas that I’ve had to restrain myself from pursuing while getting kellyfletcher.co.uk up and running.

So watch this space...

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 2

2009-10-21T08:24:00.004+01:00

This one’s good fun if you’re into learning new stitches. It’s a bit of a sampler. I learnt up and down blanket stitch while working on this bloom – and fell a bit in love with it...

Download the pattern here.

Tagged...

2009-10-18T09:33:00.004+01:00

Lesley of Tintock Tap tagged me with a Kreativ Blogger award a while ago… well, better late than never. Thanks, Lesley. And sorry to keep you waiting.

In keeping with the spirit of the tagged award, I have to share seven things about myself and then tag seven other bloggers. I’m on a bit of an embroidery bent at the moment, so here are seven related facts about me:

1) My mom got me started on embroidery, but I’m largely self-taught.
2) I’m easily bored, so go for smaller projects with lots of different stitches – probably why I enjoy creative and Jacobean embroidery.
3) The stitch I enjoy doing most is palestrina.
4) Bullions are my nemesis. It’s an ongoing war.
5) The last stitch I learnt was up and down blanket stitch.
6) I’ve done a goldwork course, but have only ever finished the piece we had to work on in the course. And I cut corners to get it done.
7) I’m right-handed, but thread needles left-handed.

So there you have it.

And I’m tagging seven blogs that I read as often as possible:

Anything goes. The go-to blog for all things design.
Knot Garden. Stunning objects, neatly stitched, and beautifully styled photographs.
UK lass in US. Fun project ideas, plus UK English to US English translations.
¼ of an inch. Regular Sunday Stash posts for ogling fabric.
Jen Renninger. Fantastic illustrations.
The Quilted Turtle. Insider info about living on an island with no cars, with quilting thrown in.
She wears shwe shwe. Although this blog hasn’t been updated recently, it’s a poignant reminder of home and beautifully illustrates the traditional use for shwe shwe – one of my favourite fabrics.

Bloomin’ Marvellous : 1

2009-09-27T11:36:00.007+01:00

The weather’s turned, leaves are falling and winter is on its way – to the northern hemisphere at any rate. So I’ve decided to design another series of free embroidery patterns while stuck indoors for the next few months.

The theme is a bloomy one, although loosely interpreted, because the real blooms have faded and flowery designs are just fun to stitch. I’ve picked my fabric – white cotton and textured Irish linen – and a variety of muted, but light coloured six-stranded DMC threads and Mill Hill glass embroidery beads.

The design process will be quite different compared with the way I did the Jacobean Leaves, in that I’m going to post patterns as I design instead of finishing the entire project first. Two reasons for this: I don’t know what the finished article is yet, and it’ll be more spontaneous and creative this way.

It won’t be entirely random, though, as each design will fit neatly into a 4x4" square, or about 10x10cm. So the plan is to end up with a stack of embroidered squares to make up into… something. I’m going to stick to embroidering on white, because I have that piece of soft white cotton that needs embellishing, and I’ll decide where the linen comes into it once all the white blocks have been embroidered. As for how many blocks, well, that depends on how many ideas pop into my head. I’m aiming for somewhere between 12 and 24.

These are the DMC threads that I’ve chosen: 815, 816, 920, 3854, 727, 3078, 3857, 3858, 3859, 3722, 224, 407, 3860, 435, 434, 598, 931, 924, 3768, 503, 927, 3363, 3052, 3364, 522, 469, 772 and 938. But in the spontaneous spirit of this project, I may decide to add another one or two or not use some of these colours along the way. But this is the basic palette I’ll be using and I’ll put the DMC colour numbers on to each pattern in case you like the same shades.

So without further ado, here’s Bloomin’ Marvellous 1:

Download the pattern here.

What colour is your DNA?

2009-09-22T08:55:00.002+01:00

I’m in the process of coming up with a new project and find myself once again choosing threads from the same palette that I subconsciously draw from each and every time, albeit slightly different tones this time round.

My favourite red DMC embroidery thread is number 816, for example. More often than not, it’s the shade I’ll pull out of my floss box first when a design calls for red. It’s also one of MTMs regular reds. And neither of us is overly fond of pastels, or pinks and purples. Although we both like dusty shades of those colours.

It got me to thinking: Is colour preference hereditary? Do I prefer certain colours because my parents and their parents before them are (or were) genetically predisposed to those colours? Are these preferences built into my DNA? Or do I choose them simply because I’m used to seeing them and they’ve become a bit of a habit?

As one does, I turned to Google for insight. But I didn’t find out much on the subject. There are studies on colour preferences between the sexes – one found that women tend to gravitate towards the red end of the red-green spectrum more than men, and both sexes choose blue more often than yellow – but I couldn’t find anything straightforward regarding hereditary predisposition to certain hues, tints, shades and tones of the colour spectrum. And I like yellow just as much as blue, sometimes more depending on the shade.

The more I stitch, the more defined my palette becomes. I add to it constantly, but more often than not with shades and tones of the same basic colours to which I’m instinctively drawn. I’m presuming this is (or was) the same for MTM, my gran, her mom and so on up my maternal family tree of stitchers. So if we do inherit our colour preferences, I guess mine are pretty much set in stone – or should I say, my DNA.

Going out with a bang, stitched up or in a puff of smoke

2009-09-13T14:40:00.005+01:00

I spent an afternoon at the British Museum recently, primarily to see the display of Chinese ceramics. But it’s the Ghanaian coffins that have stuck with me.

Local carpenters can shape and paint your coffin to resemble absolutely anything – there’s even a camera coffin in the museum’s collection. A search online unearthed everything from Mercs (the favoured car in Africa) to fish to cellphones to aeroplanes to pineapples. One man’s love of smoking made him choose a cigarette coffin, a sort of fly in the face of adversity deathbed gesture. But my favourite has to be this one:

I’ve entertained the notion of foregoing a coffin and being cremated in my favourite quilt, but haven’t been able to get my head around wasting a good quilt like that. Perhaps I could get a friendly Ghanaian carpenter to carve me a wooden version instead…

Eye candy

2009-08-30T09:47:00.009+01:00

I caught a TV rerun of Nanny McPhee the other night and just had to watch it again to see the children’s bedroom or, more specifically, their bedding.

The story is enchanting and the cast and sets inspired, so no chore there. But that bedding makes me want to open an orphanage.

There’s a log cabin quilt, a tumbling blocks quilt, a star quilt of sorts, an afghan square crochet blanket, tartan blankets, lace-edged pillow slips, whitework and cutwork pillow cases… even the curtains are patchwork.

Stitchers inevitably notice quilts, crochet blankets and the like when watching movies. But the measles scene in Nanny McPhee is sensory overload – in the most delightful way.

Green, the new pink

2009-08-16T14:55:00.006+01:00

Two-thirds of the way through an embroidery project and suddenly I’ve gone off it – no surprise there, it’s not the first time this has happened to me. And I know from experience that if I switch to another needlecraft for a bit, I’ll soon be hankering after embroidery again.

There’s plenty on the to do list. There always is. But you know when you just don’t feel like doing anything on that list, because it seems too much like work and not enough like play? Exactly.

What I really felt like doing was a bit of quick and easy crochet. Specifically, some of the flowers and leaves out of 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet, which I got more than two months ago and still hadn’t gotten around to using. But a few stray balls of handknit cotton and 4-ply in greens, cream, white, brown and black didn’t exactly conjure up images of bright summer blooms.

The urge to crochet overrode my colour consternation and, well, seize the day and all that – why should a little thing like a lack of suitable supplies get in the way of crocheting pleasure? And so I give you a chocolate box lazy daisy, anaemic clover, forest green hellebore and a green, black and white old-fashioned pink.

Show and tell

2009-08-11T08:43:00.004+01:00

I came across this bag made and embroidered by MTM while going through my photos this past weekend – and I couldn’t resist sharing it.

I love the detail contained in the blocks, and that each one is so different. It makes for rich and heady functional artwork.

Good things come to those who wait

2009-08-02T11:15:00.001+01:00

The thing with blogging is that it’s instant. You write, take a photograph, download it from your digital camera, upload it along with your entry, hit post and you’re done. Your thoughts and images of your work are out there in the world almost instantaneously.

But when you’ve made a birthday gift for someone, you have to wait until they’ve received it before posting so that you don’t ruin the surprise. This was the case with my sister’s coasters:

I made them more than two months ago, ready to wing their way to South Africa with my mom-in-law on her return home at the end of June. And I had to wait patiently until my sister’s birthday last Thursday for the beans to be spilled. She loves them, thankfully. Although I kind of knew she would.

My point is that of instant gratification and how ultimately unsatisfying it is. I find that the pleasure I get out of making or doing something is directly proportional to the amount of time taken to make it or waited to do it. Having to wait weeks to see if someone loves your handmade gift as much as you hope they will or taking over a year to finish a hand-embroidered project makes me feel happy and satisfied for days, if not weeks.

I’ve stumbled on a way to apply this to the world of blogging. It wasn’t my intention when I started posting the patterns for my Jacobean Leaves designs, but that’s how it ended up. It took a few months to get the patterns drawn up and posted, but what a nice feeling when the last one was out there and I realised people had been waiting patiently and collecting them. Most satisfying.

Refraining from posting unless you have something worth sharing is another way to do it. There are so many good blogs out there, that I’m sure people would rather read one well thought out, written or relevant post every now and then than be inundated with minutia on a daily basis. The same goes for pictures. I’ve accepted my limitations as far as photography is concerned, but will continue to try and take the best photos I can – bloggers like Jane Brocket have proved that good images work.

My theory works in reverse, too. I’d rather wait a while to read a really good post. Browsing hours are scarce, so this way I don’t miss any either. Works for me.

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 8 of 8

2009-07-26T09:40:00.006+01:00

Here it is, the final pattern in my series of Jacobean Leaves. This is one of my favourites. I love the alternating blanket stitch as a central vein and using fishbone stitch gave the bottom edges of the leaves great definition.

Download the pattern here.

As I’ve said before, I’d love to see how you use them. So please send me a link to your finished work.

And thanks to everyone who has linked to these patterns in the past few months, it’s much appreciated.

NOTE: Please remember that I hold the copyright and that these patterns can’t be used for financial gain.

A bird in hand…

2009-07-22T07:33:00.001+01:00

The bird as a design icon seems to be fading into the trends of Christmas past. There’s been a glut of fabric with birds on it, templates to create 3D birds and embroidered bird patterns on the market.

But while design trends come and go, twitchers will be around for ever. Which is why this was a perfect “gift for no reason” for one of my favourite bird watchers: MTM.

Made from a spool pattern out of shwe-shwe and 30s print fabric.

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 7 of 8

2009-07-12T11:25:00.007+01:00

There’s something about three rows of chain stitch in graded colour. It just works. And I think it worked particularly well here.

Download the pattern here.

NOTE: Please remember that I hold the copyright and that these patterns can’t be used for financial gain.

Frugal fatigue

2009-07-04T11:09:00.006+01:00

My sister recently used the phrase “frugal fatigue”, the latest linguistic spin-off of the economic meltdown. People are, understandably, tired of scrimping and budgeting and worrying about money and well, not spending. And it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a name for it.

I recently spent some time (and money) at Creative Quilting in Hampton Court. And I have to admit that running my fingers through drawers of possibility after about 18 months of fabric hibernation was immensely pleasurable. I was after six fat quarters and determined to stick to my quota when I stepped through the shop doorway. I walked out with my six fat quarters. Plus four Japanese prints for which I have no specific purpose in mind. And two more pieces for my mom – gifts don’t count.

Seeing the latest additions to my fabric stash hanging up to dry made me realise how good it feels to have new supplies. It also gave me some first-hand insight into frugal fatigue. I think everyone should just spend like mad during July to avoid the feeling and, if that doesn’t kick-start the economy, at least we’ll all have lots of new fabric to see us through.

Can't blog, reading

2009-06-14T16:25:00.002+01:00

New books. Nothing better.

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 6 of 8

2009-06-07T08:41:00.009+01:00

I cheated a little on this leaf. The thing about designing embroideries is that sometimes the picture in your head doesn’t quite work in practice. I loved the idea of a jagged edge, but stitching the “jags” proved tricky. So I may have used a few straight stitches in amongst the stem and outline stitching on either side of this leaf… Oh, and I used stem on the left and outline on the right to create the mirror effect.

Download the pattern here.

NOTE: Please remember that I hold the copyright and that these patterns can’t be used for financial gain.

Waste knot

2009-05-31T08:33:00.012+01:00

There is so much emphasis on being green and saving the environment these days, and eliminating waste goes hand in hand with the whole saving the planet theme. This is an admirable endeavour, don’t get me wrong. Along with the global recession, it’s turned thrifty into a compliment. But whatever happened to not wasting for the sake of not wasting?

People have become so used to consuming at a lightning pace and discarding with reckless abandon that we have cultivated a society of wasters. We buy too much food and toss half of it, get rid of clothing and household items after just a few months and have spawned a throwaway generation who for the most part have no idea of the value of what they have, including time.

It is for this reason that I think the global economic nosedive is a good thing. It is forcing people to reassess the value of their belongings, appreciate their worth a little more and think twice about what goes in the bin. A recent article draws attention to the fact that Lambeth, a borough of London, is throwing away 80 tonnes less rubbish than usual every week compared with a year ago. That’s massive.

And so necessity, the mother of all inventions, will undoubtedly make her comeback. A decrease in disposable income coupled with green pressure is bound to spawn some creative ideas.

Author and designer Betz White has brought out Sewing Green, a 25-project book using “repurposed and organic materials”. I haven’t actually read it yet, but it is on request at my local library. (If I took up felting as well, I’d really never get anything done and would end up longing for way too many craft books.) I’m interested to see what her take is on green.

I’m not sure if Jodi is thrifty, just madly in love with selvedge or both, but she’s come up with some brilliant ways to use selvedge and it’s easy to see why she’s addicted to it:

Selvedge bag and cushions by Jodi from Ric Rac

Have you noticed how one day of quilting can result in a substantial amount of fabric off-cuts and machine threads? I’ve starting saving mine and have almost enough for the core of a Japanese temari:

Free pattern: Mitsubishi Stars by Barb Suess

The latest copy of Inspirations embroidery magazine features a project designed by Barb Suess of Kiku Designs, which got me on to saving my off-cuts. They’re stunning alternatives to store-bought Christmas baubles – even if I only get around to making one a year. Go here for inspiration.

Tamara from ¼ of an inch recently blogged about her latest book purchase, Thrifty Chic: Interior Style on a Shoestring by Liz Bauwens, Alexandra Campbell and Simon Brown. It’s the perfect complement to my well-thumbed copy of Flea Market Style by Emily Chalmers.

I guess what I’m getting at is that if we just thought a little more about the materials, off-cuts and abandoned projects that we usually throw away, we could probably come up with some unique and novel ways of incorporating them into new projects – and eliminate waste simply because we can.

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 5 of 8

2009-05-17T11:44:00.010+01:00

Even though the yellow didn't show up as much as the other colours against the background fabric, I love this leaf - its simplicity, its clean lines, its colours...

Download the pattern here.

NOTE: Please remember that I hold the copyright and that these patterns can’t be used for financial gain.

The little things…

2009-05-09T10:28:00.005+01:00

I’m trying to live more in the moment. I’m one of those people who are always eager to get on to the next thing, plan ahead, dream big about the future and how I see us living in our ideal world. There’s nothing wrong with that, I don’t think. You can always scale down your dreams.

But suddenly you hit your thirties and start to realise that hold on, “this is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time” – to quote one of my husband’s favourite films, Fight Club. Now I realise that my elders will probably scoff at this and think that I still have so much to learn. But this is where I am in life, what I’m learning now. So bear with me.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have an extremely active mind. I drift to sleep at night with a head full of ideas, words and images, and thoughts assault me within minutes of waking up. Needless to say, my mind is full all day and, yes, I often find it difficult to focus. This is where the little things come in.

Food tastes better when you slow down and focus on the taste of what it is you’re eating. Learning a new embroidery stitch – whipped blanket, in this case – is so much more enjoyable when you make a concerted effort to focus on nothing but the flow of your needle and perfecting each stitch. Taking the time to sit outside and identify the trees you’ve been gazing at through your windows for a year – using the book you got as a gift almost a year ago – is a simple but engrossing task. It took me almost an hour to identify a Common Whitebeam, a Red Horse Chestnut (Plantierensis variety) and a rather rare Sichuan Birch. But what a pleasant way to spend an hour, particularly as I thought of nothing else but these three trees the entire time.

The thought “look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves” comes to mind. Life is the same, I guess. If you focus on doing the little things well and enjoying the time you spend doing them, it makes sense that the bigger picture of your life will be a mass of happy achievements.

As proof I offer a little slice of my stitching life. I’m an ardent admirer of Inspirations embroidery magazine, as those who read my blog will know. The projects are not always to my taste – that’s par for the course. But the attention to detail, beautiful styling and photography, and positive attitude of the editorial team put the magazine in a class of its own. So it’s only natural that I would consider being a part of it a rather significant achievement. And based on the way I write this blog, because I’ve taken the time to write post after post, I got to write for issue #62. I was expecting a small column of text down the side of a page, but recently got my complimentary copy (complete with hand-written note – attention to detail) and saw that I’d been given a whole page, with three of my embroideries featured as well. Needless to say, I was rather chuffed.

More than anything though, I’ve proved to myself that it’s important to take the time to focus on whatever it is that I’m doing, do it properly and to the best of my ability, and squeeze every ounce of enjoyment that I can out of it. It won’t be an easy creed to live by. But hopefully one day I’ll be able to look back and say honestly that even if my life didn’t turn out quite the way I dreamed it would, it was happy and calm and fulfilling and who the hell am I going to leave all these embroideries, quilts, cushions, blankets… to in my will?

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 4 of 8

2009-05-04T10:27:00.004+01:00

Download the pattern here.

NOTE: Please remember that I hold the copyright and that these patterns can’t be used for financial gain.

Coasting

2009-04-26T08:41:00.002+01:00

You know how it is, planning to make things that you actually need but just never getting around to it.

Well, I finally got around to it and now we have small splashes of colour dotted around the house. These colourful quilted squares started out on the kitchen shelf, a logical place for them to be in our house.

Within days one has found its way on to my sewing table. Another has migrated to my husband’s bedside table. Strangely, it’s the most girly, floral one. But I choose not to read anything into that… There’s one on each boxy arm of our couches, another on the dining table and the remainder of the bunch is a homebody – it’s still on the kitchen shelf.

Who knew the simple coaster could be in such demand? Although I have to concede that using ones as cheerful and tactile as these ups their appeal enormously.

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 3 of 8

2009-04-19T11:31:00.006+01:00

I particularly like the edging of this leaf. Back stitch gives it a nice smooth edge and a row of palestrina provides texture.

It was one of those embroideries where less is definitely better. If I’d only realised this from the start, it would have saved me much unpicking. But it was a valuable lesson in embroidery design.

Download the pattern here.

The first two of eight leaves can be found here and here.

Spring gleaning

2009-04-16T07:48:00.006+01:00

It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to fling open the windows, breathe in the crisp air and hear the world again. We never realised how isolated we’d feel during the long UK winter. It’s difficult to describe the complete silence that double glazing affords to those who’ve never experienced it for themselves. The eternal silence – and the need to pile on layers of clothing before heading outside – has driven us a little moggy. Suffice to say our first British winter has made me long for spring like I’ve never longed for a season before.

But these grey, drawn out months have also made me appreciate all the more the glorious weather and al fresco lifestyle we grew up with in South Africa. The silver lining of this wintry cloud, then, is an increased awareness of just how weather can influence your mood, your perspective, your life.

The onset of sporadic, but dazzling, sunshine and gusts of wind that clear the city air (and cobwebs from my head) has had me hauling out half-made and long forgotten projects that are suddenly infused with possibility. An abandoned bit of crochet, still dangling forlornly from the hook, became the starting point for a cushion. The rich red triggered a mental leap to the piece of 1930s reproduction fabric that MTM gave me not long ago. But its white background needed lifting. The experimental crocheted flower shapes lurking among the skeins in my wool box took care of that, and blue buttons destined for a shirt that never was found new purpose nestled in their centres.

Alongside the flowery shapes in my wool box, I rediscovered three rolled up strips of white crocheting – an extremely mini version of an Erika Knight project. They just needed to be joined and attached to a cushion front. Instant gratification doesn’t come easier.

Two days, two new pieces of eye candy. And time enough over to wander around a park or two and soak in the sunshine. Sounds like the start of spring to me.

On the pages of a magazine

2009-04-10T15:58:00.010+01:00

It’s been a while coming, but MTM and I are finally making our magazine debut in the May issue of British Patchwork & Quilting. Exciting stuff. It'll be on the shelves on Friday, 17 April.

MTM used my Fleur designs to make up a range of applique cushions, one of which is featured in British P&Q. There are six designs altogether:

(back, left to right) Fleur Audrey, Fleur Mabel, Fleur Ann and Fleur Judith
(front, left to right) Fleur Edna and Fleur Euphemia

They’re all the same size, so would also work well as an appliqué quilt – using one, two or all six of the designs. We’ve used a traditional appliqué technique, but you could easily revert to machine appliqué.

UPDATE: These patterns are now available exclusively through my website: www.kellyfletcher.co.uk.

The five Fleur patterns that are not provided in British P&Q can be bought directly from me for £3 each or £12 for all five. They’re A4 colour PDF e-patterns, incorporating templates and instructions, that are easy to print at home. If you’re interested, please send me an email — kellyfletcherdesigns@googlemail.com — and let me know which patterns you want. I'll send you a paypal invoice and, once payment has been confirmed, email the patterns to you.

Fleur Audrey (the pattern featured in British P&Q) is also available as an e-pattern, which I’ll happily send to you for free when you buy one or more of the others. If it’s only this pattern that you’re after, though, you’ll have to buy a copy of the May issue. Unless, of course, you live in a faraway country that doesn’t stock the publication, then I’m sure the editors of British P&Q won’t mind me sending it to you.

Either way, we’d love to see what you do with our Fleur patterns. So please send a photo when you’re done – we’re looking forward to hearing from you.

Jacobean leaves embroidery pattern: 2 of 8

2009-04-05T18:36:00.008+01:00

And here’s the red leaf. If you missed the first one, you can find it and a little more info on the patterns here.

Download the pattern here.

My Jacobean Leaves embroidery is now framed and hanging:

I chose a simple metallic frame with dark edging as it went well with the fabric, which was from my gran’s stash. I also had my Celtic Stems embroidery framed – finally – and am rather pleased with the result: