TAST Cross Stitch week 8

Off to a flying start this week. The mauve star is a simple one.

















Top line here is Cross sitch.
Next line has two variations of Double Cross stitch Aka Smyrna. The 3rd is just my fiddling.
Next line has Cross stitch Reversed and I did a further cross in gold on the upright crosses.
Below this on the left is Two-sided Italian, which is boxed as you go. Lastly is Ermine cross stitch.













A Cross-stitch flower in yellow. For anyone who does not know this stitch, I have made an open version in three colours, to show how it's woven.
The red is laid down first, then the green and lastly the yellow, but all ends are to be placed in one end hole - the red hole..

These make nice stars too.











I tried this back to back cross in chenille and liked it so much I left it plain. The velvet look is lovely, I think.
Then I did it in the red cotton, with variations of crosses.















Cross stitch with straight stitch and detached chain.










I came across this completed work and thought I'd put it in too. I made it some years ago with DMC threads, using two strands and to get the night sky, I varied the rows with two mixed strands.















Last for the week is my fish. Made in various metallic threads. He looks much better if you click on him. Thank you for looking at my blog
:-))

Chain of Hearts Tote Bag

Yesterday I completed my first UFO for 2007. Well it's really the 2nd but that's another story.

The orange heart was made by Kathleen and has a beautiful orange silk ribbon sunflower.
Below that is a heart by Karen and unfortunately the light was not kind and the beautiful work is not showing up. Take my word for it, it is lovely.
Both these girls are from the USA.









The other side has a blue heart made by Margreet from The
Nederlands and is a classic folded,quilted one with the finest
hand made lace.

Below this is another beautiful heart made by Hideko from Japan. The red roses of Cairo are so lovely, as is the rest of the work.

The bag is a simple one with tied handle.

Later in the year I hope to use more hearts in a quilt. Can I call it a UFO if I haven't even started it yet? It was going to be started last year. LOL

TAST Fly Stitch

Last night I started to work on this week's challenge, a little after 9pm and as I wasn't tired, kept working until I finished the whole piece, at 3.05am. LOL I didn't even sleep-in this morning.


There are four pictures, the last being the whole view.













I once saw work done entirely with one only stitch. These works were in the UK mag, Stitch with the Embroiderer's Guild. Ever since then I have wanted to try, but never made time. Sharon's TAST was the perfect reason to start.



















I forgot to add some brown beads to represent the conifer cones. Some flowers are perfect for fly-stitch.
I certainly need more practise with my rocks in the garden part.



















The background material was a left-over mistake from my Insect Project and was very handy for this one.

There are only 3 stitches not Fly stitch and they are at the top of each cerise flower stem.

For closer detail, click on the picture.

TAST Feather Stitch

This week's stitch was fun to do. The first is face to face Single Feather stitch with side variations.

Wool and Edmar threads

















Again Single stitch versions, one whipped and beaded using Edmar threads.










Spanish Knotted Feather stitch. I had trouble keeping it straight as the material was soft. That's my excuse anyway. For my own satisfaction I did it properly the second time. I used wool for the first one and cotton for the other.



















Green Feather stitch and purple Closed Feather stitch-A.K.A Double Chain



















Double Feather stitch and Long-armed Feather stitch - A.K.A Slanting Cretan. This last was another I had bother with, until I realized I needed to take the tiniest 'bite' when catching downward.



















Single Feather stitch, Face to face and back to back. I found a piece of braid? and fancied couching it on the Face to face version. What do you think? Edmar Lola for these. I'm using my left over threads so some are a little 'worn'.








































Lavender in Feather and bullions
















Willow and two leaves which aren't too clear. Chain stitch trunk on the tree.
I used wool for the leaves and Edmar Frost for the tree.


















Lastly my wreath, using Edmar Frost and Maderia metallic threads

The lone survivor

In my November archives there are pics of this apple tree which had 13 apples on it. The only apples to have appeared in 20 years.
While we were away from home there had been a windstorm and only 2 apples survived. This beauty and the other wizened, but tenaciously
clinging on. I thought I'd better photograph the apple as DH has been eyeing it often and asking when it is to be removed.
It is a Granny Smith apple and my favourite. There is a great recipe also in the October archives for a Dutch Apple Cake from Ati.

TAST Algerian Eye

This is my 'doodle' work and I used wool and the knitted floss, which looks great, but doesn't show at it's best here.
I worked on the floss in poor night light, so my stitches are not laid correctly. I guess I can't watch TV, read a book and sew at the same time anymore.










I fancied doing some of the alphabet and like how it worked. If I used it I'd have to narrow the A to be the same size as the other letters. I could step the thinner leg or remove the half stitch at the top.



















I like the flattened version of the Algerian Eye and used it in both of these patterns.

TAST Chevron Stitch

More example of sitches, this time using Chevron.
If I played a bit more with the green version I think I could make a basket.










The first speaks for itself and the second has many variations for decorating the Chevron. Using only the Chevron, back to back, it looks like smocking. Double clicking on any of the pics will give better detail.














The next one I bent and felt that this had possibilities, so I made


















a garden archway by whipping the ends of the stitch. This was the easiest and quickest I've ever made an archway. I like the way the stitch bends, shrinks and stretches so well, I think you could use it as a pathway among other things.



















The rest of my samples are on a crazy patched block that I made when I first started CQ-ing.