Silver Cloud for a Grey Day

Just a mini update on the cloud progression. Further chain stitch has been added in varying shades of grey and thickness's of silk thread. I've also given in and started to add crystals and beads, and I've also begun to add a highlight of silver purl thread around the edge of the cloud to give it a neater finish. It won't be long to go till I add the wording to the off-white silk background. Seems rather apt to be working on it today given how gawd awful the weather has been again.

Magazine Review: Love Patchwork and Quilting

As you know I am a little obsessed by my sideline hobby of quilting, its my go to thing to do when I don't really want to do any embroidery. Still keeps my hand in stitching just in a slightly different way. Some point I might combine the two and bring it into more Mason Bee things, I have done a little bit in the past but for now I am happy keeping it as a way to make things for me. 

I've been looking a lot lately at books and magazines on the subject for sometime to build up a bit of a mini reference library. Now I know I have mentioned several times over that I am not much of a magazine buyer, being rather fussy about it too. I have ones that I buy from time to time, and others that I have stopped buying all together as it was turning into an expensive coffee table habit; quickly read and discarded. 

So I was rather happy and surprised by how much I enjoyed Love Patchwork and Quilting mag. It's a rarity to find a publication that I want to read cover to cover and have a really strong desire to make the projects. Not just think about doing them but actually working out when I can do them.

As you can see from the two editions I have, lots of sticky tabs for me to refer back to, for little projects I am tempted to do, fabrics and bits and pieces for reference.

One project I have my list to do, and have already sourced the fabrics (one of which is going to be this delightful Koi print), and worked out the quantities for is this Hexagon Table Set by Elizabeth Bett. Been after some nice table mats for sometime, especially now that I have chairs for my dining table...it's taken a while.

I am having to keep myself on a bit of a tight leash so I don't end up buying loads more fabric before I've got even one project complete. 

But it is rather tempting and this magazine doesn't help...

Silk Thread and Puffy Clouds Progress

The Silver Lining Project (which makes it sound like some sort of Government top secret...) is progressing long rather nicely. The week before last I managed to get the initial stages done, which largely meant prep work and stuffing the cloud. Like you do.

The cloud is made up of two thin layers of pale grey linen, which has then been applied to a layer of silk dupion. This in turn has been machined to a layer of calico (to give it some grip and support when in a ring frame - also handy when it comes to mounting the work). The cloud before I finished stab stitching it to the silk has been stuffed with polyester stuffing. Not too much so it looks akin to the Michelin man but just enough to give it some depth. Also didn't want to make it too stuffed as it be tricky when it comes to doing all the embroidery detailing around the cloud. 

After that point I had to put it to one side till I had picked up the threads I wanted to add into the mix and to work on the project for Crafty Magazine, I need to confirm when this is out, I think its the March issue. This weekend, however, I managed to get back to it, and I must say I am really pleased with how it's coming along. I had a few initial blips, where I was trying out thread on the actual piece and really disliked it, so there has been quite a bit of unpicking. It took a cup of tea and a break from it work out how I wanted to really start it. Which turned out to be couching a main-ish outline in silver smooth passing. Which gave me something a bit more solid to work against. 

After the outline I just pretty much cracked on with running stitch, couching, metal work, stab stitching and lots and lots of chain stitch, the latter being the main stitch for this project. I am using numerous tones of grey, some with pink or blue hues, different thickness's and types of silk thread. This really is a cornucopia of all things grey and silver.

I haven't even got to the beading part! Which I am saving till last so not to get threads caught on them.

It wasn't the only project I got back to working on, I even spent sometime last night whilst watching Wayne's World, still makes me laugh, to work on the small quilting project. I hope to get back to working on that a bit at a time in the evenings so that doesn't become an unfinished project (got way to many of those floating about). 

Oh, and I've also given some thought to my previous tutorials the honeycomb pieces, it's been a long time since I did one, and I have to be honest I am not sure I want to do another one. Is that bad? Planning the next one felt like a bit of a battle and not terribly enjoyable. The design has been filed since I moved house. 

I certainly want to do more little tutorials for you guys and I don't want to completely abandon the idea of the honeycomb pieces, I just have an idea for something else, something I am pretty sure will work and both you and I will enjoy doing. I have a rough sketch of how it will look and even some of the stitches I want to put on it, I now just need to work out how to go about it. But I think you'll like it. I wont put a time-scale on this one, other than it will be soon. 

Now time to get back to the cloud!