Tag Archive for 'lecien'

INTRO TO CROSS STITCH

Published on March 7, 2011 in japanese dress/craft, needlework, reading, the workroom and tools. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Karyn's Cross Stitch Sampler

I’ve finally finished and framed my Intro to Cross Stitch sampler! I had finished up the alphabet part of the sampler during the class, but was determined to frame it in a hoop and wanted to do a round border around it. Lucky for me, Johanna accepted my special request and designed this sweet leafy round border.

Since this border is round and the pattern is actually quite random, it took a little bit longer for me to stitch. The rectangular border that Johanna also designed for the class is a much easier border to stitch since it is repetitive. I hardly ever like to take the easy route, especially when it comes to aesthetics. To be honest, I miscounted when I was more than halfway done and had to take out quite a few stitches. The end result is totally worth it. I am so proud of how my sampler turned out. It’s now hanging on the wall at the workroom, so if you’re in the shop you can see it in person.

Cross stitch appears to be a fairly easy form of needle work. The reality is that there are always mistakes to avoid and tricks to learn that make any new craft so much better from the very start. Tricks and tips are Johanna’s specialty! I don’t know how she does it, but man! are we lucky to learn from her. (psst! have you seen her new class?!) What I didn’t realize about cross stitch was that it requires some strategic thinking to keep your work tidy on the back side. I found myself feeling like I was playing a game of Tetris, as I was pre-planning my ‘moves’ (aka stitches) with my needle. I totally enjoyed this aspect of cross stitching.

Also! I really had a chance to get a feel for the new Cosmo embroidery floss we got in. I love it!! Firstly, we have 443 colours, so the possibilities are endless. Secondly, the cotton floss is so silky and totally doesn’t tangle. The other thing I’ve recently started using are needle threaders. They make all the threading in hand quilting and needle work SO much easier. Clover makes a floss embroidery threader and it is now a permanent part of my sewing kit.

I have big cross stitch plans now that I know what I’m doing. I’m envisioning making linen napkins, coin purses and wall hangings with cute cross stitch motifs. Here are a few things on my cross stitch project list:

  • Farm Folk Stitchettes by Wee Wonderfuls
  • Some of the incredible border patterns in the DMC Library Cross Stitch booklets
  • Cute Kiwi from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery‘s Fruit of the Month Club
  • Wildflower Garden Cross Stitch book by Kazuko Aoki (anything from this book)
  • Master Collection : A-Z Cross Stitch by Kazuko Aoki (anything from this book, too!)

    • Cosmo floss colours used in this project : 226, 225, 2224, 224, 2223, 223, 2222, 436

    Karyn's Cross Stitch Sampler

    Karyn's Cross Stitch Sampler

    Cosmo Floss + Clover Floss Threader

    Karyn's Cross Stitch Sampler

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    STYLISH DRESS BOOK "O"

    Published on March 3, 2009 in stitchery, textiles and the workroom. 12 Comments Tags: , , , .

    Stylish Dress Book "O"

    Stylish Dress Book (available at the workroom)
    Tunic ‘O’ : Lecien ‘Liberty-style floral’

    I keep thinking that I should focus on projects for the home this year – quilts, curtains, pillows, roman blinds and box cushions. But then I see a lovely fabric in the shop that just calls to be made into a piece of clothing and I can’t help myself. Sewing clothing was my first love.

    This black Lecien floral fabric was hard to resist. I kept eying it and worrying that it would sell out before I had decided what to do with it. It feels and looks like a Liberty of London fabric. So luxurious.

    A quick flip through the Stylish Dress Book landed me on style “O”. It’s long enough that I keep considering wearing it as a dress with tights, but short enough that I will likely always wear it with jeans. The sleeves are bell shaped, but not too much. There is elastic sewn around the bodice in a casing and for some reason I really enjoyed sewing in this part. It adds some nice shape and gathering to the standard loose tunic silhouette.

    Since many of these patterns from Japanese craft books are so simple, they are usually rather quick to complete. It satisfies my clothing craving quite quickly. I popped over to Pomadour’s Craft Cafe earlier and noticed that there is now a Stylish Dress Book 2! I will try to be good and not order it just yet.

    I finally took a day off this weekend! The glory of two days off was so delightful, it felt like a mini vacation. I will try to do this more often.

    Stylish Dress Book "O"

    Stylish Dress Book "O"

    Stylish Dress Book "O"

    Memoire a Paris

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    THE BLOCK

    Published on June 27, 2008 in patchwork, stitchery and textiles. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

    Trimmed Quilt Block, originally uploaded by the workroom.

    My quilt top is now completely pieced together. I can hardly believe it. Since this is my first quilt, I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to make it absolutely perfect. This personal pressure definitely accounts for the fact that it took me 5+ years to collect all the ‘right’ fabrics for it.

    You’ve already met Lorelei (the centre piece blue floral), now you can meet all the other fabrics. The fabrics that started it all and set the tone for the colour palette are the first three from right to left. These fabrics were designed by my dear friend Angela for a bedding line that didn’t end up going into production. I snatched up all the sheet samples after the market show was over. The fabrics are yarn dyed, meaning that the yarns were dyed beforehand and then woven together. That stripe is not printed, it’s woven. Even the two solids have multiple coloured threads woven in which really adds another dimension. Besides being designed by a close friend, this fabric doesn’t exist anywhere else, except for in this quilt. How cool is that?

    The dark brown fabric was a purchase from the legendary Purl Soho. It’s hard to see, but there is a very subtle cross stitch print with the alphabet going through it.

    The last fabric is from the My Folklore collection by Lecien. I found this fabric in the very first order I received for the shop. It was last summer when the boxes of fabric arrived at my house. (I hadn’t even secured a space yet) I couldn’t resist opening up the packages and checking out the fabrics I had chosen. It was even better than Christmas. When I saw that brown floral on blue, I ran to my room and got out my bag of collected quilt fabrics. Yes! This was the final fabric I had been waiting for.

    Stay tuned for a look at all the blocks together.

    p.s. I had key lime pie for breakfast today. I thought somebody should know that.

    Quilt Block detail

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