Hand Embroidered Applique

I think I've mentioned before how much I love Michelle Carragher's work in embroidery.  She uses not only thread, but beads, rings, crystals and other embellishments to make the most incredible designs. So I thought I'd give it a try myself.

I started with a quick sketch of an eagle in flight. After all, animals are easy, right? Wrong.  Categorically wrong.

Then I fastened a piece of black organza over the top of the sketch to an empty cardboard box. I simply used straight pins and pushed them through the cardboard to hold the two layers together.  Use lots of pins, because organza likes to slide around when you're tracing.

After that, I used a Fons & Porter chalk quilting pencil to trace the sketch onto the organza.

A really good pencil sharpener can put a nice point on a chalk pencil if you're careful not to break the chalk.  Good thing I have a nice collection of sharpeners.

Once you have your pattern traced, you can put the organza into an embroidery hoop and get started.  On this fabric, it helped if I put a black fabric on my lap so I could see the traced lines easier.

Here's the start of the wings.

Wings, tail, and head finished.  For the inside of the wings, I used one strand each of two different colored embroidery threads. Don't ask me which colors.  These are vintage embroidery flosses that I've had for a lifetime.

Chest and feet complete the thread design.

Some seed beads added to the wings, chest, and tail.  Seed beads make up the claws and the eye.  Ideal? No, but it's what I had on hand.  A trip to the bead store is a half hour and if I remember correctly, I was doing this at about 2am.

Then I coated the entire back side of the design with Alene's Jewel-It using a paintbrush.  I don't know if you can even get this stuff anymore, but it is my favorite fabric glue.  Stays soft and flexible, which is perfect for something like this.  And then I cut away the organza.  Very, very carefully.

And that's the finished applique.  Ready to be stitched to your garment of choice.  I haven't decided what to do with this one yet.

Silk Ribbon Embroidery

I've always loved silk ribbon embroidery, and that's another craft I've been working on this winter.  Silk ribbons have gotten harder to find in the last couple of years, but I'm grateful to a couple of Etsy sellers who are still carrying them.

In any event, I really want to work on techniques for embroidering things other than flowers, but until then....

...here's a few embroidered flowers

Costuming in Style

I confess it.  My name is Trinity and I love costuming.  If I could get away with it, I'd wear "costumes" as my everyday clothes. 

Now I don't mean Halloween dressed up like zombie with green goo and scaring all the neighborhood children.  I mean classy costumes, like some of the Steampunk patterns currently offered by Simplicity.  I especially like Simplicity 2172 with the pleated skirt.  And of course, who doesn't love the dresses worn by Eowen and Arwen from Lord of the Rings?  Granted, these patterns take a bajillion yards of fabric, and I am well-known for hating clothes that I have to fight with the walk up and down the stairs, I still love the style of these types of outfits. 

But they're not practical.  And I am nothing if not practical.  I'd like to indulge in my love of the fantastic (and elaborate!) while at the same time satisfying my need for the practical. 

A few months ago I came across the website for Michelle Carragher, the costumer who does the outfits for the Game of Thrones HBO series.  That is some amazing work, and I'm seriously considering trying to find a way to incorporate elements of Daenerys Targaryen's Dragonscale Dress into something I could conceivably wear on the street.  Obviously something that elaborate wouldn't do for grocery shopping, but I do have a social life, you know.  Really.   

I like long jackets and sweaters and tunic-type things that I can wear with relatively close-fitting pants, often tucked into knee-high boots or with medium heeled pumps.  This is positively gorgeous and has a simplicity of lines that appeals to my need for free motion without having to do battle with my clothing.  Seeing this dress (?) made me realize that embroidery and smocking and other similar details is the ticket I've been looking for.

Remember this jacket?

Now, the design of this jacket is indeed awesome.  But it was the fabric I fell in love with.  This is two layers of fabric, silk over cotton.  The cream-colored silk shell has been slashed, the edges turned under and hand stitched to the pale olive cotton underneath.  Beautiful.  I fully intend to recreate this technique.

Michelle also does embroidery which is well beyond anything I could even hope to accomplish, but I must say I find myself taking stock of my thread, silk ribbons, and beads.

Well, all these details are going to take oodles of time to learn, practice, perfect and execute.  Guess I'd better get started.

Actually, I already have.  My entry for the PR contest involves a smocking technique similar to the Dragonscale dress for the waist shaping.  Similar, but I assure you much simpler with a much more prosaic result.  I've got the fronts finished and today I start on the back.  I'm holding off showing any pics until I'm sure that what I've done actually works.
 

Silk Ribbon Embroidered Flowers

You know, I'd probably get more done if I could stick to just one hobby :o)

But I can't.  And I never will.  At least my fabric dyeing phase is over (for the most part).  You would not believe the messes I made while dyeing fabric.  Badly.  My husband is a very patient man.

This is a black stretch poplin shirt I made for one of my boys many years ago.  When he outgrew it, I took it back since I like the fabric so much.  It makes an excellent canvas for practice silk ribbon embroidery and I have this notion that I'd like to cover the entire thing in embroideries of all different kinds.  It's good practice, and I think it will look pretty neat.  Especially if I don't try too hard.

I do adore the embroidery machines and I'd like to get one some day.  But for me, it would have to be the type where I can download my own artwork to the machine and then have it stitch it out for me.  And those types of machines are prohibitively expensive (at least for me) right now.  Perhaps in a few years I can justify spending that much money on my hobby :o)

In the meantime, I do so love hand embroidery and always have.  I started with the simple stuff when I was in elementary school and I never really quit, just took long leaves of absence from time to time.  I'm in love with the silk ribbon stuff, partly because you'll never get some machine to embroider like that, and also because I have an abiding respect for all handcrafts -- there are so many arts that I don't want to see disappear or get forgotten.

Remember when everybody and her sister could sew?  And knit? And make lace? And embroider?  And quilt?  Not so any more.  I'm just doing my part to keep those handcrafts alive.  And besides, it's fun.  And and excuse to go fabric shopping.  And yarn shopping.  And silk ribbon shopping.  I see a pattern forming here...