Let’s catch up

Yes, it has been a while (aside from a couple of days ago 😉 ). It would have been easy to let blogging slide, but I don’t want that. I love writing. Equally I love all of you, my online tribe, and I miss chatting to you.

When I last wrote I had grand plans for sewing each day and blogging each week, which I managed for a couple of weeks. The last couple of months have been rather strange, with some challenges I have had to work my way through. I am content with where I am now, and hope to be a regular writer….but we will see.

What’s helped me gat back on track?

Maybe it’s getting the right medication at the right doses. It has taken a while to get the dosage right for the Fella’s heart issues. It seems to be at the right level now. I have been changing and adjusting the medication I take for my polymyalgia rheumatica. Like many autoimmune conditions, one of the debilitating effects is fatigue. There was a period where I just couldn’t be bothered. Now I am full of beans and want to be active.

Maybe it’s trying to be more mindful, more in the present. When things are challenging it is so easy to slip into a mindset that looks for dangers, to anticipate what might go wrong, to imagine about worst case scenarios.

A little of that helps me see problems that might arise and to make plans. Too much makes me hyper-vigilant. I am trying to do the things that are good for me ~ taking time to be in the present, where nothing needs to be done, just be; to breath deeply; to engage my brain and notice things; to walk; drink more water; eat more vegetables. To create. To blog and connect with friends.

Maybe it is having had Covid, which happened a few weeks ago. I was lucky, only having a mild illness. I caught it from my mother, who also came through it okay. Amazingly the Fella didn’t get it, despite also being with my mother and then not being able to isolate from each other at home. I know the pandemic is not over; I know that I can get it again and that the Fella can get it; I know that it may be worse next time. However I also know that I can cope. It’s time to emerge, sensibly.

Maybe it is the improvement in the weather. Today is a beautiful day. The sort of day where everyone you meet says “I hope you can get to enjoy some of this beautiful sunshine today.” You can feel Spring on its way.

Maybe it is that my AFL team, Collingwood, is doing remarkably well. 11 wins in a row and 2nd on the ladder. (I am a very fair-weather supporter, and only get up and about when they are doing well!)

And maybe it is all these things coming together. The challenges are not over, but I have learnt that I have all I need within me to meet them. That’s a powerful feeling.

Now on to my creative work….

I finished the map of the Maribyrnong River that I was working on last time we met.

I am still thinking of stitching maps, and last week worked on this one of the wetlands near me. The first photo is when I thought it was finished, the second when it was actually finished. It needed to have more density around the edges, more reedy, soggy vegetation.

The tangled, tufty stitch is velvet stitch, which I learnt from my stitching wheel sampler. I like the 3D effect it gives to the work. And a close up:

I am going to do a companion to this one, and maybe more ~ I do like working a series. It’s finding the time to set it up, because caring for someone is very time consuming and what time is left is easy to fritter away. At least now I can be bothered.

---

I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present. The land I show in these embroidered maps was, and always will be Aboriginal land.

Sewing #3

I wasn’t able to sew every day this week, but I have made good progress.

I am working on the left bank of the river. I could have just continued on with the running stitches, French knots and layering organza used on the other side. However, the piece needed more drama, and some contrast would help.

So I tore some shapes from the street directory, not any of the suburbs next to the Maribyrnong River, just a random page. Then I over laid the organza shapes.

That started me thinking more about the concept of the piece. I want to encourage thinking about what was here before urbanisation. Huge swaths of western Victoria was covered with grasslands and the Maribyrnong River cut through this on the eastern edge. Obviously the vegetation was also riverine, with large trees along the bank, usually river red gums.

Then came intensive urban development along areas of the river. Not all….there are large areas of parklands and sports fields and Brimbank Park further upstream from me….but not enough of wha must have been a glorious, productive place for the Wurundjeri people. Another area stopped from development is the land on which the Ordinance Factory was built in WW2. Now the developers are eying off that area.

Meanwhile, back at the embroidery. Instead of the organic lines of the right bank the left needed the straight lines of urbanisation, like streets rather than paths.

However, the thread I chose was too light and you couldn’t really see it. The yesterday I had a good session, sewing with a darker thread, which worked better.

I am careful when I sew through the thin paper of the street directory. It is so different to sewing the thick paper I used on the previous piece. Pushing the needle through that was so difficult!

This week I will add more decoration, and I think it still needs more drama. It’s nice to be back into the rhythm of regular practice, especially with the cold weather we have been having lately. Perfect for indoor activity.

---

I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present.

Sewing #1

Not a very imaginative title, not one that will make the algorithms sit up and take notice, but the best I can do at the moment.

It is #1 because I hope it to be the first of a weekly series documenting my work.

My intention is to spend time each day on my latest project. To hold me accountable I am going to document my daily progress. I was going to post every day, but realised how tedious that would be for me and for you.

So I am photographing each day, and on Sundays I will post the progress from the previous week.

I love your comments, but please, don’t feel obligated to comment on these posts. I am happy to show you what I am up to, but it is also to keep myself accountable to myself.

Now, to set the scene…..I have begun a new work that is based on the Maribyrnong River, which flows close to me. Melbourne’s main river is the Yarra; the Maribyrnong is rather a forgotten one but equally interesting and diverse. I will tell you about it some time soon.

You can see the flow of the river in this work. However, the green along the banks is my creative licence, as much of the area is built up now. I am hoping the layers of stitching show that layering of time.

Now, the eagle eyed among you will have realised that this is not a full week’s work. Yes, I fell at the first fence. I have spent the last couple of days over at my Mum’s while my brother takes some time for himself. I sewed one day, but forgot to photograph it. After I hit publish on this post, I will add some more stitches to it.

---

Last post I mentioned recycling my x-rays. The Elsternwick Library has a great e-waste recycling station, that took the x-rays. It is not far from Mum’s, so I had a tiny adventure to Elsternwick ~ a visit to the Library, a delicious coffee and picked up some yummy quiches for lunch.

---

I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present.

SAL

Last time I had finished embroidering patches on the pockets of my jacket and was eyeing off the yoke.

I have worn it a couple of times and it feels good to wear.

So, I decided to play with the yoke. The front ones seemed a bit too obvious, so I have begun the back. Another advantage of the back is that it didn’t have to be a close match of the pockets. However I wanted to keep some of the same elements.

The fabric is quite different — a mustard linen from a dress I recently made. The colours of the threads give it a different feel.

What is the same is the stitching. The outside border is coral knot stitch, then white chain stitch. The flowers are created with pistol stitch, which I think gives a funky feel.

Now I am a little stuck. It’s not finished, and needs more oomph, more wow. I tried the feathery yarn that worked so well on the front. It didn’t work on this 🤔. So I am letting it talk to me, to tell me what comes next. It doesn’t need to be rushed. I am sure there will be progress to show next SAL.

This stitch-a-long is for our own personal sewing, so all the women on the list are creating wonderful things. Follow the links to see what they are up to. I am sure you will be amazed.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

---

I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and present.

SAL

I am happy to give you a progress report in this Stitch-A-Long! And good progress too.

As you know I am doing Cathy Reavy’s Stitch Wheel Sampler. It is designed so that each cell is a different stitch.

This is where is is at the moment. Not much further to go!

Close ups of each stitch….

(I got a little muddled with my numbering on the photos. I showed you the one with the x last time. Also you can probably count better than I can. There is no #5!)

• 1. The line is Chain stitch; the flowers are lazy daisy, with some little French knots.
• 2. A couple of rows of Feather stitch
• 3. Couching
• 4. Knotted pearl stitch

• 6. I have just realised that this one is also #4, knotted pearl stitch.
• 7. Double up and down blanket stitch
• 8. Blanket stitch
• 9. Heavy chain stitch

I have also added these sweet little pink flowers to the basket in the earlier ring. They are created in oyster stitch, which is rather fiddly. Some of the other stitches create petals with less fiddle.

I’m on the home stretch. Fingers crossed that it will be finished next check in!

This SAL is for our personal embroidery. The members of this group do wonderful and interesting work. Follow the links to be inspired!
Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Cathie, Linda, Helen

---

I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and emerging.

I’m late!

……for my Stitch-A-Long post that should have been posted yesterday.

So let’s get right to it.

I have been working on a stitching sampler from Cathy Reavy. Each stitch is well described on videos. I am enjoying them, but moving slowly. Thoughts are swirling somewhere about how I will use some of the stitches in my informal work.

There are two stitches completed on the outer ring.

The stitches in this outer ring will be ones that can be used for edges and boundaries.

1. Raised Stem Band ~ this will be an interesting one to create tree trunks and branches.
2. Stem stitch and outline stitch ~ These are very similar stitches, the only difference is whether the thread lies to the top or the bottom. Cathy has put these two together, with the stem stitch creating the pod on the left and the outline stitch on the right pod.

I have finished my jumper, so I am hopeful that I will be able to power along with this sampler at night.

This SAL is for our personal embroidery. The members of this group do wonderful and interesting work. Follow the links to be inspired!

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

---

I respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land on which I live – the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People of the Kulin Nation, their spirits, ancestors, elders and community members past and emerging.

SAL

Yay! I thought I wouldn’t be able to post this today. When I went to use my laptop to write I only got a blank page. No idea on why, but I can’t edit or write. So I have moved to the app on my phone, and am letting my thumbs do the talking. (How modern, but quite frustrating.)

Last SAL I had nothing to show, so I was determined this time to have at least a couple of squares completed on the stitch wheel. I put the knitting down and picked up the needle. Here are the results:

3 squares done on the outer right edge

Normally I would link to Cathy Reav’s YouTube channel to show how to make the stitches, but I am afraid easily adding links is beyond my thumbs at the moment! So I will just name the stitches and let you do the searching.

1. Battlement coughing
2. Burden stitch
3. Woven pivots– these make wonderful flowers, and while they are fiddly, they are quite easy.

It’s been a busy, exhausting couple of weeks and I hope to fill you in some time soon. In the mean time jump over to look at the other stitchers who post updates on their personal stitching. There are glorious things to see. (And if anyone has suggestions on how to fix my inability to write posts I would love to hear from you.)

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, AJ, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

SAL

Another three weeks have flown past! Let me show you what I have been sewing on my wheel sampler.

This is where I am now:-

I am working through the stitch samples from Cathy Reavys’ videos. This ring is about stitches that can be used as filing stitches. I am delighted with how the little boxes are looking, as well as learning many different stitches.

Let me tell you what the stitches are, with the link to Cathy’s videos for each one.

1. Long and short stitch
2. Padded satin stitch
3. Spiders web stitch
4. Woven roses
5. Velvet stitch
6. Seeding
7. Satin stitch
8. Jacobean couching

I think my favourite might be the spiders web stitch. Which one is yours?

This stitch-a-long is so that we can show the personal stitching we have achieved over the three weeks. There are lots of great things happening in this group. Follow the links to find wonderful embroideries and cross stitch work.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

SAL

Here we are again, marvelling that another three weeks have flown past, and that it’s time for the next Stitch-a-long.

I am working my way through the rings of Cathy Reavy’s Stitch Wheel Sampler. The third ring is finished, and as you can see I have begun the next ring. More of that next time. If you would like to begin, or find out more, go to Cathy’s Youtube channel.

As you can tell the stitches in this third ring are ways to create leaves. Some, like the closed fly stitch, were fun to do, and I will try to add them into my toolbox of stitches. However, I do find that some create the same effect, with only slight differences. Each stitch has a link to Cathy’s Youtube channel if you are interested in using them in your own work.

1. Lazy daisy stitch

2. Closed fly stitch

3. Cretan Stitch

4. Raised Fishbone

5. Raised close herringbone

6. Open fly stitch

7. Wheatear stitch

8. Vandyke stitch

To be honest, I may have mixed numbers 7 and 8, as they both seem rather similar.

This Stitch-a-long is a group of very talented people. Click on the links below to see what magic they create with a needle, some threads and a backing material.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

SAL time

Last time I was still working on one of my postcards. In the comments someone mentioned blue thread…It think it was the right choice, and lifts the stitching.

However, for this stitch-along I want to show you something completely different.

The background…I have been loving being part of the Soul Craft Festival, which this year has been run online. So many interesting ideas, which have challenged my thinking. More in another post.

As well as thought-provoking videos there have been workshops to make things. Melissa Wastney showed us how to embroider these simple but very charming flowers. (You can find Melissa on Instagram @melissa.wastney. Sorry I can’t embed the link.) It immediately solved my Christmas present for my Mum. As an elderly woman she doesn’t need more stuff, but does love things we make for her ~ and treasures them, like the plaster hand cast my brother made in kindergarten! As well she loves bags. Add in that my friend had given me French linen tea towels that were waiting for the perfect project. This turned out to be that project, and the linen is wonderful to sew on.

I might even get the bag made up today.

I enjoyed the simple embroidery in making these flowers and I was inspired to make more. This time they are to be made into cards. I am going to make a set of six as a present to another special family member.

• 

• 

I may even iron the linen before I give them away! 😉

This Stitch-A-Long post is organised by Avis. We are a group of stitchers who post every three weeks to show what personal stitching we have done. The variety of works is amazing, and the quality is always top notch. Use the links below to see their work.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen