A Little Slow Stitching

I’m attempting a little slow stitching, which in other times was called “embroidery!”

Slow stitching centres around the “make do and mend” and “waste not, want not” ethos of yesteryear. It is a nod to the generations that came before ours in which reusing and recycling were necessary and admirable.

This is not a complicated process which relies on numerous fancy, perfectly executed stitches and fastidious neatness. Rather, we embrace the timeworn nature of our materials, and the individuality of our stitching methods.

Simplicity is key.

We are passionate fabric lovers, and we have a stash of “just because” pieces we’ve found along the way to prove it. We love to hunt at flea markets, charity stores and church fetes for the cloth treasures and embellishments we will repurpose. We can lose ourselves in the online world of instagram and etsy…..oh the possibilities…

I am currently using some of my vintage stash to create a Hexi quilt, which is the ethos of the Slow stitching movement.

No Room At The Inn?

I recently visited Chester Cathedral with the intention of seeing a knitting exhibition. There was a display of knitted Bible stories, Hand crafted and lovely.

There was a “side” show of knitting hats and scarves for the homeless. Very admirable and kind idea.

The cathedral is a beautiful, large church, warm and cosy. What I couldn’t understand was why ?

Why Heat the lovely space to such an extent when all the visitors are warmly wrapped up in scarves and good coats?

Why have such a large attractive space open to the public when some of the public are homeless ( for whatever reason) and sleeping rough in doorways?

Why close the doors at night to keep the Church warm when some are shivering with no bed to sleep in?

I know that the homeless is a complex issue. Many people do help and do their best. Maybe I’m doing Churches in the UK a disservice . Maybe they do open their doors at night. Just maybe a little more could be done?

I must give full credit to the Chester shareshop and all their hard work for the homeless people of Chester and elsewhere. When I shop in Chester I always buy myself a coffee. It costs me only a little to buy another coffee for someone out there.

Vintage Reading

One reason that I wanted to make the Harris Tweed quilt that I mentioned in my previous post is because I want to improve my embroidery skills. My Grandmother and to a lesser extent my Mother were great needlewomen. I can embroider to a certain extent but there is always room for improvement.

I found this book in my Grandmother’s belongings many years ago. It is a small paperback book first published in 1967.The instructions are clear and simple and it’s a delight to learn from.

I also have another book, not quite so old, published in 1981. So….. back to slow stitching.

Change of plan, again!

I’m nothing if not indecisive! I have thought this project through and gathered together the necessary. I’ve researched, upcycled and finally started to work on my future travel project. I don’t like it! I like the theory, I enjoyed the ideas book and I tried hard. However I don’t like it!

On review of my first hexigan ( which would be the first of many) it just doesn’t work. The beautiful Harris Tweed is too thick when folded over. It doesn’t sit well with the vintage embroidery and in short it doesn’t work! No amount of pressing will improve the look, but I haven’t abandoned it completely.

I adore the vintage embroidery which was worked by my Grandmother over fifty years ago. Don’t worry! I only cut up the cushion cover because a Grandchild tried to colour it in with a permanent Felt tip pen! So….. rethink, re trench and start again.

I did like the embroidery that I had done on the reverse of the hexigon so I intend to incorporate that into the “take two” project!

This is the second plan. I love the Harris Tweed that I’m going to use and I’m delighted to upcycle my Grandmother’s vintage embroidery.

I

Today’s Quote

Soul Gatherings

Happiness is mostly a by-product
of doing what makes us feel fulfilled.

~ Dr. Benjamin Spock ~
__________

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New post on Double Pie

Tartan vs Plaid by Double Pie What’s a difference between plaid fabric and tartan? It’s all about a pattern! There is not much difference between tartan and plaid! Nevertheless when you use a word ‘tartan’ describing a plaid, then you’re talking about a plaid that comes from Scotland. Because of its historical factor, tartan gathers people together into different families – clans. Therefore, in Scotland tartan is an identity, which tells where your ancestors come from. So, plaid is a woven fabric, whereas tartan represents heritage, culture, and family history. Above all, it’s all about pride! https://doublepie.blog/ Double Pie | January 15, 2019 at 9:06 pm | Tags: plaid, tartan | Categories: Fashion, tartan | URL: https://wp.me/p9umCr-gV Comment    See all comments    Like Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

What are you reading?

I couldn’t make my mind up which of these two books is my favourite. The book “A Trip around the Wool” is a great book and up there among my current favourites. It’s a bi lingual book in both French and English and beautifully illustrated. I’m just starting a project titled “52 Happy Memories of 2007”. The aim is to create an embroidered hexagon each week culminating in a 52 hexi quilt. I’m already falling behind so nothing new there.

The second book “Stitched Memories” by Tilly Rose is a glorious book sub titled “Telling a story through cloth and thread” which sits well alongside the other book. I’m using old embroideries and Harris Tweed to create my memory quilt. But lots more about that as it starts to come together.

Not A Good Result

For the last few days I’ve been busy making a cotton tunic for my forth coming Indian trip. I finished today and am pleased with the result. Well…..actually I like the tiger fabric, the pattern went together fine and it fit well. Ok I confess! I don’t like it. There’s nothing technically wrong I just wouldn’t have bought it in a shop! Which is the acid test for home dressmaking. Whilst I love the tiger fabric perhaps it’s too busy?I like the tunic pattern but it’s just not “me”. Ah well! Lesson learned and all that! I’m sure as Hell trying!

Well Hello!u

Happy New Year. Better late than never! I’ve been busy as usual. Busy sewing, Busy crafting. Busy going to the gym Shock! Horror you might say. But to be honest it’s needs must! After spending last year conquering my addiction to chocolate I can now move on and maybe get addicted to the gym. I’ve not eaten chocolate since March 2018 and I truly was a chocoholic. The only solution was to go cold turkey and it worked. I don’t even WANT chocolate now so gym stand by your treadmills.

I’ve also been busy preparing for an imminent trip to India. Lots more about that to come.