scrim smocking...

slow going and very fiddly but has possibilities. I'm thinking 'scrim weaving' as well...

creating a smocking pattern on scrim

A quilting friend gave me a section of her Apaloosa plant. I haven't been able to find much info online other than an Apaloosa bean plant which this is not. My friend says it is very invasive and can't be purchased. Anybody know anything more about this plant. I expect to put it in a pot.

Apaloosa plant

And since quite a few of you have asked if scrim is the same as cheesecloth, I'm posting a picture of both. Scrim has a much finer weave and comes in beige and bleached white. It is sold in fabric stores. Cheesecloth has a very loose weave and is generally sold in the supermarket or the craft stores in packages as it is used in food preparation.

I love using both in making lace with needle and thread.

a vintage look...and more samples

I've had this old plastic cameo for many years and just knew that one day I'd find a use for it.
Click on images to enlarge.

2" cameo stitched onto hand dyed cotton and silk

I'm thinking I will stitch this onto the front of brown t-shirt.

The cameo was inspired by a lesson on stitching shisha mirrors onto fabric in Karen's class.

shisha mirrows stitched onto cotton cloth

And some more samples from class:

butterfly stitched on paper and 2 layers of cheesecloth with paper cut away

3 layers of cheesecloth stitched on the machine and 3 areas hand stitched.

more fun with scrim scratching

scrim and paper stitchings...

more samples from Karen Ruane's class... click on the pics for a closer view.

stitched hexagons on handmade paper

free motion embroidery on soft but sturdy paper

it started out with scrim machine stitched on cloth (right); hand stitched some holes and then did more hand stitching to distort the fiber (left).

free motion stitching done on paper with scrim, some hand stitching and frayed the scrim edge.

scrim scratching experiment...more to experiment with this idea.

AND...

I did wear my completed bobbin lace collar (sorry...not a great picture).

lace collar is finished and...

I can't often say that a project is finished. I've been working on this bobbin lace collar since October, 2011. I just work on it in class which is 4 hours, so it's not surprising that it took me this long. It just needs a clasp which will be stitched on today.

bobbin lace collar with beads...linen thread

And I know you're probably tired of seeing these cloths from the dye pot, but this is how I keep track of them. I'd never remember when I did what, if it wasn't for this blog. These 2 pieces were originally done shibori method with colorhue dyes. They didn't turn out great, so I decided to overdye using the tin can method I just love. I used onion skins and some eucalyptus leaves and some pennies hidden between the cloth and the can.

this was originally blue done with the colorhue dyes. the pin holes are still visible from the shibori stitching. it's a habotai silk.

this is a heavier silk and i did lots of folding so some of the original green color would remain.

And, of course, I've started Karen Ruane's class this week so lots of playing and experimenting going on.

stitching on scrim...a new experience

a scrim ruffle and grid...and some stitching started.

Finally, here is a delightful video that Michelle posted this morning: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

couldn't resist the thrift store today...

I have been staying away from the thrift stores because I do have enough stuff right here at home, but something pulled me in this morning. I couldn't resist these 2 finds that I got for a song since I'll be able to incorporate them in my Play Ground magic cloth. Click on the images for a closer view.

a partially stitched grid on a light cotton cloth including the green wicking thread. and a partially stitched embroidery with some beautifully colored floss.

I like the idea of incorporating parts of someone's unfinished project into my cloth...a kind of mystery collaboration.

I'm also gathering the supplies I'll need for Karen Ruane's next embroidery class...EXTENDING EMBELLISHMENT. You can read about it here. You might like to join in, especially after seeing some of the embroidery she shares with us on her blog.

I found some wonderful white scrim locally and ordered some interesting papers to play with when class starts.

I ordered the papers from here. They have some beautiful choices in lots of different colors and patterns.

stitch scribble...

a grid

and patchwork with a scribble stitch

and I've gone from double knitting hexapufs to little pouches. love being able to knit the front and back at the same time. this pouch is 2" square.

meditative stitching...

taking it a bit further

lots of little stitches making 2 cloths into 1

and back to scrim

the inner beast...

Moons and Beasts

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I'm always working on several things at one time. I've been playing around with 'moon stitching' for the moon quilt I hope to put together. I saw some silk scrim with embroidery at the Houston Quilt Show and it inspired me to try embroidery on scrim. I put 2 pieces of scrim together with a temporary spray and starched it so it would be easier to stitch through. I placed it in a hoop, added some hand dyed scrim in spots and started stitching. It still needs some work but I think it will work.
I also started stitching on the moon piece I put together a couple of weeks ago.
I had put some little weavings together a few weeks back and a beast appeared in one of them so I decided to stitch him into the weaving. I don't know what he will look like when he's finished but I'm sure he will help me decide what stitches come next. Click on the photos for a closer view. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

silk scrim with embroidery viewed in Houston

my embroidery on scrim

moon stitching

the beast that appeared in my weaving