Eight stitches

So this week, it was a catch up week for TAST and the challenge was to use up to 8 stitches in one piece.  As I was caught up I decided to do the challenge.

I decided from the outset that I was going to be restricted by the size of my frame so a 8" circle and that I wouldn't have a design.  Basically I doodled with stitches.  I ended up doing fly, running, stem, chain butterfly, couching, french knot, bullion and detached chain.


Must admit I enjoyed this challenge but like all doodles its hard to say, stop!  That is  why this is posted on Tuesday rather than Sunday like I planned.  Even as I stopped I was thinking, I could do even more.  

catch up stitches

Well, I am managing to stay on track with the stitches but not with this blog, so time to up date.

first stitch - Bullion   I found this stitch very hard at first and had to try several different types of needle but in the end I found the most unlikely of needles worked the best.  A soft sculpture doll needle.  Once I started using this I could vary the number of twists included and still have the control needed to keep the stitch flat once the thread went through the middle. 

Next stitch up - Buttonfly chain.  This was a very easy stitch but I am sad to say I really didn't explore it that much. 

Lastly the knotted Cretan stitch which in the book I have is also called knotted insertion.  Once I got the hang of the stitch I found it quite easy to do but I did have to watch my tension on the last part of the stitch, sometimes it was too loose.

So far I much happier with this piece as I have restricted the colours although I still don't like the border. Not sure if it is the combination of colours  or the stitch its self which I found to be untidy (my stitching) and not attractive.  Another decision I have made as I am not sure I like the blue of the material, is to continue adding stitches to both pieces- total of 52 stitches- 26 for each panel, rather than the original 13 stitches to each piece which would have created 4 separate panel.  So I will have to explore the spaces between the spirals, I think it will work much better that way.  Eventually I will find a way to stretch it like a canvas and then add a mount before framing them both.

So this week I was kind of disappointed that we are having a week's rest as that means we will be continuing this project to the end of Jan 2013 or even later if we miss additional weeks. No really a bit deal but I  am going to put all the beads and embroidery aside for a while once I finish this project to concentrate on my painting.  In the end I hope to incorporate all three into my work as I really don't see this is a craft but part and parcel of my art work.  

Anyway, I have decided to take part in the small additional challenge of using up to 8 stitches on one single piece to be completed in a week.  I will write about this in my next post.