Kasia’s Weekly Threads - Issue 73
Ta-daaaa!
While taking a photo of this on my wrist I imagined that if I was extending my hand to introduce myself to someone ,I would no doubt be saying:
“Oh this? Why it’s just my exquisite hand-embroidered magical cuff, nothing more.”
Last week I promised to show you my favourite of the three cuffs I made and here it is. If you’ve known my work for a while you will notice that the colours here are from my signature collection of eleven DMC threads that I use across the majority of my patterns.
My own eleven herbs and spices, except not so secret.
Now originally when I started this project I was only going to make one.
Ha! Who was I kidding!?
That’s like saying “I’m only going to work on one craft project at a time” hahaha!
Wait… there is someone like that. I met her in Nowra, on the south coast a few months ago. Her name is Margaret and she really does only work on one project at a time.
Word.
The embroidery on the cuff didn’t take me long at all and once I finished one I dived (or is it dove) straight into the next one.
The monochromatic one was the quickest to stitch, and the one in the middle, the colourful one, took the longest. Only because of all the colour changes.
The sewing of each cuff was also fairly uncomplicated. Although in parts a little fiddly as it is after all a small object. I also created three different ways of closing it which I detailed in the Making Zen tutorial.
Once the cuffs were finished I had a tonne of fun pulling clothes out of my wardrobe to see what will go with which cuff. I won’t show you all the combinations, or what the bedroom floor looked like afterwards but below is the colourful version thrown together with my favourite jacket.
Below I paired it with a white linen blouse that I’m three quarters of the way through embroidering the sleeves on.
Those of you in The Wednesday Tribe will recognise the sleeve design as our July pattern.
No I still haven’t finished…!
If you’re inspired to make this with me then I’d like to invite you to join me at the Making Zen Online Retreat.
The tickets go on sale on Monday 24th August and I’ll be sending a link via email to everyone on my mailing list. There will also be an opportunity to view this and other teacher’s tutorials completely free, so be sure to look out for the email on Monday the 24th August.
Close up
Today the star of the show is the Herringbone Stitch.
After years of stithicng I think this is my favourite. Although I do oscillate between the herringbone and the satin stitch which I love equally.
The interesting and bonus feature of the herringbone stitch is that it covers big flat shapes really well and with a gorgeous texture while leaving the back side with very little thread waste. Check out my front and back photos below. You can click on each image to make it bigger.
If you’re new to the herringbone stitch below is a helpful video that you can watch and practice to see if you enjoy it.
Maker of The Week
- BEATRICE LANSER -
Below is a gorgeous example of a project stitched during one of my Herringbone Stitch Masterclasses a few years back. Beatrice attended the class and later sent me this photo of her finished project which I absolutely loved! The way she combined the colours and added that charming border around the edges and then sewed the whole thing into this delightful bag made my day.
Believe it or not but the herringbone stitch is one of those stitches that I don’t include as part of a regular embroidery workshop. This one gets a full day all to itself because there is a lot to get stuck into. Round shapes, curves, pointed shapes, filling extra large shapes. It all takes practice and guidance. But at the end you walk away with a skill that helps you create bold colourful designs quickly and easily with just one stitch.
If you’d like to join me for a Herringbone Stitch Masterclass on Friday 4th September, there are still spots available at Jukejema Quilting Barn in Nowra, NSW.
Give Kim a call on 44 212 577 to book yourself in.
From The Tribe
One of our wonderful Wednesday Tribe members, Marion, stitches like there’s no tomorrow. I do not know how this wonder woman produces as much as she does. Marion… I take my hat off to you!
The below two photos are of the April pattern that Marion stitched in white on white onto her shirt. She showed it to me when we met at a workshop a few months ago. I took photos and then got buried in work and forgot to show you all.
Here it is now. It’s also a fabulous continuation of last weeks theme where I shared the monochrome versions of my patterns. Marion takes it one step further by stitching white on white and achieving a stunning result. The scale of the design and the thick stitching make the texture and shapes of the pattern stand out.
Till Next Week!
Next Friday I’m going to share a story with you that continues on the theme of words, messages and connections. This is a story that my dad Henryk shared in a letter he wrote to me ten years ago. If you’ve read my previous stories about my grandmother Helena, you’ll be interested to know that he was her son and the story he shared, involves her.
Have a beautiful weekend :)
xxxx
Kasia
