Loose ends

Before I launch head-long into Uckfield Art Trail prep, I need to finish off some loose ends from teaching. I have hand-outs and recipes to email to the Fairwarp crowd (what's more important, how to stitch something or the recipe for the break-time biscuits??) and I need to send photos of the C&G students' work to the Powers That Be so that the displays at school can be updated for the first time in three years.....

So without further ado, here is the wonderful work presented by my students for their C&G Level 2 Award in Machine Embroidery. 

Carole's samples:

and the finished green man:

Fiona's samples:

and her lantern:

(and yes, it did end up a bit bigger than Fiona expected!)

Then Judith's samples:

Judith's finished item was a wedding dress, and the wedding hasn't happened yet so I didn't take any photos! It isn't your standard white meringue dress, it is green, short and multilayered, like a fairy costume. The machine embroidery was the finishing touches, including a corsage and lacing down the back of the bodice. Beautiful!

Morag's samples:

and her finished item, a book about Peter and Paul:

And I LOVE her rationale for making this book! Forgive me Morag, but it's too good not to share...

And finally but by no means last, Vix's gloriously whimsical wall-hanging, featuring the classic childrens' fairy tales:

Can you spot all the fairy tales?

I realised too late that I didn't take photos of Vix's beautifully presented samples, but here is a collage of all the detail from her wall-hanging.

This is Once Upon a Time, and I'm told there's at least one sequel to come....Happily Ever After?! 

I don't know about happily ever after for the students, as they're coming back for more in September (gluttons for punishment) but I am so proud of them for what they have achieved in one year - exhausting, for everyone, but wow, it was worth it wasn't it?!

Oasis of calm

This is definitely the best time of year for my little garden.

(BBQ thing is ugly, though - and I keep thinking it's a "person" doing a spot of weeding)

And this morning's rain has perked things up, made the leaves shiny again, and will hopefully be plumping up the courgettes. Yes, I know there is a dead thing in a terracotta pot, but apart from that I think it's all looking good. Even the rambling rose has made it as far as the roof of the little house, which itself is nearly completely lost in the shrubbery...the little house which is no longer pretending to be a studio, btw, and now houses Mr G's midlife crisis/desperate clinging onto youth miniature train layout.

Looking out over the garden at breakfast is my oasis of calm at the moment. Everything else is a "bit mad". For example, this is my actual studio space. 

It looks like this because I've only been at home long enough to dump stuff down, then go again. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I have, however, spent a lot of time in here this week:

The conference room full of City & Guilds work to assess and grade! Yes, bribes in cake form have been promised to the students in return for such a wonderful collection of work. Cross everything that the External Verifier thinks it's wonderful too...

Once this madness is over on Wednesday evening, some sort of normal creating and blogging service will resume. It had better do, as Art Trail is in less than a month...

Back soon!

A little bit of time to play - and ride a bicycle

But only a very little bit...

First up, "my" new printer (it belongs to the college, but I'm allowed to play with it to see if we like it)

Yes, I think we do...

Then a little bit of time between endless faffing about on my new laptop typing up City & Guilds stuff, to stitch together a little piece for the cover of my records book:

And then a little bit more time to make a little feathered friend:

He is "Bird, Mark 1".  He is a prototype, as he has several "issues" not least with his legs...and definite "flatness"...

But in general, there's been mostly faff and prep around here and not much stitching for my own ends, which makes me sad.  And despite being mostly brilliant and super-whizzy, the new laptop is playing up, probably because it's not new but nearly new and I've probably just discovered why it's first owner took it back...sigh.  

I have done one good thing tho, I think, and that is start to ride a bicycle again. Fresh air and what-not. 

As his name suggests, Mr Gonecycling spends a lot of time on his bicycle and over the years I've done a bit too, but not so much since we got The Whippet.  For the last four years I've ridden a Pashley - a bit like riding a five-bar gate but with fewer gears.  And I've mostly ridden it on holiday, in sandals. And not very far.

Yesterday Mr G mentioned that the local bike shop was starting women's rides and that perhaps I would like to go, to meet some new people who have nothing to do with embroidery or textiles or teaching.  Fair enough, a good thought, thought I. 

The rides are supposed to go at the pace of the slowest, but as nobody wants to be that person, I thought I'd better dig out my slightly "racier" bike. So with much shameful dusting off and pumping up of tyres we took it up to the bike shop for an overhaul.  However, this in itself is not something done lightly - the owner is a very good friend of Sean Yates, and Mr Yates himself lives just down the road from us (I've just finished reading his autobiography). So it's all a bit blokey and lycra-clad around here. And when Mr G asked who was leading the ride and Mr Bike Shop said that he was as all the women were feeling a bit insecure and in need of a gentle shove, I suddenly got cold feet...and cheeky so and so has now invited Mr G to come along too, so he "didn't have to talk about knitting and fluffy kittens all morning".  Ha!  (Half right...machine embroidery and whippets...but still, cheeky).  So I may not get out of it.  I thought I was doing quite well with a six mile trundle, and felt quite proud to be able to get up the hill and out of town with only five gears. A 20-miler with people in lycra is another matter...

The weather is going to be appalling, Mr G will have to take a phone to keep in touch with the riders at the front of the pack, and a calendar to measure how long it will take me to do the distance, but I think I may have to give it a go...at least I still fit into my shorts.  

Machine embroidery, tamed

At last, I remembered to take my camera to class last week.  So here are some quick pics of what we've been up to - all complete beginners (apart from Morag).

These are some of the finished pieces using quilting, couching and twin-needle action, courtesy of

Judith

Fiona

Libby

Sarah

and Sarah's practice piece...

Morag

and here is one of Vix's first attempts at free machining (I'm told this is a work-in-progress!)

and Morag stitched herself a colour wheel without being asked!

So yes, we are slowly taming the machine embroidery beast, helped along by the results of our little survey!

Thank you to everyone who took the time and trouble to complete the survey - it's really appreciated.  It was hugely interesting reading all the comments and suggestions, so a quick summary is in order:

• 40% of you are OK with machine embroidery until things go wrong, then you get stuck
• Nobody is problem-free - not even the "pros" for some of whom the problem is not knowing what to stitch.  Another problem I hear all the time: "is this stitching with teeth up or teeth down?"
• The joint biggest problems (after "other") are threads breaking and shredding, and tension issues - who knows, maybe one problem is causing the other?!

In conclusion, I recommend we SNORTT in the face of machine embroidery problems (have to admit, the Girl helped me with this one....)

S  is for Stabilise

The fabric needs to be as firm or taut as you can make it for free-machining - with a hoop or stabiliser, or just naturally firm.  If it isn't you may have problems with skipped stitches, puckering fabric and so on.

N is for Needle

If in doubt - change the needle. 

You should always use a large-eye or topstitch needle for machine embroidery, and they say you should change it (a) when switching to metallic thread, or a different type of thread (the eye wears differently according to the thread) and (b) after about five hours of solid stitching.  If you change to a new needle with each new project, many of your current woes will never arise.  If like me you forget to do this (mostly because I jump from project to sample to project and don't work on one thing at a time) and you start to have problems with the thread shredding or skipping - change the needle.  Use a large (100/16) needle for metallic and delicate threads - it will make a bigger hole through the work so the thread won't get worn and shred so quickly.

O is for Oil (and clean)

You wouldn't believe the dust-bunnies I've seen emerge from behind the little bobbincase door...

If your machine is beginning to get noisy and rattly, then a jolly good clean-out and oil is in order.  Check the manual for how and where.  This will also remove loose threads and other gunk, and make stitching a whole lot smoother and easier.

R is for Rethread or Reroute thread

If the thread is snapping, then something is more than slightly amiss with your tension - most likely the thread has got caught or snagged up somewhere, probably around the spool pin.  Some very shiny threads are appalling at just falling off the reel.  A quick fix is to put the thread in a jar, old mug or plastic tub behind your machine, instead of on the spool holder.  Sometimes threads are particularly bouncy and can bounce out of the tension discs or the little catch just above the needle - so if you are having problems with tension, check this hasn't happened.  If in doubt, take the thread off and rethread everything - from scratch, not just the bit that goes through the needle....We had a horrendous case of skipped stitches in class the other day, and it turned out that the bobbin had been wound very loosely - sometimes this happens during winding and you won't notice it until you start to have problems stitching, so rethreading includes rewinding the bobbin if necessary as well.

T is for Tension

For the spool, a high number is tight - and a low number is loose.  Usually.  Always loosen it one notch from "normal" for free machining, and another notch for using metallic or delicate threads.  Loosening the top tension is kinder on delicate threads, and allows it to be drawn through the fabric a little so the bobbin thread will not show.  If you do want the bobbin to show, for example with whip stitch, then you need to tighten the tension - and use a stronger thread that won't snap under pressure!

Sometimes you can't avoid adjusting the bobbin tension, particularly if you want to have a go at cable stitch (using thicker threads in the bobbin - like Carol Naylor).  You just need to locate the tiny tension screw on the edge of the bobbin case, and the most important thing is to remember which way to turn it:

LEFT is LOOSE   and   RIGHT is TIGHT

well, that and not dropping the tiny little screw onto the carpet...

and finally,

T is for Technique

While problems never disappear and threads will shred for anyone, needles will always break if you hit hard things (like beads, wire, fingers...) and machines will always need cleaning and oiling, a lot of problems will diminish with time and practice.  One of the biggest problems with free machining and one that can easily cause puckering and broken needles, is learning how to coordinate the speed of the machine with the speed you move your work.  Move too fast and you may break a needle; move too slow and you may have problems with thread build up and lumps and bumps.  And another easy one that I find is easily overlooked - and something that was mentioned a lot in the survey - don't forget to hold your threads when you start to stitch!  I think it is becoming easier to forget this, as a lot of the new machines let you get away with it - but with free machine embroidery you ALWAYS have to do this, as there is no pressure between the needle and the fabric holding the threads in place.

Finally, if you do find you have a major bird's nest under your work, you've forgotten to put the presser foot lever down.  Happens to us all.

Colour, texture, line - everywhere

We hadn't seen each other all week.  We're all so busy, what with schooling and violining and cycling and teaching and cityandguildsing and cleaning and dogwalking and allypallying.

So to put things right, we went on a pilgrimage to Wakey.

We took cake (butternut, cinnamon frosting), flask of coffee, milk, forks, stickywipes, forgot the mugs and had to beg some cardboard ones, and we took a camera.

We found a labyrinth:

600 metres long and 12,000 bricks!

And we found a favourite view:

some lines

some texture 

and some colour

I'm really enjoying how teaching this course is making me go back to the beginning. 

But why do we talk of going "back" to basics?  Maybe basics is a good place to stay.

(Uhoh, unexpected rant coming up....you have been warned)

In the Knitting & Stitching Show catalogue, there was an ad for a certain magazine, purporting to be about the "simple things" in life, the things that matter most - like interiors, lifestyle etc.  AGGHHHHH!!!!!  Stupid people.  Those are the things that matter LEAST!!!! 

Sorry about that.

To make up for the rant, here is some knitted village from the K&S show:

Colour and texture - sorted

After the muddy foot debacle of July 14, I discovered that the lovely people in Cornwall are making my favourite boots again - so I took a deep breath and ordered a new pair.  Gosh, they are lovely.  Like walking around with your feet wrapped in a duvet all day.  Expensive, yes, but my last pair lasted four years and are now on light dog-walking duty in the mornings when I don't wear wellies.

But...every time you order something, you get another catalogue - as well as the ones that are sent out anyway.  So yesterday, when we received yet another catalogue from my favourite purveyor of warm boots, it was definitely surplus to requirements.

I'd already used a previous one to stitch over with various LINES

 (it's in there somewhere - I think it's the woolly jumper along the right-hand edge)

So as we had another one, I thought I'd chop it up and sort out COLOUR 

and TEXTURE as well!

Job done.

(Well, apart from the yellow/orange section...)

Talking of yellow and orange, did I show you my squash?

From my favourite purveyor of seasonal veg.

(no, I'm not on commission!  Just a happy customer:)

Down to business

Time for a post about something creative!

I've been particularly busy the past month with preparing three courses.  Three!  And of course feeling more than a little overwhelmed....

Two of the courses are supposed to be informal, and more or less identical, and on more of a "project" basis - but I found that I was panicking about what we were going to do, and felt a fraud for taking people's money for a class where we just made it up as we went along - so I've now written a Scheme of Work for the term!  It's based on suggestions from the group, but I'm so much happier with a plan! 

The other course is a City & Guilds Award in machine embroidery - just a baby City & Guilds for now, but my first one to teach!  This one caused me the most headaches - trying to interpret the syllabus and come up with a grand plan to get through all the work in the right number of hours.

And then of course, having decided what we're going to do, I then have to do it all myself!

So there's been sketchbook work on colours:

then into stitch:

sketchbook and stitch work on line

(and tone, I couldn't help myself - I don't think it's Level 1 C&G though....)

and dealing with the offcuts:

I've made a sort of log-cabiny sample with this, but don't seem to have a photo to hand...

And I've finally started work on our EG branch competition "flotsam and jetsom" due in on Saturday....ahem...maybe because I love seascapes, maybe because I hoard things from my seaside holiday, maybe I was just a little complacent???

The Girl did say out loud "I wonder where you'll get some shells from Mummy - we've hardly got any in the house at all".  Cheeky miss.  (She was of course referring to the four jamjars in the kitchen, the massive kilner jars in the office, the shells on the patio, and the as-yet unclaimed shells in the car storage cubbies...)

So it was out with the sea-themed wool, to do some sort of random felting.  Out with assorted sticks and shells.  Out with the massive box of accumulated french papers (bread wrappers, receipts, tourist leaflets, tide tables etc...)

Sorry, have to tilt your head to see that one...

Whereupon inspiration deserted me.  It was Mr G who then suggested I made a fish.

So out with the copper wire and the pliers

A brief detour to a local craft show where I found these wonderful electroplated balls and nearly got distracted from my fish and wanted to make balls...

A very real distraction involving manipulating painted Bondaweb into a bowl shape

I am quite seriously chuffed with this, and need to scour charity shops for heatproof bowls and large ceramic/pottery balls...this may be my new thing....there's even some FOIL in there! 

But I digress.

Finally, I've made a good stab at starting my Fish:

All recycled fabrics and beads. 

Here's me stitching the beaded cords in place on some water soluble.  This is after I stitched through my finger.  (So now I have two tingling fingers on my right hand - the mandolined finger healed beautifully, btw, but is still a little bit numb/tingly - getting better all the time:)

Here are some assorted recycled bits and pieces to attach:

And here is a bit further on:

I'm supposed to be dealing with the tail at the moment, but as it involves stitching over copper wire threaded with beads, I thought I'd write a blog post instead!

 Procrastination, deviation from the task in hand, avoiding something difficult?  Moi?!!