Bullion wraps

anne ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

The only sure method (it would vary with thread/and or stitcher) is to use a doodle cloth and see how it works out. Then go to real project. I love using bullions for buds, somehow seem just right.

Excellent advise - see, I'm agreeing. And we're talking about needlework.

When I took the Italian Embroidery class, the instructor wouldn't let us touch the piece until we'd done enough doodle cloth bullions, and she'd approved our technique. Sheena's suggestion is what I do as well, may take a little more time, but it keeps you from having to frog, or go through some frustration on the piece.

Good luck - looking forward to seeing your piece!

ellice

Thanks for the advice, lucretia and ellice, especially the reminders about doodle cloths. Y'all got me thinking in a different direction -- instead of considering the distance between insertion points a and b, I measured the length of coils made with x wraps using different threads.

This exercise confirmed that I NEED to take a class that focuses on surface embroidery stitches, not to learn the 'right' way but to learn a better way to do what I've taught myself to do. FWIW, I'm sure to pick up some tricks and tips in Lynn Payette's class at our regional seminar in 2 weeks.

Lucky you. It's so great that you remind us all to not just force through something in the needlework art, but to practice, inquire, learn a technique.

Personally, I keep hoping to get into one of Michelle Robert's goldwork classes but something always gets in the way. And another Japanese embroidery class would be awesome.

IME, I'm always picking up something in a class from a good instructor. It may be a side thing, not the class focus. The Italian embroidery classes I took taught me so much that I had not thought about, and things that many instructors haven't the experience to teach (like hand/needle position & how it affects the way some stitches sit).

Happy stitchin', Anne.

ellice

anne ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

I always found bullions a little difficult until I did this piece which loved bullions, by the time I finished that, they are no longer a challenge !

FYI, I don't give a fig if my bullion has a bump or isn't uniform thickness. Those imperfections add character ;-)

You and Margaret have something in common - she used to hate knots...

I apply that totally to my needlework. I feel it has to please me, beyond that, no worries. Most of the time, nobody sees the imperfections anyway, it's ego to believe they will examine it that closely lol

Cheryl Isaak ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

My absolute biggest hate was long and short stitch. However, I love crewel and it is near to impossible to find anything to do that does not involve the dreaded L&S. Finally someone gave a course that was specifically to learn L&S and by the time I finished that, I got it. Now I can do it by the hour and actually enjoy doing it.

I loved doing long and short. I used to the make delicate shade changes. I'd love to find some crewel I want to do. C

Cheryl Isaak ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

Elsa Williams kits have masses of long and short - I have done the butterfly one, it's received a lot of comments.

I loved crewel for the amount of detail in a short time.

Cheryl Isaak ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

Yep I am just finishing one now and confess I found it arduous to do a kit having done my own for quite some time now. It is irritating to check to see which colour, which stitch is wanted and I don't like to vary in case I run out of yarn lol After this one, with about two hours work to go, it's back to free to do what I want.

I know the feeling - although she was never really my cup of tea. IMNSHO, one of the reasons there is a lack of people doing crewel/ surface is the market is that so much is Jacobean, flowers, etc., and not enough lighter stuff or geometrics. Sublime Stitching has some transfers, but not everyone is willing to take that extra step - they want it in a bag and ready to go. Once they start, they might be more motivated, but. . .

Seems the (few) designers that put out that kind of work got stuck in your great-grandmother's era and never moved forward!

lewmew ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

Maybe that's why I like it so much - I am a two time great-grandmother lol

I have seen lots of modern crewel designs, I just don't care for them. There was quite a craze about five years ago for Chinoiserie as well.

Those look interesting. I might just find the time to do a little design work C

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I didn't mean to insult anyone - just noting that what's out there isn't to my taste and maybe a lot of other people's taste as well. I just meant it would be nice to find some more updated designs - but not necessarily the Linea stuff, which is so abstract. I can and do design for myself, but so many people can't or are too intimidated too. For example, I wanted to do a dragon for my son. I found dozens of XS dragons and not one crewel/embroidery one. Charms and interesting thtreads have their place in crewel/surface as well, but most designers (not ALL) do Jacobean flowers in a muted tone that would look great in a place with more traditional furniture, but not with my Scandanavian modern stuff.

There was a time that I might have agreed with you until I decided to do a Jacobean flower piece just for the fun of it and discovered that it really looked very interesting nestled in a corner of my living room that was decorated in oiled walnut and teak Scandanavian furniture.

It was as much of a surprise to me as it could be and totally unexpected. For some reason or other, the muted colors and softness of the flowers managed to make themselves stand out amongst the bold lines of the modern room.

It was odd, but it did work.

lewmew ,in rec.crafts.textiles.needleworkwrote: and entertained us with

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I'm not kidding, I have seen dozens of crewel dragons, with and without pagodas etc. I will check my files, believe I may even have one and would be more than willing to send to you because I know I will not use it.

You can change the colours you know. I did one of Elsa Williams designs (very similar anyway) just drew it freehand on the linen and worked it in shrieking reds. Hanging in the bathroom, looks dramatic. Even leaving that out, if I want a design, I pick something I like, freehand it on to linen and get started. Now when I started out I didn't do that so much because of the wools, but now that I have a huge box of wools, I can do/use anything I like. Many of the wools are left over from long ago kits.

Anyway, let me know if you are still interested in a dragon.