Morecambe

Mini The Witching Hour finished

I finished this a while ago but, as usual, I put it away and still haven't framed it. 

Mini The Witching Hour

On track to finish within 2017

Pin stitch one over one

I never flip my work when stitching and I am often asked how I start and finish threads. i have been using a tiny pin stitch to start and finish threads when stitching with just one thread on 28 count for many years. Of course you can't do a true pin stitch orDiagonal pinstitch when stitching one over one but you can can make a tiny stitch to anchor your thread and work the same way as you would if using waste knots. Why bother when you could just use a waste knot? Well sometimes you just might not have enough unstitched area to make a waste knot from, or you might only be making one stitch and so only need to use a tiny bit of thread. On these occasions I go into the fabric from the front a little distance away from where I want my stitch to be, and leave a little tail. I come up close to that tail, piercing the weft of the fabric thread and make a tiny stitch going back down within the weft. Then I bring the thread up and make my first stitch. The little pin stitch holds the tail more securely while the waste thread is stitched over on the back. I snip off the tail when I feel it has been stitched over enough on the back. In the course of stitching all the little pin stitches get stitched over and don't show, as you can see from the cat's eye above. Dozens of pin stitches disappeared. This takes longer to explain of course than actually do. I should have made a video years ago but whenever I have answered questions on message boards, Facebook etc and explained there tends to be a few naysayers who declare it will weaken the fabric, or will come undone, or that it can't be done ( erm, I've been doing it for years!). Anyhow, tiring of typing out explanations every time I thought I might just link to this post which will eventually contain photos and maybe a video. 

The example on the blue fabric above shows some pin stitches waiting to be stitched over once the thread on the back has been stitched over and the front tail snipped off. The example below shows pin stitches at the bottom of the stitching, middle, some parked threads and some waste knot threads at the side. I actually do my waste "knots" a little neater normally, as the later picture shows but on the creamy fabric I did quilters knots just for demo purposes.  I don't actually put a knot in normally but tuck the tails and flick them out later to snip them, as shown on the third photo. 

 

 

Diagonal pinhead stitch

I have noticed a resurgence of interest in the diagonal pinhead stitch. I did a small tutorial on The Diagonal Pinhead way back in 2010. It's funny how these things re-emerge every few years as if they had just been invented. When I did my post in 2010 I had made the technique up for myself but I don't for one minute think I invented it. it will have been thought of before and no doubt been used since the first crosses were ever put into fabric. 

Train of Dreams update

After many years languishing in a pillow case under the dining table I worked on Train Of Dreams again. It makes a nice colourful change from all the greys of The Witching Hour.

Mini The Witching Hour by Lisa Parker

The Witching Hour, mini, by Lisa Parker charted by Heaven and Earth Designs.

I started off doing this on the diagonal but straightened up because I wanted to stitch the eyes and ears sooner.

Stitching 1 over 1 on 28 count plum blossom jobelan.

Pattern available here

He looked like a peddler finished

Can hardly believe that I put the final stitch in this today. 

I actually started it in 2011 but only worked on it now and again in between other projects. 13 pages of it were worked between May 2016 and Saturday 28th January 2017. 28 count Jobelan stitched one over one with a lighted magnifier.

I've set up a three wip rotation now, and  have got A Long Winter's nap out. The fabric is 22 count, two strands, and it's taking some getting used to after just one strand.

 

So close to a finish!

He looked like a peddlar update

3 months progress

He looked like a peddler update

I have been crocheting and knitting so much that I was on page 15 for a year. Suddenly I got my stitchy bug back and finished page 15 and am enjoying page 16. The tree is coming up again soon so that will slow me down but as long as I stick to row by row parking it will be fine.