Trapunto and Cording

Blue Linen Flowers - flower closeup.

Blue Linen Flowers - heart and flower closeup.

Blue Linen Flowers

I have wanted to try both cording and trapunto for some time now. I remember, as a child, my mother making a trapunto rabbit, encircled in an Art Nouveau style quilted circle, on a cushion. It appealed to me so much that the memory remains very strong, and I have retained a desire to work with trapunto. However the first thing is to try it. So I embarked on Blue Linen Flowers (six inches by six inches).

The flowers and hearts are have both been filled with a little filling via incisions from behind. I found it difficult to evenly distribute the filling and they are still quite lumpy. I think one needs patience to insert only very small amounts of filling. I am not sure the best filling to use either - I used white polyester soft toy stuffing, I thought it would be alright but it is very springy. Maybe something a bit denser would be better, perhaps pieces of soft cotton fill. That may be even more lumpy though.

I really enjoyed the cording. I stitched one line of stitching first, then lay the cord alongside and stitched it in place. That way I didn't have to thread it through and worry about getting around corners.  It looks great encased in the linen, with the stitches on either side, and forms a good border around the trapunto flowers and hearts.

At close of weekend needle I was about halfway through some more exploratory stitch and fabric work that I can't wait to post.

Happy stitching everyone, Gilly

Cloth of Hearts

Cloth of Hearts

I thought I would make a Cloth of Hearts for my husband for Valentine's Day. I felt I needed to because, on Robbie Burns Day a couple of weeks ago, after bringing me a morning cup of tea, he stood stationary at the end of the bed for a few moments then launched into a recital of 'My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose... which he had learned by heart for just this occasion! Of course I was teary and laughing all at once; and so happy all day. So you perhaps can see why I felt I needed to make a Cloth of Hearts! This cloth has a bit of a heraldic feel, which is what I may work further on before Valentine's Day arrives. I wanted this feel, maybe a portion of a knights banner... well my husband truly is my shining knight! This theme fits well with the poem I have for him - I know a few lines by heart - The Lady of Shallot by Alfred Lord Tennyson. A sad tale but such a wonderful love story with weaving included!

I made my first attempt here at Prairie Points which I first saw on Deanna's site and thought they were just lovely with her rolled edges and she kindly sent me the instructions. Thanks Deanna!

At close of needle I had attached the tassels to Cloth of Hearts to have a look at it overall and see what needs doing to complete it.

Happy stitching everyone, Gilly