Embroidered Teal Mirror

Started this so long ago ....pulled it from the UFO drawer determined it would get done!

I started the cover for this mirror you may remember this post

It began life as an ugly flower cut from fabric which I used at random just to play around with machine embroidery and sheer layers.

I kinda lost interest in it and a couple of times it spoke to me with the suggestion that I should cut it and weave it, which I eventually did...nothing to loose ...not precious in any way just experimental

Not too impressed with the cut and weave thing, after stitching it onto this crushed teal fabric deciding it would be the base of a mirror cover and set it aside again.....

Embellishment seemed to be the next course, perhaps some heavy layered stitching, I'm just not sure where to go with this one, I don't even like it much at the moment, but that's just another step in the process, I've been there before with other projects.....I just haven't worked out where to go with it next :?

a few months down the line and here it is!

Finished and embellished ....

with a mix of glass,
 handmade paper and handmade metal beads

cords and yarn

and another UFO complete,  now SOLD

Machine Embroidery ....a little bit of progress

Remember this?

Blogged about here Machine Embroidery

Then again here Stitching with Tissue Silks

another abandoned project, well, more an experimental piece,

 I didn't have a finished project in mind for it

I retrieved it from the the UFO basket on my worktable ....thinking .... I'm on a roll with this clearing out and finishing things...its quite good :)

Every time I think about doing something more to it, I hit a brick wall and a little voice from my past (A lovely Lady called Pauline, my City & Guilds Tutor) comes in and says  "If you don't know where to go next....cut it up and weave it!" (it became the class quote :)

Now I once suggested this in a conversation with some ladies (family who were visiting and requested a little look in my studio) regarding this little piece, the thought horrified them, they said it was lovely as is and that I should just frame it.

That was never going to happen!

So out came the scissors!

Im sorry to say I dont have pictures as I set about it one evening while pondering in my little studio and the evening is never a good time for pictures.

This is what it looks like now.

I did weave it, well I have never did this with a piece before..... I then machine stitched it to some lovely teal coloured velvet fabric.

Im thinking it's going to cover a mirror frame ..... well I have a pile of those that need used up! .......I really am on a mission to use up stash and finish projects :)

I dont think I'm going to machine stitch on it any more ....Im thinking the next step is to get it on a frame and hand stitch some more detail into it and perhaps some beads.

Any thoughts on this? I would love to hear them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Yvonne x

Stitching with tissue silks

Working some more on the machine embroidery sample at the weekend, I stitched around the flower on the pale blue background with a filler stitch in a pale green cotton space dyed thread.

I came across a little charm pack of tissue silks which I had purchased some time ago in the drawer and decided I would have a go with them.

There was quite a selection of colours so I opted to use a few different ones.

I free stitched over these petal shapes but I think I over did it a bit and sat looking at the piece for quite a while before deciding that I didn't like it. I think it looks too busy!

So I cut into it and removed some sections with my little embroidery scissors.

I also outlined the leaves with a space dyed rayon cord.

I'm not sure how to progress with this, perhaps I should work on the background a bit now.

Machine embroidery

I decided to have a little play around with the grey organza fabric from the flowers that I posted about yesterday.  I dug out an old fabric sample from the bottom of the drawer, cut out a flower print from it sandwiched it between an old piece of blue shirt fabric and the grey organza and set it in a hoop. I set my machine up for freestyle stitching and away I went..........

Not bad...this is as far as a got with it have taken a closer picture below to show the shimmery effect of the gray. I had just started adding on some yarn when I had to stop. My little Charlotte is coming down with a cold and is needing more of my time. Her naps in the afternoon have been shorter than usual leaving me little time to sew. I'm looking forward to spending more time on this piece now.