TAST weeks 12 and 13; PLOS 6; plus WISP

Well, girls, I have a long way to go before I totally get "out of the box". I have reversed the order of my TAST stitches for weeks 12 and 13 for a reason. I really had problems with the Knotted Cretan and I need to practice this stitch more. My first sample is worked on 14ct. Aida with the first row stitched with #8 perle and the second row stitched with #3 perle. I tried vertical overlapping with #5 perle. Enough said.... you can see I need some practice.

On 25ct. linen my first row, which really turned out to be the best of all, IMHO, shows #5 perle used to couch a bulky yarn. The second row here was also stitched with the #3 perle. My final stitching, at this point, was worked in a #8 varigated ..... and really was a little better than my beginnings of this stitch.

Week 12 was Couching ...... one of my all time favorites. The first sample is stitched on 18ct Aida and the first row uses black rickrac for the foundation with flower sequins and seed beads for the couching. This one was really fun and I can't wait to use it on a cq seam. The second row uses satin ribbon with shank mop buttons for the couching. The third row is a wide rainbow colored grosgrain ribbon with 2 strands of DMC floss for the Herringbone Couching.

The first couching I did here on a poly/muslin foundation was with a piece of black chenille. I used a 12 red perle in a Buttonhole Stitch pattern. I like swirly/twirly patterns for couching and so for the second sample here I used a #3 perle with a single strand silk stitched in a Detached Chain pattern.

This is the second square of a crazy quilt hanging and fits into both the TAST stitchings and my PLOS class. In the upper left corner is a wired ribbon pansy (PLOS). I tied a sheer ribbon in a bow and just dropped it onto the square and pinned it where it landed. I used Colonial Knots to couch it down (TAST).
The large white flower is a wide piece of satin ribbon gathered in the center and fastened with Pistol Stitches stitched with Glory. The outside edge is attached with Buttonhole stitch (PLOS). Partially surrounding this flower is a piece of eyelash yarn couched with clear seed beeds (TAST/PLOS).

This sampler just does not want its picture taken LOL. This is the final week for the Personal Library of Stitches class and I have to say these lessons have gone a long way in helping me grow in my stitching knowledge and creativity. There is still very much I need to work with and there is space on my sampler for additional stitching. This last lesson dealt mainly with texture and to tell the truth it also went along with the TAST lesson on couching. To begin with I started this lesson with a short row of #8 perle purple stitched in Herringbone and tied (or couched) with a #5 magenta perle worked in Detached Chain. Directly under that is a #8 perle turquoise Herringbone tied with #5 perle gold worked as a Straight Stitch. Leaving a little space I did a reverse Herringbone in #5 perle green and tied it with #5 perle gold random sized Detached Chain Stitches. I used 4mm silk ribbon in Colonial Knotes for the center and a leaf stitch across the top. This was one of my favorite stitch patterns. Directly below this pattern I used two threads I had never used before - the foundation row is Rachellete and I couched it with a single strand of Cifonda silk in the Cretan Stitch. The middled section has a Buttonhole Wheel stitched in #12 perle with one row of Detached Buttonhole. That was a fun pattern to do! Directly under that is a Lazy Daisy flower again stitched with the Rachellete. I used a short piece of silk ribbon for a French Knot center and three strands of DMC floss for the Stem Stitch and Detached Chain leaves. For the last section, top row, I used a varigated 2mm silk ribbon and did what is known as glorified French Knots or Montano Knots and for the last stitching (at this point) I worked a Buttonholed Chevron in #8 perle. I'm not sure this stitch was done correctly but I do have texture and that is what this lesson was about. When the sampler is totally finished I hope to share a photo.

Aha!!!! At long last a WISP is now complete .... well, almost ...... I still have the turning seam to stitch and a finally blocking to do. This is a commissioned piece. It is a needlepoint Christmas tree skirt that was begun several years ago and the stitcher died before completion. Her daughter commissioned me to complete it. I did the white ribbon, the gold and red borders. If I had known how difficult the gold thread was to work with I never would have taken on this task. The white ribbon was stitched in the pearlized ribbon floss, the gold border in the DMC gold metallic skeins and the red border in #3 DMC perle. BTW it is backed in navy velvet.