On display

What is that saying about best laid plans? *L*

So the still life display that I was working on was originally going to be in a frame.  First, I discovered I messed up on the sizing.  Yes, the two parts of the display would fit into the frame, but not both at the same time.  That was a bit of a "duh" moment for me.  Which is fine.  The flowers in a half-vase demonstrated stitches taught in the classes, so that was going to be used.  Then the frame itself got kiboshed.

The display is up now, though, and I think it turned out rather well!



Individual classes are advertised underneath, while the vase and flowers are at eye level.   They have been THOROUGHLY sewn to the backing, so the parts and pieces won't go travelling, but people will still be able to touch it and examine it closely.  A great job was done in putting this together within the space and display restrictions.  Thanks, Ladies!!

Little pieces of history, part two

Here's another post featuring various items that my mother passed on to me during a recent trip out.

This next piece is a large, rectangular tablecloth. I don't know the exact dimensions, but it would easily cover a table large enough to seat six.



This piece was actually stitched by my cousin and godmother; the woman who inspired me to become a crafter with her gorgeous embroidered gifts I still treasure.

The piece is done with cotton embroidery floss on cotton or cotton blend cloth. The scalloped edge intrigues me. Usually, I see edges like this done in buttonhole stitch, with the design stitched inside the outer edge of the fabric, then the excess cut away, in the same matter as cutwork embroidery. The edging is not buttonhole stitch, however. It's looks like satin stitch worked around the edge. I can't see and won't be moving the threads around to look, but the outer curve of the scallops feel like they have been padded. That would certainly keep the edge stronger. What I can't tell is if the embroidered edge was stitched before or after the scalloped edge was cut. I will have to ask my cousin about it.






The middle of the cloth is framed with this stitched rectangle. The straight lines are done in a small, dense chain stitch. The two vertically placed motifs of this photo are at the centre of the rectangle's sides.

Unfortunately, from the flattened look of the embroidery, I think this has been ironed from the front instead of pressed from the back. Will have to fix that when I clean it.






Here's a detail of the motif. The stems are done in stem stitch with straight stitch leaves. For the flowers, the stamens are done in back stitch and French knots, with the petals and middles done in satin stitch.

I really love this piece! It's now the largest of my embroidered tablecloths, and I look forward to using it. :-)

Little pieces of history, part one

I have long had a passion for hand made items. Particularly items that are meant to be used. Aside from appreciating the time and skill required to make these items, I like how they can also connect us to the past. Even if I have no idea who made something or why, a piece of that person's hard work lives on.

While out in Manitoba a little while ago, my mother passed on a whole pile of items. Many of them belonged to her late aunt. Others had belonged to my mother's sister. When my aunt had to leave the farm and the property was sold, these items passed through several hands before making it to me, more than a year later! *L*

Over the next while, I'll be posting photos I took of the hand made pieces and telling a little about them. Most of them have seen a lot of years of use and some, sadly, have a fair amount of damage.

At this point, I have not done anything to them. They've been sitting in bags or boxes for a long time, and I've made no attempt yet to clean or press any of them. They are just as I've received them.

Here's the first. (If you want to see larger photos, just click on the image to be taken to my flickr page)



This small piece is worked on linen, which has such a lovely drape and softness. It measures about 16 inches square, including the border.



The embroidery appears to be done in cotton embroidery floss. The flower petals and leaves are done in Laisy Daisy stitch, with a bit of stem stitch among the leaves and satin stitch for the middles of the flowers. The black border is also done in stem stitch.



The crochet border is worked into an edge of single crochet. The edge of the linen has been folded over, and the fold is completely encased in the single crochet edge at the back. The border is a filet crochet finished with loops and picots.

This piece, according to my mother, was worked up by her late aunt, who was prolific and highly skilled. My mother had given me some small boxes of embroidery flosses, perle cotton, needles and tatting shuttles many years ago. Along with the finished pieces I brought back this trip, my mother also passed on a whole lot of crochet thread, some incredibly fine for use with a .75mm hook.

The last time I saw my great aunt, I was very young and barely remember her. I do, however, feel honored to have these items of hers. She was a remarkable woman.

Showpiece feature: beadwork vest

Vest detail
Originally uploaded by amkb

My daughter and I had another day at the museum, and this time, I brought along my monopod. It allowed me to finally get some decent pictures of some of my favourite pieces in the Aborigional display, though I still ended up on ISO1600, so they're pretty grainy.

This is a detail from a vest that always amazes me when I see it. You can see the rest of it here. The front panels are completely covered in solid beads! This technique uses lengths of pre-strung beads laid out in the pattern, then tacked into place from underneath. Most pieces I've seen using this technique have little spaces in between the beads where the tacking stitches are, but I see no sign of them here.

A lot of planning and skill went into making this, and I'm sure it was proudly worn by its original owner.

I wonder how much it weighs?

Showpiece: loomed quill work

Today I'll hopefully get photos taken of my latest projects. Until then, here's another showpiece from the Royal Alberta Museum.



This amazing piece of work is a baby belt - a long strap used to support a baby too big for a cradleboard on the back. This piece was made with a loom and dyed porcupine quills, edged with beads. I think the whole thing was about 5 feet long - long enough to reach from one shoulder, down around the baby's bottom, and back up to the opposite shoulder. The ends were then tied in front.

The work is so beautifully precise, and the piece is in excellent condition.

Showpiece feature: Aboriginal embroidery

I've got a few projects I need to get photos of for here. For now, I'm going to start on a showcase feature. Every now and then, I'll post photos of some pieces I find truly exceptional for one reason or another.

As an amature photographer, my nemesis has been the Royal Alberta Museum. No flashes, tripods or monopods allowed, yet the Aboriginal Culture display has some of the most exquisite pieces of workmanship that I want to get macro shots of. It's not unusual for me to take well over 100 photos in that section alone, but only have a handful of good photos. Some, I can salvage with software.



Here is an infant's moccassin. It's one of a number of truly amazing embroidery pieces, all done in silk thread on leather. The leather for these moccassins is soft for babies, but there are moose hide coats covered in silk embroidery, too.

Click on the link for larger views. It looks to be done in buttonhole stitch, stem stitch and French knots. I noticed buttonhole stitch seems to be the most common stitch used.