Works In Progress Wednesdays-132

We are back in Muscat slowly flowing into routine. I am better now.
The SSS challenge and TAST challenge both have new stitches to work. The upright cross stitch is an easy one. I hoping to start on it tomorrow. After that I have to work on beaded oyster stitch on TAST challenge.
Before returning to Muscat, I managed to work on my friend’s saree. A kutch work line along the width of the saree, which could be more than 40 inches.

The detail of the embroidery.

The kutchwork line in two colours was worked on the sleeves of the blouse also.

Nothing else was done other than this project and packing in Chennai, India. I have unpacked the fabrics bought in Chennai. Phew!! Some or most of them would require embroidery, which would be looked into during the next week. Lots of work to do.

 

Work In Progress Wednesdays-131

I am a day late in posting again. There was not much stitching done during this week also. Heat is playing games on my body it seems. I am better now. We are leaving for Muscat this Saturday.
The work on silk blouse was completed. My neighbour loved this embroidery. Says she is also getting inspired.

Seeing this, my friend also wanted some embroidery on her unstitched blouse. She gave me the saree and the blouse. The saree and the blouse already had machine embroidered elephants.

This is the pallu of the saree, which is draped over the shoulder, either in the back or front, depending on the culture. The same six yards saree is worn in so many ways not only in India but also Srilanka, Egypt and some parts of Africa. In India and Srilanka, the heavily woven or worked pallu is shown in decorative ways. Saree draping is a whole different art form.
The blouse sleeve also has elephants. I have drawn a line over the red elephant, to work songle kutch work.

I am working a row of single kutch work on the pallu now. It doesn’t require any embroidery, but still a line would differentiate the pallu and the body of the saree. After that, the work on the sleeves will start. Simple embroidery, still takes time.

 

Work in progress Wednesdays-127- Orange yellow chanderi patch kutchwork tunic

I have been working on this sewn tunic this week.

The kutchwork pattern was traced onto the tunic with white carbon. Not a very bright idea.
The pattern-

When a time was conducive I started with brown thread. The design was very light after so many weeks. The brown thread in Chennai sunlight did not match so well as in Muscat indoor light. Still eager to start the project, I started with the basic stitches with brown thread. While working on it bought red and yellow threads. After ensuring the points are covered with brown thread, started with the yellow thread.

The basic stitches in brown are interlaced with red thread. This looks much better than the dull brown. Controlling the urge to work mirrors.

The four motifs below the neck was worked in red thread.

The pattern is now is worked with yellow thread.

The centre and other spaces are worked in half white thread. By this time the design from white carbon has completely vanished. This pattern was also drawn on 2mm graph paper.

The project is completed without mirrors.

The embroidery detail-

The tunic looks nice even without the embroidery. An outline stitch around the neck would have been sufficient.
The 17th stitch on SSS challenge seems like an easy stitch. Started working on the sampler today.

 

White green majenta kutch work tunic

I am in Chennai, India for vacation. Embroidery is not part of this routine. Still some small assignments are worked in between other work. This tunic was worked in the summer of 2016.
After working two tunics in lemon green and white combination some pieces of lemon green fabric was lying around. A kutchwork embroidery seemed like a good idea. There was this tunic fabric in half white cotton block printed with the same colour.

I wanted to add another colour to this white. A medium majenta thread was chosen.

Drawing diagonal kutchwork on 2mm graph paper gives a dainty look. The border pattern-

The pattern below the neck-

I started with the first sleeve border.

Making the anchoring stiches was not so difficult. Care was required to work the stitch at the precise point and moving over or under the thread had to be accurate. The interlacing was not so easy, because of the daintiness of the pattern.

This is the same story in the second part of the journey, still it was better to work the outer squares.

Instead of looking for another colour, the single line kutch border was worked in green. An idea of working this border in white was considered and rejected.

I moved on to the yoke at this point. The kutch work in green thread.

The basic kutch squares worked in majenta.

Worked the border in majenta and the back stitch outline was worked in white. This piece was completed.

The border on another sleeve was worked.

The embroidered pieces and the tunic fabric was given for sewing.

The detail.

After a while, a cotton fabric with same lemon colour tones was bought for salwar [ Indian  pants].

I wore this tunic set last week. It was cool.

 

Work in progress Wednesdays-126

I have been in India for the past few weeks. I could stay here till first week of May. Generally stitching comes to a standstill on a vacation. Browsing the net is minimal. This routine is not working now. Too much laziness is also not good. I might forget everything.
It is hard to work the stitch challenges. They are put on hold.
I have two sewn tunics to be embroidered. The first tunic is mangalagiri with chanderi silk cotton patch.

I had drawn a kutch work design is Muscat for this. The embroidery on this tunic was started.

The second tunic in white mull fabric on which mirrorwork needs to be done on the black borders.

My neighbour is sewing a blouse for her sister. She wanted a simple embroidery on it. We have bought some red and white stones for embellishing. The fabric needs to be marked.

These information posted here is for motivating me to start doing some embroidery work.

 

Work In Progress Wednesdays-117

Happy New Year!
After a weeklong vacation in Chennai, India, we went to Dubai for two days last week. Two full weeks of doing everything else but stitching. Meeting family, making plans, shopping… the list is endless. Some fabrics were bought, which will be shared on this category as and when they are designed. Now for the works in stand still.
Challenges
RPW 2016- Some motifs were started four weeks ago. The project is in the same position, though the challenge was completed officially on 31st December. Still a long way to go, hoping to take a picture of the progress this week!
TAST Challenge is taking a break for two weeks.
Sunday Stitch School- I am yet to start the latest- four sided stitch. Queenie who is conducting this challenge, was affected by Influenza, poor thing! Will feel happy if I can manage to start this stitch sampler tomorrow.
Never ending sampler stitch Along
This is a band sampler challenge started by Pamela Kellogg. The details are on her blog. I am still not sure about starting this challenge. But the cross stitch and black work bands are really interesting, and really want to see how the SAL members are treating these bands. Just read about it on Sharon’s Pintangle last week.
Marash embroidery
Yellow printed silk tunic with kutchwork
This project was completed yesterday. The time slot between, coming back from India and leaving for Dubai, was solely used for this project. it is to be given to the tailor.

WIPW117-yeprinkutch-5

Zardosi work on silk tunic for green Banarasi duppata
I had this green banarasi brocade duppata for quite a long time. Few years ago, a tunic was designed and embroidered. But it didn’t look interesting after some time. This time around, a cream silk fabric is chosen for the tunic and the dark green cotton fabric is for the salwar.

WIPW117-cresilkbanarasizardosi-1

A simple pattern consisting of linear stitches is drawn on this raw silk fabric. After working the stitches, the piece will also be embellished with green zardosi beads. I took this fabric with pattern drawn to India, in the hope of working on this project. But it came back intact in the box it was taken.

WIPW117-cresilkbanarasizardosi-2

Cross stitch on blue polyester linen
This project was in mind for some months. I was shillyshallying between working cross stitch on aida cloth or on the fabric itself with waste canvas. There were many indecisive pattern choices. At last a pattern made up of two borders was selected.

WIPW117-n.bluepolinencross-1

The decision is to work on 11 count Aida. The embroidery will be for the end of the sleeves. The tunic design will be decided later. The Aida on which these borders are to be worked.

WIPW117-n.blluepolinencross-2

 

Work In Progress Wednesdays-116

Cyclone in Chennai
We are planning to go to Chennai, India for a week on Friday. This city was ravaged by cyclone on Monday. The electricity is yet to be restored. The mobile connections are also down. It is limping now. it will be a tough time. The next week would be free from stitching.
Stitch challenges
RPW 2016- this challenge is lagging behind. Previous week’s motifs are started and the motifs and the border can be worked in leisure without the chart now. Yet to do that on this week’s chart.
SSS- This week is a revision of the first five stitches. I am not planning to do anything this week, but will be browsing the other stitchers of this challenge.
TAST- zigzag woven chain is this week’s stitch on this challenge. The link to the samples worked earlier was posted on FB group page yesterday. This is the last stitch for this year. Sharon has hinted that after 100 stitches there might be some change.
Marash embroidery
This is the only project I am working on this embroidery. This needs to be completed before it goes to the tailor.

WIPW116-yelprinkutch-4

Two projects are awaiting to be designed on this subject. One is the orange tunic with chanderi patch and another is a white linen fabric. A basic idea of the design is ready for the white linen, it is yet to be drawn and traced on to white silk cotton piece, when the time permits! The design has to be created for the orange tunic.

WIPW114-orayelchanderikutch-1

Mirror work
I picked up this tunic from the tailor yesterday. The black borders will be worked with mirrors, someday I think! At least the tunic and the idea are ready.

WIPW116-whblamullmirt-1

String bag [1]
After tracing the design on to the linen fabric, initial stitches are made in stem stitch. Three strands of three different threads are used. Expectation was more to see the effect of three colours mixed together. It is less than I expected, still happy with it. Will see this after coming back from India.

ipw116-sbag’16[1]

Wishing for some really small projects to complete faster. All small projects are on sewn tunics. These days my interests in tunic designs seem bigger and bigger. Lots of time has to be invested for these works. Being bigger the designing also takes time. Too many choices and it is hard to draw a line. It appears the RPW challenge might extend way into 2017. That can be the excuse not to join next year’s RPW challenge.