Works in Progress Wednesdays-229

After completing the blue tussar for my friend [she also worked on it] with beads, this week passed with working on plum cotton tunic.
The chain stitch on other side with the same thread was completed yesterday, tomorrow is another thread.

I have a bright orange tights which matched with an old black tunic with Kashmiri embroidery.

This embroidery was cut and stitched onto another tunic few months ago.

Now this tunic goes well with black tights.
A tunic needs to be designed to match with orange tights. A striped grey hand loom fabric seems to match along with an orange checked handloom fabric. The tailor is marking the neck for embroidery.

I am drawing a design with kutchwork and mirrorwork elements.

 

Work In Progress Wednesdays-195

I am back to the stitching routine. The progress on Beyond TAST and SSS Challenges were not much. After working some samples of woven stitches, the search for new ideas started again.
The next two stitches on SSS challenge are easy. Hoping to start on them.
Kashmiri embroidery on Cream tussar tunic was completed and the tunic is with the tailor now.
The new project is mirror work border for this fine cotton ikat fabric.

The design was traced on plain black fabric. The shapes are outlined with 2 shades red thread. This thread is the darker one.

This project has small mirrors.
Drawing and tracing for this project took the time from working on challenges.

 

Works In Progress Wednesdays-165

This week the challenges and projects have kept the needles sticking to my hand.
Stitch challenges
Beyond TAST
We have something new to explore this month on Beyond TAST challenge. I need time to think on it.
SSS
Completed the Bayeux stitch sampler with satisfaction.
SALs
RPW 2018
I am yet to start a single border on this SAL. Saving the weekly charts is the only progress on this cross stitch SAL.
MMM SAL
February motif is posted on the site. The boundary was worked in Holbein stitch.

Projects
Red gaada tunic
The sleeves were worked this week with running stitch in pink thread.

Maroon and blue ikat combo
The folk flowers are being worked with Romanian stitch.

After working on the tunics, a long time UFO- A large long stitch kit has to be restarted. The work on it was started long time ago!

It was quite an interesting week on the whole.

 

Works In Progress Wednesdays-163

This week was a stitch busy week. Without making a proper plan to work on embroidery samplers, somehow the project seems to have started.
Stitch challenges
SSS challenge
Last week’s stitch was colonial knot, which was  never worked before. This knot was tried with the help of instructions on Queenie’s blog. Yet to have an idea of how to use this knot. This week’s stitch is Bayeux stitch. I have read a little about Bayeux tapestry, but have not thought about the embroidery stitches on it. An idea to use this stitch on Indian folk design is in mind.
Beyond TAST
I am still working on Sashiko project and Kogin sampler on this challenge. Swedish weaving sampler is yet to be started. These embroidery samplers have been a dream for me. Instead of consciously starting this mega project, these attempts to learn and work new embroidery styles may help in seeing the realism of this idea.
RPW 2018
Randjes are being posted on the blog. A few of them are inspiration for kutch embroidery too. This is the progress on this challenge this week.
SALs
MMM SAL
The black work motif of this month was completed. it will be posted soon on the blog.
Projects
Maroon and blue ikat combo tunic
This tunic project started with two shades of grey cotton skeins used for stitching- Cretan, buttonhole and leaf stitches on this motif, this week.

Red gaada
Closed cretan stitches are used to work the half circles on neck of this red /black tunic.

I do seem have fingers on too many embroidery work, but this is quite interesting. Whenever it gets boring, I can either shift to the next one, or write about the various ideas on my journal or set them aside and do something else.

 

 

Works in progress Wednesdays-156

I can’t say this was a productive week embroidery wise. We had a very long weekend because of National day holidays. The climate is quite cool here. Eating out, watching old movies and just driving around. The days were well spent. It was hard to come near the computer. The SSS challenge is just the way it was last week.
Projects
Blue ikat tunic
The closed herringbone stitch in pink thread was completed on this border, while watching movies. I started with green thread, working the same closed herringbone as filling. The work is quite meditative I suppose.

Since I have bought too many tunic fabrics, there is personal commitment to work on them. But these days, I feel a tiredness creeping in once in a while. Though there is happiness in designing and working the embroidery, most of my other work are set aside for another time. There is always one new tunic waiting to be designed. The UFOs are not even looked at. May be all these thoughts are because of moving towards the end of the year. Some important thinking, changing, organizing is required.

 

Red pouch-2

On SSS stitch challenge Rumanian stitch was 36th week stitch. I decided to use work this stitch on a square pattern. The details are here.
After working Rumanian stitches, the embroidery was further embellished with square mirrors worked in variegated thread. The two squares after stitching the mirrors.

This piece was given to the tailor and was sewn into a pouch. Side a

The other side looks like this.

It looks like the pouches used by tribal women. I love it. A simple embroidery done on pouch seems like a nice gift.

 

Work In Progress Wednesdays-144

We had family visiting from India. They left on Tuesday last week. I was never near the needles or thread or computer during that time to post progress.
The stitches on SSS challenge of the last three weeks are yet to be tackled. The braid stitch is a stitch to be learnt, this might be worked on a string bag. The design is yet to be drawn. Hoping to start the Chinese cross stitch samples today. The method of working the Chinese knots will have to be considered after this.
The TAST challenge has to be visited on Pintangle.
A few borders in Kasuti embroidery was worked on the sampler cloth. This will be a separate post from now on.

Projects
The embroidery with green thread on black fabric for green blouse was completed. The zardosi work on pink fabric for violet matka silk was also completed.
The kutchwork border designs were drawn on cream / half white cotton fabric. This will be long project, so the progress may not be regular. It started with working near the edge.

We had open chain stitch on SSS challenge. This stitch is often used in some Indian ethnic embroidery. To work this stitch for this red striped tunic, is the next project idea.

Another project idea is also there, which will be shared on next work in progress Wednesday post.