Rally BIG Ephinany

My current project is a free style/surface embroidery interpretation of Alma
Lynn's Fannie Flosswinder which can be seen at:
(http://www.almalynnestudios.com/Webp...h/Fannie.html). My ground
is off white cotton with a not too intrusive pattern. Rather than covering the
apron in satin or split stitches, I wanted to make an applique from an unknown
content, shiny, translucent fabric and attach it to the piece with WonderUnder
and then embellish with crazy quilt stitch combinations.

My first practise with the shiny fabric was a disaster!!! The wonderunder
attached just fine but when I tried step 2, attaching the shape to a ground,
the shiny fabric melted. After shouting a few expletives, a light bulb went on:
try another practise run but this time reduce the heat even though the
instructions say to use a somewhat high setting.

Wahla -- appliqued apron!!

Have you had an ephinany lately?

--
another anne, add ingers to reply

On Dec 10, 10:44*am, anne wrote:
My current project is a free style/surface embroidery interpretation of Alma
Lynn's Fannie Flosswinder which can be seen at:
(http://www.almalynnestudios.com/Webp...h/Fannie.html). My ground
is off white cotton with a not too intrusive pattern. Rather than covering the
apron in satin or split stitches, I wanted to make an applique from an unknown
content, shiny, translucent fabric and attach it to the piece with WonderUnder
and then embellish with crazy quilt stitch combinations.

My first practise with the shiny fabric was a disaster!!! The wonderunder
attached just fine but when I tried step 2, attaching the shape to a ground,
the shiny fabric melted. After shouting a few expletives, a light bulb went on:
try another practise run but this time reduce the heat even though the
instructions say to use a somewhat high setting.

Wahla -- appliqued apron!!

Have you had an ephinany lately?

--
another anne, add ingers to reply

When stitching on extremely wonky linen, take out contacts, take off
glasses and stitch close to your nose.

Linda

lewmew wrote:
When stitching on extremely wonky linen, take out contacts, take off
glasses and stitch close to your nose.

Linda

This is the way I read if I am laying in bed or on the plane. If I
am working on VERY small count fabric (that would be 40 ct. over 1 for
MOI) I will often do this to double check if I have managed to skip any
threads/stitches. My eye Dr. said that if you can see this way once you
are in your 50's you will be able to do it for the rest of your life!
That ability to see very close up, even if you need glasses for near or
far sightedness, will never deteriorate or disappear. Now THAT makes me
happy -- if all else fails, I can just do without my glasses when I am
really, really old and not bother with what is going on around me --
LOL! Means I'll be able to see well enough to stitch for a very long
time, too, even if I have to hold my fabric 4 inches away from my nose
:-))). CiaoMeow ^;;^

PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^ (RCTQ Queen of Kitties)
Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about
their whiskers!
Visit my Photo albums at http://community.webshots.com/user/tiamary

On 12/10/08 11:44 AM, "anne" wrote:

My current project is a free style/surface embroidery interpretation of Alma
Lynn's Fannie Flosswinder which can be seen at:
(http://www.almalynnestudios.com/Webp...h/Fannie.html). My ground
is off white cotton with a not too intrusive pattern. Rather than covering the
apron in satin or split stitches, I wanted to make an applique from an unknown
content, shiny, translucent fabric and attach it to the piece with WonderUnder
and then embellish with crazy quilt stitch combinations.

My first practise with the shiny fabric was a disaster!!! The wonderunder
attached just fine but when I tried step 2, attaching the shape to a ground,
the shiny fabric melted. After shouting a few expletives, a light bulb went
on:
try another practise run but this time reduce the heat even though the
instructions say to use a somewhat high setting.

I feel your pain. A few years ago I took a quilting class at an LQS. It's
a very interesting process - involving strips being turned into sets then
cut and flipped and made into blocks - I forget the designers name. Anyhow,
I did mine w/ really interesting fabrics - some orientals, and also some
gorgeous kind of shiny, shimmery quilting fabric. When I was ironing the
strip set seam allowances - I flipped over - and had melted out a hole near
the seams in some pieces of the shimmery fabric! I was soooooo annoyed -
given that I bought the fabric in that shop, and there was no indication
that it had a synthetic needing to be handled at a lower temp. Now,
anything similar, I use a press cloth - which will do the trick. In
particular when I use the bonding fabrics, materials, I always use a press
cloth. Saves holes.

Wahla -- appliqued apron!!

Congrats.

Have you had an ephinany lately?

LOL - nothing good. My epiphany is that I'm getting cranky in dealing with
all the insane, stupid, bad run of luck that has hit us the last 6
months....i.e. - my patience is wearing thin, and I'm starting to look old
and cranky! But, who knows. I may have a good epiphany soon.

Oh - here's one - though it's pretty minor. When stitching on black - w/
black threads - it's really hard to see. I actually in desperation (and not
wanting to get back up to look for something else) took a double length of
white paper towel, and attached it to the top of my canvas front via my
magnet - and flipped it over to the back - so that there is a white
background behind. The paper stays there like a screen (I have the canvas
pretty vertical in the stand at this time), and can still put my hand behind
the piece, in front of the background. This actually worked really well to
help with the stitching process. Lap cloth - just wasn't sufficient. The
paper towel gave the nice white, and is light enough that it's not in the
way of my "underneath" hand.

Ellice

Begin slight whine -- I'm fighting a cold or sinus infection and my brains
are quite mushy end slight whine

As previously noted, I'm interpretting Alma Lynn's Fannie Flosswinder. The
chart has cross stitch representations of skeins of floss. I can't seem to hit
upon a process that'll make 1- 1 1/2" long skeins without them being too thick
and heavy.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

--
another anne, add ingers to reply

anne wrote:

Begin slight whine -- I'm fighting a cold or sinus infection and my brains
are quite mushy end slight whine

As previously noted, I'm interpretting Alma Lynn's Fannie Flosswinder. The
chart has cross stitch representations of skeins of floss. I can't seem to hit
upon a process that'll make 1- 1 1/2" long skeins without them being too thick
and heavy.

Hrm. Try taking a standard length of floss, stripping and recombining
two or three strands of it, then wrapping around a couple of fingers,
or making a loop on the table. You may not need the entire length to
get the right look. Use gold color floss to wrap the loops at the
appropriate places, and voila! skeins of floss.

Or do the same thing with a length of number 12 perle cotton. I don't
know which would work better.


hth,
jenn

--
Jenn Ridley :
WIP: Poppies (Art-Stitch), two knitted tops, Oriental Butterfly
Most recently Finished: Floral Sampler, Insect Sampler

On 12/12/08 12:13 PM, "anne" wrote:

Begin slight whine -- I'm fighting a cold or sinus infection and my brains
are quite mushy end slight whine

As previously noted, I'm interpretting Alma Lynn's Fannie Flosswinder. The
chart has cross stitch representations of skeins of floss. I can't seem to hit
upon a process that'll make 1- 1 1/2" long skeins without them being too thick
and heavy.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

What about doing something like a sheaf or wheat stitch, that is essentialy
long stitches that are tied down (couched over) in the middle. You could do
the tie down stitches with a different color to represent the label. I'm
pretty sure there are some diagrams of this stitch on the ANG Stitch of the
Month site - or you could find it in a ref book. Just an idea - and easier
than turkey work.

Ellice

says...
Hrm. Try taking a standard length of floss, stripping and recombining
two or three strands of it, then wrapping around a couple of fingers,
or making a loop on the table.

I'm not sure what a standard length of floss is eg Your suggestion about
stripping and using less than 6 strands coupled with a thought to mimic how
tassels are made by wrapping around a piece of cardboard gave me some nice
mini-skeins.

Since the whole skein won't show because they're going to be placed in pockets,
I opted to make long loops, despite ellice's comment g, that may or may not
have a wrapper when I'm finished. OTOH, I may scatter some skeins to make a
floor. When I'm finished with this masterpiece, I'll take pictures and then do
a kit -- no decisions which are driving me nuttier than usual!!

hth, jenn

It did -- thanks!

--
another anne, add ingers to reply

says...
Just an idea - and easier than turkey work.

I like turkey work and even took a class at EGA's national seminar. Right now,
the plan is use wool and uncut turkey work to make her scarf.
--
another anne, add ingers to reply

anne wrote:

says...
Hrm. Try taking a standard length of floss, stripping and recombining
two or three strands of it, then wrapping around a couple of fingers,
or making a loop on the table.

I'm not sure what a standard length of floss is eg

Whatever you usually use for stitching.

hth, jenn

It did -- thanks!

glad it worked!

jenn

--
Jenn Ridley :
WIP: Poppies (Art-Stitch), two knitted tops, Oriental Butterfly
Most recently Finished: Floral Sampler, Insect Sampler