Birds, birds, birds – Jan Dowson

“Birds, birds, birds” was the title of the worshop that we had with Jan Dowson a couple of weeks ago at Seata.

I’d met the challenge to myself of finishing the slow stitch landscape before Jan came. The last couple of sections at the top…..

…….. and some more stitches on the stone wall at the bottom, and it’s done (apart from deciding how to hang it, probably from a branch).

Going out of the back door the next morning, I saw this skein of geese flying over. I’d heard geese for several days, but this was the first time that I’d seen any this autumn. Later, when looking at photos on my phone, I wondered what it was, because it looked like a line of stitches, and I couldn’t think what! It was only when I downloaded them on to the computer that I remembered, and it just seemed appropriate with the upcoming 3D bird workshop.

Jan had a pattern to trace and cut out, instructions, calico, legs, beaks and eyes for us all. The pattern included some tiny little gussets to attach to the main body and head. We could hand or machine stitch them together. I hand stitched / tacked the head one in place, then pinned the tummy pieces and decided to machine stitch it all. I did the head gusset and started turning it to the right side before doing the tummy pieces, all very awkward and fiddly, and only as I started to pin the two sides of the whole head and body together did I realise that I’d done the head one way and the tummy pieces the other. I decided rather than unpicking it ……

……I would make a feature of the seams on the head. The whole bird was then firmly stuffed before adding the legs. Jan’s husband Derek had made all the legs, twisting wire for the toes (claws)and legs. Tricky, but it seems he’s had plenty of practice. It was fiddly enough to cut them to the right length and twist them together at the top, once they had been pushed up through the holes in the calico, before more stuffing and ladder stitching the tummy gap. Much to my surprise it stood up and was quite stable.

Next the eyes and beak, which has some fluffy bits of feather stuck in where the beak goes in, before wrapping the legs in florist tape: still standing.

Now to start stitching tiny scraps of fabric to the body. I didn’t know what colour I wanted to make him / her, but no prizes for guessing! Time passed all too quickly, and this is the flock at the end of the day.

I had taken other colours possibly to use, but reverted to my favourite greens. It was lucky that we ran out of time, as I had about used all the scraps I had with me. I heard somebody mutter that mine had attitude and looked inquisitive. I haven’t done any more since, except finding some more green scraps ready to continue.

It was a great workshop – thanks, Jan. And it had pushed me into finishing the slow stitch landscape.

Slow stitch 5

I almost finished stitching the green area before moving on to the turquoisey strip. I used a variegated thread in wavy horizontal lines, then diagonal lines on the pinky and bluey grey areas in another variegated slightly thicker thread.

On the “cloudy sky” area, I used a much thinner blue (light and dark with much longer lengths before the colour changed).

I went to the end of the shiny fabric with my running stitches to give a bit more stability to the fabric.

Then I became more selective on using the light or dark areas of the thread as I neared the top.

It’s nearly there. A couple of areas need a bit more stitching: the wall at the bottom, the lighter green patterned fabric just up from the wall on the right hand side, maybe the french knot and random stitches in the fields above the sheep, and the very top. I should finish it before Jan’s workshop next week, but I also need to do my Monthly Stitchalong piece for then.

Wessex Stitchery 3

I’ve continued with my Wessex Stitchery this week. I started with Sheaf stitch in a slightly thicker pérle in a yellowy green, more or less following the line of the previous row.

Then there are two rows of elongated cross stitches in pale green pérle, followed by Tête de Boeuf Stitch (bull’s head stitch). Maybe I’ve adapted it slightly and made it in to a definite V ……

……and then gone back and put the “heads” in; you can see the first one on the left. I did tiny ones on the right hand side.

It’s a lovely variegated thread……

…….which is more obvious where I’ve done more on the left hand side. Then I’ve used a greyish blue variegated 21st Century stranded cotton, just one strand for an irregular row of blanket stitch, the other way up / down to the rows at the bottom. One more row, I think, before I start the sky.

Wessex Stitchery 2

I’d put my Wessex Stitchery away in a plastic wallet with another project and couldn’t find it, which did prompt me to do a little tidying up as I looked. I found a few other things I couldn’t find either. However, it meant that I finished my crazy patchwork and attached it to my jacket, together with the sacred geometry heart which I worked directly on to the jacket. This of course meant that I couldn’t wear it until the hoop was removed.

I’d really enjoyed the Seata workshop with Ruth a few weeks ago, and was keen to continue with the piece. I’d already done three more rows before I thought to take a photo. The first two were vertical straight stitches, again starting with regular stitches following the pattern from below on the left hand side, and then going off piste from more or less the middle out to the right side. I’ve kept the stitches the same size along each row, the dark green ones are slightly longer. Then there are individual fly stitches ……

……. and a forest of them on the right, some touching each other.

I’ve done pistal stitches in a brighter green thicker perlé. It’s growing slowly, and I’m enjoying working on it. The overall effect is very much like a landscape, which is what I was aiming for once I’d ‘seen’ mountains in the first row. The problem is that in a landscape the mountains would be distant, not in the foreground, but I do like the pattern. I’m now choosing my thread for colour, so it’s a mixture of perlé and stranded.

Wessex Stitchery

Today at Seata we have had an in-house talk and workshop on Wessex Stitchery from Ruth Neller, including loads of samples for ideas. I’ve only shown two of the samples.

Ruth had broken down some of the samples, so that we could see how the different stitches build up to form the patterns.

The square motifs need more counting and accuracy to make sure they join up properly at the corners .

Many of us had not heard of Wessex Stichery before, but a few ladies had found the book by Gay Eaton on their bookshelves. Unfortunately, it is out of print now and tends to command a high price on the second-hand market when it turns up. Not much had been published on Wessex Stitchery previously.

Ruth gave us an interesting and informative talk before we started stitching. One Mrs M Foster of Bath, born in 1843, was the originator of the technique which uses simple stitches, often text, and done in rich colours. The stitches are combined to make patterns which vary in size and complexity. She was still stitching at 90, and had a well-received exhibition of 30 years of her work. She died at 92 .

Ruth had provided us all with a kit, containing some Aida, quite a high count, (certainly smaller than I tend to work on) and a selection of stranded cotton. I picked this one with the antique colour Aida, with the intention of it maybe ending up on my embellished jacket once it is finished!

I’m not using the stranded cotton as I prefer working in perlé, and so far have only used the browns from my stumpwork acorns from last week.

As any long term readers of this blog will know, I’m not good at counted work. I started with blanket stitch in a zigzag pattern, not counting but just repeating my pattern…….

…….. and it was not long before I made my first mistake and went up instead of down; rather than unpicking I decided to go with it……

…. and ended up with this for my first row.

It made me think of mountains and a landscape, so I stuck with it. The second row in the darker brown (above the rusty perlé), I went off piste sooner, more mountainous. Then I went back and filled in at the bottom with straight stitches, still not counting, just making the pattern by eye.

More of the rusty colour to fill in at the bottom right.

I worked this top row from right to left until I ran out of thread, then started on the left and stitched until it joined up.

I think I’m ready to introduce some different colours and stitches when I carry on….. maybe I’ll even do some counting!

Around the room the work was very varied, both in colour, stitches and patterns used, and once again we were still stitching late in the afternoon. Thank you, Ruth, for all your hard work (fun stitching), research, preparation and kits. It was obvious that we all had a good day!

Slow stitching

At last week’s Jan Dowson landscape workshop, she gave me a small piece of sheep printed quilt fabric, and I’ve been dressing the sheep in French knots. It’s a very slow process.

I’m deliberately not doing perfectly regular knots, altering the size and amount of wraps, leaving some a bit loose and loopy, but catching down with another French knot any that look too loopy. I’ve used a single strand of stranded cotton for most of them, in 3 or 4 different shades of cream and beige.

For the lamb I’ve done lazy daisy stitches and stab stitches.

I’ve almost finished these two, but I’m going to put a few brown knots on the back leg.

On the sheep further away, I started with more spaced out French knots with less wraps, and some really loopy stitches at the front lower down. I’m working in my hand as Jan suggested, but it feels strange for the knots. It certainly feels slower than using a hoop with one hand on top and one underneath. Once I’ve finished the sheep, I think it will feel much more natural working in my hand.

There’s a long way to go, but it’s a good piece to pick up when I’ve got a few spare minutes.

Jan Dowson workshop at Seata

Last Saturday we had a long awaited Hand Stitched Landscape workshop with Jan Dowson. On Saturday morning, I was still undecided about what to do, busily scrolling through my thousands of photos. For all the photos that I take, I don’t take many landscapes (or people). Most are details or macro / micro of flowers, fungi, stitching / textiles, work in progress. I narrowed it down and printed half a dozen and madly gathered scraps in the right colours.

We all gathered round at the front for a brief look at some of Jan’s work and techniques, and listened to instructions and the plan for the day. Jan handed out large sheets of heavy paper, goody bags with written instructions, a selection of scraps to add to our own and a pattern for a little bird.

We had to simplify our chosen landscape, a sunset over Scunthorpe steelworks.

Jan walked around, looking at our ideas and drawings, and making suggestions. When she saw my photo of sheep at Brampton Banks, near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, she thought it lent itself to the technique better than the steelworks photo. It has more obvious horizontal lines, and would be easier to do for a first piece.

So I did a few quick sketches. The photo was taken further down the line, I’d got so involved with starting that I forgot to take photos until much later in the day.

Here are my scraps and Jan’s, mixed together as I started making choices.

This was much further on. I’d originally ignored the sheep, and started tacking down when Jan came round on another circuit, and said she had some printed sheep fabric I could use. I wasn’t convinced at first, thinking it would look rather twee, but cut out the smallest group of four, and then the two slightly larger ones for the foreground. I must say I was surprised: it brought the whole thing to life, and the scale worked. It now needs stitching. I’d just about got it all tacked down when it was time to stop for lunch.

The plan for the afternoon was to use scraps to form the little bird, and then stitch on feathers. I used a variegated perlé. He still needs legs and the eye stitching down, and I’m not sure if the eye placing is quite right, but the design of the silk scrap for the head has a centre where it fitted (see the photo above, with the paper bird pattern, in the yellow and blue piece). As always the day passed really quickly, and soon it was time to look at what everyone else had done and then pack up.

I also remembered to take my copy of Jan’s book and got her to sign it for me. Thank you Jan, and for a lovely day.

There’s a lot more slow stitching to go, but it’s something that can be picked up and worked on, now the main decisions have been made.