Kogin / pattern darning

We started a new project this week at “In the stitch zone“. Liz had seen a project in “Stitch” magazine a while back, and had suggested Kogin / pattern darning when Alex had asked for ideas of things we would like to do. Alex had done several samples, including the one below, and found a selection of patterns for us to try.

I chose to work on a beige Aida fabric using a “go to” dark green perlé, thinking that it will go on my embellished jacket (when I finish it!). I had my usual problems with counted work of any sort and following a pattern. I started with trailing the thread from one row down to the next, which made it a bit loopy, and this is only a section of the motif.

I started with a slightly different pattern, but couldn’t work out the spacing between motifs, which wasn’t helped by not knowing how many would fit across my fabric. (I’m thinking cutting it off along the fold line.) After several attempts and making silly mistakes, I decided to start in the centre of the fabric with what is the bottom row below, and working from the middle out to the left, having left enough thread to work from the centre to the right.

I started a new length of thread for each row, working from the middle out to the left, then the middle out to the right. My thoughts were first that if I made a mistake I could correct it more easily and not have to undo it all, and then by leaving the threads I can meander them across the jacket when I get that far!

I have begun to work a little faster now the pattern is beginning to develop. The motif mirror images from the bottom row. One of the lovely things about it is that the back has the negative image of the pattern, which is something to experiment and play with. We’ve got two more weeks on the project, but lots of possibilities for developing it further.

Embellished jacket

A couple of weeks ago I finally made a start on a long-planned piece of work. In fact it was started some time ago, as many of the pieces were just waiting to be stitched on, and with some of them it was a case of finding them, having been tucked away in a variety of folders. The main one was the “bubbles” piece, which was returned to me after the Lincolnshire Textiles exhibition at the Chapter House in Lincoln Cathedral at the end of August. It was / is to be the focal point on the back of the jacket.

I’d envisioned it before it was even finished stitching last year. Once I had it back, I’d had it pinned on the back of the jacket on my tailor’s dummy, but I tried it on and got somebody to take a photo at “In the stitch zone” a couple of weeks ago. I felt it needed moving a little higher or even…..

….. putting across the back yoke. But it isn’t symmetrical in shape and not unsymmetrical enough to look intentional. It just didn’t look balanced. The bottom piece was done years ago – a workshop with Mary on Kantha work, which I’d never heard of at the time, but I loved the effect. Ironically I’d decided I should make a whole jacket in it, but it hasn’t got any further since! It may end up on this jacket, or maybe another project, who knows?

I also tried other pieces on the front. I thought the cream one would be more likely to get grubby near the bottom, so stitched the brown and orange one down over the pocket, making sure not to stitch through the front as well, so that the pocket is usable.

I rotated it ninety degrees anti-clockwise as well, and extended the stitching on to the jacket using the same variegated thread. I was so excited about it, that I wore it with just this piece on.

I then added the bubbles to the back, slightly higher than the top photo, using tiny ladder stitches and turning the excess under as I went.

By the end of the second session, I’d got a couple of inches left to do, and again wore it with a few threads dangling – it was the easiest way to carry it, rather than it being crumpled up in my bag. It’s all stiched on now.

I’ve found some more pieces for the front, and have made a start on adding more stitches to the orange crazy patchwork butterfly piece. There’s still a long way to go, but it will evolve as I go along and I can at least wear it while it’s a WIP.