“Moving on”

We have had another “Move it on” session at S.E.A.T.A. today, but I started by default earlier in the week at “In the stitch zone” when I discovered I’d picked up the wrong bag and hadn’t got my bigger piece of felt with me. The previous week I’d gone without my sewing kit, though this was soon remedied by borrowing a needle and scissors.

Fortunately, I’d got several unfinished pieces (works in progress) in my bag, so made a start on the felt (Karen Lane) that I’m making into a hair slide piece. First I did a tiny bit of weaving, one of the prompts from the “Springboard Project” that we have done this term with Alex. I decided I’d try and get all ten prompts on this piece, but I’m not sure if I’ve really managed it; some are a little tenuous but certainly have layer, knot, scrunch, wrap, cut …..

I reached the stage where I was ready to assemble it, but with trying it out, and in consultation with Alex, decided it needed another layer of pelmet vilene which was also at home. Then a bit of a shock, I’d hadn’t realised how grey my hair is at the back.

First job this morning was to cut another piece of pelmet vilene, then to gather with running stitches around the backing fabric, but the piece of green that I intended to use was slightly too small to overlap enough to make it strong enough not to fray, (another prompt, but not one I want to happen on the construction). The only suitable piece of cotton fabric that I had with me was the background fabric from the vegetable garden, the perfect colour of silk I had would just slide too much.

I managed to get it smoother and flatter on the back than I expected only to discover I’d put it on the wrong side of the pelmet vilene – it would have been against the felt leaving the back as pelmet vilene with the extra fabric on the back. This was soon remedied by putting another layer of fabric to hide the raw edges and it’s reinforced the ends of the hole where the metal goes through under my hair. The raw edges are all going to be hidden inside.

I’ve button-hole stitched the five layers together on the centre hole ….

…. and around the edge.

So it’s finally finished….

…. and the back is neat too.

I’ve also finished the holly and ivy bauble with five tiny red glass beads, and neatened the top and the bottom.

“Move it on”

Last week at SEATA we had a last minute change of plan due to illness, so in the morning we had a “Move it on” session. I took my piece of felt from last week, had a few thinking-out-loud conversations as I was telling folk about it, and ideas came from several people, some of which are possibilities. The felt is fairly thick, so I’ve come to the conclusion that a raglan sleeve or a saddle shoulder would be best and more flattering. Fabric may also be used either for the sleeves and/or down the sides. I need to have a rummage through my stash. Once I could make no more progress on the project, I moved on to other things in hand.

First it was some cushion stitch on canvas that we started with Alex at “In the stitch zone” much earlier in the year. Predictably I immediately went off-piste with mine. The cushion stitch was in my comfort zone, as was the idea to use different size “cushions” and a variety of textures and weights for the threads, which I had also done. How could I push myself a little?

Colour? Combinations of colour? Yes, but a bit of a cheat really. I used the beautiful variegated plait of thread at the bottom left of the first photo, which I used to do a diagonal row of “cushions” starting bottom left and finishing top right. I then used these colours to work out from the diagonal row. This is where I left off months ago.

It was a nice easy piece to pick up and continue with. Assessing it afresh, I realised that the size of the “cushions” didn’t vary very much, and the original variegated thread had got “lost”. The first thing to do was to start to remedy both. Then I filled in the gaps on the left with another slightly variegated thread, which I think worked. Often, using more than one becomes overkill and they fight for attention.

With carefully not starting at the end of the thread, I managed to make the colours more or less match up on the large “cushion”. Then, to fill in the rest of the gaps. It needed more of the yellowy tones but not more fluffy texture, and the only other right tone I had with me was another slightly variegated heavy perlé, fortunately very subtle. And just to rebel a little more, I did a few rectangles, cushions don’t have to be square!

Various deadlines are looming, so I have been trying to “move” some of them on too.

We have angels to finish for the next SEATA meeting for the Scunthorpe Festival of Christmas Trees. Ruth had masses of stuff for us to use last month, and although I am trying to use my stash I couldn’t resist these black “wings”.

Janet H did a session on angel-making a few weeks ago at the Allsorts group. I’d picked a sparkly fuchsia pink felt (not what I’d intended to use), but I had my own bag of suitable bits, including the pink I’ve used for the arms and legs. I’d got beads for the hands, but wanted pink bells for the shoes. I’ve not managed to find them, but found these silver beads when looking for something else. I really wanted some wild fuchsia pink hair, but this fluffy pale pink fell out of the drawer when I was looking for it. It’s still wild.

So, she’s moved on too. I think the eyes need darkening, the face needs some attention, and then I need to attach the wings and (very subversive) a black bead halo that was actually suggested by a vicar’s wife!