Category: Arts

In the middle of tax season, I managed to grab the 20 hours needed to complete my Green Apron project (started in 2017). The embroidery forms include smocking and drawn thread. All hand-stiched using green linen thread.

The top is worked in honey-comb smocking. I just love how honeycomb looks.

 

 

One of my favorite historic pictures is from Durer where you can see honeycomb smocking peeking out at the waist.

 

The big part of the apron is the drawn hemwork along the bottom. The five rows took forever to prep the bars. Once the bars are done, drawnwork is done in a handful of hours. Like most everything in the world, prepwork is the secret – the hidden part of the iceberg. But the results are worth it, don’t you think?

 

Still working on the coif. I added some embroidery thread – blue and brown.

Finally broke out my needles in the first time in forever during October. 

Want to see my pretties in process? I took some pictures on where I am on October 8, 2019. Hopefully I will finish a few of these.

First, I took a Beadwork Coif class at the beginning of the month. I had to make the coif before the class, now I am slowly beading the project.

 

Next, you might remember my ongoing apron projects. I’ve been working on this green one on and off for most of a year. Mostly off. But I pulled the pleating strings out of the smocked area this month and finished pulling out the threads to do the drawn work along the bottom. Now I just need to finish gathering the ladders for the drawn thread decorations. Of the things I am working on, this is the most likely to be completed this year.

    

I started the dragon towels last year during tax season (2019). Did another big push in July, and haven’t added a stitch since. It should be a set of four towels when complete. Biggest challenge with this one is following a pattern carefully, one of the reasons I dislike cross-stitch so much. If it wasn’t so pretty when it was done, I would give it up.

Then the BIG project. A complete set of mix-and-match Flemish garb with “heavy metal” embroidery. It will be six garments all told – two undergowns, two overgowns, and two aprons. I have completed one undergown (summer 2018) and one overgown (October 2019), the sewing portion. Working on the second undergown and overgown (the red apron gown is below). Then sew the two aprons. Then embroidering ALL THE THINGS!!! Well, four things: the two overgowns and the aprons. It will be AMAZING when done. … If it gets done.

That is always the challenge. Getting it done. So many pretties, sew little time.