Slow Stitching - July 2025 - Week 3

I have belonged to bible study groups as a participant and a leader.

I was a leader in women's ministries at church for many years. This lead to organizing events, contributing at meetings, offering creative and practical help to create community for women.

I attended night school for many years and full time studies for a year where I met new people every year and made friends.

I organized a women's group which met in our homes to create community and support for women. It was called Welcome to my Kitchen.  It was a wonderful time. The pandemic put it on hold and it has not returned in that form.I loved it.

Slow Stitching - May 2025 - Week 3

K3N Cloth Tales Comfort Coverlet 2025 Slow Stitching project - March - Week 3.

I continue to add elements to my books square. 

I have added standing books to the top shelf of the bookcase with a variety of colors. Again, the stitch is the outline stitch with 2 strands of thread.

Then, a set of books laying on the second shelf featuring nice colored covers.

I added a red vase with flowers on the bottom shelf. 

Slow Stitching - May 2025 - Week 2

K3N Cloth Tales Comfort Coverlet 2025 Slow Stitching project - May - Week 2.

I continued with my books theme this week. 

Added green leaves with vines in single thread to the vine along the left hand edge. I used a variety of green colored thread. 

I added a book to the top shelf featuring a green edge, gold oval and green star in the center. It's cover facing out.

Then, a clock to the middle shelf in gold thread with black hands. 

Then, glasses to the bottom one.  I need those to read. Very important.

The embroidery is all done with the outline stitch. 

Slow Stitching - May 2025 - Week 1

K3N Cloth Tales Comfort Coverlet 2025 Slow Stitching project - May - Week 1.

I chose books for my May coverlet square.  I read a lot. I generally get my books from the Thrift Store, library book sales or the little Free Libraries in my area.

I started with a bookcase in brown thread.  I added a plant pot in blue on top with a green vine travelling along the left hand side of the square. 

I added a Little Free Library structure in the bottom left and corner in blue with bright books inside.  I added grass near the base of the library.

The stitch used is the outline stitch. 

Slow Stitching - April 2025 - Week 5

My April piece of slow stitching following K3N Cloth Tales - Comfort Coverlet 2025.

I added a few finishing details to this piece.

Brown seed stitch in the tea bag to represent the tea.

I added grass with green floss in a variety of long stitches to ground my tea house.

This piece has turned out so well.

Slow Stitching - April 2025 - Week 2

K3N Cloth Tales - Comfort Coverlet 2025 - Week 2

I added a teapot, tea cup and a lacy tablecloth to my stitching piece this week.

I chose a teal colored floss for these items.  Stitched with the stem stitch.  Teapot based on the one I use at home every day.

I added some brown stitches for my tea in the cup and some steam coming off the cup.

The lace I just stitched on the background just along the base of my tea items.

I am happy with the results.

Tree Scent Ornaments - Silver Plated Frames

 My tree scent ornaments sold well at the Christmas Store in the Allied Arts Council Gallery this year so I am starting to make more for next year.

I found 3 very cute silver plated cat frames while shopping at the thrift store with my niece this weekend.  The price was right so I took them home.

I decided to embroider small felties to put in them as the diffusers. I enjoy my slow stitching.

This one features a cat sitting in the sun with flowers growing in the garden.  The flowers mirror the potted flowers on the windowsill and the sun is warm and wonderful

A variety of greens for the garden in the beyond the window.

I mostly kept the pieces intact except the easel back which would not work for ornaments.

I added some fusible pelon to the back of the stitched work to hide the stitching and add some depth. I added a piece of white card stock to which I affixed the silver plated sticker.

I added a color coordinated 1/8" satin ribbon as a hanger which has been hand stitched to the embroidery piece itstelf.

I returned the glass for a spacer and allows the frame to be returned to that purpose if so desired.

The screws on the tabs needed to be tightened and I was done.

I created the night time scene with the full moon in the sky accompanied with silver stars stitched with silver metallic thread onto navy felt.

The moon is grey thread and the outline stitch.

I created a span of water below showing the reflection of the moon in it.  A few ripples in the water were added with a few grey stitches.

The cat is gazing out from its windowsill into the night.

I added a navy satin ribbon hanger and reassembled the layers into the frame and it was done.

I added a distant landscape outside the window with a beautiful warm sun.

The sky features a white cloud and a black bird.

The landscape is created with a variety of green threads with the outline stitch.  The are very closely stitched side by side to hide the blue felt sky.

The cat sits on the sill while enjoying the scene outside.

Slow Stitching 2025 - Feb - Week 3

Slow stitching with K3N Cloth Tales Comfort Coverlet 2025.  February week 3. 

I continued my composition of subjects that I photograph.  

The top curlicue got some spring blossoms with tiny leaves, a song bird in blue ( I don't often see blue birds but the color made me happy) and a woodland mushroom.  Again, the ones I photograph are generally in the brown tones.

The shapes I just mostly hand draw to get them into the spaces that they need to occupy.

I am happy with my progress. 

Slow Stitching 2025 - Feb - Week 2

 K3N Cloth Tales - Slow Stitching 2025 - Comfort Coverlet. February 2025 - Week 2

I added curlicues around the edge in several colors. 

Then, I added the flowers and insects - bee, butterfly and ladybug to the left hand side.

I created a flower with long stitches then added some weaving at the center of the petals.  Several yellow French Knots for the center of the flower.  I used the end of the curliecue for the flower stem and added a large leaf at the top for the ladybug to sit on. 

There will be 3 more compositions to come to fill in the space on this square.

Slow Stitching 2025 - Feb - Week 1

This is my February piece for K3N Cloth Tales - Slow Stitching Comfort Coverlet 2025.

I chose my photography as the subject for this piece.

I have 2 layers - a top layer of light grey 100% cotton on a foundation of 50-50 cotton poly.

I placed a frame of running stitch about 1 inch from the edge. Using light grey 2 strands of floss. 

I drew a top down view of a camera in the top right hand corner stitched in black with accents of grey and champagne.

I will be adding subjects I photograph throughout the year.

Slow Stitching - No. 051 - Grid Journal Slow Stitching Style

K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challnege 2024

Week 51 - Grid Journaling Slow Stitch Style. 

I stitched my 4 squares onto a piece of blue cotton with a foundation layer with stem stitch.  Four different colors.

I then cut a few snippets of fabric to stitch at random in these squares.

It turned out quite bright and I was happy with it.

Slow Stitching - No. 050 - StitchingText

K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024

Week 50 - Stitching Text.

I chose fabric with lines I could follow.

As it is snowing heavily today that is the word I chose.

I used stem stitch. Added highlight to the lines then used a white pencil to draft my letters. Then added a snowflake in the square and offset the empty corner with smaller snowflakes.

Really happy with this one.

Slow Stitching - No. 049 - Stitching by Chance

 It's week 49 of the K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching 2024 Challenge.

This week's prompt was Stitch by Chance.

I put 6 prompts in a box and then pull one by one by chance and executed the technique.

1. Leaf (1)

2. Seam (2)

3. Color (1)

4. Applique (1)

5. Couching (5)

6. Patch

I pull 6 prompts and was lucky to get seam so I could add a bit to my piece to make it square.

This was fun!

Slow Stitching - No. 048 - Cloth Gathering

Next piece of  K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024.

Week 48 - Cloth Gathering.

I chose this soft yellow cotton fabric. I cut a piece 3 times the length of my anticipated final piece (5.5 x 3 =16.5 inches). 

I used pieces of embroidery floss longer than the cloth by a few inches.  I chose them from my ORTS tin. I think I did 9 rows of running stitch.  Make sure your knot is secure - a back stitch would be helpful.

I then pulled the threads to scrunch up the fabric. It feels really nice.

I really liked the stem stitch along the top edge which was just stitched to the top of each fold in green thread. I put crosses in blue on the left.  I did not find adding stitches to this piece easy except the stem stitch.

Slow Stitching - Extra Squares

Another extra square of slow stitching. I have used up the supplies I had packed for being away so I will have to dig out some more.

White cotton top layer on a foundation piece.  I did not learn my lesson about now covering the front with fabric as well which makes for a thick piece.  In all fairness, I did not have a plan when I started.

I chose strips of purple fabric in various patterns. I stitched the horizontal lines first in running stitch with purple thread from the ORTS tin.

Then I did the vertical ones with bright pink thread. Along the way I had found the lace flower I had dyed a while back and decided to use it.

I tacked it in place then added a purple circle which I over cast stitched to the piece. Then I added a lot of French Knots in yellow in the middle of that.  That was very thick with 4 layers of fabric.  Turned out nice.

Slow Stitching - No. 047 - Wrinkle Stitching

K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024

Week 47 - Wrinkle Stitching - wrinkling a piece of cloth then stitching along the fold lines creating a random pattern. Filling in the spaces you have created with the stitched lines.

I chose three pieces of pink linen as I needed something perky.

I scrunched it up then basted it to the foundation piece. The stitching in pink the same as the fabric is the original wrinkle stitching. 

Then, I got carried away.  I wanted colorful but I may have filled it in a bit too much.

It is what it is.  It is what I needed today. 

Sewing Project - Adjustable Bookmark

I have been thinking of making some bookmarks for the Christmas sale since we share the space with the library.

With a bit of research, I found a few features I would like to incorporate. Adjustable and a pocket for a writing instrument.

After some measuring, I decided to make the it wrap around the book with an elastic and a couple of buttons for adjustment.  A pocket could be placed on the front and maybe some stitching could be included.

I cut 2 pieces of fabric measuring 3"W x 21" T - one patterned one solid.  I decided to use elastic from old face masks. I cut a piece of mustard fabric for the pocket. The buttons and embroidery need to be added before sewing.  The pocket needs to be sewn on the front of the bookmark. 

The elastic was pinned in place at the opposite end from the pocket. Then, I sewed all the way around the long strip leaving a slit to turn it inside out. I trimmed the corners, turned it inside out, pushed out the corners with a chopstick and pressed it flat.  I then top stitched all the way around. It was very difficult to do the buttons and embroidery after the pocket was sewn on.

Notes: 

• The pencil pocket is too tall and could be narrower. 
• Stitching and button(s) need to be done before assembly.
• This is a hard cover book so the overall length of the bookmark could be shorter to accommodate smaller books.
• I will use this one and implement improvements to future versions
• The mask elastic may too soft.

Slow Stitching - No. 038 - Nature's Textures

 K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024

Week 38 - Nature's Textures - Free Form Embroidery - Textile Textures

I chose the polka dot fabric as my inspiration then chose colors from there. Pink bright and paler, grey light and dark and white.

There is cotton, yarn, felt, lace, cheesecloth, and gauzy material included in this piece.

Free form embroidery includes couching, French Knots, running stitch to fill in space in places, seed stitches for finer fabric, and top stitches on the felt heart.

The thread alternated from pink to grey depending on the fabric I was working on.

Slow Stitching - No. 037 - Home - Village

This is week 37 of K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching challenge.  This week was the prompt was HOME.  

I not thrilled about the location I live now - downtown in a large city. I love my apartment.

So, I decided to create my ideal home.  A small village. Starting on the north end there are railroad tracks because I love to hear the train but not too close. On the right is a paddock where horses live.  Next, south of the horses is a field of wheat. Across the road is the start of the row of houses which live along the lake. They have dark roofs. There has to be water so I can photograph birds. 

At the cross roads is a small park with a tree and flowers. East of the park is a bit of woodland. My place faces the park with a fence, flowers, a tree and a vegetable garden behind the building. East of there is a field of sunflowers. That will bring birds and pollinators.  South of my place is my neighbor with a fenced yard with a few fruit trees along the fence. 

To the west across the lane is the commercial district with a church, a library and a grocery store with a gas station. There is a large parking lot. Everything is within walking distance.  My car is parked in front of my house.  Writing about it now I realize that my house would face north west so maybe the house needs to be rotated a bit. We'll see when the plans are drawn up. 

This project was a lot of stitching but I loved creating it.  I used liquid acrylic ink to paint my roofs then stitched around them.  Trees with French Knots, parking lot with grey running stitches,bit of satin stitch for the cars in the parked there, seeds stitches in blue for the lake, green seed stitch for lawn, and on it goes. 

Stitching - Embellishment of Linen Coasters

For this set of coasters I decided to use stab stitch in other words just pushing the needle straight up and down in hopes of duplicating the pattern on both sides.

I pulled my knot through the 2 side seams into the middle between the layers. A bit tricky. 

I started with the little red crosses which I positioned based on a 4" stencil.  

Then I chose a round object and aligned as best as I could and then stitched in running stitch all the way around in yellow.

I chose a navy thread for the center star.  It was harder to align perfectly.