I’m trying to catch up with my Stitchbook collectiove pages, mainly because I’ve got a bit behind with them but I’m also enjoying them, trying different techniques. Yesterday I finished the Couching and Laidwork box…

I’ve done couching before on various projects, but Helen gave me some new ideas on how to use it. Our first sample involved writing with couching. She gave us some sample fonts and words we could trace. Half of the fun with these boxes is getting a tiny spark of an idea and letting it run…

I’ve been sorting out my threads box recently – not DMC, all the other fancy ones you (or maybe it’s just me!!) get tempted with at shows. They were all ina big box where I couldn’t easily see what I’d got, so things didn’t get used. I started wrapping them round the plastic bobbins, several on one bobbin if needed.I’m keeping them in my mum’s old floss box, it was too small for my ever increasing DMC collection, but it’s perfect for the other creative threads.

Anyway, I spotted a nice textured purple thread and I decided to couch the word purple with it. That reminded me of the poem by Jenny Joseph, ‘When I am an old women I shall wear purple…‘ it’s a great poem, do google it if you’re not familiar with it. We once had a competition here in the UK for the nation’s best loved poem and I think it won.

Helen (the tutor) suggested couching words on bias tape to make labels, I stitched the word wear onto a length of purple bias.

I then had to put it all together into a bit of creativity!

I found a scrap of purple flowery fabric from a dress I made a few years ago, some purple Harris tweed, purple organza and someorganza ribbon too.

I also pulled out some hand-printed labels. These are made by a friend of mine, she’s just set up a facebook page called Quirky Chicks, she does craftkits and also these labels, you get a set of around 25 labels with different quotes on, different types of fabric. I thought this one seemed apt, so I blanket stitched it on – with purple thread of course!

I kept the stitching very simple, just running stitch, blanket stitch and some fly stitch. Three buttons just finished it off. It’s a bit of fun, but I like it.

The second sample I’m really pleased with. I’ve only done a little laid work before. This is called Bayeux stitch as it’s what is used in the tapestries. It’svery economical with thread as the long stitch is not echoed underneath.The long stitches are kept in place by a couched thread running across.

Helen suggested doing a medieval tapestry inspired tree, I didn’t fancy one of those, they look a bit creepy! After a perusal on Pinterest I decided to do a hare running across the moon. I sketched a simple hare and then drew a big circle for the moon.

I started with the moon. I used DMC E940,i’s not a thread I use very often as it feels different to the others and it’s rather a bright white. It worked brilliantly for the moon. I laid the white thread and then useda couched silver thread to secure it. It loks almost luminescent!

For the hare I decided to couch round the shape and then in fill with various couched designs. The main thread is a random one I got in the raffle at Embroiderers Guild, it’s couched down with a single thread of DMC.

I’m really pleased with this one, it incorporates both stitches too, I’m even getting used to the raw edges!

I’ve two more sets of pages to do, then the last box comes out at the beginning of next month. I’m trying to catch up as I’ve also seen another textile book project I want to start…