White Threads

working on the new book

A few of my readers who I met at the craft show mentioned how much they enjoyed reading about the process of writing my Portuguese Whitework book. I’m glad they found it interesting!

Well, the new book has been decided upon! The craft show really helped me to crystallise one of my possible book ideas into a real concept. I discussed it with quite a few of my stand visitors, and the feedback was positive. I also spent time discussing it with another stall holder, working through some of the more technical fabric supply aspects.

Yesterday I went through my computer files and found a book that I started some years ago and put aside, because it just seemed to be the wrong time for it. There is a lot there, particularly step-by-step diagrams, that I can use for this new book, which gives me a great head start!

The plan is to try to get the new book done in time for next year’s craft show. At this very early stage, I have no idea if that will be achievable (probably not!) but it gives me something quite solid to aim for – a good goal!

If you enjoyed reading about Portuguese Whitework being written, I think we can say the process of blogging about the new one has now started as well. 🙂 I’m not going to say what it is on just yet, but stayed tuned and you’ll hear more!

Last night I spent some time working on some more of Luzine Happel’s left-handed Schwalm project. I had gotten a bit bored of doing coral knot stitch all the time (it isn’t the most inspiring stitch…!) so I gave myself permission to move on to some other parts of the design – some of the scalloped buttonhole stitching and some of the little leaves. It made quick and pretty progress! I am finding Luzine’s instructions to be excellent – no problems there at all. 🙂

Show competition winner

At the craft show I ran a competition, where by filling out an entry form you could go in the draw to win your choice of three of my books, each one autographed. The questions on the entry forms included “What would you like Yvette to write a book on?” and “what types of embroidery would you like to try in the future?”

This morning I tipped all the entries into a container, messed them all up so that they were very randomly positioned, looked away, stuck my hand in and drew one out.

I am pleased to announce that Naomi Beaton of Sydney is the winner! Congratulations to Naomi! I will contact you today to check which three books you would like me to send you. Naomi currently enjoys ribbon embroidery and would like to try “all” other forms of embroidery in the future. She has a lot of exploring to do!

Thank you to all who entered the competition. I have received some very interesting suggestions for books that you would like me to consider writing!

2012 show over

The 2012 Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair is over for another year, and for me it was a raging success. My sales were beyond what I had hoped for, and I had many enquiries about classes from students, shops and guild groups. My book “Portuguese Whitework” was extremely popular, with many having seen it in the craft show advertising.

I think part of the attraction for my stall was that it was one of very few embroidery stands. There was a lot of quilting, some beading, some papercraft, some general craft, some knitting, but very little hand embroidery. And if you wanted whitework, I was pretty much it!

A friend who visited my stand said, “Now don’t take this the wrong way, but your stand seems very ‘restive’.” (I didn’t take it the wrong way – I thought it was a lovely thing to say!) She compared my whitework to the colourfulness everywhere else, and said that mine indeed stood out, because of all the white.

My big display of Portuguese Whitework on the back wall of the stand drew lots of attention, both from embroiderers and non-embroiderers-but-embroidery-admirers alike. I had lots of people come into the stand to look at the embroidery, and I knew that some of them would never attempt anything like it, but that was fine, because I don’t mind people admiring it! And from a simple sales point of view, people attract people, so if there are lots of people crowding around my stand, others are going to wonder what the fuss is all about and come over to see for themselves.

I was at the end of one of the cross aisles, so I had a great view, and shoppers could see me well too!

Looking down the aisle from where my stand was. This was taken yesterday afternoon as the crowds started to thin out.

At 5pm last night, the show closed. The procedure then is to clear the floor of all members of the public. Exhibitors and their helpers MUST don high-vis jackets, as the site is then deemed a worksite. When all exhibitors are wearing their jackets, then they open the huge roller doors to the loading docks, and people can start accessing their vehicles to take stuff away.

The loading docks are always full, with long lines of cars, so we find it just as easy to park downstairs in the carpark and use my trolley to take things down to it. While it takes longer to and from the car, it takes less time than being in the loading dock queue!

So as soon as 5pm arrives, all exhibitors madly start pulling everything down. I packed up the remaining books, the remaining fabric, kits, patterns and thread, and then started pulling all the embroidery off the walls. My husband dismantled the bookshelves and grid mesh panel, and took loads to the car. We were finished and out of the show hall by 6pm, which we were pretty pleased about.

All packed up, with one last load ready to go off to the car. Yes, that is a big, fat pool noodle there - I use it to wrap my tablecloth around to avoid creasing and crinkles. In an effort to speed up the process though, I just folded the tablecloth at the end of the show rather than rolling it onto the noodle.

The surrounding pack-up mess!

Thanks to the lovely ladies in the stands beside me (Barrie and Judy from Wonderfil Specialty Threads, and Saffron at Saffron Craig Fabrics) for being concerned for my toileting, and offering me chances for a “rest break”! You are lovely ladies, and I felt very cared for!

Thank you also to those of you who read this blog who did come and say hello to me, and identified yourselves as my blog readers! It was lovely to meet some of you. Now I can have an idea of who I am “talking to” when I write this, each day!

All over for another year! 🙂 Today I’ll be back to normal family routines, and I’m just itching to get stuck into writing my next book!

Shingo Sato is coming to Australia

I learned yesterday on Facebook that Shingo Sato is coming to Australia! “Who is Shingo Sato?” I hear you say…

Shingo Sato is a Japanese fashion designer and teacher of the Transformation Reconstruction technique. I used his techniques last year when I created Rainbow Girl’s rainbow dress.

If I ever have the time, one day I’d love to do a course in clothing pattern making, but when that might ever happen, I have no idea. However, a course with Shingo would be an achievable and enjoyable start.

The details of Shingo’s class can be found on the Beautiful Silks website. On checking the site again just then I noticed that the course will be 6-8th August this year. Doesn’t leave much time to organise things, methinks…! I had been thinking it was next year. Hmm… I hope I can make that work!

Craft show day 1

I had a wonderful day at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair yesterday. Thankfully the stand light that was missing from the stand had been put up in the intervening time since I finished setting up.

The traffic was pretty good all day, and lots of people came to visit me. I had some lovely needleworky conversations. Many people took “Portuguese Whitework” home in their bags with them, and many more oohed and aahed at the display of the Portuguese whitework on the wall.

One of the things I love about shows is the people who tell me how much they appreciate my books. One lady called “The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion” “The Left-Handed Survival Guide”! Hearing people’s gratitude for my books makes it feel very worthwhile. And I do enjoy surprising people who haven’t seen me or my books before, when they realise that *I* wrote the six books displayed in front of them!

Thanks to the lovely ladies who read this blog who introduced themselves to me yesterday. It was great to put names with faces!

I had fun, and will be back again for more fun today.

Craft show set up

Yesterday I set up my stand at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair at the exhibition centres at Darling Harbour. I was really pleased with how it looks.

Dad and I did it together, though I made him sit for most of it, as he hasn’t been well over the last few days. It was great having an extra pair of hands though!

My first challenge was driving into the city, because if you’ve been reading this blog for the last few months, you might remember I only got my drivers licence just before Christmas. But with the car loaded with stuff, and Dad completely sure that I was capable of doing driving into the city centre, it had to be done! (And I managed fine. Dad wasn’t sure that we were heading the right way after we came off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but we ended up exactly where I had planned, and hoped!)

When we arrived, there was no signage on my stand, and no spotlight yet – there had better be one when I arrive this morning! The Vetty Creations fascia sign arrived while we were setting up.

I knew the stand was mine though, as it was the tiny little one. My first thought was “oh, its very small…”! But I filled it up nicely, and am really happy with how it looks. Because I have my very own stand this year, everything you see is mine, so it gives a great visual representation of what Vetty Creations is all about. I hope that people find the display inspiring!

The show starts this morning at 9am, running daily until and including Sunday. Each day the hours are 9am to 5pm. My stand is in Aisle L, a little bit further on from the entrance to the quilt show. We’re on the right-hand side if you are approaching from the show entrance, or the left-hand side if you’re approaching from the cafeteria area.

Please come and say hello – I love meeting my customers!

my stand in the loungeroom

Yesterday I set up most of my craft show stand in the loungeroom. My stand is quite small (2m x 2m) so it doesn’t take up that much room! It means I can get an idea of how all the stock will fit in, how the arrangement of furniture will work, and make all the design decisions beforehand. Then I will photograph the layout.

When I get to the show to set up, my dad (who has offered to help me – thanks Dad!) and I can just reproduce the photos. It should make things quicker, and for my dad who hasn’t yet figured out how to read my mind, it should make it easier!

I had planned to do other things yesterday, like going to the office supplies shop to get a whole heap of printing done, but you can never know when you’re going to have a sick child home from school with you! Hopefully I can get the chance to have the printing done today.

I think I am on track to have it all done in time, which is quite a relief.

See you at Stand L42 (near the entrance to the quilt display) at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. June 13 – 17, 2012, Wednesday to Sunday. Open 9am – 5pm daily. Sydney Exhibition Centre, Halls 1, 2 & 3, Darling Drive, Darling Harbour, Pyrmont.

fat quarters, maxi skeins…

I haven’t actually got anything much to say! I’ve been busy over the last few days getting ready for the craft show. I spent yesterday cutting fat quarters and making maxi skeins of Mountmellick thread. Today will be more of the same, and probably going off to the office supplies shop to get some more things printed.

We had a wild and woolly night here in Sydney last night, with a big storm of wind and rain. There are lots of places throughout Sydney that don’t have power this morning, so I am glad that we do.

I have a friend who is a volunteer with the State Emergency Service, so I fully expect she was out all night, cutting up trees, putting tarpaulins on roofs etc. It is at times like these that I am incredibly grateful for a warm, watertight house, and warm clothes.

getting ready for the craft and quilt fair

Thank you to all who have already signed up for The Embroiderer’s Companion Stitch Dictionary waitlist. There’s been a great response already, which is really encouraging. Please don’t forget to tell your friends about it so that they can also sign up!

For me, this week will be all about getting ready for next week’s Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair. I’ve got to make sure that I have all the stock ready, doing last minute stock orders, chasing up back ordered stock, organising last minute printing, and generally collecting everything together in a way that I can get there next Tuesday and set up as quickly as possible.

In the midst of all that organisation, there are some fun things to do like making sure that the stand will look pretty, and be a fun environment to be in. If I could think of a way of having Portuguese custard tarts for every visitor to my stand, I would, but unfortunately there’s just one of me so I don’t think that will be possible! Instead you’ll just have to settle for drinking in the beauty of the Portuguese whitework on display. 🙂

The show will be on at the Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre from next Wednesday (13th June) until the Sunday (17th June). This is easily the best craft show in Sydney each year, with a great range of exhibitors, great workshops and classes, and of course, ME! So come along, and visit me and see all that lovely Portuguese whitework for yourself!

I’ll be waiting for you at the Vetty Creations stand, Stand L42, which is near the entrance to the quilt show, just a little further down the aisle towards the back of the exhibition hall.

embroidery examples in my stitch dictionaries

Occasionally I have comments from people wanting to know more about the embroidery examples in my books, The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion and The Right-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion. People seem to want to know the story behind them.

For those of you who are familiar with my historical whitework books, seeing my stitch dictionaries for the first time might have given you a shock. What? Yvette does COLOUR too? Yes, Yvette loves colour!

I wanted each stitch to have an “inspirational” photo, to show readers an example of ways the stitch could be used. I decided that I wanted the book to be bright and colourful, to attract a wider audience than the whitework books. Colour does attract many people – it certainly attracts me too! And so I set about finding suitable fabric to stitch on. I quickly settled on mostly using the lovely hand-dyed felt from Colour Streams. The colours were vibrant, and I also enjoyed working on the felt surface.

The threads I used included a very wide range, but the main ones were DMC Color Variations floss, and various pearl cottons. I also used some silk, some wool, and some rayon. There were a mixture of solid colours and overdyes.

Each stitch example was created specifically for the space that they occupy in the book. When I did the layout of the book (I’m actually a book designer by training), I allocated spaces for the embroideries to go, and created custom embroideries to fit. What you see is pretty much the entire sample, except for a border of about 1-2mm around the edge that has been cropped. (The ones shown above, though, are only little snippets of those images.)

I loved playing around with the stitches, seeing how far I could push them. I particularly liked the challenge of working stitches in a circle. I’ve always loved circles!

When working the designs, I used the fabric to guide my stitch placement. I looked at the changes in colour across the fabric. The changes looked to me like contour lines on maps. These imaginary lines formed guide lines for me to stitch along or to stitch between. In this way, I built up coloured stitching on the coloured fabric.

It was a joy to work the samples for the book. I was only just coming out of a long and serious illness when I wrote the book, and the whole book was a complete joy to do. The colours were uplifting, but playing with so many new stitches was also a lot of fun.

I was looking through the photos the other day while working on preparing the images for my stitch dictionary app. I was surprised to see how lovely they all look together as an album. All the lovely colours did look quite wonderful together.

If you have further questions about the embroidered stitch samples, please don’t hesitate to ask.