White Threads

something all embroidery teachers need

Yesterday I received an order of The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion from a lovely lady who told me about the circumstances that resulted in her purchasing the book:

Last year I attended a course at [a patchwork shop], to do with hand-appliquéing designs. There were 3 left-handers out of 12 participants, and one had your book on left-handed embroidery. It was certainly a help on the course for some of the more complicated stitches [the teacher] encouraged us to use.

I’ve always enjoyed needlework, but it has very much been my hobby, not my consuming passion. Now I find needlework can strain the eyes, so have done little embroidery or cross-stitch in the past 10 years, finding patchwork easier to do. However I like to have “something on the go” so was pleased to see a book for left-handers.

The Left-Handed Embroiderer's Companion
Her comments raise a very interesting point: she found The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion a useful addition to the class she was taking. It seems that it made it easier for her to learn about the stitches that the teacher suggested that they could use, from a left-handed point of view.

Statistics suggest that 10-15% of all people are left-handed. It is therefore likely that we can extrapolate that to show that about 10-15% of embroiderers are also left-handed. Within an embroidery class, that usually means that from about one to three students are likely to be left-handed. (That’s my experience anyway.)

I’d therefore like to suggest:

If you are a needlework teacher where your class might include any sort of embroidery, PLEASE supply at least one copy of “The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion” for the left-handed stitchers to use within the class. They will love you for it.
If you are the shop owner of a shop where needlework classes take place, PLEASE supply at least one copy of “The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion” for the left-handed stitchers to use within the class. They will love you for it. And make sure you have enough on hand to sell to each of the left-handers in the class. You’ll find that when they try the book, they’ll see the great benefit to owning their own copy!
If you’re a left-hander, off to a new needlework class any time this year, please remember to take your copy of “The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion” with you. Chances are you will find it useful in the class, and even if not, other lefties in the class are still likely to find it interesting.

With such a useful left-handed embroidery reference book available now, the nicest thing you can do for left-handed embroiderers is have it available for them.

If you received a copy of any of my books as a Christmas present, or have recently treated yourself to a copy, I’d love to hear what you think of them.

tidier office

Yesterday I finally got to tidying my office. It had gotten to the stage where I couldn’t tell my daughters to clean their rooms without feeling like a hypocrite, so it had to be done! I walked past the room last night, glancing inside it, and shocked myself! It looks so different, and so much larger!

There’s still a way to go, but today Mountmellick embroidery is calling me, and I must answer that call!

I have also been doing a little on recreating my book file each day, which is making me feel better about that. There were some things about the old file that bugged me, that I hadn’t solved yet, so maybe this is a good opportunity to do so. Good from bad?

On Tuesday night we went to see Opera Australia’s production of Madama Butterfly at the Sydney Opera House. This was our second recent experience of opera. The last one we saw was The Makropoulos Secret, which thank goodness we had free tickets to the opening night for, because it was truly awful. Don’t get me wrong, the production itself was excellent, its just that the music itself is basically unlisten-to-able!

However, Madama Butterfly was *fabulous*! The acting was magnificent, the singing heavenly. The set design and costume design were absolutely superb. So much colour and spectacle. Loved it.

Last night we took advantage of babysitting offered and went to see “The King’s Speech” starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. It was excellent! Such an unusual story which was absolutely fascinating. I noted the military uniform that the King (Colin Firth) wore had some very attractive goldwork on it, too. (When I worked as a picture framer, I walked the art galleries of Europe looking at picture frames… I can’t help myself!)

I think a night at home might be a good idea tonight. 🙂 And I have a vegan, gluten free cake to make for the first time today, in preparation for a few upcoming birthday celebrations where there is a mix of different food requirements. Hopefully it will work!

change of plans

Interesting how your day can turn out completely differently than you expect.

With my plans made to tidy my office and then get on with a new Mountmellick project, I decided I’d do a quick bit of work on my Portuguese embroidery book. It was still early and the family was all still in bed (its school holidays at the moment) so I didn’t want to be clunking around noisily yet.

Well. My Quark layout file (ie the whole book file) was corrupted. Irretrievably. I tried everything I could think of or read of to try. And no luck.

Did I have a recent back up? No. (Idiot!) So I have begun recreating the file. Fortunately most of the work I have done to date are stitch illustrations and embroidery charts, so they are independent of the corrupted file. I was able to extract some of the text by opening the file in a text editor. But the text was all jumbled up and strange. But I should be able to reuse some of it.

The moral of the story: always back up your files, even if they don’t feel like they have much in them yet.

The afternoon improved markedly when Colette from Tessuti got back to me to say that they currently have some ponti in stock. I headed to Chatswood and found myself some amazing red ponti at a great price. Thanks Tessuti, you’ve made me very happy!

For all my customers and readers who are currently battling or awaiting flood waters in Queensland, Western Australia and northern New South Wales, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I cannot comprehend the sheer volume of water, and the horror of it all. Please stay safe, and never enter flood waters.

fabric, clean out and embroidery

Yesterday my eldest daughter and I went on a fabric jaunt. We first took the train to Central and went to The Fabric Store in Surry Hills. This is a wonderful shop that has a wonderful range of fabrics, many of which are sourced from designers. Its not unusual to see “from Leona Edmiston” or “from Scanlan and Theodore” on a label. They have a focus on high quality fibres, so there is a lot of silk and wool, either by themselves or in fibre mixes. They regularly carry microfibre-type merino knits which are often used in outdoor/adventure clothing. Because of the sources of their fabrics, it is a changing supply and you never know what you’re going to find there, but chances are it will be interesting and attractive. Just maybe not what you’re after!

I had emailed them on Saturday asking about Ponte/Ponti (it gets spelled “ponti” more often here it seems, whereas “ponte” seems more common in the US), and they very kindly explained what it was to me:

Ponti is a double-knit jersey, where two “layers” are knitted simultaneously and are inseparable. It is reversible as both sides are identical, unlike regular jersey. It often has less stretch and more stability than regular jersey, and is usually made from cotton, wool, or blends with synthetics where one “layer” is a natural fibre and the reverse is a synthetic.
A good substitute would be any heavier weight jersey knits, or boiled wool jersey etc. We do have a couple of ponti fabrics in store at the moment – we don’t have a wide selection of colours, but we do also have several fabrics that would be suitable alternatives.
Hope to see you in store soon!

Aren’t they helpful?!

So we visited, and one of the salesgirls showed me some of their pontis so that I could see what they are like. Unfortunately they were not in colours (fuschia) or fibres that I wanted. I then had a good browse and found a black wool ponti, and eucalyptus green (wool?) one, and a heathered sort of grey blue. None of which were colours I wanted. But I now had a very good understanding of what the fabric was, both in description and by seeing and feeling them for myself.

We went back to the train and headed to Cabramatta. I have mentioned Cabramatta here on my blog previously. It is a suburb of Sydney where there is a high concentration of Vietnamese people, which means great food! But Cabramatta is also well known to dressmaking-type people as being a great source of fabric. There are about 10 fabric shops, which are usually packed to the rafters, concentrated mostly around John St and Park Rd. In the best ones, the staff are extremely knowledgable and very willing to help.

So we started at one end, and made our way to the other, stopping along the way for some yummy lunch. We quickly found some crushed velour for my daughter’s dress, in a colour she loved – mid blue. We saw some amazing lycras (always on the lookout for the fabric for my younger daughter’s next gymnastics leotard!) and lots of other beautiful fabrics. But very few double knits: black polyester, and a mustard. Um no. Of course I could have black, but I already have a number of black dresses, and really wanted a colour.

Of the shops, we found the ladies in My Hung were wonderfully helpful. The younger girl who was serving us was not at all sure what a double knit fabric was, but when her elder counterpart showed us the mustard one, I was able to show her and explain to her its characteristics (using my new-found knowledge!). We saw the most spectacular rainbow lycra (my daughter LOVES rainbows) which not only had rainbow colours, but they were shaped into rainbow shapes too! Across the top of that were printed little yellow stars, and silver holographic dots in swirly patterns. It is completely in your face and over the top (very much her style!). It was also $42 per metre. 🙁 Much more than what I was hoping to pay. But they said that they would sell it to me for $39. Hmm… still much more than what I was hoping.

By measuring my elder daughter, I realised that I’d really only need 60cm, and also that even if I bought a full metre, it would still be less than a leotard I could buy ready-made, and this would be much more personalised. So I decided I’d get some. It turned out there was only 1m on the roll, so they offered the lot to me for $35, which I took. I’ll get one long-sleeve and two sleeveless leotards out of it, and a VERY happy daughter when her birthday rolls around in a few months.

But we still didn’t have my fabric. The last shop we went to was Sogo Fabrics. Sogo is the most upmarket of all the fabric shops in Cabramatta. They have GORGEOUS fabrics there, with lots of bridal fabrics, and things like embroidered and beaded silks. I could spend all day there, working my way through all the possibilities! And there, I finally found something I could use: a navy/royal blue medium weight jersey fabric. Its not a double knit, but it is quite firm, and a lovely looking fabric. It was reasonably priced, so I bought it.

The lady who assisted me was very helpful in finding and choosing. The man who cut the fabric for me told me of a lady who came in to buy lining fabric (the cheapest fabric they have) and ended up leaving with $2000 worth of fabrics…! Their lucky day! I can’t quite imagine spending that much. With their beautiful premium fabrics, you could easily find some that were $100s per metre, but I still think it would take quite a bit of fabric to add up to $2000!

Very satisfied, we made our way home again.

Today I will begin cleaning up my office. The detritis has built up again, and I’m over it, so its time to tidy. Then I’ll get started on the Mountmellick project proposed for Beating Around the Bush 2012. Hopefully I’ll get to start stitching today.

What’s in store this year

This year I have some things planned for Vetty Creations. Of course I acknowledge that my best made plans may not eventuate (who would have planned to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome a few years ago?) as other things may get in the way, but its good to have some plans and goals.

This year I’ll be teaching a bit. I have a number of classes with guild groups, and a few with shops around the country. I enjoy teaching very much, as I love meeting needlework type people! I do find it draining, because I really am very much an introvert, but a few days of putting on my public persona I can handle!

I will be exhibiting again at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair in Sydney in June. This is exciting, and if you’ve been reading along recently, you’ll know that the planning has begun.

But the BIG project for the year is my next book. I am working on a book on Portuguese whitework, a style of embroidery that is unique and eyecatching that I absolutely adore. Not sure when the book will be available, but I have to really get stuck into it, in between all those classes.

I will also continue to contribute to Embellish magazine, and I have a contribution or two to Inspirations in the works as well.

So all in all, its more of what I love doing. I really am so very blessed to be able to do what I love! Thanks to all of you who support Vetty Creations by buying my books (and telling me how much you love them), buying my kits and supplies, attending my classes, and reading my blog. I’m glad you’re part of my Vetty Creations world.

in search of…

In the next couple of months its my eldest daughter’s birthday. I noted the other day that she has “blue velvet dress” written on her list of suggestions, so I asked her about it. It turns out that she actually wanted crushed panne velvet. But that sent us on a quest for a dress pattern that she liked that we could make in panne velvet (which is a knit fabric). We checked Ottobre magazine’s website – very few dresses, but lovely clothing. We checked Vogue (4 – yes, just 4 – children’s clothing patterns!), Butterick, Burda, Simplicity, New Look… VERY little of interest to a young girl who is wanting something contemporary looking, and that can be made in knit fabric.

In the end I think I have solved the pattern crisis by figuring out how I can adapt something else. Happy about that. I told my daughter of the plan, and warned her that it might not work out very well. Her response was “but it might.” There’s the spirit!

In our quest, I saw this stunning dress pattern: Butterick B5559. My husband saw it and immediately said that I HAD to buy the pattern (for me, not my daughter!). Done – aren’t I obedient? Well, who needs to be told to buy a gorgeous pattern like that twice?! Its not available in Australia, so I’ve ordered it from the US. And with the Australian dollar doing so well against the US dollar, this is a great time to buy from the US.

I have now begun the search for a suitable fabric. The pattern information suggests: “Ponte Knits and Jersey. Unsuitable for obvious diagonals. Allow extra fabric to match plaids or stripes.”

Jersey I know, but Ponte? Never heard of it before! So off I went in my search. It seems that it is a medium-heavy weight double knit fabric with little stretch, and there are ponte fabrics and ponte fabrics. Some are 100% polyester, and reportedly this pills quite quickly – not a good look. The better quality ones are rayon/nylon/spandex and these seem to be the type that top designers use regularly (such as Maggy London, who designed the dress in question, who I’d never heard of before either!)

I have looked high and low, and can find nowhere in Australia that I can purchase this fabric through normal retail channels. Of course, I can find it used in clothing all over the place, but as is usual in the quest for different fabrics, not for sale to sew with. Perhaps it is known by another name in Australia, or perhaps it is just described by its properties (rayon/nylon/spandex double knit) rather than by a name.

I also searched high and low outside of Australia, but couldn’t find the fabric I wanted on a site where they would ship to Australia.

HELP!! Does anyone know of a good source of knit fabric in Australia (not Knitwit, they don’t seem to have it), or where I can get the right Ponte elsewhere? I am off to my local fabric store today to discuss my quest with them today and see if they have anything suitable. I expect it to be fruitless, but I do need to try!

Happy Orthodox Christmas!

For those of you who celebrate Orthodox Christmas (as we marked last year in Ethiopia), I’d love to wish you a happy day celebrating Jesus’ birth with your family and friends.

That’s all today. I’m having the day off. 🙂

more craft show stand designing

I think sometimes I am a bit obsessive. I have spent the last few days designing and redesigning my stand for the craft show. I have found some really interesting display products. And of course, I’ve wanted to incorporate them all into my stand!

I’ve found retractable roll pull up brochure stands – lightweight and extremely clever designs. Someone was really thinking outside the square the “day” that was designed! (I’m sure it took a lot longer than a day…)

I’ve found all sorts of acrylic holders that attach to walls and look very nifty, but would probably break in transit quite easily.

I have desired all sorts of expensive display products. And of course, I come back to what I already have and think, “actually, that will suffice quite nicely.”

But I think I am obsessive in the fact that I want to know that I have explored ALL my options. I think that researching and redesigning to the nth degree can be a waste of time. But then if I didn’t invest so much time, I wouldn’t see and think of some really clever space solutions.

And so I continue to obsess…

Probably I should just stop and get on with some embroidery. 🙂

designing for small spaces

When I was at uni I studied graphic design. The first year of my course was combined with the similar design courses (fashion and textiles, interior design, and industrial design). It meant it was a very general year, and quite frankly it was really boring! We all wondered whether they deliberately planned it that way to weed out some of the less committed students.

One of the subjects that I did in first year was called something like “designing for small spaces”. With my focus on graphic design, I chose to look at logo design for my project. I really did not like the subject, though now I can’t quite imagine why. (Maybe its because logos can be a bit sleep inducing as a subject of study…?!)

You see, now, one thing I really enjoy doing is designing for small spaces. A few years ago I redesigned our kitchen. It was so much fun working with the small space that we have, and fitting everything in, and making it work well. And it does work well – we can attest to that, having used our lovely new kitchen for several years now!

On Monday I spent the day designing my stand for the craft and quilt show that I will be exhibiting at in June. It is a small space. I’m sharing a stand with two friends. It means we can cut costs and afford to be there, but it does mean we get a small space to work with. Of course, that just means that we have to be clever!

I’ve come up with a provisional design, but given how many revisions the space went through the other day, it will probably look completely different by the time we see it in real life!

We’re planning to have a demonstration space as part of our stand, and have the three of us demonstrating our wares in rotation around the clock (during the exhibition hours, anyway!). If you’re interested in seeing me demonstrate any particular technique, please let me know.

Review: 1000 Artisan Textiles

When we were down in Canberra last week I bought a wonderful book from the bookshop at the Portrait Gallery. It is called “1000 Artisan Textiles” by Sandra Salamony and Gina M Brown.

My husband handed me the book and said “You might like this one,” and I was expecting another interesting book (the cover is a bit ho-hum), but not to the extent that I found! I was immediately drawn in, sucked in by the lovely colourful images, and the gorgeous felting pieces that were in the first chapter, and soon I was hooked.

There are five chapters in the book:

Wearable art and couture
Fashion accessories
Soft furnishings & vessels
Tapestries & display art
Art quilts

Each page features between one (full page) and six images of textile works by artisans from around the world. In the back of the book there are notes on each image, giving the name of the piece, its size, and a summary of techniques used. There is a good representation from Australian artisans, including two quilts by Brenda Gael Smith, who has been known to drop in here!

My favourite chapter would have to be the wearable art and couture chapter, as it features many gloriously colourful felted pieces. In another life I’d love to learn nuno felting, and this book is just so inspiring in this regard!

So how is it inspiring? I regularly contribute to Embellish magazine, which is a magazine focusing on clothing featuring embellishment. For my contribution that means embroidered clothing. This book, with its many wearable art pieces will be invaluable in moving me into a wearable art/embellished clothing headspace. The colours are inspiring. The motifs are inspiring. But by that I don’t mean that I would rip off custom motifs from other designers.

To give you an example, I’ve come away with an idea from the book. Circles. Yep, that’s it! I potentially could have gotten that from anywhere (as I have always loved circles) but I didn’t – I got it from this book. So maybe you can expect to see some circles in an upcoming project in Embellish, and maybe you won’t because maybe that will be just a starting point that I move on from. Either way, you have to start somewhere!

I highly recommend the book “1000 Artisan Textiles”. For me it will continue to inspire.