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Showing posts with label bergheim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bergheim. Show all posts

Thursday, 11 April 2013

Things I Love Thursdays - Finished it Fridays!

: )  Here's a 2 for 1 posting.  I love this latest one!  I love the building.  I love the pollen in the grasses.  I love the alfalfa.  I especially love the bumble bees!

From Humble Beginnings, 2013  8x8"

All I can say is, "!!!!"
I am loving dying and using all these ribbons from RibbonSmyth. 

So look!  There are three bumble bees.  I have since added some slight and shimmery white rayon wings.  They are just perfect - fat & and gorgeous.  I love bees.  When the flowers are at that stage, the ditches are full of nectar collectors.  You can stand right there and they are so busy that they don't even bother you (unlike wasps who are carnivorous).

From Humble Beginnings, 2013 (detail)

I snapped the original photo after teaching out at Bernie's sewing attic out near Bergheim last summer (was that last summer?  Maybe it was the year before?).  I didn't add it the farm machinery.  I was happy enough with the bees...

From Humble Beginnings, 2013 (detail)

I am so happy.  I think I did a really good job on this one.  It's very exciting taking on a new challenge and having it work out.  I hope I can get it in a frame that matches that shack.  (ps - see the pollen hanging off of those grasses?).   I didn't know what to call this.  I picked lots of silly phrases based on bees.  Beauty and the Bees.  Home Sweet Home.  lol.  Nothing was working.  I liked the way the shack was old, empty, 'no longer', decaying... and the flowers are at their peak, full of pollen with a bunch of humble bees just quietly working away.  Suddenly my 6 yr old quoted Sponge Bob from the other room and shouted in a loud announcer-style voice, "from humble beginnings!".  I just stopped in my tracks.  It was perfect!  hahaha  The little building and the bees and the country side are all very humble indeed.  (Thanks girl!)

Okay - ONE more piece on the go here...  See you soon!


Monday, 1 April 2013

Never Say Never

When people ask for commissions, I lay down the line. "No people, no buildings".  I just can't go there.  I'm too scared.  This photo of the little abandoned building at Bergheim is just too sweet not to try.  So I did.  I tried.  I think I actually pulled it off!  I stitched a few lines...

so far so good.

I got pretty excited that it was working!  Just the right shades of grey here and there and the building is now officially done.  : )

omg - i did it

I hand stitched some more grasses with thread and hand dyed silk ribbons.  It's nearly done now.  I can't wait to show you the luscious foreground!  I showed the building to my husband and he said it creeped him out.  "What!?" I asked.  He replied, "Zombies!  It looks like buildings in the Zombie games!"  haha.  Leave it to a gamer...

I still have eight more pieces to make for Winnipeg.  Crunch time!  I am running out of sky, so I popped in to Periwinkle for some solids I thought I might try to paint with the Jaquard dyes.


I stayed up late after the kids were in bed and dyed some silk ribbons for the Bergheim piece.  Dying ribbon is so quick & easy.  I dye ribbons that are already colored and they turn out so natural looking.  I love the results.


Stitch - stitch - stitch ... see you soon!  Linking to WIP Wednesday at the Needle & Thread Network.


Friday, 29 March 2013

Little House @ Bergheim Coming Along

This is in progress on my worktable right now.  Want to see?

it starts with a photo from my collection

I gather the colors I need and start filling in visually from back to front (furthest to nearest).

I try to stitch the grass to look like grass - machine & hand.

I don't always sketch, but when there's something I'm not sure how to do, I scribble it out on paper first.  That old shack in the photo is so intriguing, but I'm kind of scared of messing it up.


I made a little house out of the grey fabrics above, and stuck it on the horizon.  Now I put the piece into an embroidery stand.  I find if the piece is being held for me, that my left 'holding' hand doesn't go numb.  I can stitch easier too if I can use both hands free like this.


Ready for hand stitching!  I went through my threads, picking out 12 weights mainly because they are thicker.  I have a lot of embroidery floss, but I haven't a lot of variegated.  I think variegated can look more natural - like the difference between coloring with 8 crayons or a pack of 64.  You know?


I've been hand stitching for HOURS and HOURS... I will show you the finished product soon!

Enjoy your weekend,



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