Weekend theme : Snow and Whitework

The weekend theme in a needlework group on Facebook is : Whitework & Snow
... I have taken many photographs of snowy landscapes and have done many Whitework techniques - pictures of which are just not readily available right now - so just one picture of a recent snow storm ❄️ ⛈ and some of the pictures taken from my blog should suffice for now. I love Whitework techniques and am always intrigued by how within each variation there is much to explored and learned.

One of these days I have to photograph my Mountmellick, Hardanger, Reticella , Drawn thread and Schwalm pieces.
So here is just a sampling of pictures from recent work I have shared here on my blog in greater detail over the years. Hopefully they will whet your appetite to this amazing group of needlework which looks so intricate but actually is not that hard and a lot of fun to do ...

I do hope you give it a try. Start small and on larger count of linen but do try!

First snow of this winter - December, 2016

A snowflake of sorts

My version of Frances Cheyney sampler

My design using Schwalm techniques

Fleur de Lys sampler

Not true monogramming technique

Margret Gatis sampler

A monochromatic sampler of sorts

A screen shot of another lesson I had to learn last week and a picture (not mine) I shared on my Facebook page :

Completed Fleur-de-Lys Sampler

I was able to complete the sampler today.  It had languished in my UFO sampler drawer for so many years and I am happy that I chose to finish it this time - it has a lot of interesting techniques.
So, here are the details on the materials  :
Chart : Fleur-de-Lys Band Sampler
            designed by Page Dorsey of The Samplar Workes
Linen : 40ct. Lambswool linen by Zweigart
Threads : Various Au Ver a Soie silks (Soie d'Alger, Soie Gobelin. Soie 100/3) and DMC Cordonnet  #100 in white + Mill Hill Beads

Last band completed

Here is the band completed - interesting to note how much interest can be generated  with simple stitches and pattern.

Last band is now complete

Another band started ...

Slow progress but progress just the same...
last band of the sampler that needs to be stitched and after this I just have to cut the areas and finish the band above this.
Here is the progress on the needle-weaving and dove's eye band combination:   

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler - forging on - shoulder pain or not!

Have a good weekend!

Completed Band

Finished up the needlewoven / dove's eye band so there is just one more band to go and then this sampler will be finished.  Here are two pictures showing the last band of this sampler:

A really fun sampler! Nupur 2014

Closeup - Nupur 2014

Continuing on... Fleur de Lys Sampler

Sunday's progress :

Finishing the buttonhole bars in the thin band

Fleur-de-Lys continued - Nupur 2014

Started on the bottom band with 'needleweaving' with Dove's eyes

Fleur-de-Lys sampler - Buttonhole band completed

It took a lot of time to complete this band but I enjoyed playing with the dimensional quality of the buttonhole stitch - have a new appreciation for the sculptural aspects of this stitch.  A lot of new ideas of what could be done with this basic stitch.

I just wanted to point out also that I am not necessarily following my 'usual' sequence of working this type of band.  Normally I work things differently but at the moment I am using this sampler as a form of therapy.  I am able to do some of the things because I am controlling the tension of the background fabric and do not plan to move the fabric until I am done with this sampler. If using a hoop or scroll rods or anything other than a slate frame I would not have been able to complete this band right now.  I normally do not cut and remove threads way ahead of time like I have done here - this was an exercise to see if I could do this type of work for a few hours to gauge what  type of procedures I could do at work.
So, please ignore my sequencing of things here and stick to the usual sequencing if doing such needlework : work all the surface stitches first (satin, buttonhole etc.), then work the cut work area one area at a time (to reduce distortion), then do any of the raised work or attach beads last after all the bands have been completed.
  
My shoulder continues to give me problems but I am determined to get past it - it is now 'fully frozen' and every movement causes exquisite, high intensity pain - no more nuances or avoidance of certain movements...good news is that the orthopedic surgeon says that typically this phase lasts for a week or two which is a blessing since none of the pain medications help me at all...  A number of you emailed me to ask how I am working, doing needlework etc.; I am paying attention to what I am doing but I cannot really come up with clear cut answers for you.  It is a challenge - each movement, each moment... pain is there if you are doing something or not so all I can say is that it is a matter of mind over matter... keeping my mind focused and keeping a positive outlook that this is a temporary condition and will improve in time is the most effective way.  I am learning that I have to pace myself, take frequent breaks, vary the intensity of my movements and also accept that sometimes I cannot do all the things I planned to do.  It is definitely affecting my work - I am not doing some of the things and delegating things - fine motor control is something absolutely essential in my daily activities and there are days when I have had to cancel all activities and just 'sit'.   I have a new respect for so many people I know who are dealing with 'chronic' pain. I am also learning more about the connection between mind and body - amazing how positive emotions can keep the physical state in perspective.  The flexibility exercises are most useful and more definitive than any of the other 'esoteric' things so far for me - the role of estrogen, certain foods etc. I found are not really helping me as much as I had hoped...the exercises are.

So anyway, here is the band completed:

 

Two bands of needleweaving left on this sampler... 

Have a great weekend!

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler ... continued

I have not stitched on this piece at all since my last post but continued working on this today.  The band between the two needle-woven bands is a lot of fun to do but quite laborious and intense.
Lots of variations on buttonhole bars, faggot stitches and satin stitches create interest and texture.
Here are pictures of the area I worked on today:

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler - some more progress 

Buttonhole bar variations 

Fleur-de-Lys sampler - update

The last few days I have been working on the Fleur-de-Lys sampler a few minutes/hours at a time... things are going slower than usual, but I am glad I picked this sampler back up again.  I enjoy the variety of stitches - it is a lot of fun.
So I have made progress - slow but steady... have placed all the bands, finished stitching the top most band,still have to finish all  the cut-work, withdrawn the threads and set up the initial grids for the needle-weaving bands. 
Here are some of the pictures of my progress...

Established bands and then started withdrawing threads and stabilizing the area

Stabilized bottom band - ready for needle-weaving

Top band in this area - still have to finish the cut-work and center area
- lots of fiddly, careful cutting required which is a bit of a challenge with the shoulder issue  

All the bands established and the way the sampler is right now...

Most interesting to note how a frozen shoulder affects your stitching tension...
usually I do not have to pay much attention to this anymore - it was almost second nature to pull the threads evenly each time irrelevant of technique or thread type. These days I had to pay constant attention to this and sometimes without warning my shoulder would 'take over' and things got pulled too hard... the result was breaking some of the linen fabric threads (40ct. so quite thin) ... so I got more 'experience' in repairing those areas ... more physical therapy never hurts. 

It feels good to be able to do 'something' even if it means working through the pain...
This is a beautiful sampler of interesting bands and I am glad I rescued it from the UFO drawer.   

Focusing on ... UFOs

Want to really stitch but am not sure if I should tackle 'complicated' things yet... so, I decided to look into my UFO sampler drawers (UFO = Unfinished Object) and retrieved the following multi stitch band sampler that I remember enjoying stitching years ago.  For some reason it got set aside and I've decided to get this finished up now.  It is a sampler by Page Dorsey from The Samplar Workes and she had graciously given me permission earlier this year to blog about it.

So, this is the stage I left this sampler years ago :  

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler by The Samplar Workes
The Song of my Needle

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler by The Samplar Workes
The Song of my Needle

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler by The Samplar Workes
The Song of my Needle

Fleur-de-Lys Sampler by The Samplar Workes
The Song of my Needle

I hope to continue with this and complete it now...

Thanks to all of you for the kind words about my monogram attempt.... also for the good wishes for my shoulder.... mind over matter ...  hope to post my progress shortly!