A Different Type of Cross-Stitch 2018 Part 3

A Different Type of Cross-Stitch 2018 Part 3

I have finished the bottom part so off to Laura’s for a bit of professionalism.

Cream Tassels

We decided that this time we would have Cream Fringe Tassels.

Neckline Sewn

In addition to adding the Tassels she also did the neckline for me.

Blue Neckline Crosses

 

I started adding Light Blue Crosses to match the Bottom.

Naughty Pattern

Unfortunately whilst sewing the Neckline, somehow the pattern came away. The material frays a great deal and I may have been too clumsy when stretching it to sew.

Hence a delay whiles Laura bless her cotton socks redoes the Binding to make it Jane Proof.

Red Chevron

I decided to use a vibrant Red to do the Chevrons. I think they show up quite well.

A Touch of Green

I wasn’t quite sure what colour to use next. In the end I thought a Touch of Green would make a nice contrast.

Persian Poncho

Here is the finished item. I am considering perhaps adding a little more colour to the actual Neckline itself but that will have to wait until next year.

N.B

Thanks for the rescue Laura

https://www.facebook.com/Alyssa.Rose.designs

Mademoiselle Marionette 2018 Part 6

Mademoiselle Marionette 2018 Part 6

I try to use my time as best I can so whilst the Arms, Legs and Body are drying I am moving on to making Hair. I am going to be using embroidery silks for the Hair.

Making Loops

I take a White Circle that I have hemmed. I find roughly the centre of the Circle as that will be my starting place. I make a knot in one end of the thread and push through from the back.

I decide what length I want to make the Loop. I leave enough thread and then push the needle back through a few millimetres to the side. I am using my thumb to stop the thread going all the way through.

New Colour

There are two ways of keeping the thread as a Loop. You can make a knot in the other end of the thread and cut but this would be very time consuming.

The method I used was to use a securing tack before moving on to the next Loop. This method saves both time and thread. After I have done a row or so I add another Yellow. This will help to mimic shades and Hi-lights.

Pin heads Back to Back

 

The other material is now dry. I pin the Heads back to back and then sew with a Blanket stitch across the top of the Skull. I then turn the material the right way around.

Hair Pinned to Head

 

I now pin but do not sew the White Circle to the top of the Head. I do this so I can check precisely the shape and where the Hair will fall once sewn.

More Loops

I continue adding a few more Loops. I am still keeping them fairly central. There is a very important reason for this which I will mention later.

Double Hem

 

Before I add any more Loops I am going to decrease the Circle. I fold the material over so it matches the original hem width. I then pin it in place and sew around. This keeps the shape whilst making the Circle smaller.

Hair Parting

I have now sewn the Hair to the very top of the Head. I have added a few more Loops but as you can see in the Photo above I have left a gap.

This gap is important as this indicates where the string is going to be attached. I want to add a little more Hair along the outside before I sew in place I am doing it this way because after the Scalp is completely sewn on it will be harder to push through the extra material.

Hair Attached at Side

After adding more Loops I have continued sewing along the Circle on both sides. I am leaving the bottom unsewn at this point so that I can manipulate the thread better.

Mademoiselle Marionette 2018 Part 5

Mademoiselle Marionette 2018 Part 5

After all that sewing I felt like a bit of a change.

Colouring Sticks

One thing I need to do was to colour the sticks I was going to use to suspend the Marionette from. At first I was going to paint them but in the end I decided to use a permanent marker.

Coloured Circles

If you follow my blogs regularly you may recall one entitled ‘Oh What A Busy Sewing Bee I am’. I cannot remember the reason why but there were some circles of the material in the kit. I delved into the remains of the project and cut them out.

Circles Pinned and Cut Out

After cutting the coloured circles out I pinned them to some white material (again left over from the kit). I then carefully cut out the circle.

Head verse Circle

I now have one circle which I will use later with the Head. I now repeat the process and cut out the other circle.

Head Circle Hemmed

I very carefully hem the circle to avoid losing as little material as I can. Believe me that it is not an easy task whilst watching England in the Semi-finals!

I also hemmed the other circle after all it is a case of two halves ahem.

Before I go on making any alterations to the Legs, Head or Arms I will give the sections a good wash to remove any trace of pencil outlines.

Mademoiselle Marionette 2018 Part 4

Mademoiselle Marionette 2018 Part 4

I am leaving the Legs for now and moving on to the Arms.

Arm 1^st Rough Cut Out

As I did with the Legs I drew a rough outline for the Arm and cut out. You might have observed that with the Arm I have given extra un-hemmed material to one side.

Marionette Arm Template

I then used the 1^st arm as a Template. This was a little more difficult to match up due to the extra material. I have double pinned it to make sure it didn’t move.

2^nd Rough Arm Drawn

I got the 2^nd Arm drawn and ready for cutting out. However I did notice when I removed some of the pins that they had been bent by trying to go through so much material.

I wonder if I should keep them for pinning around corners?

Hand Sewn

Next I took the 1^st Arm and sewed it from the beginning of the shoulder to the Hand which I had snipped around. I again used Blanket stitch and secured as with the Legs

Pushed with Scissors

Due to the small gap in which to turn the material I used my scissors to push through.

Warning if using scissors you need to be very gentle or you may go through the material. I should have found my bamboo stick but it is very hot and I was being lazy.

Hand Slip Up

Disaster! Whilst cutting out the 2^nd Hand I slipped with the scissors. I took a large section out. I had to decide whether to try and start the whole process again or try and repair it as I went along.

Hand Repair

Due to the time restraint I felt I had no option but to carry on. In order to stop the rest of the Hand fraying I bent over the hem at an angle and Blanket stitched it. I only hope that I have

Caught the problem in time and it will hold.

Hands Side by Side

 

In the above photograph you can see the difference in the shape of the Hands.

Arms Hemmed

With the precarious nature of the Hands I decided I better start hemming the other side of the material. That way I could secure it better at the Wrist.

Arms Excess Material

I hemmed up to the start of the Upper Arm on both pieces. This is because I wanted to check the length. If I didn’t do a rough measure the Marionette would have Arms as long as an Orangutan.

Arm 2^nd Hem Pinned

I levelled off the material and then checked the width. Obviously Arms are not as wide as compared to Legs. Therefore it was my intention to make a second hem to reduce the material.

Arm 2^nd Hem Tacked

I had pinned the 2^nd hem in place and then put a few tacking stitches in a few places. This will allow me some wriggle room but without having to hold the hem down.