TAST Project 1

Well, my TASTing is not only experimenting with shaping of different stitches, but also combining stitches and ideas.

Project 1 here (not quite done) started with the centipedes. The fabric, as you can see from the top edging there, is a scrap of something received from one of my evenweave companies. I adore working with weird colors that no one else wants to touch and seeing how I can turn the fabric into a project to drool over. Well, I guess centipedes aren't exactly to drool over, but oh well!!

They started out as two little c's, crawling out in nice somewhat uneven buttonhole/blanket stitch form. Now come on, have you EVER heard of a centipede having uniform legs??!! Then I looked at the stitch and thought for a while. I added the curved seams on the side there -- the first and third are closely-worked buttonhole such as you'll find in whitework. The middle one (not finished) uses the detached chain. Not too bad so far...

I decided the c's needed something, so I filled them in with gradient pink glass beads down to the small rocaille beads at their tails. Their heads have French knots at the ends of the antennae, which is how you can tell which end is which. Just in case you ever need or want to know.

The blue leaves and tan branch tip were added and appliqued with very close, very small blanket/buttonhole stitch. I'll have to figure out how to get a better close-up, because I'm rather proud of the small size and consistency of those stitches, if I do say so myself!

Then, I wanted to fill out things a bit more, so I attached the periwinkle blue-and-white flower with detached chain stitch, also using periwinkle blue thread, in each of the white petals of the flower. The leaf is appliqued, again with blanket/buttonhole stitch, and some slight needlepainting in the dk green center veins.

Finally, at the bottom of the piece, there are two pieces of a "sample scrap" that is striped in pale and dark versions of the same olive drab type color of the background piece. So far, there is a pulled-thread eyelet in tan at the top of the vertical piece. There will be about a half dozen scattered throughout those two pieces.

I'm pleased with the quality of my work. I'm rather happy with how the colors have fallen together, although looking at the piece now, I would be happier if I had used a couple different shades. But this is a learning experience, and I'm enjoying it.

TAST stitches used: Buttonhole/blanket, and detached chain.