Let’s continue with another stitch common to Mountmellick embroidery - the Mountmellick Thorn Stitch.

First thing I realized was the lack of tutorials and photos of this stitch online. I found this video tutorial that is good, but also a bit blurry and this photo on Flickr. Both were helpful and gave me a good starting point on how to stitch it.



I read on a few websites about Mountmellick embroidery that the thorn stitch is basically a feather stitch with a French knot on every other stitch.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/mooshie-stitch-mondays-mountmellick.html

Let’s continue with another stitch common to Mountmellick embroidery - the Mountmellick Thorn Stitch.

First thing I realized was the lack of tutorials and photos of this stitch online. I found this video tutorial that is good, but also a bit blurry and this photo on Flickr. Both were helpful and gave me a good starting point on how to stitch it.



I read on a few websites about Mountmellick embroidery that the thorn stitch is basically a feather stitch with a French knot on every other stitch.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/mooshie-stitch-mondays-mountmellick.html

Let’s continue with another stitch common to Mountmellick embroidery - the Mountmellick Thorn Stitch.

First thing I realized was the lack of tutorials and photos of this stitch online. I found this video tutorial that is good, but also a bit blurry and this photo on Flickr. Both were helpful and gave me a good starting point on how to stitch it.



I read on a few websites about Mountmellick embroidery that the thorn stitch is basically a feather stitch with a French knot on every other stitch.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/mooshie-stitch-mondays-mountmellick.html

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/patterns-satsuma-street-garden-cat.html

Welcome to the first edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Every other week I'll bring to you a curated list of embroiderers and stitch-related needle workers found on Instagram whose works are ones you need to check out.

@CinderandHoney
Caitlin is the hand embroiderer behind Cinder + Honey, a shop that focuses on hand embroidered hoop art and necklaces. I really like the bold statements she makes with text, and the whimsical nature of her art.

Caitlin's stitches are so neat and tidy, and check out the satin stitching on the flower! Doesn't this cheerful hello hoop make you smile? The colors are so bright and happy.

A photo posted by Cinder + Honey (@cinderandhoney) on Feb 17, 2015 at 10:01am PST

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/friday-instagram-finds-no-001.html

It is a pleasure to introduce our newest blogger, Amy from Random Acts of Amy. You may recognize her from her Instagram account, Etsy shop, and wonderful blog series Back Side of the Hoop and her Hastystitch Embroidery Challenge.


Amy is a regular stitching dynamo, and in addition to being a fabulous embroiderer, she loves to feature other stitchers and encourage them in their skill. Amy will be featuring Instagram finds on Feeling Stitchy, via our brand-new Instagram account: @feelingstitchyish.

Welcome, Amy!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/welcome-to-new-blogger-amy-on-instagram.html

I am delighted today to bring you an interview with artist Rosalind Wyatt by Karen Thiesen from www.womanwithaneedle.com. Rosalind will be teaching a workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico from May 11-17, 2015. Karen will also be giving away a copy of Leanne Prain's Strange Material: Storytelling through Textiles today to celebrate!

Get comfortable, grap a cup of tea or coffee, and read on to learn more about the fascinating art of Rosalind Wyatt!


Hello, I am Karen Thiesen, and I have been admiring Rosalind Wyatt’s work for years... ever since the photos of her project The Stitch Lives of Others started appearing on the internet. I had the opportunity to take a workshop from her and was delighted to find that not only is she an amazing artist, but an extraordinary person and teacher.

You have a degree in calligraphy and bookbinding...what made you switch mediums from paper and pen to needle and thread?
It wasn't really a question of switching, more like progression; towards the end of the calligraphy & bookbinding degree, I'd taken a module called painted lettering, where we were to design letters for a medium. I had chosen a text which I felt lent itself to be applied onto textiles; the tutors loved the work and I guess saw my aptitude with textiles. One particularly astute tutor suggested a masters at The Royal College of art- mixed media specialism within Constructed Textiles. So I applied to a Textiles course with a purely calligraphy portfolio. My training at the RCA was a complete sea change in direction, learning and development. Moving from an entirely craft based coursed to an art/design education where everything was judged not on whether it was 'right' but whether it was authentic was challenging to the core. During this postgrad, I too questioned everything and had to dig deep to find my voice. I began to re assess how I made marks and my work became very abstract. My range of writing tools became broader, and gradually I discovered that it's the intention behind making a mark that gives it power and presence. One of the tools I picked up was a needle- I thought 'I wonder if you can write with this'. And so it was this simple process of discovery, that stitch by stitch you could form a letter... in thread!

One of the most amazing things about your work to me is that you can copy a person's handwriting in stitch without first tracing it out or making a pattern of any kind! How do you do that?
First of all you have to look and observe closely all the details of a written artifact. The more acutely this inspection takes place the better, and with all your senses! I think we've lost touch with the power of this form of communication. After the voice, an original document records a particular moment in time, a happening, an event! Who wrote it, the content, the thoughts and feelings and intention all come together in a physical manifestation. What is it telling you? Once you feel this connection, you can begin making. The choice of fabric and thread is informed by the original- so if the original handwriting is heavy, use a heavy thread! But don't labour over this, ordinary cotton and calico is fine. Then It's like sketching the contours of a face, mostly you look at the original handwriting, which I always keep as close as possible to the fabric. It does take concentration, but like anything, the more you practise, the easier it becomes. Above all, enjoy it and work with an sense of wonder- watching it all take place!

Tell me about your project "The Stitch Lives of London".
This came about from a body of work called 'the stitch lives of others'. People responded in such a personal way, giving me their textile heirlooms that I felt there was a bigger project waiting to be created. So the idea for SLL came about. It's an art textile installation telling the story of London through text and textile- a modern day Bayeaux Tapestry. People donate their stories in the form of a garment and handwritten document which then becomes an artwork. Eventually all the pieces will hang together, side by side, like on an imaginary washing line that forms the pattern of the River Thames. It is about and for the people of London. So far there are 10/5 garments including an athletic running top donated by Baroness Lawrence, celebrating the life of her son, the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence; the shirt actor Jude Law wore when he played Hamlet on the London stage and this year two garments- a historical piece based on 4 diaries of a stretcher bearer in the WW1 and a contemporary garment donated by Jonny Benjamin of the #findingmike campaign.

"A boy who loved to run" garment donated by Baroness Lawrence to The Stitch Lives of London


Shirt donated by Jude Law, worn in a 2009 production of Hamlet

What is your favorite piece that you have created?
Impossible to say! Like having to choose your favourite child.... But I might just concede that I thoroughly enjoyed the Fortnum & Mason commission of two stitched garments 'I wish I were with you' and 'Because it's there'.



You have studied Zen brushwork in Japan, and now you have just come back from a 3 week artist's residency in India. How do those experiences influence your art?
I never set out to travel to either Japan or India! They seem to have come about from a need or question. After a very formal training in western calligraphy I was always looking at oriental calligraphy and enjoying the freedom and flow of it. My question was how can those zen masters seem to pack so much into a single brush stroke. Even though I didn't understand Japanese script, the marks spoke to me and conveyed a freshness and immediacy that jumped off the page. Then I went to an exhibition of zen scrolls at Oxford university and that was a real lightbulb moment- it took me right to the feet of a living zen master. I felt compelled to make contact and soon after I was invited to visit. Zen brushwork has become part of my artistic practise ever since. This system continues to challenge me about how to make a mark without 'doing anything', and furthermore about the true source of creativity. It is a lifelong study.

India has always played a part in my life- albeit remotely. I grew up with the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and the practise of meditation alongside a simple knowledge of the great epic poems and Sanskrit texts. These great teachers and cultures change you from the inside- you can tap into a well spring of knowledge, freedom, understanding and happiness. This recent residency was my first visit to India to stay as part of a community in rural Gujarat. It was extraordinary and challenging at the same time. I'm still working on a new series of collages based on my time there and digesting it all.


What is your favorite inspirational quote?
The one I always come back to again and again ends with the simple yet profound sentence 'you are a note in a world song'. It's very practical- you have to come out of what you are not, those thoughts and feelings that go round and round, the decisions you take, the separate sense of self....and listen. The world song is happening right here and now.... and you are in everything!

“If Shoes Could Talk”

What is the best thing about working in your studio?
I think a certain atmosphere is created in a space that accumulates over time. It's impossibly small and crammed with all my materials, tools, books and work; sometimes when I've been away for a while, I'll return and just feel so grateful that there is a space where I can be and create. Even though it's physically small, it's light, bright and clean away from the house- at the bottom of the garden. Then of course, it's in the best city in the world- London!

Rosalind will be teaching a workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 11-17, 2015, her first time teaching in the US! Details at www.womanwithaneedle.com.

To celebrate, I am giving away a copy of Leanne Prain’s excellent book, Strange Material: Storytelling through Textiles, featuring Rosalind’s stunning work on the cover!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/interview-with-rosalind-wyatt-and.html

I am beyond excited to introduce our newest guest blogger - Julia Titchfield, an intern at the UK embroidery company, Hand and Lock. In her Diary of an Intern series, she'll be blogging all about her experiences as an intern. A tremendously talented embroiderer, she won last year's open category prize at Hand and Lock. Please welcome Julia!


Feeling Stitchy have kindly invited me to contribute for the coming weeks during my work placement at the prestigious, London based, embroidery and embellishment company called Hand and Lock. I am excited to share my experience with you and welcome your thoughts. With 250 years of heritage, Hand and Lock are at the forefront in the industry. Obviously I leapt at the chance to do an internship; to see behind the doors of this famous embroidery house and more importantly to pick up some invaluable skills of this ancient art.

My entry into the industry has been pretty magical in many ways. Last year I participated in the company's annual, international embroidery competition and to my astonishment and delight I walked away with first prize for the open category! I too am an embroidery enthusiast and initially I entered this competition to push myself and develop my skills with the aim of producing something that could be the start of a portfolio. You can imagine my surprise at the reception my work has received. I suggest that we all dare to dream and allow ourselves to reach our potential. So go on dare, have a go at the prize!


It feels this is the start of my journey into the world of textiles and surface embellishment and I'm filled with excitement about what the future holds in terms of lush fabrics and fine finishes and the techniques I may acquire in order to accomplish my vision.

My first impression was how cosy the workshop is combined with a feeling of stepping into the rich history of this elusive craft. Embroiderers sit silently at large frames. Heavy wooden furniture adorns the room, holding many small drawers filled with an array of threads, silks, beads and sequins. Like a kid in a sweet shop it is a real treat! I have yet to explore the sample room which is home to tambour beaded, goldworked and silk shaded treasures.

The range of clients is also very intriguing. From the theatre and film to high profile individuals such as an extremely wealthy sheikh. Amongst my tasks, so far, I have pimped up a pair of sneakers with no less than Swarovski crystals fixed to the soles to be used for a music video. That posed some tricky challenges on how to achieve a secure and clean finish.

One very important lesson in the last week has been about working tempo, which I'm still improving on. Here it's a whole different approach from my slow and steady working mode to that of professionals in industry working to daily and hourly deadlines. As well as experience and confidence in technique, it's also a question of knowing when to swiftly move through each stage of the process without lingering too long on each part in that futile search for perfection.

It's fantastic to feel I'm part of this dynamic team and to become familiar with the inner working cogs of such an established embroidery house. For now I'm going to take each step at a time.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/diary-of-intern-julia-at-hand-and-lock.html

Calculating Your Fabric/Notion Measurements

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/thimblenest-thursdays-tutorial-for.html

Calculating Your Fabric/Notion Measurements

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/thimblenest-thursdays-tutorial-for.html

I'm very pleased and excited to say welcome to today's newest author on the blog: Wendy from Thimblenest! If you've visited her blog before, you'll know it's a place to find inspiring tutorials, free patterns, and tons of inspiration.

One of my recent faves is Wendy's gorgeous free pattern that I find so inspiring- Train your eyes to see the light:


We are beyond lucky to have Wendy blogging tutorials every other Thursday with us - so stay tuned for a fabulous Thimblenest Thursday!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/welcome-to-wendy-from-thimblenest.html

I'm very pleased and excited to say welcome to today's newest author on the blog: Wendy from Thimblenest! If you've visited her blog before, you'll know it's a place to find inspiring tutorials, free patterns, and tons of inspiration.

One of my recent faves is Wendy's gorgeous free pattern that I find so inspiring- Train your eyes to see the light:


We are beyond lucky to have Wendy blogging tutorials every other Thursday with us - so stay tuned for a fabulous Thimblenest Thursday!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/welcome-to-wendy-from-thimblenest.html

Hi all - floresita here to introduce our first new blogger on Feeling Stitchy - Michelle! On her blog, Mooshie Stitch, Michelle does some amazing, detailed stitch work with Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches and other talented projects. We are very thrilled to have her here at Feeling Stitchy with her first Mooshie Stitch Monday post - tune in every other Monday to hear from her! Welcome, Michelle!

First of all, I just want to say that I am so excited for my first post on Feeling Stitchy! :)

Welcome to the beginning of my adventures with whitework embroidery! I am a total newbie. Whitework has always intrigued and intimidated me. Especially cut work and drawn thread work.

When I was reading about different techniques, I came across Mountmellick whitework. The Mountmellick style - named after the town Mountmellick in Ireland - focuses on creating texture using many traditional stitches (including stem, buttonhole, satin, and french knots). It is typically stitched on cotton fabric with sheen and matte cotton threads.

Since I was already familiar with some of the stitches used, I decided to focus on learning Mountmellick.

There are three stitches unique to Mountmellick: the Mountmellick Stitch, Mountmellick Thorn Stitch, and Cable Plait Stitch.

Let's start with the Mountmellick Stitch. I found this great video tutorial on the Needle n' Thread website.

It was easier for me to keep the stitch even by drawing lines as a guide.




To practice some whitework stitching, I decided to start with a very small floral pattern.


It is a portion of this free pattern I found on Needle n' Thread. (She has so many free patterns!!)

Here is the finished project.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/adventures-in-whitework-mountmellick.html

Thank you Floresita for the shout out for my live tweeting at The Knitting and Stitching Show this morning. In case you missed it, I've Storifyed it, as I got to see some fantastic artists there.


I also forgot to tweet that I saw an interesting stand from the Fashion and Textile Museum, which has made me curious to visit. The museum is in Bermondsey in London, so if you're in the area, it looks worth a visit.

Also of note were the stitched sampler books which were on display on Jane Greenoff's stand, no photos were aloud unfortunately, but you can see the exquisite books on her website.

Thank you Twisted Thread for inviting Feeling Stitchy to the show!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/the-knitting-and-stitching-show-spring.html

Also on @MrXStitch stall, Paperclip Parrot, Stumpwork by Charlotte Bailey pic.twitter.com/zPDCrPI7Ma

— Feeling Stitchy (@feelingstitchy) March 7, 2015

Our blogger Jo is out at the Knitting and Stitching show today in London, and is tweeting all the wonderful things she finds, like this fabulous paperclip parrot!

Visit our Twitter to see more of her amazing finds!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/jo-live-tweeting-from-london-knitting.html

Also on @MrXStitch stall, Paperclip Parrot, Stumpwork by Charlotte Bailey pic.twitter.com/zPDCrPI7Ma

— Feeling Stitchy (@feelingstitchy) March 7, 2015

Our blogger Jo is out at the Knitting and Stitching show today in London, and is tweeting all the wonderful things she finds, like this fabulous paperclip parrot!

Visit our Twitter to see more of her amazing finds!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/jo-live-tweeting-from-london-knitting.html

Thank you, thank you, and thank you - to everyone who responded to our call for volunteers - everyone who re-shared our call, and everyone who enjoys our blog! Our volunteer spots are filled!

We have a wonderful group of bloggers who will be joining us very soon, a little bird says - perhaps as early as next week. We're still putting the finishing touches on our new schedule, and some exciting new features on the blog, so please stay tuned!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/we-found-our-volunteers.html

Thank you, thank you, and thank you - to everyone who responded to our call for volunteers - everyone who re-shared our call, and everyone who enjoys our blog! Our volunteer spots are filled!

We have a wonderful group of bloggers who will be joining us very soon, a little bird says - perhaps as early as next week. We're still putting the finishing touches on our new schedule, and some exciting new features on the blog, so please stay tuned!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/we-found-our-volunteers.html

You have until March 31, 2015 to be eligible for random drawing.

Prize:

20.00 gift certificate to 123 Cross Stitch

Post your hoopla over at Craftster HERE.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/03/craftsters-march-hoopla-along-color.html

If you agree, even a bit with the statement above, have I got a book for you! I was super-pleased to receive a review copy of Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs for Your Sassy Side by Julie Jackson, the mastermind behind subversivecrossstitch.com.

Subversive Cross Stitch is one of those sites that requires no introduction - if you have a dry wit and an itch to cross stitch, you have probably found Julie's site already. This little book packs in an amazing 50 individual cross stitch patterns, including 17 brand new to the world designs.

Let's take a tour of the opening pages and peek at a few of my personal favorites, shall we?




I tried to keep this tour as safe-for-work as possible, but the Table of Contents has the full skinny on the patterns. For example, if words of the "f" persuasion are your adjective of choice - you are in luck, as I counted no less than 12 patterns which feature it. :)


I really love the helpful guide to Aida count and finished project size above - when I was a beginner, it was a tough detail for me to grasp.

And now, a quick peek at a few patterns I love:




Would it be too weird to have this in a baby's room? I'd do it. :)


Perfect for going-away parties. :)

To make the pattern pages more hilarious, don't miss the little quips under each stitched example - they're pretty awesome, too. It's really nice to see each pattern stitched up and beautifully framed, and there's a full DMC color list for each pattern.

This is a great book for any stitcher who loves colorful language and a well-placed sarcastic quip. The patterns are quick and straightforward enough to be perfect for someone who is new to cross stitch. There are also 4 simple alphabets at the back so you can further personalize your projects. Need I say? I love this book!

Giveaway time! This giveaway is US only - to win - please leave a comment on this post by 9 PM US CST, March 1. Let's keep it safe for work, but please tell us the letter your favorite curse word starts with. For instance, mine is, cough, "f." :)

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2015/02/subversive-cross-stitch-review-and.html