Lynn Woll, of Create Whimsy has re-posted a “Spot Light” article that I wrote for them two years ago introducing my book Beaded Embroidery Stitching. The article also has section on my book The Embellished Art Embroidery Planner. You can find the article here.
Happy Stitching~Christen
Here are a few blooms to cheer up the week! Happy May Day!
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
To those of you who have asked for an index, I have great news for you! I have written an index for the stitches which you can find on the C&T website. You can find the book here, and the list here.
These are a few of the small wall hangings and wreaths that I have made. The first was featured in my book Ribbonwork Flowers, the second was a class that I taught at my store, and the third features a dragonfly that I taught at my store.
Happy Stitching! ~Christen
These are a few of my favorite necklaces, these were all made using a ribbon or silk cord for the base. Vintage and new buttons, beads, charms and other ephemera were used for the embellishments.
Happy Stitching! ~Christen
I love this time of year, and all of the colors that we associate with the fall, with autumn, and with harvest time. This is a sampling of some of the PDF Class Lessons that are available on my website:
Happy Stitching to you! ~Christen
Day 30
Question: Is you art influenced by other works of art? YES is my answer!
Misty Blue Hills by Christen Brown
This piece was created with a printed upholstery fabric that I had for many (many, many) years, that I used for the center, because of the great coloring and lines. I pieced the simple border with blue and creme colored printed fabrics. The embroidery stitching follows the pattern in the center, using the blanket and fly stitches netted, along with the chain stitch double, chain stitch cable, chain, herringbone, feather, stem, linked bullion, stem/outline fern, open chain, portugese knotted stem, palestrina knot, string of pearls, coral, running stitch whipped, snail trail, and scroll stitches. The detail stitches were the French knot, bell flower and stacked bead stitches. I used a Sashiko style of stitching on the border fabrics. Many vintage glass, metal, shell and celluloid buttons were used for embellishments, along with two bone dragons.
I wanted to show you the comparison of the two pieces that influenced Misty Blue Hills (first image). The second image is vintage purse, made from a beautiful piece of fabric with tiny bead embellishments. The third image is the very famous piece titled “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. This is a woodblock print, that is also known as The Great Wave or simply The Wave, created by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai.
This piece is the cover and can be seen in my new book Hand Embroidery Dictionary.
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
Day 29
Do you plan out every detail, or do you approach your work with serendipity? For this piece, I did a bit of planning, so that the metal frame could take a prominent place amongst the pieced fabrics.
Midnight in Paris by Christen Brown
This wallhanging is crazy pieced with cotton solid and printed fabrics and vintage laces. The embroidery was worked in silk embroidery ribbons (4mm and 7mm), silk perle, perle cotton, and cotton floss. Vintage buttons, beads, an antique metal frame, and charms were used for embellishments. A ribbon border with beaded details showcase the piecing and the frame.
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
Day 28
What form of piecing do you prefer? I really love crazy-piecing, simply because you can use the pieces and scraps that you have on hand, and the pieced lines provide a variety of opportunities to embroider and embellish.
Victoriana 1 and Victoriana 2 by Christen Brown
These two pieces were stitched using the same fabrics, and are almost identically pieced together. I was going to make a purse, but decided that two small wall hangings were more desirable. The embroidery stitches were worked in silk embroidery ribbon, perle cotton and cotton floss. Beads, charms and buttons were used for the embellishments.
You can find these two pieces in The Embroidery Book by C&T Publishing.
The Crazy Lady Victoriana by Christen Brown
This piece was made using the same fabrics as the above two pieces, with the addition of several vintage silk ties and their lining fabrics. I created this piece while I was teaching a class titled the Crazy Corner. I enjoyed adding in all of the embellishments such as a birds nest, fabric yo-yos, and ribbonwork flowers.
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
Day 27
Wild Persimmons by Christen Brown
This piece started with a crazy-pieced base of silk and cotton fabrics, which was machine quilted in a random spiral pattern. A rayon cord was couched down with seed beads to create a pattern. The embroidery and embellishments that follow the pattern are vintage plastic and glass buttons, sequins, glass seed beads, and large beads.
This piece can be seen in my book Beaded Embroidery Stitching.
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
Christen's Creations 