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Currents- free form embroidered vest

May26
Currents- free form embroidered vest

Currents- free form embroidered vest

The vest is made from a Hoffman Bali Batik fabric, in the colors of a rich cranberries and currents, shot with hints of mango, teal and mustard. I used these accents colors for the fabric yo-yo’s made from cotton velveteen, and metallic silk fabric. This was the sample for my Currents class.

The cotton base fabric is machine quilted with a double needle in some sections and free form stipple quilted in others. Machine embroidered sections of covered yarn resemble branches or vines (teal green), and provide an anchor for the additional embellishment of hand applied rayon cords.

Hand embroidered shisha mirrors are seen amongst needle lace embroidery. Beads and buttons are used along with metal charm embellishments to compliment the sea theme.

Happy Stitching, Christen

Kelp Scarf- free form machine embroidery

May17
Kelp Scarf

Kelp Scarf

Pictured here is one of six examples of what you can do with a little time (about a weekend), a little imagination, a sewing machine and bits of this and that.

This scarf is from my Kelp Scarf class which I only taught once. The base was a strip of Solvy fabric. I machine stitched ribbons, yarns, threads and bits of this and that for about 12 hours. After the Solvy was washed away, the ribbons appear to float on air in a pretty lacy effect. For the fringe I hand tied and sewed in lengths of ribbons and leftover yarn.

With a little bit of imagination, you can recycle creatively, and have fun while you are doing it.

Happy Stitching, make it count! Enjoy- Christen

Fairie Tea Party- cup and saucer

Mar3
Fairie Tea Party by Christen Brown

Fairie Tea Party by Christen Brown

When your fay guests arrive, one must be properly prepared. I have been collecting books, stories and images of these gentle folk, and now with this cup perhaps I will be rewarded with a visit!

This tea cup and lily pad saucer are made from cotton paper that is cut, manipulated and machine stitched into shape. The cup is adorned with ribbon worked flowers and leaves made from silk, rayon and French wire ribbons.

Happy and Joyous Stitching! Christen

Scrumptious Scraps Wall Hanging: silk ribbon embroidery with silk ribbon worked flowers and leaves

Feb22
Scrumptious Scraps by Christen Brown

Scrumptious Scraps by Christen Brown

This wall hanging truly covers all of my passions, embroidery, ribbon work, vintage lace, and dyeing! Scrumptious Scraps was a labor intensive project, but well worth the time that I spent on it. In fact this piece is one of my favorites, and I have used it throughout the design of my website.

The base fabric is comprised of all of those precious scraps of handmade lace and fabric that you can’t throw out! The base was created with a layer of Solvy over the scraps of lace and fabric which was then machine quilted fusing all of the pieces together. The base was then dyed with Color Hue Dyes, along with the ribbons that I used to embroider the flowers and leaves.

The ribbon worked flowers are made from Hanah silk bias ribbons, cotton grosgrain ribbons, and dyed silk satin ribbons; the embroidery was stitched with silk ribbons and embroidery threads.

size 12-3/8″ W x 9-1/2″

Happy Stitching! Christen