Tag Archive | cotton thread

Tide Pools Nature’s Treasures

Oct30
Tide Pools Natures Treasures

Tide Pools Nature’s Treasures

Being a native of Southern CA., a shell lover from early child hood, and an avid collector I am drawn to the ocean, the sand, the waves, the tide-pools and all of the treasures that you can find.

beach sand

I started my project with birch bark collected many years ago from our cabin outside of Toronto, Ontario Canada. This I used for the sand, and the inside of the bowls.

I then crumpled up pieces of cotton paper to create the waves, and rocks. I stitched these together with cotton and rayon threads on my sewing machine. I placed this on an old wooden tray, that had seen better days.

The next step was to create the actual tide pool rock formations that capture the sea life and shells.

I started with Timtex and more cotton paper. I cut round shapes in three different sizes. I layered cotton paper over these, and cut out round pieces of birch bark for the center of the bowls.

I stitched the layers together on the sewing machine. I then cut darts into the circles, and over lapped these to form the bowl shape. The last step was to cut the edges of each bowl and then machine stitch over these edges.

shells, sea life and kelp

shells, sea life and kelp

I had an abundance of real shells that I had collected over the many years of beach combing. I had a great time selecting which of these would be included into my beach scene.

I also had some old celluloid buttons that were somewhat grungy, but the colors matched and the patterning looked like sea urchins to me, these are interspersed amongst the bowls.

I thought that it would be cool to include shells and sea life that I had made from ribbons, crochet and embroidery. I started to play and this is what I came up with:

  • A crochet length of kelp with cord and pearl cotton, and grape shells at each leaf (these have a florist wire glued in the center to attach to the kelp)
  • Crochet and embroidered snail shells
  • Embroidered sea urchins, sea anemones and limpet shells
  • Embroidered and gathered ribbon coral
  • Ric-rac coral and star fish
  • Plumes of something made from rayon cord (I am not sure what these are but I liked them)
close-up view of three sizes of bowls

close-up view of three sizes of bowls

Happy beach combing and treasure hunting, enjoy- Christen!

Recycled Blue Jeans and Denim Fabric

Oct30

JEANS, when did you get your first pair? I grew up wanting to be the “ballerina” in Elton John’s song “Blue Jean Baby”. I can hear you singing, “can’t you see her, tiny dancer in the sand”.

In high school I embroidered jeans and work-shirts for friends and family. In fact the reason that I now wear a thimble while stitching is from being poked so much by working on the heavy jean fabric. I have recycled a pair or two (that did not fit anymore), and used them in various projects. I also like to work with denim fabric (sold by the yard), because it provides a nice firm base to work on.

Blue Jean Baby

“Blue Jean Baby” is stitched onto a pant leg, from a pair of old jeans. I removed the pocket first, and used it and the pocket from the other leg in the examples below. I appliqued a lace heart, and many hand made flowers into the heart vase. I added vintage and new beads into the centers of the flowers. I embroidered ribbon down the side edges using traditional embroidery stitches. The little cat (made from a quilt from 1880’s) was a gift that came along with an eBay purchase, and Marcia Marcantonio is the creator. Thank you Marcia, I think that your gift is quite at home here.

Butterflies and Snapdragons
Flower Child

“Butterflies and Snapdragons” (a pocket from the pants), was featured in my book Ribbonwork Gardens, by C&T Publishing. The middle embroidery was worked on another portion of the jeans. “Flower Child” (a pocket from the pants), was featured in my book Ribbonwork Flowers, by C&T Publishing.

Country Hearts 1
Country Hearts 2

These two pieces begin with the same pair of jeans (cut from the other pant leg), and one of my favorite fabrics, the vintage floral print that the hearts are cut from. The heart shapes are bordered by a dyed leaf trim, and are surrounded by silk ribbonwork flowers and leaves, and silk ribbon embroidery.

Country Hearts Wall Hanging
Denim and Dresden

“Country Hearts” Wall Hanging was featured in my book, The Embroidery Book, by C&T Publishing. Each square was cut from the same pair of jeans, and I used the vintage rickrack trim to cover the raw seams. The embroidery stitches are worked in perle cotton threads. The embellishments include vintage tatted lace, ribbonwork flowers, vintage buttons, and glass beads.

“Denim and Dresden” is featured in my book, Creative Stitching, Mixing the Old with the New, by C&T Publishing. I used jean fabric for the base of the piece, and I think that it compliments the vintage feed sack fabric so nicely. The embroidery is worked in perle cotton, cotton floss, and vintage tatting threads. The embellishments include yo-yo’s and vintage buttons.

Happy Stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you are looking for inspiration or ideas, check out my PDF Classes and books.

Hankies and Lace Wall Hanging

Oct10

Hankies and Lace Wall Hanging with Christen Brown

This class is scheduled to begin Thursday August 3, 2017.

This project combines vintage handkerchiefs, ribbons, lace and cotton fabrics. The hankies will be your focal point, with ribbon, lace and appliques used as useful camouflage. Both traditional and silk ribbon embroidery stitches will be used to embellish the edges and inner sections of the hankies. Free standing elements and embellishments that will be added are appliques, yo-yo’s and flowers all made from bits of fabric. Vignettes with silk ribbon embroidery and ribbonwork flowers will be embroidered throughout the hanky base. Buttons, charms and beads will be added in here and there to finish the project.

The finished project can be turned into a pillow or a wall hanging. My book Embroidered and Embellished is a required supply. Student must be familiar with all forms of embroidery stitches before class, as no stitches will be demonstrated during class time. Student must also have both machine and hand-sewing skills.

Week 1: Creating The Base $20.00

be my valentine hanky wall hangingThe base of the project is created with hankies, linens, fabric and ribbon. Several different examples of hanky designs will be explored. Machine and hand sewing will necessary to finish the base, and will be need to completed at home before the next class.

Week 2: Fabric and Lace Embellishments $20.00

samplesLearn to make free standing elements and embellishments: appliques, yo-yo’s and flowers, bird’s nests and more all made from bits of scrap fabrics and lace.

Week 3: Ribbonwork Components $20.00

ribbonwork flowers

The ribbonwork flowers that will be covered are: the rosette, posy, ruched petal flower, U-gather petal flower, rickrack flower and 3 petal fan.  Student must be familiar with hand sewing skills before class.

Week 4: Lace, Appliques and Embroidered Rows $20.00

embroidery sample

Lace and small appliques will be stitched here and there, and embroidered rows of stitches will encrust the edges of the hankies. Student must be familiar with embroidery stitches before class.

Week 5: Floral Vignettes $20.00

hanky base with vignettes

Arrange and design fabric and ribbon components from Weeks 2 and 3. Stitch in additional elements and designs with silk ribbon embroidery. Student must be familiar with ribbonwork and silk ribbon embroidery stitches before class.

Week 6: Silk Ribbon Embroidered Roses, Buds and Flowers $20.00

Embroider smaller vignettes of roses, buds and other flowers around the larger vignettes and within the hanky sections. Student must be familiar with silk ribbon and traditional embroidery stitches before class.

Week 7: Decorative and Detail Stitches $20.00

Embroider decorative and detail stitches along the border rows, and within the hanky sections. Student must be familiar with traditional embroidery stitches before class.

Week 8: Bugs, Buttons, Charms and More $20.00

Embroider small detail stitches like spiders, butterflies, and dragonflies. Add in buttons charms and a few beaded stitches to complete the vignettes and border rows.

Week 9: Finishing Touches $20.00

Variety of bindings, stabilizers, and additional finishing touches will be covered.

Class Details:

These classes are listed with the price per visit.

Date and time: This class is not currently on the schedule.

For information on the series, please contact me: thestoreonthecorner@gmail.com

The above class fees reflect the content, the handout and any supplies noted in the description of each specific class. Once the fee of a class is paid for, you will receive a handout in an email, which will need to be printed and brought to class.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Creative Thread Embroidery Needle-Case

May5

creative thread embroidery samples

This is a class that I just finished up teaching this week. This was a really fun class, where the student learned to work the embroidery stitches using a variety of threads such as pearl cotton; buttonhole twist; rayon and cotton floss on a fabric base that will be used as needle-case.

Some of the stitches used blended thread to create new colors and textures. The dimensional embroidery stitches that were covered were bullion knot, cast on buttonhole, drizzle, woven, whipped and tatted. Traditional stitches such as the buttonhole, chain stitch, feather stitch, feather stitch leaf, French knot, lazy daisy, pistol stitch and straight stitch were also covered.

creative thread embroidery

There were many hours of stitching involved, but it is well worth the end results!

Happy Stitching to all of my students!

Enjoy,

Christen

The Castle Door

Sep28

The Castle Door

The Castle Door

I thought of an image of an old castle door that had been weathered, with a big door knocker, a brass knob and big hinges. I searched Ebay and found this large old key that is used for the hanger here; I also found a few old skeleton keys to add in here and there with my newer keys and heart shaped locks. The base is machine pieced and machine quilted. The  charms, keys and buttons are attached with embroidery floss.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Sunrise over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Sep8

Sunrise over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Sunrise over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

My favorite time of day is the morning, so fresh, so full of possibilities.

When our relatives lived in Corrales New Mexico this magnificent range was to the east of their home. I am usually up very early, and I would sit with my morning coffee at the oak table, in front of the huge glass window with the view of these mountains in front of me.

We visited during the summer and the fall, but I would have to say that my favorite time of year was winter. The view between the bare branches of the tree in their backyard, the open field with mist rising off the chaparral and behind these the view of sunrise over the snow capped mountain in all of it’s glory.

Lovely.

The background of this wall-hanging is machine strip pieced, the rays machine appliqued, and the bottom strip machine crazy pieced. The entire piece was machine quilted. The rays have hand embroidered details and the vintage shisha mirrors are hand embroidered. The rays are adorned with vintage apple juice celluloid buttons. Dimensions 20″ W X 10″ L.

Enjoy whatever time of day is your favorite! Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Friday’s Favorites: Celluloid Buttons

Sep4

Celluloid Buttons

Celluloid Buttons

Today we will talk about the celluloid button. This necklace is part of an ensemble “Deco Drama” that I just finished. The base of the necklace is a vintage French ombre ribbon, ruched, with a silk cord stitched for the tie. As you can see celluloid was definitely the theme here, using many of my favorite types of celluloid button.

Celluloid was invented in the 1870’s and was one of the most versatile and the first of the man-made plastics. This lightweight material is thinner than Bakelite, though some of the same techniques could be used such as molding, stamping and machine tooling; but unlike Bakelite buttons they could also be created by pulling, hollow blowing, and extruding. The coloring of the celluloid button was often more diverse than that of the autumn and vibrant coloring of the Bakelite buttons. The versatility of celluloid made it extremely popular with manufacturer’s, however the serious drawback to this material was that it is flammable! For further reading may I suggest a book I use frequently: Button Button Identification & Price Guide by Peggy Ann Osborne.

bracelets made from vintage celluloid buttons

bracelets made from vintage celluloid buttons

Here are a series of bracelets that feature vintage celluloid, Bakelite and glass buttons. I made these over the summer using simple sewing techniques and materials so that the buttons would shine as the stars that they are!

  • The first bracelet base is vintage picot edged grosgrain ribbon. The buttons that I used are celluloid “glow bubbles”, tight-tops and a few brown Bakelite.
  • The second bracelet base is vintage cotton grosgrain ribbon. The heart shaped buttons are Bakelite and the cream colored buttons are celluloid.
  • The third bracelet base is taffeta ribbon with a strip of grosgrain ribbon stitched down the center. The incredible green buttons are vintage celluloid “glow bubbles” and the black buttons are carved celluloid.

ribbon bracelet

ribbon bracelet

This last bracelet is made using grosgrain ribbon and an old measuring tape. These were woven together and backed with interfacing. I then stitched vintage glass, celluloid and Bakelite buttons for decoration. I stitched snaps down for the closure.

Deco Decadence

Deco Decadence

This brooch was made to be worn with “Melon Balls“ jewelry ensemble and Hat, which is made using a variety of vintage and new buttons and beads in colors of melon and black.

The pin boasts a lovely display of “buffed celluloid” buttons. I just adore the black and tan combination. It took many years to collect the right sizes and colors for this brooch. The ribbon worked flowers are made from a vintage ribbed cotton ribbon and the leaves are from a taffeta ribbon.

The ribbon buttons and flowers are attached to florist wire wrapped in sating ribbon, and sit in a vintage jacquard ribbon vase. A pin back is stitched to the back of the vase.

So what is in your button box and need help with identifying what’s in there? Christen

Mold on a Blueberry

Aug31

mold on a blueberry

mold on a blueberry

This pillow is comprised of two pieces of felt using a reverse applique technique. the top blue piece has holes cut out through out so that the green piece behind will show through. I then embroidered six different stitches using 10 colors of stranded floss.

Happy Stitching! ~Christen

Andalusian Flower Fields- Crochet Jewelry Ensemble

Jun10

Andalusian Flower Fields- crochet neckpiece

Andalusian Flower Fields- crochet neckpiece

Well if you thought that I had fun making this ensemble you were right!

Crochet is not my first needle technique of choice, not even my second, third… you get the picture. I learned the theory in high school, but never could read a pattern, so my elegant chains never really were of any use.

A few years ago I took a class, I got a book, took a refresher class from a friend, and just started to play. I guess it is just like anything new, you have to work at it. So I did. The flowers and leaves are all made from patterns that I developed, because I still can’t read anybody else’s pattern, but I can read my own!

The neckpiece is assembled by stitching each flower to the other, the leaves are attached to the flowers. I used a vintage glass button for the closure, and I stitched a crochet flower for the loop. The bracelet base is a vintage jacquard ribbon with the flowers sewn down on the ribbon. I had a second glass flower button that I used for the closure of the bracelet, and stitched a buttonhole loop.

Andalusian Flower Fields- crochet bracelet

Andalusian Flower Fields- crochet bracelet

The ensemble was made to be worn with a vintage blue shawl the same color as the light blue of the flowers. It is from China and is embroidered with the medium pinks, yellow and peach colors that I used in the flowers and the darker green color that I used for the leaves.

I found a vintage embroidered purse that was made in Mexico to match the shawl. It is embroidered on black velvet with flowers in the dark blue, pink and deep peach colors with the lighter green color of the leaves.

Happy stitching, creating, and searching for those great vintage finds! Christen

Strawberry Fields- crochet purse

May30

Strawberry Fields- crochet purse

Strawberry Fields- crochet purse

This crochet purse was so much fun to make. It is stitched in rows of double crochet using bits of this color and that, added in when one color ran out. I stitched a row of treble crochet close to the top for the cord to run through, and ruffled the top edge.

I am a fairly neat person but when it comes to skeins of pearl cotton, I tell myself I must wrap it in to a ball before I start stitching, but I rarely do. So the odd bits and messy balls end up in an old glass candy jar, at least they look pretty while stuffed in there.

So this was a project meant to untangle my bird’s nest full of pearl cotton #5 skeins. They were hopelessly tangled and mangled and seemingly knotted beyond recognition.

I spent a few nights in front of the TV, and a few long car trips (I was a passenger, not the pilot) and untangled and sorted the mess that I had created. I think that the untangling process took longer than the crochet stitches.

Hope that you too can create something from your tangles and mangles! Happy Stitching, enjoy- Christen