Like many, I am not the best at completing long tasks & when I joined this year long challenge, I had my doubts if I would complete the 12 monthly tasks. I was buoyed by the idea that each task is only given out at the start of the month & you have a whole month to complete - that made it less daunting.
The format was uniform across the year - 6x6 inch squares with a 4inch circle that the work is done on. A stiffening board is inserted in between the front & back layer to give it strength then the edges have to be finished in a sturdy blanket stitch.
To keep me on track, I cut 13 identical fronts, backs & the stiffeners & placed them in a small plastic container along with the roll of thread I would use to blanket stitch each months work. That was the deciding factor for me because I could take out what I needed without having to go through the process of finding the same fabrics, cutting the 3 needed for each task each month.
I decided to machine embroider the monthly name on black fabric & fabric glue it to the back of each one to remind me what the challenge was. That will be a good reminder down the line.
Here are the previous monthly challenges:
1 - Snow blanket
2 - Conceal & reveal
3 - Renewal
4 - New Life a New Life alternative
5 - Blossom Time
7 - Radial Symmetry
8 - Seed Dispersal
9 - Seasonal Secrets
10 - Fascinating Fungi
11 - Wispy Mists
The final one will be revealed in December then we will learn how we are presenting all 12 challenges.
The wispy mist brief was to overlay a fine fabric over a landscape like trees to suggest the autumn mists. Paula offered several suggestions & having weekend visitors, I did not start it immediately.
However, while on a walk around Stafford Castle on Saturday, an idea came to mind for the task - a path of autumn leaves with trees & suggestions of the green foliage too.
I decided to do my 4 inch circle with free hand machine embroidery & after roughly drawing it on water soluble film, I did the image in several tones of each colour needed. That part is a little laborious because of the thread changes & rethreading the machine so often.
I did some swirling grey misty shapes over the trees & then took it to the basin & dipped the film in it.
It dissolves almost instantly leaving a good shape. However, I did not like the swirling mist embroidery over the trees - it was too distracting so I got out a little scissors & cut the threads loose. It was the last threads to go on so that was manageable but fiddly. It looked better without it.
I put it on the front square then added a bit of green voile where the bushes would be & tacked the edges of the circle to the square. I covered the whole 6 inch square with a fine voile I had, pinned it then machined the edges like the previous ones. The linen I used for the fronts frays & isn't secure enough for the blanket stitching so a line of machine stitching gives support to the edges.
It was then blanket stitched in the same thread as the others.
I felt it had lost its definition with the wispy mist overlay so when I came back to it a day later, I decided to put tiny stitches around the edges of the tree shapes to give them definition & it definitely did.
Some soft wool was couched around the circular edges to finish it off as swirling mists & it is ready for the machine name to go on the back.
I am pleased that my interpretation worked - this stitching challenge has encouraged us to think out of the box - it is suggestive rather than prescriptive which is so creative.
Just one more challenge, I look forward to it.
Thank you for stopping by, taking the time to read, share or comment. It is much appreciated.
Dee 🪡🧵📍🌳
Good work!
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