Mabel's other stitching 2026

[Serinde]

Sure! My pleasure.

AI stuff drives me mad, too. Except when there are two left hands or too many needles... that's quite funny, in a very sad way.

[geekishly]

This is so lovely, Mabel!

I’ve been doing a bit of pattern browsing on Etsy lately and there’s just so much AI slop. It’s so disappointing.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Isn't it just? I've just done a FoF about this project and the little tulip and realised I've completely forgotten to put in Serinde's remarks about encouraging . At least I did put an encouraging message in the FB post about it...

[geekishly]

Yes, I got the email about it!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Finished my Dorset button!

[Serinde]

I really like that. No5 perle? I've been making Dorset buttons for a long time in the 'cartwheel' formation. I must discover how you start another colour (finishing the outer ring is obvious enough, I would suggest). Might have to buy a kit from a maker to find out!

[geekishly]

That’s so pretty. Reminds me of a pattern I saw on Etsy recently where it was a hedge maze made entirely of French knots.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Here's a challenge - a friend at church whose grandmother's wall hangings decorate the front of our worship hall asked me if I could head a team (me and two other church friends) to overhaul the ginormous appliqués "because you do embroidery". Uhm, not on this scale I don't....
(More detail, plus a couple of other things, on FoF)

[geekishly]

Oh boy. I’m glad to hear it’s an easier fix than expected, but that’s still a lot of work!

[Steam.Jo]

Sounds like it won't be a difficult task (in comparison with my quilting ).

Looking at the pic there seems to be top frame bars on the two side pieces but no bottom bars. I wonder if the weight of bottom frame bar would keep the cloth sag/shrinkage more even over time.

Jo

[Mabel Figworthy]

Yes, bars only at the top. As the puckers smoothed out almost immediately once part of the lining and backing was undone, we think a quick steam/iron and re-sewing should be enough, on the grounds that after 30 years it's probably done all the stretching it's going to do.

[Mabel Figworthy]

As I still can't do the very fine and accurate work needed for my Silk Shading, I'm trying my hand (pun intended) at this course which DH got me in 2023. you may remember my last post about it which mentioned that if you followed the printed dots to create the diaper pattern couching, the gold threads were going to spread further and further apart. In reply to an email query I was told to "just create the pattern", ignoring the dots. OK if you have experience with goldwork, not helpful if you are learning through this course. Oh well. Yesterday I upicked two of the lines of couching and worked them again, with a few more, to create the patter. The short lines, some held down by very few stitches, are awkward, but at least it is less gappy.

[Serinde]

Like that pattern a lot. But not much help from the designer...

What happens to all those long extra pieces? Surely not just waste?!

[Mabel Figworthy]

They get plunged to the back, trimmed and oversewn - yes, essentially waste. Which is why in the middle ages they tended to couch in zigzags, like i did with my or nué, because it meant more gold on the front, and less on the back!

[Serinde]

How decadent we are.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Well, the gold content was rather higher in those days

[Mabel Figworthy]

My project to take on our weekend in Wales - a blackwork and gold daisy, design by Sarah Homfray. I'm swapping some of the patterns round from straight petal to diagonal petal because they seem to work better in that orientation. I've also decided to work the blackstitch in shades of brownish red.

Sarah herself did two blackwork versions of this daisy, one in blues without an outline as part of her teaching videos, with eight different patterns, and one in black outlined in gold and with a gold leather centre using only four patterns. I'm using all eight, and will also try and shade by using 1, 2 and 3 strands progressing from the tip of the petal to the centre. I haven't decided yet whether to use kid leather for the centre or whether to do a pattern in dark yellow. We'll see when I get to that point!

[Serinde]

Like the notion of shading the petals. In fact I like the whole idea of this little travelling project.

[Mabel Figworthy]

The difference between 2 and 3 strands seems less noticeable than the difference between 1 and 2, oddly enough.

Not much done, but at least I didn't carry it all the way to Wales for nothing!

I also decided on ditching one of the patterns SH uses, and substituting a modification of one I found in a blackwork book.

[geekishly]

I love this, what a great travel project.