Mabel's Hardanger

[Lessa54]

Lovely design On other colours, for a striking one, you could always do a Berberis (?) - very dark green spiky leaves with lovely bright orange flowers. Or my parents have something quite vicious which I don't know what it's called, but it has dark green/brown spiky leaves and a pale lavender flower.

[mags]

Beautiful, as always

[Point Pelee]

Hello Mabel, I love your hardanger stitching, I only wish I could sew as beautiful like you. I attempted my first hardanger class, just recently at my LNS, I thoroughly enjoyed taking the class, but found it very difficult. I didn't do any cutting, but just learning how to count and stitch. I had to use a magnifier for counting, otherwise I could not succeed further!I really want to learn how to cut and stitch.

I would like to take one of you're classes. My main concern is that I am a visual person, and usually need guidance. Do you think I can learn from one of your courses, even with my problem?

Kind regards,
Sandra

[Mabel Figworthy]

I don't really think being a visual person is a problem, Sandra! It's just one of the many ways in which we learn.

In the courses I teach I make sure that everyone gets to see every new stitch demonstrated, several times if necessary, and for the beginners course I provided a practice piece so everyone could try out cutting with scissors and squissors without having to cut their own work yet.

However it rather depends on your being near enough to where I am, and I seem to remember you're not . Perhaps when you say courses you mean the mini kits? They have more detailed instructions than the ordinary chart packs, but of course no demonstrations as you would have face to face.

Another possibility is to sign up for the SAL, that's only £3 and gives you access to the SAL blog, where many stitches are demonstrated with photographs as well as descriptions, which might suit your visual style of learning.

And if you have any question, you're always welcome to ask, either here or in a pm!

[Louise1262]

I hadn't done any hardanger until I signed up for Mabel's SAL and found the instructions and SAL blog very easy to follow.
Now I'm a complete addict.
After 5 months I still haven't produced a 'perfect' piece but I'm working on it and the journey is fun.

If you go to the topic for Mabel's Song of the Weather SAL (in Stitch a long) you will see many encouraging posts with stitchers also 'new' to hardanger sharing their tips and (sometimes) disasters.


Do have a go - you've nothing to lose.

[wendywombat]

Wendy, the apricot/pink of the japonica blossom would be fabulous and
how about dark green for the spikey leaves, DMC 666 for centre and blossoms in variegate Christmasy colours??? or done in blues and white for Christmas too or use soft green fabric with Caron's apple blossom thread.

Stop it, I am supposed to be cutting out a quilt top this morning not thinking up colours schemes for future stitching - although it is nice that my colour schemeing has come back.

You're just multi-tasking!!!

I love the Japonica flower I'll have to find some threads to match them....I don't have DMC. I'm an Anchor Girl. An excuse to have a furgle in my thread box I think.

[Mabel Figworthy]

I'm working on Three of Diamonds at the moment, another series of "patches" to decorate things with. These I intend to have frayed edges with a variety of borders, and then attach them using buttons or in this case sequins & beads.

Actually this one isn't attached to anything because the colours I've picked for these models don't go with the foam notebooks , so I'll stitch them again in colours picked especially for that purpose. The first models will use Caron threads and other hand-dyeds, the ones for the notebooks will probably be solid DMC.

So here is Three of Diamonds 2 -- they come with an alphabet because two of the three can be personalised. I used Wildflowers Blue Lavender for the coloured parts, and sequins from my stash which just happened to be exactly the right colour!

[karen4bells]

That is just soooooooooo pretty!!! Another amazing Mabel creation!!

[rcperryls]

That is just soooooooooo pretty!!! Another amazing Mabel creation!!

Absolutely agree!

Carole

[tiffstitch]

Gorgeous works!!

[mags]

So pretty

[amyb]

I love those colors! and the sequins qive it such a delicate look.

[Squirrel]

Wonderful Mabel. Love the colours and the soft ?green of the fabric too. One could have a lot of fun with those designs too. Mmmmm.

[thegrindre]

I must say, that's beautiful. You do have a talent for that kind of work. It's so perfect.

[Oriettait]

so pretty

[Mabel Figworthy]

Sally, the soft green is the result of the vagaries of photography, I'm afraid -- it's good old Antique White hardanger fabric.

I have found a shop that sells coloured Hardanger though.... Unfortunately they sell it full width by the centimetre, rather than as fat quarters which would be more useful for me. But they do have a delectable sage green which I'd love to try!

[millymolly]

beautiful

[secondhandrose]

Very pretty, I love the colours.

[Mabel Figworthy]

I managed a few small projects while we've got my Mum to stay -- a set of four invitations (which I wrote a bit more about on FoF):



and another Three of Diamonds; this one uses silver star spangles with purple beads:



One more to go before Three of Diamonds can go on the site

[karen4bells]

Beautifully finished!!