LilyCompass I: Embroidery - Sapphire Part One

LilyCompass I: Embroidery Sapphire
Novel Effect:  Diamond Facets Pattern

Foundation is 1.5 or 24 suga Midori # 167

Due to some major scheduling conflicts, the tutorial for Sapphire will have to be delayed by a week or two.  I want to make sure there is a picture for you to admire to get the feel for the color that is developing until I am able to finish this tutorial.  Looking at the Lily schedule, it appears that I will be back to you a week from Friday if not sooner.

Hope everyone has a great July 4th holiday in the states!

To Mark - Congratulations on finishing 11th of the Blood Sweat and Gears race.  Just at 5 hours and 5 minutes.

Christa, Lilystitch,
www.lilystitch.blogspot.com and www.lilystitch.com

LilyCompass I: Embroidery Emerald

LilyCompass I: Embroidery Emerald
Novel Effect: Shokko-nui

Foundation: 1.5 or 24 suga in Midori #82

Begin by placing gridlines at 3 mm in M #82 tt (tight twist).  Yes!  3 mm.  It's time to step up to a ton of gridlines worked close together. Use a fine ruler as one with thicker lines make it harder to accurately to put in the twisted silk so close together.  One could do less gridlines by placing the gridlines in at 6mm and double all measurements going forward; however, the size of the design will be MUCH larger.

Whew! I'm counting 62 little squares (partials included).  Tie down intersections with same 1:2 tt.

Twist 2:1 of M#82 - I created almost tt on the 2:1.  Lay the twist on the diagonal working top to bottom, right to left at every fourth intersection.

Tie down using 1:2 tt of M#82 where the 2:1 tw intersects (middle of squares).

Stitch squares of the boxes where the twisted threads intersect.  I'm using the JEC Metallic in Dk Green w Brown Japan Plu #2731.  An alternative is to use a slightly darker, 16 suga flat silk like M 84.

Last step: Twist silk 2:1 M #82 tt.  Stitch the outline of the boxes in between the satin stitch boxes.  To execute -- work the top line first coming up on the right and going down on the left.  Second, work the bottom line coming up on the right and going down on the left.  Third, work the right line coming up at the top and going down on the bottom. Lastly, working the left line by coming up on the top and going down on the bottom.

Monday - LilyCompass I: Embroidery Ruby

LilyPad Update:  Change is in the wind around the LilyPad. Those of you following the LilyStitch blog saw pictures of the kitchen renovation several months ago.  This is only one step in the journey to listing our house for sale.  We are very close and have contracted to put it on the market the week following the US holiday, July 4th.  Next weekend will be a very busy one preparing for that event so there may be a delay of a week or so on the smaller points, center, and Goldwork.  I'll keep you updated.

Have a great weekend!

Christa,Lilystitch
www.lilystitch.blogspot.com and www.lilystitch.com

LilyCompass I: Embroidery Ruby - Pointed Wave Pattern

(Just had to put in a reference to Dorothy's slippers)

LilyCompass I: Embroidery Ruby
Novel Effect:  Pointed Wave Pattern

Pour yourself a cuppa and pull up a chair - this is such a FUN effect.

When I first began embroidery, I found that doing "effect" techniques to be frustrating. The first effect was I attempted was Flax-Leaf effect in Bouquet from Japan.  I hated working it because the design did not emerge in the last stages of working in the threads.  At the time, I didn't understand the importance of making sure the gridline spacing are precisely measured ad executed.  Hiogi Fan taught me this lesson and since that time I have grown to really love way the precision of the design creates wonderful depth and texture.

In Pointed Wave pattern, the design looks really complicated and difficult but it has turned out to be a joy to stitch:

Foundation -- Midori silk #161 in 1.5 or 24 suga flat.

The grid is worked in #1 twisted JEC #1 Dark Green Beetle Wings Japan Plus SM #2730.  Twist the #1 metallic in the needle, just like making a sinking thread.  Substitution - #1 gold.

Use a fine 90-60-30 degree ruler.  Lay the straight edge of the ruler adjacent to the center line using the 30 degree angle.  Laying the tw gold along side the longest line to get the correct angle.  Use this first laid thread as your starting point and lay the rest of the gridlines in this layer 5 mm appart.

Using the 60 degree angle, lay the first of second layer of gridlines.  Use this as your guideline and place in the rest of the lines 5 mm apart.  Check to make sure the 60 degree angle remains consistent as each additional twisted gold is put in.

Couch down the intersections using a long couching stitch of the JEC #1 Dark Green Beetle Wings Japan Plus SM #2730.  My directions call for using couching thread but I like the #1. 1:2 tw of foundation color could also work well.

Now, for the really fun part.  Filling stitches -- Use a 2:1 twist of Midori #175 and #1 beatle metallic. Twist as described in the gold foundation.  Below is a chart that shows how to work the design with hints below.

Hints -- I measured out then placed my "up" and "down" stitches (#1 & 2) at about 1/3 the length of guideline with in the diamond.  This stitch did not pierce the guideline but rather came up just under it.  The couching stitch is also placed 1/3 of the distance between the points of the diamonds.

For the partial diamonds, use your best judgment and compensate with the filler stitches.

Friday: LilyCompass I - Embroidery Emerald
Monday: LilyCompass I - Embroidery Saphire

Christa, Lilystitch
www.lilystitch.blogspot.com and www.lilystitch.com

LilyCompass I: Embroidery - Amethyst

Dark Amethyst Point - Checkerboard Filling

Work foundation in silk - Midori #150.  

Note on Midori thread:  This is 16 Suga silk.  Today's Japanese Embroidery Center silk is 12 Suga so the thickness is slightly less.  This is important to understand to ensure that you are using the proper thickness of thread required.  I have worked the foundation in 1.5 or 24 Suga.  

Begin and end your foundation threads by just nipping the outer line of the design.  This will leave enough room between the two foundations for a line of gold couching.

Put in grid lines at 4 mm intervals.  Use 1:2 twisted silk in the same color of the foundation.  First lines will run the length of the foundation or along the weft. Accuracy is VERY important as it will determine the size of each block and how straight the checkerboard appears.

Tie down the intersections with a short holding stitch.  Go back and do another holding stitch along the warp grid lines halfway between the two intersections.  When I placed the middle holding stitches, I was very concerned about the foundation threads separating slightly in the middle of the blocks but this problem disappeared as the checkerboard went in.

Lay in the checkerboard filling by basically satin stitching every other box.  On LilyCompass I Dark Purple Japan Plus 2732 #1 metallic was used.  I found that the best way to achieve a square box was to actually pierce the corner holding stitch on the outer lines.

Monday:  LilyCompass I: Embroidery - Ruby
Friday:  LilyCompass I: Embroidery - Emerald


Have a great weekend!
Christa, Lilystitch
www.lilystitch.blogspot.com and www.lilystitch.com