Stitchonaries No 5. Satin Stitch

Craft YourSelf Silly Stitchonaries

No 5. Satin Stitch

Stitchonaries are the modern day sampler, they're great for both beginners to learn with and for experienced embroiderers to practice on...and if i'm honest I've been embroidering for nearly 40 years now and they've featured stitches i didn't know and have enjoyed learning. there are 6 project pages as well as the front cover and a patterned back that you can embellish as you choose. They come as a complete panel and instructions on how to fold it into a floppy book, I've then taken that a step further and inserted card to stiffen the pages.

I would also recommend you invest in a heat erasable pen so you can draw any changes onto the page, stitch them and then iron away your lines. The Stranded Cotton used in these projects are from Marathon threads and available in a gorgeous range of colours at a very reasonable price...a great way to start building your embroidery stash.

In these Blogs i will take you through the stitchonaries one at a time and page by page to tell you what i have done and why. But i cant recommend them highly enough and they look awesome when finished too.

interested? check out the Craft yourself Silly Site or Hochanda.

No 5. Satin Stitch

I always take the time to neatly stitch in the text as it looks very effective, this can be done at any stage of the project and like any page you don't have to complete it in one go...although each page/project is small enough that there isn't really time to get bored or stressed and they look awesome when done.

Satin Stitch is one of my favourite stitches and i always find it helps to mark where i want a colour to go before i stitch...i also love colour blending...so much fun.

This Page is fantastic for practicing with different thread angles and thicknesses ...the roman numerals indicate thread thicknesses

This is a great page for practicing turning corners and stitching in the round.....when i stitch things like this i find it helps to mark increments around the area with the heat erasable pen, this way your stitches turn slowly and don't make sudden jumps that stand out on a finished piece.

Here we practice stitching in different directions on one piece to create the form of the fish, again i used my heat erasable pen to draw in the line where the stitch angle changed.....Background colour is a wash of Cosmic Shimmer Fabric Paint.

Playing using satin stitch in various different ways to create different effects.

To Create the background on this page I used the same paint as i did on the Koi Page..to mark the lines where i wanted the colour to change on the feather i used my heat erasable pen and stitched to those lines.

Raised Satin stitch...simple and effective and I have grounded the flowers with lines of Inktense Pencils.

The back page is a great opportunity to play with the stitches learnt throughout the stitchonary. I have added extra colour with Cosmic Shimmer fabric paints.

Next up is No 6. Feather Stitch

Stitchonaries No 3 Blanket Stitch

Craft YourSelf Silly Stitchonaries

No 3. Blanket Stitch

Stitchonaries are the modern day sampler, they're great for both beginners to learn with and for experienced embroiderers to practice on...and if i'm honest i've been embroidering for nearly 40 years now and they've featured stitches i didn't know and have enjoyed learning. there are 6 project pages as well as the front cover and a patterned back that you can embellish as you choose. They come as a complete panel and instructions on how to fold it into a floppy book, i've then taken that a step further and inserted card to stiffen the pages.

I would also recommend you invest in a heat erasable pen so you can draw any changes onto the page, stitch them and then iron away your lines.

In these Blogs i will take you through the stitchonaries one at a time and page by page to tell you what i have done and why. But i cant recommend them highly enough and they look awesome when finished too.

interested? check out the Craft yourself Silly Site or Hochanda.

No 3. Blanket Stitch

I always take the time to neatly stitch in the text as it looks very effective, this can be done at any stage of the project and like any page you don't have to complete it in one go...although each page/project is small enough that there isn't really time to get bored or stressed and they look awesome when done.

The leaf i cut from felt and blanket stitched , with wrapped running stitch for the veins.

On this page we learn the basics of blanket stitch, turning circles and angles and for fun I coloured the images with Cosmic Shimmer Fabric Paint

The letters were cut from felt and appliqued with blanket stitch.

Crown of thorns - On Competing the first swirl I added another to try out the two variations od stitches.....Background colour is a wash of Inktense pencils.

Two hearts were printed on this page...to me they seemed lonely so I added more, you don't have to do this, I enjoyed the stitching so much i couldn't resist adding more.

To Create the background on this page I used a variety of coloured organza, because I used a heat erasable pen to make additions to the page, when I heated it to remove it, some of the organza melted....an interested effect, even if unintentional...I have since used the same technique deliberately with great effect on another stitch project.

Shisha Mirrors, Blanket stitch is one of the ways of fixing shapes and cut-outs to a page, as you can see, some of the circles are reflective and some are hand marbled pieces.

The back page is a great opportunity to play with the stitches learnt throughout the stitchonary. I have added extra colour with Cosmic Shimmer fabric paints.

Next up is No 4. Knots Stitch

Stitchonaries No 2. Chain Stitch

Craft YourSelf Silly Stitchonaries

No 2. Chain Stitch

Stitchonaries are the modern day sampler, they're great for both beginners to learn with and for experienced embroiderers to practice on...and if i'm honest i've been embroidering for nearly 40 years now and they've featured stitches i didn't know and have enjoyed learning. there are 6 project pages as well as the front cover and a patterned back that you can embellish as you choose. They come as a complete panel and instructions on how to fold it into a floppy book, i've then taken that a step further and inserted card to stiffen the pages.

I would also recommend you invest in a heat erasable pen so you can draw any changes onto the page, stitch them and then iron away your lines.

In these Blogs i will take you through the stitchonaries one at a time and page by page to tell you what i have done and why. But i cant recommend them highly enough and they look awesome when finished too.

interested? check out the Craft yourself Silly Site or Hochanda.

And onwards with No 2. Chain Stitch

I always take the time to neatly stitch in the text as it looks very effective, this can be done at any stage of the project and like any page you don't have to complete it in one go...although each page/project is small enough that there isn't really time to get bored or stressed and they look awesome when done.

The Star is painted with Cosmic Shimmer fabric Paints and then i have embroidered around the edge using one of the stitches learnt in the panel.

On this page we learn the basics of chain stitch...I have added notes to show which stitches are which so that when i refer back i can see the differences

Practicing Chainstitch and writing, i have added the numerics myself in the blank space provided to show how chain stitch works with different thread thicknesses.

Background is coloured with watered down cosmic shimmer paints, text added to identify the stitch. This piece could also be worked as lavender simply by changing the colours.

This page i followed directly from the instructions provided.

Ok so i  went a little mad with this one, the vase is coloured with cosmic shimmer fabric paints and some watered down cosmic shimmer provides a background...all the foliage and buds i added myself and i think that you can go as mad as you like to create your own individual vase as these mini projects are very freeing and open to personal interpretation.

background is provided by a scrap of organza and the clock is done very delicately with two strands of white thread

The back page is a great opportunity to play with the stitches learnt throughout the stitchonary. for this one i have used thread thickness to create distance...the green leaves are 3 strands, the tree four strands and the fallen leaves are six strands, the tree trunks are created with wrapped running stitch from the 1st stitchonary (Running Stitch).

Next up is No 3. Blanket Stitch

Stitchonary No1 Running Stitch

Craft YourSelf Silly Stitchonaries

No 1. Running Stitch

Stitchonaries are the modern day sampler, they're great for both beginners to learn with and for experienced embroiderers to practice on...and if i'm honest i've been embroidering for nearly 40 years now and they've featured stitches i didn't know and have enjoyed learning. there are 6 project pages as well as the front cover and a patterned back that you can embellish as you choose. They come as a complete panel and instructions on how to fold it into a floppy book, i've then taken that a step further and inserted card to stiffen the pages.

I would also recommend you invest in a heat erasable pen so you can draw any changes onto the page, stitch them and then iron away your lines.

In these Blogs i will take you through the stitchonaries one at a time and page by page to tell you what i have done and why. But i cant recommend them highly enough and they look awesome when finished too.

interested? check out the Craft yourself Silly Site or Hochanda.

Let Us Begin at the beginning with No 1. Running Stitch

I always take the time to neatly stitch in the text as it looks very effective, this can be done at any stage of the project and like any page you don't have to complete it in one go...although each page/project is small enough that there isn't really time to get bored or stressed and they look awesome when done.

The heart is painted with Cosmic Shimmer fabric Paints and then i have embroidered around the edge using one of the stitches learnt in the panel.

On this page we learn the basics of running stitch...because i am an experienced embroiderer i chose to add my own second circle but you can stick to the printed project or do your own thing, there really aren't any rules they're yours to learn, practice and enjoy...i also went rainbow with my threads..if you are starting out and just using the threads provided (there are 6 random colours provided in the kit) then you simply pick a colour and play.

All the background colour on this page is provided by Inktense Pencils, simply colour the areas as desired and activate with a paint brush and water....don't forget to ground your flower.

Starting at the left of the alphabet, i have stitched the first letter with a full 6 strands, moved to 5 strands on the next letter and so on until I am down to one strand...This is a good way of seeing the effect of the different thread thicknesses and keeping a record for future reference.

Notice the roman numeral IV, this is a note to tell me that i have used 5 strands of each colour to create this page.

I followed the instructions directly for this page.

The Umbrella is coloured with cosmic shimmer fabric paints and the background has an inktense wash.

The back page is a great opportunity to play with the stitches learnt throughout the stitchonary. I have added extra colour with Inktense pencils and Cosmic Shimmer fabric paints.

Next up is No 2. Chain Stitch

Craft Yourself Silly Masterclass...the VIP experience

Good Morning all, had a great day yesterday and have much to share about the Masterclass VIP experience, im going to do this blog in Q & A form and if you have a question that i've missed i will be more than happy to answer either here or on Hochanda's facebook page.

Why did you choose Craft Yourself Silly?

I have been paper peicing for years but only ever squares or hexagons, i have always shied away from anything more complicated as i have a terror of frayed edges and being unable to stitch them neatly....i chose this masterclass because i wanted to try some of Hayley Smiths' lovely tessepatch peices without being a custard.

Why did you choose the VIP experience isnt it a bit expensive?

I chose the VIP experience because i felt i would have more chance of learning to do the scarey bits with Hayley to hold my hand, plus there is a tour of the studios and i thought it would be a fun experience...with regards to the cost, Hochanda freedom members get a discount which brings the price down and while, yes it is expensive, if there's something youve always wanted to learn with lots of help and check out the studios and see what its like behind the scenes, meet people....definately value for money and a fun day out.

The Pod at Hochanda HQ (yes my car is called POD cause he's covered in dolphins lol)

Your Masterclass started at 3pm and you were asked to arrive at 2.30pm, did you think this was enough time?

Actually i thought half an hour was no where near enough time before i got there, but it turned out to be more than enough time for a fabulous tour and the taking of many photos.

Hochanda Reception area with the famous thrones

Because they are there and you just have too...and look!!!! you can see one of the Spectrum Noir Coloured shoes lol

Who gave the studio tour, was it good and informative?

Kerri gave me the studio tour, she was fantastic and let me play behind the counters. She also explained and answered all my questions.

In the green room with the amazing Kerri...

Hayley came to say hello so we had to have another picture lol....

Phil Martins Demo area....close up his butterflies were gorgeous

The Inktense Demo area, Kerri managed to snap me as i was describing what i would like to get...everything lol

After Seeing Sharon's first inktense show and the shoes, i doodled on my trainers with my inktense pencils....i was trying to show Kerri lol, who knew i could get my leg up that high lol

On the Husquavarna set pretending to present the show, supervised by presenter Claire and a lovely chap whose name has totally vanished from my rubbish brain.....everyone is so lovely

So you had a tour, what happened next?

We went to the set and micced up, one of the less glamourous parts lol, i got comfy behind my table and Hayley talked me through all the things in front of me....i got a take home project bag too which is amazing and i will share the contents at the bottom of the blog.

John the main man/producer crashing my pic of the studio lol

 Snapped Hayley being micced up lol

At my desk checking out the fun in front of me

were you nervous?

Very....but everyone is so fantastic that you feel comfy and the nerves soon flew away

Ready to go

What did you do? did it drag or fly by?

Hayley talked us through the three different tessepatches she had for the show, we started with the hexagon flower

then we moved onto the dog which is a little complicated and the first challenge for me

I tried to avoid the scarey bit and made a bit of a mess of the tail, but its fixable and after the workshop Hayley sat with me an made me stitch the cat until i had nailed the fraying scares

Ironically, now im not scared of it, the cat is my favourite lol and im going to do a cushion with the cat.

As to the question of how the time went, i'd just started to be ready for a break and was wondering how much longer, when Hayley said 2 mins left....it flew by!!!!!!! amazing and so much fun.. Below are pictures Producer John took during the hour. All of them including the ones where im pulling faces.

Was there anything that was an issue or problem?

Yes one was funny and the other is something Hochanda are going to solve for the next VIP visit...One of the problems i had was that i wasn't close enough to see what Hayley was doing close up, i did use the screens but as they were all angled for Hayley, it was a little difficult...I beleive the gang are going to find a solution...and get a screen pointing towards the guests as well. The other problem was hilarious, to make re-threading easier, Hayley supplied me with the self threading needles, i've never used them before lol and it turns out im a thread tugger.....the pouty face picture was me re-threading the needle for the hundredth time....i  was close to the giggles by the end of the hour and will never ever touch a self threading needle again lol.

What Happened afterwards?

First i went for a smoke.....once that was done i stalked many people aided and abetted by the Hochanda Gang lol.

The amazingly talented Sharon Hurst....i had a fab natter with her and showed her my shoes lol

 The first time in my life i was the tallest person and i felt like a giant lol

 Catching up with Hayley West

Yay!!! Phil Martin

The Adorable Charlie....

So did you enjoy yourself?

Yes absolutely, the people at Hochanda are amazing, very friendly and dedicated to their jobs, they really care about what they do and it comes across when you natter. When i said i wanted to meet many people they made sure i wasnt disappointed and i didnt feel like i was hurried out of the door the minute the workshop was over.

Would you do another VIP workshop?

Funny you should ask, im doing Sara Davis's workshop on the 19th August, she will be working with her score board and that is something i have never played with, i am expecting it to be a challenge but fun.

Will you be doing any more tessepatch?

Yes absolutely, must get more fabric lol, also more paper templates or the wooden stencil....i am thrilled that a fear that runs back many years has been put to bed and cant wait to play.

What was in the Homework bag?

Yummy goodies...check out the pics

Will you always do the VIP experience?

No, mostly im planning to do the online interactive....the VIP experience i will save for those crafts that totally baffle me and when i feel i will benefit from the hands on learning....and when i can afford it lol.

Conclusion

Money well spent, a fabulous day out and i have the video on my account to watch for 60 days if there is anything i want to go back and review. I would recommend this to anyone who is contemplating giving it a go, the workshop was fabulous and informative and Hochanda made it an amazing experience. So there it is...the VIP workshop, if you think of a question i havent covered, let me know and dont be afraid to treat yourself to the experience.