Look what I won! (An embroidery WIP)

I don't always flaunt stuff I win, but this time I just had to. Partially because it's also a WIP as it included both a big book and an wool embroidery kit.

In the last minute I managed to send my e-mail and participate in a contest at the website Textil hemslöjd where I could win a book by Ulla Oscarsson that offers glimpses into the textile history of Jämtland and Härjedalen (two provinces in northern Sweden) and an embroidery kit for a big bridal cushion modelled after one made in the late 18th century in Jämtland. The book is called Kvinnomöda och skaparglädje, which loosly translates to women's effort and creativity/joy of creating.

Just have to show you a few pages of the book. It really covers everything from what fibres were used, what textiles were bought rather than made at home, what clothes people used through the ages, what textiles was used in the house, how they did laundry, what the embroideries looked like and what a bride wore. And, yes, it does include the Överhogdal tapestries.

The book with the loose banner with the title on

(Notice how the wind tried to "help" me today. Don't know what photo assistants I prefer: weather or cats...)

A very interesting book to read, even for those that like me have no connection to the region. After all, some of the history we do share in the rest of Sweden or Scandinavia -- and other parts become interesting just because of the local and regional differences.

I finished the book last night (or morning if we're being picky) so now I'm turning my focus on the second part of the prize: the bridal cushion kit.

It'll be one of my bigger embroidery projects considering it's 50 cm wide -- and the first time I work with wool. This will be a meeting between a 18th century embroiderer from Jämtland and a 21st century beader from Skåne and I will be adding my own touch to it.

That's really where I am at the moment, planning on how and where to include beads. Because it will of cause need beads! I'm not one to follow a pattern -- and everything is better with beads. Beads don't seem to have been very common in the embroidery of that time and place: I spotted very little beads in the book. It seems to have be a bit more common in other areas (like Skåne), but in general swedish folk tradition didn't really include much beading. So this project really will be a fusion between places and ages once I bead it.

One big part of the planning process is determining what beads to include: they need to match the embroidery yarns I got in the kit as I won't be substituting with anything from my own thread stash. An excuse to buy more beads? Hrmm... Maybe. I will try to do my best and see if I can't use what I already have, but this is a bit different from my usual style so bead shopping might be necessary for the best result.

Might have to make a few swatches to test bead-yarn combos first. Or just test combinations of embroidery and beading stitches. I want to do some beaded herringbone stitch. That's all I really have decided at this point.

So stay tuned to see what happens, but I warn you: I'm a slow embroiderer. This won't be done in the next couple of weeks!

Monthly bead soup palette catch-up post

So... Not blogging regularly has meant I've missed posting my monthly bead mix inspiration posts. Therefore I'm making a long post today, showing palettes for three months: february, march and april. Going from the newest to the oldest.

April

For april, I made two palettes as I couldn't choose which one to use. For the first palette I used rose gold and aquamarine, a very pretty combo that I mixed up with some white for an even more summerlike colour combination. Then I just had to do another sweet mix using light pink beads mixed with the same rose gold and white beads.

I really like mixing rose gold or copper with mint/aquamarine or pink right now (minus the white, it was just added for the palettes, personally I like very simple colour combos). But for some reason I never mix mint and pink in the same mix. Though if you're curious about the result I've got this pic for you:

March

I never meant for the april palettes to feel so similar to the previous month's mix, but I guess spring has made me fond of soft, sweet colours. I don't love pastels, far from it, but sometimes you can't help but find these kind of colours so pretty. The linen cord is like a softened pastel version of Radiant Orchid so the mix can also be said to have been inspired by the Color of the Year.

This combo is similar to this cat necklace. As mentioned before, I really like the combo cream and brown as it goes so well together with many colours: pink, purple, green, russet, blue, turquoise, teal etc.

February

Going backwards makes the february palette look boring as it's the one with the least colour, but you have to remember that I made this one after the dark january palette and the equally dark and colourful december and november palettes. It was a nice break from the dark colours in time for spring -- and I promise that this simple, neutral colour combo looks very nice and sophisticated in real life!

Here I used Swarovski pearls, but you can also find the same or similar colours in silky multi-coloured moonstone or (semi-)matte metallic glass beads.

Seed bead mixes -- buy or make?

Here's a different design problem I'm pondering at the moment: I'm going to do a couple of pieces using mixed seed beads, but can't decide whether to look for readymade bead mixes or make my own bead soups.

The reason for going with store-bought mixes is really just that you get a mix of colours without having to buy a whole tube/bag of each colour which can be a good thing if you don't need a big amount of beads. They also come in already carefully (more or less) chosen colour combinations. And you can always add some beads to the stash to make it last longer or to add a nuance you think is missing. There are different mixes for different projects, e.g. 11/0 seeds only or mixes sizes/shapes. And, best of all, you can start the project the minute you have the beads in your hands.

If it's a colour mix you wouldn't have chosen yourself, it can be a fun challenge to go a bit outside the comfort zone. Not choosing beads or colours all by your self isn't just about making things simple, it can also be about pushing the creativity.

The reason to not got with the available mixes are many, though. First of all, making a bead mix from scratch means you get to choose exactly what beads you want in the mix (I have been known to cull seed bead mixes to remove sizes or shapes that doesn't work with my projects), making mixes that are uniquely yours -- and thus not letting someone else set the tone for the project when it comes to the colours. You can also use unusual and/or expensive colours not found in the pre-made mixes. Plus, you can make a batch that's more or less exactly the amount needed for a project, not too much and not too little.

But one thing holds me back: mixing colours with big beads or online using colour tools is one thing: I dread sitting there with a mix, adding half a tube of 11/0 delicas only to see that the colour doesn't work -- and I have to remove every little grain of sand again! (Remember that colours that look good together when holding up the tubes/bags next to each other doesn't always work when mixed as the colours "wash out" or there can be another colour in the mix that clash with one colour but not the other.)

The most important thing of all, money, is something I haven't even looked into yet. What will give you the most beads for your buck? Readymade mixes with various bead colours and finishes or homemade soups? I know some soups that are "hand blended" can be a tad pricey compared to making it yourself, but what about mixes offered e.g. by the bead manufacturers themselves?

PS! I have another bead related problem too: I just shopped at two (ok, three) places -- and now I found something I'd love to buy in a shop where I have a huge wishlist. It's on sale, which is what made me want to shop NOW, even though the previous shopping rounds pretty much ate the current bead budget... Oh, so many beads, so little money! I'm such an addict, I never get enough...

April is sunny too

After complaining about the weather yesterday, it's only right that I show you what it's like today. Still a tad chilly and it looks like it will rain every other day the rest of this week, but today we're at least having a lot of sun. And wood anemones (vitsippor).

Took many more photos today, but not such I've got the time to edit and post more. Maybe tomorrow or... later...

April weather

Remember when I said we had lovely spring weather? Yeah... We got this today.

Guess nature is trying to tell us it's april.

Well, it stopped snowing. Now it's just raining. *sigh* I know april can be like this, but I wan't sun, blue skies, singing birds, bumblebees and flowers. I want spriiiiiiiiiing -- and no cold backlashes!

First butterfly and a frowning Jinja

I haven't blogged much lately. Especially not the last weeks even though I've had tonnes of spring pics to post if I wanted. As I've been working today, there won't be a long post this day either, but I just wanted to say I'm still here, I'm dying to post flower photos as we've had some lovely spring days in Skåne this last weekend and one flower after the other is popping up. Even the wood anemones, I noticed today. And the other day, saturday to be precise, I spotted the first butterfly of the year. It refused to sit still so this was the best pic I got.

Bumble bees and butterflies (saw more yesterday so it wasn't just that one). And birds, of cause. While the flora is the first sign of spring, it's the fauna that really makes you believe it'll be summer this year too.


It is Meowy Monday after all, even if it's been long since I remembered that, so why not throw in a cat pic?

Jinja has a tendency to forget to put the tongue back in if she's distracted by something while licking herself. In this case a sound. And it makes for fun little photos. Unusually it was she that wanted to be my photo assistant while I was getting photos of the yellow star-of-bethlehem (vårlök) in the lawn. She was in the best of moods due to the sudden warm weather. In fact, all the cats suddenly went from semi-hibernating indoors most of the day to sun-bathing outdoors as long as the sun was up.

Knitting nancy WIP

I don't blog much right now due to work etc, but that doesn't mean I'm completely abandoning any creative pursuits. Here's one example of what I've been dabbling with the last weeks. After seeing many pretty hexafish rubber band bracelets, I of cause had to give it a try. Using my old knitting nancy (the old-fashioned kind made from a thread spool and some nails) rather than any new, plastic rainbow loom -- no need to spend money on stuff like that when you can make similar tool very easily using stuff from around the house.

Anyway, this is my try at a simple technique. I've also done a double foxtail chain using a crochet needle and, based solely on this pic (no, not the video, the piccy), a three-colour chain on my newest -- and messiest looking -- knitting nancy made from a small plastic wire spool.

It's a bit of a tight squeeze, a slightly larger hole would've been better as I worry that the rubber bands will wear against the wood. It's filed smooth, but still... As long as you're not using more rubber bands, making thicker weaves, it works. Just barely, but it works.

Here's a view from above. Should've taken a photo when working with three colours  (one row of each) as it makes a very pretty pattern while you're working.