Plays With Needles

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Pine Needling

Last weekend I was away from home stitching with friends in Chincoteague, Virginia.

It was a wonderful, relaxing few days away where we stitched all day and never had to worry about our next meal because the local seafood is so good.

Located toward the Southern end of the Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteague is the entryway for Assateague Island National Park so the outdoors is full of inspiration...

And egrets, herons, ibis, kingfishers and other birds pepper the landscape...

Whenever this group of talented women gets together, there is lots of sharing...

And this year, Canby Robertson offered to teach us how to make pine needle baskets...

I wrote about Canby teaching at EGA National Seminar last post here.

After cleaning and prepping the pine needles that Canby had collected on our behalf, we used a size 20 chenille needle, C-lon cord, and a piece of drinking straw to craft our baskets...

Adding pine needles through the straw and stitching the coils into place...

Everyone chose their own color cord...

And the baskets were as unique as their makers...

The result after about two days was this nifty pile of prettiness...

I was thrilled to learn this new and practical technique using pine needles that I can collect in my woods...

Though mine was the smallest, I have big dreams of making more pine needle baskets...

While we were laboring over our wee woven works, Canby had finished an entire cracker basket...

Which she promptly turned around and gave to her friend Rosemary.

Gifts were given all around and teaching a new skill is the greatest gift of all. Thanks Canby.

If you're interested in pine needle basket making, Canby recommended this book by Judy Mallow.

And if you're interested in visiting Chincoteague, VA, I can't recommend the Hampton Inn highly enough. It's rated #1 in the country and they live up to their reputation!

And the oysters and scallops served here, and here, and here are out of this world. I know because I ate at all three...ahem...multiple times.

See you next time.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Coming Soon!

The Embroiderers' Guild National Seminar is coming to the East Coast November 2-6, 2016!

Check out this enchanting ort box designed and taught by friend and mentor Canby Robertson...

This is just one of three of Canby's classes being taught at Seminar next Fall.

Inspired by a set of 17th Century Blackwork sleeves in the Victoria and Albert Museum Collection, her class will explore the last phase of English Blackwork, a period when blackwork evolved into a surface embroidery technique that tried to replicate the linear quality and shading of early printed illustrations.

Measuring a petite 3.5" tall, this compact folding six-sided box is packed with technique and exquisite detail...

And the stitches!

Based on 17th century stitches, Canby's stitch and thread choices are masterful.

Stitches such as blanket, herringbone, trellis, coral knot, reverse chain, double reverse chain, and double reverse chain bring the flora and fauna of this diminutive design to life. So much to learn!

Like this use of seed stitch with super fine Sufine thread...

An expert reproduction of shading in early print illustrations.

Plus, it's not only beautiful, it's useful.

The hexagon collapsible box is made from six plastic hotel key cards so it folds flat to pack away in your work box.

I just love everything about this box!

Lucky for me, I will be a pilot stitcher for this box in March but you can have a chance at taking this workshop from Canby at National Seminar 2016.

Canby is one of the most signifcant and influential embroidery teachers I've ever had. Her classes are rich in content, history, design theory, and materials knowledge. Where many teachers provide only core instruction on how to replicate their designs, Canby's classes explore the thought process behind the design; reveal the what, why and how of stitch, thread and color choices; and provide a framework for critique and improvement. The skills I've learned from her have been foundational and highly transferable to my own design process, expanding my skill set and staying with me long after the workshop is over.

If you can take a class from her at National next year, you should.

In addition to the ort box, Canby will also be teaching a one-day lettering class which I highly recommend and have enthused over before in this blog post here when I took the class in 2009. Folks tease me when I say Canby's lettering course changed my life, but it did. I've used the techniques learned in that class over and over again...

I've signed up to take Canby's third class, Diminutive Rose: A Study in Soft Shading, where I hope to learn more about shading, texture and color theory.

If you're not familiar with EGA, it is a national organization comprised of many local chapters. You can go here to search for a chapter that might be in your area.

Much of my instruction and embroidery learning has occurred through the programs and workshops of my local group, the Constellation Chapter, which is in the Mid-Atlantic region. Though I've been very involved locally, I have never attended a national seminar so I'm looking forward to my first conference next Fall. Alexandria is not very far from where I live in Maryland.

The other teacher I'm hoping to learn from is Katherine Diuguid, professor at NC State University. Trained at the Royal School of Needlework, I've been following Katherine's blog since I met her at the Winterthur Needlework conference in 2014. My absolute favorite piece of Kat's is her goldwork Beehive and I've been lusting after it since she posted her progress on her blog last Fall. When I saw it being offered as a class at National, I was over the moon! Fingers crossed that I get in.

Early registration is now open from Nov 1-Nov 30, 2015 for members. Hope to see some of you there!