Brooches-Latest Addition

Here are some brooches I picked up for my self recently. I think I ended up picking same colours. But then there was not much choice in colours. They looked very beautiful and also within my budget.

I love collecting them......

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Friday-Free Patterns

Here is this weeks pattern:

This is good for mirror work and bead work, other hand embroideries and fabric painting. Satin Stitch, Stem Stitch, Chain Stitch, Herringbone Stitch and French Knots can be used for this embroidery. Would look great on scarves, saris, blouses, tunics etc.

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Happy Thanks Giving

For My Lord and all my Guardian Angles 

who have always loved me

protected me and kept me on right path, 

For all my friends who have always stood my my side,

For my parents under whose shelter I could always hide.

For brothers and sisters who looked after me lovingly.

For the love of my life for loving me so magically.

For the above and for the blessings that are many more,

I wish to thank you oh dear Lord to the very core.

I Thank all my family and friends, who have motivated me, encouraged me, supported me, correcting me, advised me, standing by me in building up my blogs and making my dreams come true...and I am sure that you will continue to do so...I thank God for such a great family and friends..Thank You So Much...

Wishing you all a very Happy and Warm Thanks Giving Day...

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TAST-2012

Friends Sharon B has graciously announced Take A Stitch Tuesday-TAST 2012. If any of you have not seen her announcement yet, visit her site and enrol yourself:

http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2011/11/21/take-a-stitch-tuesday-back-by-popular-demand.html

It is free. We get to learn lots of new stitches and also challenge our own creative minds. The rules are very simple and there are no restrictions. Please do enrol.

I am excited and waiting eagerly. This time I want to participate in all the weeks......


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Season Of Jujube

Jujube or the Indian Dates are hit with children and women in India. They have a sweet and sour taste. Rich in Vitamin C and useful medicinally, they have religious significance too. Read about the fruit and also recipes here...

http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2011/11/season-for-indian-dates-jujubes.html
http://spiceomylife.blogspot.com/2011/11/jujube-crispies.html

Hope you like them......

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Threshold Art-2

My previous post on this topic was here:

http://summersofindia.blogspot.com/2011/10/threshold-art-1.html

Just to jog your memory..

Now a days turmeric and vermilion have been replaced by paints. Who wants to scrub their thresholds every week and apply turmeric and vermilion especially those living in cities who don't have even time to breathe. More over getting it painted is almost a permanent solution, needs repaint once in 5 or 10 years. Still the art of decorating is very creative.

Here is an example: 

This is the main threshold of an old traditional house in the coastal region. See the design of the flowers and the leaves. See the hibiscus flowers placed in the corner  worshipping the threshold.

See the scenery in the center. The paint has peeled off a little. But we can still make out the scenery. Blue mountains in the distance, orange and yellows of the sky denoting the sun rise, birds flying on their way to start their day.  We can also make out a house with slanting roof. These are tiled roofs (terracotta tiles) which is quite common in the region. The house is situated on the banks of a river. The most common tree is coconut. So the artist has added a few of them along with a boat in the water. The artist had captured the essence of the local region with just a few strokes.

I wish the scenery had not peeled off. It brought back memories of my child hood, my roots, my maternal grandma's  house and so much more when I visited the house.....I will share those moments with you in some other posts....

Oh by the way can you share with me any pictures of threshold art of your homes, if you have anything different? Send those pictures via email with a little description about it...We all would be very glad to see them please.....

Watch out for more on threshold art.

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Gopuram Stitch Tutorials-Part II

My first part was only the basics. My grand mother taught me these flowers. If I remember correctly, these flowers were stitched with a white thread (coarse cotton yarns) on her velvet blouses usually of dark colours. The flowers had 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 petals with a mirror in the center or sometimes a chain stitch  or French knots or satin stitch in the center of the flower. These were used as motifs on the back, around the neck and hem of the sleeves. They were also worked on pillow covers(minus the mirrors) and cloth bags, door curtains etc.

 I learnt them from her much later. Here are some samples I worked out:

3 petalled flower 

7 petalled flower

Here I have anchored the last stitch with French knots and bullion stitch. Sorry my bullion stitch are not state of art work especially when I am working with wide eyed needles :) :).

Some more patterns I have worked for my sampler.

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Kundan Ear Rings

Kundan Jhumkis or danglers are in fashion now. They are available in many colours.I picked up Red and Golden Yellow as they will match any silk or other brocade saris. These are looking stunning.

I also picked up blue coloured one but gave it off to my sister. I will take a snap of it if possible and post it some time. I could not lay my hands on  green set though. Before I could pick it up, some one else snooped on it ...:) :) perhaps better luck next time.

I picked up smaller ones. actually these days huge and heavy danglers in many shapes glittering with stones are in fashion. They are too heavy, meant for party wear and I don't like to look so decked up. Since they are heavy, one has to use chains to support them. So I picked up simple and small ones which also cost very less.

Watch out for more.......

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Gopuram Stitch Tutorials

Friends, I was going through some of my very old doodling clothes on which I used to practise my embroidery stitches learnt from various sources and came across this stitch.


I have learnt many from my maternal Grandma. In her childhood she studied in a school run by nuns. Such schools were called as Convents by the local people. My Gran was very proud of having studied there. Her English was impeccable. Well she learnt embroidery, crochet, sewing etc in her school. She had a very good knowledge of embroidery stitches not only the Indian ones but also those from across the world.We grand children used to sit with her and talk about her school days. We also used to learn embroidery and crochet from her. She had good memory and even after 70 years or so, she could tell us the name of the stitch both in English and local language. But alas at that time I never bothered to note down those names. 


Here is one of the stitches I learned from her. She named it as Gopuram Stitch. Gopuram means Temple dome. She was not sure from where she learned this nor the name of the stitch. When she taught me I remarked that this stitch reminded me of a temple dome-so we named it as Gopuram stitch. We used to (re)name many stitches to remember them easily--:)...:)...

If any one knows about the origin or name or any other information about this stitch, please let me know. I have not come across any similar stitch so far. Though it looks like an inverted Feather Stitch.

I have tried to put it down properly for you as tutorials:


The stitch belongs to Chain Stitch or Looped Stitches family. It can be stitched on any fabric-that is this is not a counted thread stitch.


STEP-1

Fig-1

This is how the stitch goes. I have marked the points for illustrative purpose. When we actually stitch we need no marking.

STEP-2

Fig-2

Bring out the needle up through the fabric from underside at point 'A'.

STEP-3 

Fig-3

STEP-4

Fig-4

Now insert the needle  at 'B' a little away from 'A',  going under the fabric and come out at 'C'. Loop the thread from left to right from under the needle forming a loop. Now pull the needle to get the first stitch or loop.

This is almost like a chain stitch, except that that in chain stitch we insert needle at A where as here we leave some space in between. 

STEP-5

Fig-5

STEP-6  
Similarly make another loop from 'F' to 'G'. 

Fig-6

Now again make a loop by entering at 'D'  a little away from 'B' and coming out at 'E'.


STEP-Final

Anchor with a little straight stitch at 'H'. We have completed the basic part of the stitch. it should look like this one as shown below.

Fig-7

SOME TIPS:

The points A, B, D and F should be equidistant from each other. I have put more space between points, A,B,D and F (Fig-6)so that the stitch is clear to you. 


Similarly points C, E, G and H should also be equidistant from each other. 


Also notice that point 'C' should be a little to the right of A and so on and not mid point of A and B. That is the original stitch taught to me (a part of it). 


Actually there is more to the stitch I learnt. I will be posting it in my next post.


Here I have tried to vary the stitch for my sampler. 

Fig-8

In the stitch at 4, I have placed points C, E, G and H as mid point of A-B, A-D and so on. In 5, I have placed them to (almost) right side.

Fig-9

I have used beads (2) and cut glass beads (3). In 4 above I have anchored the stitch with a chain stitch.

Fig-10

Here the stitches shown at 1,2 and 3 are not correct. I was just practising on a doodle cloth before I got it correct at 4. See 8 and 9, I was trying to build up a pattern.




BEST SUITED FOR:


As a border around the necks, sleeves and hems of blouses, kurtis or tunics, skirts for decorating CQ blocks and on pillows, cushion covers, saris etc.


I am still practising the stitch and trying to build up a sampler. The best part is yet to come. So watch out for more...


Practise the stitch and please do mail me your innovations with the stitch so that we all can share them...

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Friday-Free Patterns

Here is this weeks pattern:

This motif is for gold work or Zardosi work, Antique work, Kundan work or combination of all these and also for Satin stitch, Chain stitch etc.

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Meenakari Ear Rings

Of  late I have been following the latest fads and fashions in jewellery as I am creating some pieces my self. I am really fascinated by the variety our Indian markets offer us. These range from antique designs to the most latest and modern pieces. One of them I love is Meenakari or enamelled jewellery. These are enamel paint on metal surface-not too costly but very beautiful. Here are some I just could not resist picking up:

Look at these above. They have tiny hibiscus flowers on the corners-red and blue with green leaves in the between. You can see the small pearls and the kundan drops dangling below.

 This is how it looks up close.

Here is one in maroon red. 

I just could not resist these beautiful ear rings. But I am yet to get matching necklace to wear with them. This always happens with me as I pick up individual pieces and try to make a set out of them. It takes a long time and patience and also a very good memory to  scour the markets, exhibitions/sales to find the pieces to make an entire set with in the budget. 

Keep watchin....for I have more to share with you...so many lovely pieces...

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Crystal Ear Rings

Crystals are now in fashion. Whether cut, transparent, opaque-they are available in different colours to match your dresses. The jewellery made of crystals can be very simple and plain to dressy, depending on how we use it. Teemed with proper pendants and ear rings they are a must in a women's jewellery collection.

Here are some ear rings to match your Crystal necklaces:

These are available in different colours and designs. These are quite affordable and can be worn by kids and teens too. Some more next time....Keep watching my blog......

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Learning Banjara embroidery

Hi guys. I am recovering my strength slowly. So I have started slowly going through my stash of paper cuttings, books, craft supplies and what not. There is a lot to go through, organise, classify and properly store them. You know every time I start doing that, after some time, I pick up some paper cuttings or a book and start leafing though them. I become engrossed in them so much that I forget what I am doing...:). It happens every time no matter how strict I try to be. So I never ever finish sorting them. That is a real problem.

Oh I am learning Banjara(Gypsy) Embroidery. Well I am very excited about it. But need to work a lot on that first

I have to work on my jewellery too as I have lots to do. Some coloured seed beads here:

Such beautiful colours . These beads are available in many colours. The cut ones are costly but look very beautiful as they reflect light and hence shine. But stringing them is quite  different matter. I have many projects were I have readied my design and bought every thing required, but need to work on them. Let us see....

I have bought some very beautiful pendants along with Meenakari and some ceramic beads.   ...So watch out for more on these things and may more.....

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