coutures anglaises

So I planned to finish this as my last post of 2024. Oops.

Thank goodness for social media, right? Well, not always. But today I learned that the French call French seams "coutures anglaises." I think that is just lovely - reciprocal appreciation for a beautiful technique. But this post has nothing to do with clothing construction. No, this post is about two challenges that I just finished. They were great fun and I garnered lots of inspiration from each. And they were free!

Kathryn Chambers' Weekly Stitch Journal

This challenge began in December of 2023. Kathryn, or k3n, has a popular channel on Youtube called k3n clothtales. In December she posted some loose instructions for constructing a paper journal that would become the vessel for weekly hand-stitched little pieces of fiber art. Then every Monday, k3n published a video with a theme and some easy techniques. 

My journal contains 54 pages for some reason. I skipped one page because it was thick with paint. And now I have one page left. Luckily 2024 has 53 Mondays. k3n will publish something on this last Monday in December, but she has promised (only) a flip-through of her stitch journal. 

I expect it will inspire something for my final page. This weekly journal has already influence how I will make fiber art in the future.

I'll post some of my favorite weeks below:

January: Light and Dark

February, obviously

April, eclipse-inspired

Kawandi-inspired in March

kintsugi-inspired

Still crazy, after all these years

The center of this mandala is shiny paper that is reflecting the trees - not actually green

reverse applique - a personal fave technique

imitating nature

Maya Angelou inspiration

Jane Dunnewold - Complex Compositions

This series occurred fairly early in the year and was difficult for me. I still learned a ton, but have few remaining pieces that sing to me. Many who were enrolled had been in a previous class where they had printed lots of paper with acrylic paints - lots of interesting techniques. Anyway they had lots of papers to start with. I did not and so spent my time printing papers. It was fun and I've incorporated the papers into other projects like bookbinding.

Jane Dunnewold - Print Perfection

This was wonderful! We learned how to print on fabric using thickened dyes. I know I'll return to this again and again. Unlike printing fabric with fabric paint, printing with dyes leaves the soft had of the fabric, and so it will make lovely garments. Again I learned a great deal and hope my notes left me with enough breadcrumbs to avoid mistakes I have already learned from!

12mm silk printed with stencils, painting with a brush

Silk noil generates more muted prints, here via one silk screen, and brush strokes

Cotton printed with stencils and a stamp

Cotton printed using a cool technique invented by Jane

Silk charmeuse scarf printed with screens and stencils, then overpainted.

Jane Dunnewold and Zenna James - Presence in Practice

This challenge was a smaller undertaking but still time-consuming and great fun. This mother-daughter team issued a daily challenge for 12 days from Dec 10 until Dec 21. Their challenges came with short audio meditations (so worthwhile!), a place to share with other participants, a theme for each day, and then a list of suggested materials. 

I want to do more tone-on-tone stitching in 2025.

I discovered gell printing in 2024 - such instant gratification

Day 12: In 2024 I found out that I enjoy stitching on paper.

Since it was 12 consecutive days, and we did a little bit of holiday travel right in the middle, I was slow to finish. I made day 12 after the challenge was over, and I think it may be my favorite. 

I was pushed in some new directions with this challenge, as neither Jane nor Zenna provided any examples of the daily pieces. I actually liked that even more. I used supplies I have on hand and had a great sense of satisfaction and reflection upon completion of each 8" x 8" piece.

2025 - Diamond Jubilee for me

There are so many ideas floating in my imagination and an embarassment of great supplies for making. I'll be carving out lots of time for making. Daily, or weekly, or monthly challenges? Clothes? Art? Journals? And new year's resolutions are futile for me. I will continue to enjoy responding to others' inspiration with my own twist. 

Wishing you happy making in the coming year!

Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

Each year, for about the last ten, I have participated in a Lenten practice, creating one of the Stations of the Cross. 

Stations of the Cross are a series of 14 (or more) pictures of Jesus' journey, as represented in Holy Week prior to Easter. Just ahead of Lent, a member of my church puts out a call for volunteers to create the stations, the only restriction being the 24" x 30" size. The series is hung in the church nave during Holy Week and they remain in place until the next year's call for art goes out the the church members.

Various media are used - collage, acrylic paint, oil paint, other inks and paints, photographs, and small scuptural pieces that will fit on a 24x30 frame. With one exception, mine have been fabric pieces, sort of small quilts, though none of mine really fit the strict definition of a quilt. I sew the piece onto a painted canvas.

In progress, after the hollowing out.

Each year, it is a struggle. Yet each year, I sign up again and begin the struggle. I believe this is an important Lenten journey for me, the struggle, the goofs, the final piece.

a test

This year I chose Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, an event that appears in all four of the New Testament Gospels. I began with the scriptural stories and also recalled my own visit to the Garden of Gethsemane. I imagined. I sketched. I sewed. I unsewed.

Before he was hollowed out.

Materials: 

During fall 2023, I took an intensive online course from Jane Dunnewold. The title was Color Mastery: from White to Wow. I used unbleached silk noil and Pro MX fiber reactive dyes. I am also working my way through 2024 with a YouTuber, k3n Cloth Tales. I had some eco-prints and dyes inspired by her work.

Process:

I started with the background in three segments - sky, Jerusalem skyline, and the garden itself in the foreground. The sky is raw-edge applique with an invisible stitch, to start. I really like raw-edge work because it avoids the lumps caused by seams. On the other hand, I wanted the *lumps* on standard needle-turn applique for the Jerusalem skyline, in order to articulate buildings. And the ground for the garden is also (mostly) needle-turned applique.

another test.

Creating the foreground was the most challenging for me. The story is complex so there were many ways to go. I tried out pictures of sleeping figures.

Yet another test.

I created a super-sized figure that I placed over the background, a Jesus-figure. After I appliqued the figure on and added decorative embroidery to the edge, I decided it was all wrong. So I next cut out the center. Church friend, Margaret, pointed out that, in the story, Jesus was hallowed out by his anguish. Thank you, Margaret.

Background

Then I created some bias tubes and began to form the olive branch vines and leaves. Gethsame literally translates Olive Press. And today's garden is full of olive trees.

Building up the background on cotton flannel

After that, I added embroidery to highlight and support various aspects of the piece. For example, I outlined the buildings to give them a bit of depth, adding a few details.

I was hand-stitching almost non-stop in the lead-up to Holy Week. It was such a relief to finish and be completely ready for Holy Week. The church held a *Starving Artists* dinner of soup and bread. Each artist described their journey in creating their art piece. It was a beautiful event.

St Patrick's publishes a nice pamphlet with write-ups on each station. Here is a photo of three. The one on the far right is by my wonderful granddaughter, H. This is their second year on this Lenten journey.

If you celebrate, then Happy Easter! Happy spring and Happy sewing!

Now and Zen Blend

The Now and Zen shirt pattern from the Sewing Workshop is definitely a TnT, or tried and true, pattern. There is almost no fit to it in either view. The Now is shorter and has a *rolled* collar that encloses the raw edges. The Zen is longer, has a center back pleat, as well as a double collar.

While I've made both the Now and the Zen exactly as provided in the pattern, I have more often incorporated aspects of each into a top. 

In this latest make, I used larger of the two collars for the Zen, as well as the center back pleat. But I made it shorter, as I find that is easier to use in layering. I also narrowed the sleeves a bit, and finished them with a bias binding.

The fabric is silk noil, some that I dyed (and overdyed) as part of my wonderful class with Jane Dunnewold, Dye Mastery: From White to Wow. I dyed several lengths of the silk noil, using basically the same approach with each. 

I have learned that dyeing more than a yard is really challenging with this low-water immersion approach to dyeing. In this case, I had a yard, a half yard, and a quarter yard. I only needed the first two pieces, but I kind-of wish I had somehow incorporated the quarter yard. 

The pieces I used tend too much toward yellow, not my best color, especially this warmer yellow. For my next project, I think I'll decide in advance what to make and then rough-cut each piece before dyeing. It will be easier to handle but it does mean the results will have some variety. I think that's OK.

I enjoyed sewing this piece. It is easy to handle in all aspects of sewing. I especially enjoyed the hand-sewing part. I used the running stitch to finish the sleeve hems, the front and back hems, as well as the button bands, and the collar.

Definitely a zen project. And it wears beautifully - very cozy - even if it does make me look a little jaundiced.

Shifting, Mixing and Splitting

The small piece that generated some interesting and informative larger pieces

The fun continues with Jane Dunnewold's online class, Dye Mastery: From White to Wow. I've learned and learned and learned. I am unaware of some of the lessons I've learned. And there is more.

Meanwhile, this sweet cactus is about to show off in my kitchen window.

The class end is near and I will miss it. So I will probably fix that longing by signing up for Jane's next class, whatever it is. This series has been time consuming, labor intensive, and deeply satisfying. I am so tickled when it's time to open the bundles and begin the arduous process of rinsing. And then when it dries, oh, my.

At the beginning - preparing undyed silk noil for dye bath 1

Here is my favorite at the moment:

Actually it's 3 pieces, all inspired by the smallish piece above. One is 1/2 yard; one is a full yard; one is 1.5 yard. Boy, did I learn something. In the future, I will limit the size of my pieces even when I hope to make a garment. That 1.5 yard piece just about did me in. And it is flawed, probably a reflection of the difficulty in handling a larger piece in this low-water immersion technique. However, there is enough to cut around the flaws, I think. 

In the picture above, you can see the flaws pretty clearly on the left hand side. Do you see the red speckles? It looks a bit like undisolved dye. I don't think that's what it really is. Rather I think it was a problem with my rinse out. 

Pieces being batched (bathed)

Lesson learned: the smaller the piece, the less likely I am to create flaws.

The 2 smaller pieces (1/2 yard, 1 yard) after Bath 1 - I used a cool yellow pure dye

DH says it does not look bad, just different. Hmmm...

The larger piece after Bath 1 - I used a warm yellow pure dye

Now I am day-dreaming about what I will make. Will it be a button up shirt, or a loose pull-over, or a jacket. Actually, I've eliminated the jacket idea.

The Hudson tunic from the Sewing Workshop is a real contender for these soft silk noil pieces.

First step in the rinse-out after Bath 2, all 3 pieces.

I have made and worn tops made from that very simple pattern many times. I do love the older Sewing Workshop patterns and reach for them time and time again.

I used the same combination of dyes for Bath 2, so they are beginning to look more similar.

Top piece is my inspiration

I definitely need to get all my samples organized into some kind of a notebook. I'm trying to determine the best way to store them. For now, I like having them out in the sewing room. 

After Bath 3, they seem to fit together though each is a bit different.

I am especially fond of the splitting that happens when pure dyes are mixed.

That is what I will be working on for a while, I think.

I am thinking maybe a loose-leaf binder with page-protectors to contain the dye recipes and small samples of my results.

The two smaller pieces. What can I make with a 1 yard piece and a 1/2 yard piece? Not much.

Perhaps these pieces need a 4th bath before becoming something...