P2P2

I am using the excuse of it being so hot today to not move around much, so I am braiding some trim for my P2P2 project.   There are a couple areas that I want to boost up and I also want trim for the edges.
I am doing an eight strand braid on a Chinese Braiding Stand with 20/2 silk in red and black, one strand per bobbin. Color placement is B R R R R R R B.  I call it the taillight braid and hopefully will mimic the taillights of the cycles.
I have left the fabric on the loom but I will cut it off tonight and wet finish it.  The end is drawing near!

Chinese Braid Embroidery/Goldwork Embroidery

Back from Convergence, slept several days, now I'm ready to start doing stuff.

When I first started doing Chinese Braiding, I used a pillow and some bolts, very unsatisfactory. Then a braiding stand was made out of a stool and a rag shuttle and used bobbin lace bobbins, better but still unsatisfactory.

These are the bobbin lace bobbins with washers for weights but the bobbins are made to have the thread slide. When braiding the thread is stationary until you move it.  Also the washers kept cutting the ties and they were noisy.

I purchased these from "The Lacemaker"  I just love her shop, it has everything for making every type of lace and she knows how to do them all.

Tonight I'm going to fill these new bobbins and start a braid so I can get on with the embroidery part.

Chinese Braid Embroidery/Goldwork Embroidery

Elaine's

 Lots of fun at Goldwork Study Group today. I think everyone is doing a fabulous job, since these are our first projects. Well, everyone but mine, which isn't actually a project, you actually have to start to have a project.

Lisa's

Cheryl's

There's no picture of mine because I haven't started. I'm still getting it together.   This is our third meeting, next meeting April 25.  Sure hope I have at least a start.    

Rosalie, our leader, isn't embroidering, she is warping her new loom for the first time. What better time to do it than when you have 4 weavers in the room. Ali was absent.                                                                                                                               

Chinese Braid Embroidery/Goldwork Embroidery

I have been given a new name by friends - Turtle. I can't help being an anal perfectionist! I will accept the name.

One of the books our Goldwork Study Group is using is "Beginner's Guide to Goldwork" by Ruth Chamberlin. ISBN 0-85532-954-8 www.searchpressusa.com.  This is a fantastic book with tons of color photos and clear instructions.

Ms. Chamberlin is probably faster than I but she still had to spend a lifetime completing the embroideries in this book.

Back to my project.  My practice piece was done on a canvas stretcher frame but in the back of my mind, I remember having a frame like the one pictured on Page 27 of the Goldwork book. This sent me off on a 2 day search and when I finally found it, it is not sturdy enough for Goldwork. Sooooo, how hard can it be to make another? I did call around to see if I could find one ready made but to no avail.

After finding a board that would work, I cut the lengths, made a template for the holes and sent it off with my husband to drill the holes on his drill press.  Then I started searching for the twill tape used for attaching the cloth to the frame. Finally found some at a shop in New York, I probably should have searched for this first so it would be here by the time I needed it.  Local fabric shops aren't what they used to be.  In the mean time, I  sanded and finished my frame. The tape arrived.

Both tapes are attached now and I have moved on to preparing the linen to stretch. Hopefully, one day I will get down to embroidering. I am warming up to my new name.

Chinese Braid Embroidery/Goldwork Embroidery

We had monster winds last night complete with rain that turned to sleet. This morning the mountains around us are covered with snow, very beautiful but cold.

Anyway, my Goldwork Embroidery class is coming up and I thought I'd better show some progress or they might kick me out. After doing a practice gold piece, I decided to do a cuff incorporating embroidery, goldwork, Chinese braid embroidery and maybe some beadwork.  I had seen a Chinese Braid Embroidery stand at a weaving conference last summer and had thought I might like it as I enjoy Japanese braiding. As in most of my projects, there is always something missing that plays a key part in the whole project and in this case it was the stand. I called a friend who does woodworking and after putting out heads together we came up with a wonderful stand. It's very plain but as with most wooden things that are finished perfectly, it's a joy to use.

Since it's very cold out and I have a new toy and a warm fire I have been happily braiding away on a grey and pink silk braid for the first section of my cuff.

I used some bobbin lace bobbins and tied washers on the ends for weight. The silk is RedFish DyeWorks 60/2 using 4 strands as one on each bobbin. Chinese braids are used to embroider with and are usually of a simple design.  This braid is 1/8 inch wide and fairly tight using only eight bobbins.

Today, I will try to get my embroidery frame set up.  Which is another whole project in itself.

Braiding & Goldwork

Some of the members of THAT Guild have started a Study Group on Goldwork. Since I love to embroider I figured I needed a new hobby, so I jumped right in. While doing research  on Goldwork, I can never truly just jump right in, I came across photographs of Chinese Emperor robes that had both Chinese Braid Embroidery and Goldwork.  Now I have 2 new hobbies.
I purchased the book "Chinese Braid Embroidery" by Jacqui Carey and promptly got started with a make-shift stand made from a old rag shuttle, a piece of pvc, a wooden dowel, a small board and an old stool. I'm using pirns for bobbins and tami for weights. The first braid was too tight, the second too loose, tomorrow I will find some weights a little lighter and hopefully get a braid that is just right.
Most of the people in the Study Group are almost finished with their first project - I'm still working on my materials. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.