Oh my Maths

I found a post called Scientific Embroidery that rocks! I'm usually not into simple embroidery but this is just cute.
Having a mathematical test today I decided to use this chunk of inspiration. I have a problem with formulas - at high school I used to write them at one place in the exercise book but now I have to acces them and possibly cumulate as many of them as possible to pass my Math exams. I'll have mathematical pants:-D Adding a formula from time to time..

I used simple backstitch as well, I can't remeber myself using this stitch for real embroidery before..
And this is the first formula - sinus derivation.

Poor natural logarithm is too big and still has visible lines as I tried to make it smaller than drawn. I hope they'll perk up these pants I haven't been very fond of.

And this is likeable cosinus at its place under the bottom.

Today I didn't prove myself well at the test. Next time I must pass!

Beaded Branches

Althoug the Mother's Day's still far, I and my sister started to make our presents. They'll be beaded trees. I bought a thin wire and two colours of beads and found a little rock:-)
I work branch after branch, in the result I'll join them together to form a trunk.
Each branch is started like this: I thread four "red" beads in the middle of the cut wire, then pull one end through the first one from below and tighten.

It forms a four-bead little flower. Then I keep turning it until I get this shape. I push one of the wires upwards.

I pull seven or nine green beads and bend the wire in the middle of the future leaf back.

Winding windig winding until I get back.

Then I take this leaf and the flower and turn them both at the same time. When I get a bit lower I start a new leaf, on and on.

To get the brach more plastic I take one wire and bend it upwards and a bit further left. This will be a "subbranch" :-)

I thread nine beads and make a leaf. I keep working every second leaf. At the end I make a flower and wind back to the last leaf.

Then I turn to the middle distance between the two leaves. However long you wish the subbranch to be you have to wind the whole part og the branch above then place where you are.
Fulfil all the spaces with leaves.

These are three of the branches I've started already.

And this is what came out of the branch you watched growing:-)

Poi Loops

I wanted to make new lizard loops for poi - it's comfortable way of holding poi, though leather loops are more. I'd made some loops before - now I'll show you how.

I cut two strips of a lizard band, folded it in quarters and marked the spot for steel buttonholes on one side.

These places are four on each strip. I cut a square hole, heated it with a lighter and pushed immediately on the buttonhole. This way the gap is sealed and gains a nice circular shape.

Seal all four holes, fold the strip putting a marginal hole on the nearby one. Lay a buttonhole "male" on a metal pad and pull the holes on it. Then place the "female", hold the whole thing with the something included and hammer carefully.

Now the loop should look like this. In the ideal case there would be one buttonhole through all four layers. However my lizard band is too thick to be able to perform it. I'll have to fasten the loop with a cord.

I prefer a knot that comes from the hangman loop. Pull the cord through both buttonholes and fold it back. Take the end in a small distance hold tightly with your left hand and twist the cord back with your right one. Work neatly. When you have finished tuck the end through the little loop. Fasten by pulling one of the cords on the right.

This is the knot - I had little cord but the yours can have up to ten turns. I prefer seven.

Fasten again tightly by pulling the thread on the left and the poi loop.

Cut the cord leaving a small tail and seal.

This is the final handle. In the picture below you may see one of the pairs I made before. Enjoy!

Gryffin's Outline

If you can remember the gryffin cap, I got down to it a bit and I finally have the outer brown line. It's a tiny split stitch.

I know I'm not a good embroideress, if I were, I wouldn't mention this small work ;-*

Hat with Other Pattern

I had to rip out all I've done, today I commenced with a slightly different technique. The basic circle of chain stitches, slip stitch; the main pattern consists of one double crochet and one chain stitch. This way little windows come into being, when making the double stitches don't prick under a heart but into the window instead.

It's faster, easier (hit the big window hole is easier than the heart) and airier. I hope she'll be contented this time.

Tier Skirt?

It's been several times so far that I told someone how a tier skirt might be sewn. I felt uncomfortable about it and finally I decided to make one. I may have taken too much fabric - three meters of cotton:-D

I divided the fabric into six strips, three meters each. One of them I let unchanged, from another I cut 2.7 m, then 2.3m, 2m, 1.7m and 1.4m. Having done this I had a space left to cut 1.2 and 0.9 strips and a double one of 0.7m (for the upper part, the canvas is a bit transparent).
I cut every strip in the half (the lenght doubles) and sewed these two parts together.

I've never gathered before so this is new experience for me:-) I chose the longest stitch and set a wrong upper thread tension - lower than it should be. Small loops appeared on the right side as wished. Sorry for the photo, the white on white's tricky, but believe it's there ;-)

When you pull the upper thread a goodish gathering turn up.

Then spend about two hours sewing this strip with the second longest and then find out you can rip it all out cause you laid these two in a wrong order.

By the way sister found the hat too tough so I had to rip it out as well and I'll start again.

Run Out of Wool

I didn't have enough wool, doing something helps me not to fall asleep in some seminars. It happened after the first quarter an hour. I didn't manage not to take a nap and so I missed some very interesting facts.
This is a piece of 50g. Obviously the hat will eat about a hundred.

My dog's portrait. Actually the hat's a nice hemisphere. I try not to fasten too much so it's quite soft.

Crochet Hat Beginning

I'm making this for my sister - a crochet hat with a flower above one ear. I tried to make a spheric shape but as I have no experience concerning this area I had to undo rows several times..

The technique's quite easy. Here you can see my moves when making a chain. You may start with a knot, you prickle the hook in the knot, pick the wool and pull back throuhg the eye. This is the first loop. Now you have it on the hook and the following ones you'll do just by picking the wool and pulling through.

I made about nine stitches and finished the circle with a slip stitch - prick the hook into the first loop that you made, cast the yarn and pull back through both loops.

The pattern consists of plain double crochet. Make about two chain stitches (a fake first double crochet) and then advance as in the picture. Cast the wool on, poke the needle into the circle, cast again and pull back. Cast, tuck through two loops, cast, tuck two and that's it. Finishing the row is made by a slip stitch again - you prickle into the upper part of the first (fake) double stitch.

In the following rows you don't jab in any circle, you may notice something like an embroidery chain stitch on the edge - prickle under one stitch (they look like little heart:-) ) or just under one thread of the two. I prefer the whole heart.

I hope my explanation's quite understandable. Wanna try it? Start right now! ;-)

Dragon's Body

I have finished the body, now I'll do the legs and wings. I'm going to keep the stitches - peyote for the wings and herringbone for the legs. The filling's millet again (even if a seed drops out from time to time:-) )

By the way, here's my inspiration to this step - Dragon Mama, which I find really amazing - although my result rather resembles a duckbill.

Sister's Petty Done

Neck elaborate with the usual technique, fastened with a tiny stitch evoking rice:-)

Sleeves finished in hand as well, this is just a simple backstitch..

And the bottom part's been folded in, machinely of course. I experienced that the sewing's not visible when it's so low and far from one's sight.
On it's owner:-)