Dish Layers

Letting the newspaper dry between layers wasn't such a good idea as when using paste. The paper seem to get smaller after drying. I had to wet it with amyl again.
I heard that it's good to use two colours of paper - you can make one layer with one colour and the other with other colour. This way is the easiest one for you to you know that the the thickness is continuous.

I found another one. I work from newspaper. I start with one paper square on an edge. Then I add squares in the circle around this one. I keep laying circular rows. And how do I know where I was already? I make one row by pieces with black and white text only and the other one by pictures.
It's quite easy because newspapers are doublefaced and you have more possibilities to choose from :-)
By the way this work is nice and comfortable. I got used to pouring amyl to the bottom of the dish and wet the pieces inside. Then I place it and stroke until all of the amyl squeezes out from under. The square leeches onto the dish and the surface is slippy and smooth ;-)

Dish Cloning

Not quite sure about what I'll do with this :-)
This technique may have various sorts of application.
As first I tore newspaper into strips and squares, with the help of a ruler. The little squares mustn't have sharp edges.
I poured a little water to the bottom of the dish so that the pieces could be comfortably placed. The zero layer must consist only of watered paper not to get sticked to the dish.

When I had it done I let it dry for a day. Above a heating. Mistake. The paper curled up and fell off. In the evening I repaired it and added the first layer. I had squares of paper in amyl solution for several hours. When preparing this bath I pour amyl into water until it refuses to melt.

The dish requires several layers. I'm quite curious about what it will turn out to be:-)

Math-Fire T-shirt

One Ufo's done! Cool, maybe caused by the lack of time left for finishing. My friend's birthday's on Monday. I managed to terminate today, althgough at the end I had to force myself to finish it.

The web (supportive fabric) was fault, I admit, and if it minds I'll rip it out for her.
The writing means "Club of Fiery Mathematicians", but fiery's not exact, French word enflammé would be more suitable, as it means something like enthousiastic.

Ambiguous T-shirt present:-) I hope she'll like it.

UFO Queen

If I go on like this I'll soon become a queen of UFO - UnFinished Objects.
Today I have a project that should end up in a present for a friend of mine. I love it and I hope she'll do as well.
It's T-shirt. About her.

I tried to use a toughtening fabric (web) under my embroidery for the first time. I don't have any experience with it and maybe it shouldn't be used like that.. Smeg knows..
I basted the supportive fabric onto the T-shirt. I put a magazine in order to make stitching more comfortable (I don't have to care if I sewed the front and back side together;-P ).

This is the basic drawing.
And below there's what it turned into. Something more than three seminars and this is done.
Just a backstitch. What I particularly like about the stitch is that you don't have to deal with any special behaviour at the corners and it's symetrical. I wanted to use a special stitch that reminds of chain for the chain part but I decided not to spoil the style instead and finish as beginned.

Her birthday is 7th April. I was afraid I wouldn't catch it, but now I'm not anymore.

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.