Ketchup and Mustard and Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery

Picture a picture of ketchup and mustard, together.

Well, OK, they didn't do a lot to inspire me.

But this sure did!

This is a brand new rose introduced for 2012. It was on the cover of my Edmunds' Roses catalog that came in today's mail and kept me occupied for a while. It's a floribunda cleverly named "Ketchup and Mustard".   Mmmmm. Yum. Better than a chocolate chip cookie any old day!

It was enough inspiration that I stitched out a rose for a fellow Brazilian embroidery teacher, as a sample for her class.  Here it is:

This is a rose designed by Ruth Griffith, the original designer for the first JDR Brazilian Embroidery business. She calls it "Full-Blown Rose" and it's on her design "Mini-Roses", which I market for her as "A Millefiori Design by Ruth Griffith".  Here's a picture of the finished embroidery:

I posted the picture of Ruth's Full-Blown Rose because it is truly unique. There are three layers of petals and the two center layers are stitched in such a way that they stand well off the fabric. The petals tuck into each other to make a very realistic double rose center. Since I stitched just a sample of the rose, I pulled out my fabric marker pens and drew in the rose leaves.

Well, that's what I did today, besides daydreaming my way through a rose garden that I'm just SURE I have room for in my yard. I suppose I can go and put the ketchup and the mustard back into the refrigerator. I'll keep the rose catalog out a while longer.

Rosalie

The 22-Stitch* (*Give-or-Take A Stitch) Hummer - Brazilian Embroidery

Someone wrote me a note asking about the 22-Stitch Hummer, what it is and what it does.

This is my 22-Stitch* (*Give-or-Take A Stitch) Hummer -- a Brazilian dimensional embroidery design (although it's not very dimensional -- it's all lazy daisy stitches and a few straight stitches) and I have the instructions and a pattern in my book, Take A Stitch by Rosalie Wakefield. It's also posted on my website, but I don't have a shopping cart finished yet, so you can contact me by email if you'd like a copy.

Well, this is a pretty good picture.  Ole' 22 is only an inch tall. Here he is stitched with metallic threads (I usually choose the durable Sulky metallic threads, but anything will work - it's only 22 stitches, give or take.) I've also stitched this birdie with Glory. In the picture above, his tummy and bib are Glory rayon floss and his beak is gold rayon Glory floss. His sparkly little eyeball is a size 14/o seed bead. 
            To save you buying the book (although I wouldn't argue), you can see that I made a fly stitch for his body outline which I then tacked with a lazy daisy stitch. I then added a couple of lazy daisy stitches on each side for more tailfeathers.  The upper wings are tapered because of 1) offset [a-b] points through the fabric for those 3 lazy daisy stitches, or 2) 4 lazy daisy stitches with extra-long tacking stitches. The top of his head is one stitch, couched in a curve, and his beak is 2 straight stitches, the upper stitch overlapping the lower stitch.

In my book, Take A Stitch, there is a traceable pattern for this little 22-stitch hummer, and another pattern for several different hummers (different coloring). I stitched one in metallic thread and one in Glory rayon floss. (yes, DMC would work -- one strand). I stitched this design one time with silk ribbon flowers and another time using a Brazilian dimensional flower I developed called "Canada's Rose". Here's a picture:

This little hummer is a perfect addition to any crazy quilt design, or any floral embroidery, or edging a collar or just anywhere that you would like him to roost.

Rosalie 

Where Have I Been??

Goodness! How time flies when you are having fun.  Where have I been for so long?  I know, I know…

I've been stitching new Brazilian dimensional embroidery designs that I'll be teaching at our BDEIG Seminar this summer. I'll share some pictures here. I haven't forgotten my finishing (framing) tip - pictures still in my camera, and I have lots of other goodies to share.  I just seem to have gotten quite busy.


Here is the first of my new Millefiori Brazilian dimensional embroidery designs. These will soon be posted at my website for you to purchase and stitch. If you’re coming to our Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery Guild Seminar this June in Portland, Oregon, I invite you to sign up for this class, too.


This is Millefiori design #995 - Rose Garden

All of the roses are new cultivars from my drawing board; the frames are a simple stitch with a unique treatment, and the twining vines are easy and elegant. And every rose is different, each with an original dimensional stitch technique.


I have lots more to share and will add pictures in the next few days. Sorry I've been away for so long. (I've been working on a crazy quilt, trying to de-stash my fabric stash. ...and my bead stash, and my lace stash, and my button stash, and my trim stash.  Yes, I've been saving a long time to pile all of this "stuff" onto one piece of fabric).


I've been linking to these posts on my Facebook page and Twitter (since I have the little icons anyway), and want to thank those of you who write notes there.  You can also comment here if you'd like.


By the way, the "Rose Garden" design will be ready to purchase and stitch as soon as I have the instructions done, fabric printed, photos made.

Rosalie