Category: Toadstools

In which I do some fluffy stuff
Posted by Mother Eagle on in Crewel, Embroidery, Learning, My Work, Toadstools, Work in Progress

In which I do some fluffy stuff

According to the field guide, this is the ‘bag-like volva’ part. 

Anyway. You know how when you touch a dry mushroom, parts of it feels a bit soft and velvety? I wanted to convey that kind of texture to this portion, and decided to use Crewel wool and techniques to achieve this.

Using a Crewel needle, I used one strand of Appleton Bros worsted wool in three shades of mushroomy. I used Brick stitch for this, a satisfyingly regimented kind of long and short stitch, worked in horizontal bands, lovely for trying to convey the way that the Death Cap sort of bursts forth from it’s, well, it’s bag-like volva really.

Hurrah for felt!
Posted by Mother Eagle on in Embroidery, Learning, My Work, Toadstools, Work in Progress

Hurrah for felt!

When I went to last year’s Knitting and Stitching exhibition, one of the things I was compelled to buy with no particular planned use, was a stack of small squares of gorgeously hand-dyed, knobbly, wool viscose felt from one of my faves 21st Century Yarns.

This provided the perfect base for one of the cornerstones of traditional Stumpwork, the padded slip. From my little field guide, I knew that the real-life appearance of a Death Cap, er, cap is ‘pale yellowish with a slight greenish tinge’. Lovely. Proper poison colour.

I had used my original drawing to make a cap shape template for cutting out the felt and, making it slightly larger to allow room to pad, I made a few holding stitches around the outside to keep it in place, then stitched around with my Chenille needle, small stabbing stitches. Finally I padded it with recycled cotton fibre.

Posted by Mother Eagle on in Embroidery, Learning, My Work, Toadstools, Work in Progress

In which I sort of master Needlelace

So thankfully this technique didn’t leave my face stinging with hot tears of frustration like the Bullion knot, but still no cupcake.

I wanted this texture in the top portion of the stem (I believe it’s called a stipe) to have the lacy, delicate texture that you sometimes see in fungi. After reading the RSC Stumpwork book I wanted to learn Needlelace techniques and Single Brussels Stitch was the right one for this piece. I was also taking advice from the RSC Crewelwork book and had planned each section of the piece to be stitched in the order to which they would appear in the front, i.e. the front-most pieces will come last, to make sure they stand out in relief from the prior.

To this end, I realised after finishing the Bullion knot gills, and seeing how raised they were, I needed to first pad the section with some taupe coloured felt to make sure the needlelace stood more proudly than the gills. This wasn’t the simplest thing as I couldn’t easily or accurately trace the shape I needed onto the felt having embroidered around it already, so it was a bit of guesswork, but not too bad.

Fighting against my instincts as always to just bloody well do it, I used my practice hoop to work a few rows. I was using the RSC Stumpwork book as my guide, and I have to say, although the step by step instructions are very clear, it could have done with some extra tips, like the fact that when you start creating the buttonhole stitches of which the lace is constructed, it totes looks like you’ve got it all wrong.

Ignoring this instinct, I carried on and realised I could just make my stitches a bit wider to give myself enough space to find the loops in which to weave into, and resulted in a  more open texture. This technique is only attached to the back fabric on the edges, the rest of it created by knotting and looping into itself back and forth. I was using a blunt tapestry needle.

So, I sort of mastered it. I’m sure that some of the loops weren’t actually picked up or got split. But whatevs. I think it’s pretty.

Posted by Mother Eagle on in Embroidery, Learning, My Work, Toadstools, Work in Progress

In which I master the bullion knot

This stitch was a little fucker. I’ve spoken before about my disgusting lack of patience with difficult things, and it was only out of sheer bloody mindedness that I knew this piece would be lacking with out the perfect texture for mushroom fins, that I persevered.

I had a piece of waste canvas hooped up to practice before I did them proper in the toadstool. I was using 2 strands of Anchor cotton, and a Milliners No 10 needle.

I actually have a whole book dedicated to this stitch and little embroidered motifs stitched in it, as well as the technique described in 2 of my new Royal School books. So I was trying it in several ways. In this book:

It recommends using no hoop, as it is a scooping stitch rather than a stabbing stitch, so I tried it on a piece of overhanging fabric I had on my practice hoop. Result: crappy stringy ratty mess.

Then I tried it the same way but in the hoop. Result: crappy stringy ratty mess.

Then I tried it the RSC way, in the hoop. Result: crappy stringy ratty mess.

Then I got upset and threw a tantrum.

Then I tried again and I don’t know what I did but I did it.

I created my loop across the shape, then brought my needle back almost all the way through the first point, creating a vertical pole to which to wrap my coils. Because I followed the advice about using the Milliners needle, as recommended in the Bullions book, I had a nice long surface to get these long knots on comfortably, and an eye that doesn’t widen to pull through. Initially I had a problem with too much tension and not being able to pull the needle through, and I think a needle grip would be helpful if I was using this stitch again, as you do need a firm grip.

In your FACE Bullion knot! I am your MASTER! *maniacal laughter*

Posted by Mother Eagle on in Art, Embroidery, Learning, My Work, Toadstools, Work in Progress

Deadly Poisonous Toadstool 2.0

This week I am taking a little break away from teeny miniatures, to stretch my skills a bit. As you know I am always looking to learn new stitches and improve on the ones I have, so a couple of weeks ago I bought these:

 

Royal School of Needlework Essential Stitch guides. I’ve read them all cover to cover and itching to make some sort of stump-crewel-shaded-hybrid monster. 

If you know my piece Fly Agaric, you know that I worked that specifically to learn and practice stitches I never did before – so in that I tried satin stitch for the first time, seeding stitch, woven spider webs, long and short stitch (badly) and mastered french knots. I always intended to create a series of Poisonous Mushrooms pieces to show my development – just like a traditional sampler – so I’m staging a revival.

Amanita phalloides – Death Cap mushroom

I started off with this fabulous old field guide I found in a book sale last year. Full of lovely hand drawn illustrations.

I used my brilliant transfer pen to transfer my drawn design based on the Death Cap but a bit more simple and graphic, to the Salmanca fabric, which I had pre-dyed in tea to make it look a bit like old parchment or something. This bit is raised band stem stitch, very simple and I like the ridges it produces, a bit like a mushroom grows I think.

I will blog my progress this week!