Thank you

I enjoy saying thank you. 

Especially when I can do so with a small tatted gift. I am grateful for these generous fiber friends: 

Cleda, Mary, and Dawn. 

The gamps you loaned me for the Blackwork program were studied and provided much inspiration. I hope you enjoy a small token of my thanks.

Blackwork imaginings

My idea:

Work a background using the fill-in techniques for my next tatted piece on a musical composition.

Think it will work?

Now to chase away the complacent practice habits

Recently, a colleague of mine played the Fugue in F Major BWV 540. I learned the Toccata that precedes this romp through the key with a b-flat….and others. The challenge was issued to learn the Fugue. I think that’s a great idea! Just after I sort my threads, organize my button and ice drop stash, and maybe even sort the pile of papers that has been growing for a while.  

Oh, and for those keeping track…. The Blackwork program was a success. I came home with less stash than when I started this adventure! Several experienced stitchers were thrilled to pick out a chart and fabric. I call that a win!!

Recommended for listening:
filmed in the church JS Bach worked in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-ummko047I&vl=en
a great explanation if you understand German: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9noAW3m4dc
for a female performer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wb6wRRzM-U

Samples are ready

Remember when I mentioned I will be leading a project inBlackwork? 

Here are two samples I stitched up:

The bookmark is worked in cotton and silk threads. 

The color study is all cotton threads.

I learned a lot working on these. I hope to learn more next Monday.

Now to prepare the handouts……

The Blackwork Adventure continues

Like many who dabble with fibers, I love color in thread. I’ve had on my to-weave list for years to weave a color gamp like the picture here. I feel I have a lot to learn in the technique department before weaving a plain weave that needs to end up with lovely squares of color….not rectangles mind you. 

So, in the meantime, I’ll be stitching a study in color with the next Blackwork project I dive into.

Here's a link to a gallery that is inspiring me.

Here's what I received

A dose of flu. No, I didn’t get really sick, just had to spend a week sipping tea constantly and dozing in my tatting chair. I’m back now. Just a couple more days and I should be back to full speed and full voice.

And so Epiphany….

I was amused recently when someone asked if I focused on Epiphany to chase away the Winter Blues. Well, I do get exhausted producing Christmas music so I have little energy for a week or so. But, like most things about my faith, it’s wrapped up in organ music.

One of my favorite pieces in organ literature is a setting of a hymn written for Epiphany: Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern BuxWV 223 by Dietrich Buxtehude. Like many compositions of this era, sacred and secular, this is a rif on the text while running through the common melody. For those who read music or know the chorale well, you can pick out the melody amongst the busy notes Buxtehude wrote down. If you’re thinking that’s a lot like jazz or folk, you’re correct. I particularly like this piece because you have the option within historical performance practice to change sounds frequently to set the sections apart from each other. So, I can provide an aural tour through an organ while providing a reminder of the tune and referencing text. If you’re thinking complicated, you got it!

I’ve been playing with tatting designs based on this piece for years. My recent dabbling in Blackwork has given me more ideas: create a Blackwork design to represent the chorale with the color and various rings/chains in tatting mounted on top the stitching. Perhaps beads too!

The next few months will be quite busy. We are getting closer to beginning some serious remodel on our Historic home, along with more substituting on the organ bench and teaching. I doubt I’ll get to putting into thread any ideas, but the sketches are piling up. I’ll try to give a window on that in the next week or so.

In the meantime, enjoy a listen to one of these videos of Wie schon. The visual is not much to look at unless you watch the one looking over the organists shoulder. Love her red shoes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyvMzIhiVxo (red!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPtjnhZZQq4 (channel with many hymns)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWxSAjesxPY (Baroque temperament organ in Germany)

Blackwork sample

Those who tat know that working in black thread can be very tough on the eyes. Those who stitch know that working on white cloth can be tough on the eyes. Those who practice in a room with a flickering fluorescent light knows that can be tough. So, what was I thinking?

front

back

Working on dark cloth with dark thread during winter?

Well, I decided when I signed up for the Elephant class, I should learn to work with silk. I’ve some silk to tat with and also some other silk to stitch with. When I’m learning a new technique, I tend to dive into my stash and see what I can do with what’s been leftover. Kinda like a musician learns just a small part of the piece often at slow tempo or with just part of the score. This sample is the result of my efforts with the stash. The white thread is cotton on 14 count cotton Aida, the red threads are silk.

The technique is similar to a style of embroidery called Blackwork or Redwork. I’m very drawn to the geometric designs. There’s a play between thread and negative space similar to good tatting designs. This piece turned out somewhat like I thought it would. Some of the design retreats into the cloth due to color of thread; some of the design creates lots of space. 

Remember my journey weaving in neutrals at this workshop? While I was stitching, I was laying bits of tatting on top and playing with color and texture. There will be more to come with this!