Million Little Stitches

How I make my Fiber Books

2009-11-13T16:55:00.019+05:30

Here's the method I've devised to make the Take it Further Fiber Book and the two volumes of Take a Stitch Tuesday stitch sampler.

The Take it Further Fiber Book is my first fiber book ever and this is how I went about making the book.

Using running stitch I mark the 'pages' on the cloth. Each page has two halves or portions , one on the left and one on the right.
The size of the portion where the embroidery stitch is done is 3.2" x 5.75" with a 1/2" space between the two portions (the running stitch done with black thread) . Each page has a line of blanket stitch done around it. The blanket stitch is the means to joining the pages.
Once a sizeable number of 'pages' have been completed they are cut and seperated leaving a small seam allowance of about a quarter inch or so on all four sides beyond the blanket stitch.

For The Take it Further Fiber Book I ironed fusing onto the back of each page so they are quite stiff. I've decided to leave out the fusing in the Take a Stitch Tuesday books because the pages are about an inch or so smaller and since two layers of fabric make-up a page, the pages are fairly stiff.

The blanket stitch along the 1/2" portion between the left and right halves/portions of the page are not joined so that the page can fold.

Corners of pages must be matched and pinned and then the pages need to be joined, sewing and connecting blanket stitches on both pages.The left hand portion of the first page is left and you begin by joining the right hand portion of page 1 with the left hand portion of page 2. Once that's done you join the right hand portion of page 2 with the left hand portion of page 3 and so on.

In doing this you create little pockets. If you find your page is too floppy then you could slip pieces of card paper into the pockets if you want a stiffer page.

In the Take it Further Fiber Book I used black thread to join the pages and every five or six stitches I introduced a clear seed/sugar bead. In the Take a Stitch Tuesday books I'm joining the pages with a clear plastic thread which is as fine as a single strand of hair. Not sure what the name is but it can be used on a sewing machine.

For the cover itself I used a single piece of felt which simply wraps around the book. I edged the cover with blanket stitch and embroidered the front cover and the spine portion of the book.

The left hand portion of the first page is stitched onto the inside of the front cover (visible in picture above) and the right hand portion of the last page is stitched onto the inside of the back cover.
The 'pages' are joined to the cover only on the inside of the front cover and the inside of the back cover. They aren't stitched or connected to the cover on the spine section of the cover.

I hope I've been able to describe the method I employ to create my fiber books clearly for you to give it a try. If there's something confusing or unclear leave a comment and I'll try and sort things out for you.

I've stitched the pages of the first volume of Take a Stitch Tuesday together and I begin the embroidery for the cover this weekend, so next week Volume one will be ready to view.

Have a great weekend.

TAST Knotted Buttonhole Band

2009-11-05T16:53:00.007+05:30

As I type its begun to rain, really pour yet the setting sun is still shining bright. How strange.

The unprecedented traffic on this blog because of the Take it Further Fiber book has proven to be good for my creativity and has spurred me on to plunge into fiber book making in a big way.

The TAST(take a stitch tuesday) embroidery samples of which the Knotted Buttonhole Band is the latest one to be completed are being made into a two volume set of embroidery samplers. Volume one has been sewn together and is waiting for its cover, volume two is in the process of being assembled as the samples are completed. So next week I plan to show you how I go about making my fiber books.

The second bit of news is that I'm participating in a fiber page swap with fourteen other participants to create a unique fiber book at the end of fourteen months. The Story of the Traveling Pages starts in January 2010 but it already has its own blog where you will get to see how the pages and books are created. This is the first time for me and needless to say I'm all charged up and excited, the theme for my book is leaves, by the way. Click here to read about the other participants and what their themes are.

Looks like I'll have to give BJP ( Bead Journal Project) 2010 a miss again this coming year or should I take the plunge and make a small little book with beaded pages the size of an ATC ?Need to give this some serious thought.

Have a great weekend, mine involves Goan food so R tells me.

My Cup Runneth Over

2009-10-28T17:34:00.012+05:30

Million Little Stitches has not seen the type of traffic witnessed in the past five days ever before.

Last night I was surprised to see on maploco that 1605 people had viewed my blog from 987 places.I had to wake up R so he could see this phenomena. Wow! Almost all of North America and Europe have disappeared under scores of blue dots.

27 comments for a post is another record and followers up to a magical 77 makes my head spin. I'm going to be replying to those comments and visiting your blogs in the next couple of days.

I'd like to thank Mr XStitch and Craft zine for featuring the Take it Further fiber book on their respective sites and for this cup runneth over state I find myself in. Thank you.

Take it Further Fiber Book

2009-10-23T14:44:00.011+05:30

The Take it Further fiber book is finally complete. My first fiber book, I'm over the moon.
The cover is felt which I've embroidered and it opens to reveal the page above.
Flipping through the pages. One for each month.
That's the last page. The free form Cable chain stitch is an attempt to imitate the end papers in very old hard bound books which are marbled.
The edges of the pages have sugar beads at intervals. You can see I got carried away.
Click on the months to see each page of the book.

January,February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November.

On to making more fiber books. The Take a Stitch Tuesday samples will be made into a sampler book as well. I need to start assembling the pages but there will be no extra embellishments like sugar beads along the edges of pages (what got into me to do that I wonder!).

There's The Bead Journal Project for 2010 which I shall join. Last year I had already committed to Take a Stitch Tuesday on Stitchin fingers.

There's a discussion on at the Fiber book group at Stitchin Fingers about a fiber book page swap. That could be interesting. A book compiled on a particular theme, with pages contributed by different people in the group. I think I must participate.

So what do you think of my first ever fiber book? I hope all who visit have a great weekend.

Happy Diwali

2009-10-16T15:12:00.005+05:30

TAST Square Boss Stitch & Rice Stitch

2009-10-13T17:43:00.005+05:30

I think I've gone ahead with TAST. Fifteen stitches, fifteen weeks to go before TAST ( Take a Stitch Tuesday) is completed. So early next year I'll begin the process of sewing the samples into a fibre book - my second.

TAST Cable Chain Stitch

2009-10-13T17:38:00.004+05:30

I quite like this stitch and I'm going to use it on the inside back cover of the Take It Further fibre book.

TAST - Portuguese Knotted Stem Stitch

2009-10-13T17:34:00.004+05:30

Sea Glass

2009-10-08T13:30:00.014+05:30

What do you get if copious quantities of beer is drunk in a tropical environment which boasts of sun, sand and a rocky shoreline? Fabulous quantities of Sea Glass.

Waves pounding rocky outcrops work a certain magic on beer bottles and turn them into sea glass and this is the perfect setting. I regret not having made my own offering of empty beer bottles to the sea and at this particular rocky outcrop in an attempt at making it a sustainable process. Putting back what I was going to take out so that those coming after me would be enchanted when they discovered sea glass. I don't think I need be overly concerned in a place like Goa where the liquor flows all year round.
You need a sandy beach like this even if its just a tiny crescent where you can go down at low tide and start the process of beach combing. Be warned this sport requires a large reservoir of patience, walking slowly and great hand and eye co-ordination because at times you have to be quick to spot the sea glass and pluck it up from the sand from amongst the pulverised sea shells, pebbles and some other undesirable stuff like plastic garbage, before the next wave rolls in.
Sea glass is like treasure for me. Two evenings on the beach above netted me a jam bottle full of the stuff. The sharp edges and the entire surface is worn smooth like a baby's bottom. The pieces are of varying opacity or translucence and no two pieces are the same shape or size. Each one unique.

This is the base of a glass which i found wedged between the slippery rocks near the rampart. The largest piece of sea glass in my collection.

Read about Freebirdsing's celebration of sea glass here.

I've only ever looked for sea glass in Goa because the conditions are perfect.

Are you a sea glass collector?

Which are your favourite beaches for gathering sea glass? in India / the world.

What do you do with the sea glass you collect? I've incorporated some tiny bits in a page in the Take it Further fibre book and I know its used for jewellery which I'm considering trying out.

For more about sea glass go here and here.

TAST Shisha Stitch

2009-10-02T13:01:00.031+05:30

Shisha stitch is one of my favourites.For the sample above I couldn't find any mirrors in my stash so I decided to make do with what I could find. Beer bottle tops flattened out, a one rupee coin and a button.Shisha stitch is also used quite extensively in certain regions and communites in India. So I thought I'd include some images of Shisha stitch done on garments and samplers in my collection.
The women of the Lambani tribe uses mirror work or shisha stitch extensively on their highly embellished clothes.
Examples of shisha stitch on a sampler which Lambani women created for me. They inspired me to use other embroidery stitches around my own explorations and samples of shisha stitch. You can see more pictures of Lambani embroidery here.

I bought a beautiful skirt in Jaipur two decades ago and the picture below is of the border.

The weekend began yesterday in India this week, because October 2nd is Gandhi Jayanti.

I'm inspired ...I say!

2009-09-24T12:59:00.014+05:30

The muse seems to have deserted me but I've showed up and put needle to cloth. Yet, the last pages of the fibre book are incomplete. A week of embroidering telephone numbers with a single strand of thread leaves the 4"x6" page looking incomplete. There's a million stitches on that page already.

The weather is all grey and dull and I have a dry cough.Priya speaks of the healing qualities of black pepper and ginger and I take to brewing and drinking copious quantities of ginger tea. Changes occur. The cough abates ,I'm hooked on black pepper and ginger tea and the last 4"x6" page stares back at me - blank. Ok I'm inspired to use some red ribbon on the page but there's something lacking.

I decide to take a break for a day and step away from my work to indulge the senses and come back refreshed. Click here to see what made me laugh until I had a stitch in my side and here , as well as here for what tantalised my taste buds.

I gave my credit card a bit of a work out and acquired some Putumayo music which I'm listening to as I type out this post and two books.Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi and a collection of short stories entitled Death Dines In.

So much promise.The skies darken and there is promise of a heavy downpour.I must brew some black pepper and ginger tea and settle down to work - I feel little wings of inspiration stirring.

Where did you find inspiration the last time you went looking?

TAST- Crested Chain

2009-09-14T17:27:00.002+05:30

TAST - Scroll Stitch

2009-09-14T17:24:00.002+05:30

Churches & Chapels

2009-09-10T14:56:00.015+05:30

R and I have always been to Goa during the monsoons when the crowds are tame and actually avoidable. Its our favourite destination to recharge our batteries simply by staring at the sea. We're not given to careening across Goa on a bike, drinking and partying hard, so I have no typical pictures of Goa to share but I do have pictures typical of Goa. The little white chapels and

churches which are distinctly Portuguese.

Every lane and community boasts of a little chapel.

This chapel is in serious disrepair but people still seem to be worshipping here. That's candle wax on the doorstep.
The simple refined white forms amidst wild tropical vegetation. The contrast is startling and arresting.
The facade of this chapel appears to be top heavy and I feel it will topple over but then again its probably the angle at which I've photographed it.
The sculpted domes, pilasters and niches on the facades of the chapels and churches remind me of elaborate sugar confections. I don't know why I make that connection but I do.
The monsoon rains which lash Goa take their toll of pristine white facades. Maintenance must be a labour of love.
Beautiful classic proportions. Distinctly Portuguese architecture in a typical Goan landscape of coconut palms. Doesn't feel alien or wrong. How do you achieve eclecticism? ( Is that even a word?)

Textures. Smooth white plaster and grainy rough laterite. Makes an interesting marriage of textures which work. Didn't see it used anywhere else. Is it a new direction or simply new for me?

Goa is also seafood for us. Click here to see pictures of what we ordered.

TAST - Sheaf Stitch

2009-09-04T14:37:00.005+05:30

My Sheaf Stitch sample. Elizabeth of Quieter Moments has created some amazing embroidery with the Sheaf stitch and has been an inspiration for my own sample.

Its the Labour Day weekend and hundreds of miles away from the United States here in India we're looking forward to four days by the sea. How bizarre, how bizarre but that's the way it is if you are part of the outsourcing industry. I'm not complaining. Anyways I hope your weekend is full of excitement, I'll see you mid week next week. Stay safe and Cheers!

Text and Biryani

2009-09-01T16:30:00.017+05:30

Writing, text, various scripts all facinate me, more so if its embroidered and I'm not the only one. Read more in this post at the Ragged Cloth Cafe Serving Art and Textiles and take the time to read the comments. There are some wonderful insights on the use of text in different peoples work. I have to say I agree with most of the views and opinions expressed there.

The fibre book I've begun for the documentation of biryani is as much about our love for biryani as it is about the exploration and use of materials to express with text our ongoing quest and discovery of biryani lore, recipes, facts, and the best places to eat biryani.

Its our set of wheels which get us to the next plate of biryani so its an apt name for us - hungry hot rods. That's page one of the fibre tome.

I'm using found and recycled materials as far as possible in this project. The silvery shiny material is the foil packet that the museli comes in, the red fabric is a small piece of block printed cotton from my stash and the embroidery threads too come from my stash.
The embroidery on page two is inspired by this and Jude's work. Have you noticed? I'm putting my TAST embroidery stitches to good use.

Jungle Tracks

2009-08-25T12:57:00.026+05:30

All this month we've been on the road and this past weekend we were on jungle roads in the B.R. Hills ( Biligiri Ranganna Hills). Roads must be on my mind because I've taken more pictures of the jungle track when on safari than anything else.

The macademised road which winds up into the hills through lush tropical jungle. We were visiting the Biligiri Ranganna Hills for the first time. Its really very beautiful.

Its sunny one moment and pouring cats and dogs the next. It was noon when the picture above was taken. The mist was so dense we couldn't see a thing beyond fifty metres.

Dirt tracks criss cross the jungle. Everybody silent, scanning the undergrowth, branches and canopy for birds and animals. Will we spot a tiger, sloth bear or leopard? That's the question on everybody's mind.

Spotting animals in the dense undergrowth is difficult and takes experienced eyes and some luck. Most creatures are spotted close to the jungle tracks. When the jeep's engine is killed the jungle sounds can be deafening and like in the picture above you sit and observe the herd of Gaur grazing . The only other sounds are whispers and the rapid clicking of cameras.

Safaris into the jungle will take you past water holes. I always expect to spot a magnificent tiger or a herd of elephants cavorting in the water but haven't had that sort of luck to date, maybe the next time.

Alarm calls alert us to the presence of a predator close at hand.Everybody on the look out, until a leopard is spotted draped gracefully on the branch of a tree. The first leopard R and I have seen in the wild.It was a great weekend.Hope you're having a good week.

To see some magnificent pictures of the above mentioned leopard click here

TAST - Cast on Stitch

2009-08-19T10:31:00.005+05:30

The Cast on Stitch was a new stitch for me. Its time consuming. With this stitch you need to remember less is more. Great stitch to add texture and dimension to ones work. Reminds me of a type of mushroom that grows on tree trunks.

I did a fair portion of this sample last night, while watching the stellar performance of Robert De Niro in What Just Happened.

TAST - Buttonhole Wheels

2009-08-19T10:27:00.003+05:30

This stitch got the inspiration wheels turning. Thoroughly enjoyed making this sample.

TAST - Arrowhead Stitch

2009-08-19T10:20:00.006+05:30

Not terribly inspired by the Arrowhead stitch and I've left off embroidering the head bit in Arrowhead!(it shall be rectified). I can see myself using this stitch in a border.

The Wild Wild West

2009-08-13T14:13:00.031+05:30

The Bombay I've experienced in the past has been the people choked suburban trains,shabby skyscrapers,masses of people who seem to function like clock work and the oppressive heat and humidity but Goregaon(East) is different.
The Aarey Milk Colony of Goregaon doesn't get its name from a dairy that existed a couple of decades ago and got swallowed up by the ever expanding city but R and I discovered its because of the many non descript dairy farms which function there at present.

Lush green hills dotted with dairy farms and skyscrapers how wild is that?

Buffalos are like enourmous sculptures. Hollows and bulges and the skin has a wonderful patina.

There's a hierarcy on these dairy farms.Gopi takes care of ten buffalos and nine others like Gopi report into a supervisor. Supervisors report into a manager.

I learnt that there are a number varieties of buffaloes, identified by their horns. This one with the magnificent curly horns is a Katiawadi. A native of the Gir Forest in Gujarat and is capable of producing 30 litres of milk a day.This one has shorter horns and is a Dilli.

Small little pick-up autos like in the picture above transport milk to collection centres and dairy processing centres. The driver was thrilled I asked him to pose.

A dairy farm can have 500 buffaloes and every little lane seems to end at a buffalo farm. That's a lot of buffaloes and so much milk.I hope there's someone making Mozzarella with some of that milk.

Three days in Bombay ( Mumbai) was quite an education.

I'm back

2009-08-11T14:46:00.006+05:30

It's good to be back home, sleeping in your own bed and settling back into a familiar routine.

The Great Driving Challenge which took over our lives for the past month has drawn to a close for R and me. I'd like to thank all of you who supported us, can't tell you how much it meant to us to make it to the semi finals. We got to meet and interact with a number of interesting people and came away with an all expenses paid holiday at Fort Aguada, Goa even though we didn't make it to the top three. The travel bug has bitten us. We got off the plane from Mumbai and got home long enough to repack our bags and set off by car for a long weekend in theNilgiris with family and there's Goa to look forward to in September. When it rains it pours.

One week away and I've discovered significant changes around me. Some like my google reader which was close to exploding with 250 unread posts was quite over whelming. My blog now has 56 followers, which is a pleasant surprise and my plants are multiplying and growing so I must be doing something right. All very gratifying.

I've begun a fibre book inspired by our love for biryani. Come back and visit, I don't foresee disappearing and leaving my blogs unattended for a while to come.

TAST-Bullion Stitch

2009-07-27T12:31:00.009+05:30

Looks like I'm already sliding just when I caught up with TAST.
It feels like my whole life has turned into a whirlwind.
The good news is that R & I made it to the list of twelve shortlisted couples on The Great Driving Challenge.(Drum roll please) We are thrilled to bits.
The next round of the competition is going to be held in Mumbai, which is where we are headed at the end of the week. We have our own blog which we'd like you to bookmark and visit.
Our blog on The Great Driving Challenge site is going to be updated more frequently than this blog for the next week and a half.
Leave us a comment, tip on making home videos, must have list of things for a roadtrip or what you'd like to see on that blog as far as preparations for a roadtrip and mobile blogging go.

Family Time

2009-07-21T11:47:00.025+05:30

Just back after two weeks of family time. It was a time for re-discovering a number of things through the eyes of an eleven year old and a seven year old.

Enormous granite boulders on the way to Chennai. Snapped this with my cellphone.

This alfresco lunch will be remembered for the charming setting ,the vanilla milkshake and the quirky plumbing in the restroom. We sat under a big old mango tree in the courtyard of a house which has been converted into a hotel in Pondicherry.
Late evening swim before dinner.Paintball which left a painful mark on one, Lemon grass, Forget-me-not and a camera shy chameleon.

Shell decor for the entryway of a crab's home. Yoga on the beach and cavorting in the surf.Salt pans, the crocodile farm, and drinking tender coconut water on the ECR (East coast road).

There was a birthday in the family and celebrations for the landmark year included a catamaran ride into the sea, beach cricket and dinner with friends and family. Jalapeno the pet dog got its first taste of chocolate cake which there was plenty of and the phone wouldn't stop ringing.

The Great Driving Challenge took up a fair portion of my time like it did R's. It seems to have paid off because we made it to the first shortlist of 100 couples. Thank-you everyone who took the time to vote for us, write testimonials and got your friends and family to vote. R & I are truly grateful. Waiting for the next phase to unfold.

What's your Interior Style

2009-07-18T09:13:00.007+05:30

Take the Interior Style quiz by the International School of Colour and Design to discover your personal interior style. My interior style is decribed as Eastern Boho and I'd say its pretty accurate. This is my way of relaxing after a hectic two weeks of vote & testimonial gathering for The Great Driving Challenge.

The first leg of the challenge drew to an end at midnight last night and R & I are delighted with the 646 votes and 33 testimonials we recieved. Thank you everyone who made this possible. The jury is working hard this weekend to shortlist 100 applicants who go into the next round. Come back on monday to know if we've made it to the next round. Keeping our fingers.
crossed.
Thanks again and have a great weekend.