Saturday, September 9, 2023

Moving!

href="https://wordpress.com/page/elainerutledge.art/221" target="_blank">

Friday, September 8, 2023

Posting will be delayed while Windows 11 glitches are worked out.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

"A picture is worth . . ."

 Coming up next ~

I am creating a template for you to copy and paste. You can use it to understand the geometry of crochet and perhaps chart your own patterns.

The only software you need is the "Graph Paper Printer" by Dr. Philippe Marquis. It is free. 

That software will get you paper to draw on, free hand. I use the polar grid, and sheet music paper.

If you want to use computer-assisted drawing programs, I use Affinity. It is less expensive and easier to use than Adobe Illustrator. 


Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Lemonade !


                                    The Fashion Show

 Before I started this series of posts I took a lesson, or two, from 

Jane Snedden Peever,

https://www.jspcreate.com

"They" say a good teacher is one who inspires.


The above circles are wine cozies. I drink wine, with ice. The condensation 

on the stemware glass - even the plastic ones - would drip on my clothing.

And since I was already playing with crochet, I solved my problem by 

making wine cozies.




The thing about a TBI is, you think you can do things,

 and discover that skill is gone . . . 

So you have to figure out a way to make your ideas work.

Anyone can do anything with mindful effort, 

and a willingness to keep at it.

Never feel sorry for a 'disabled' person. 

Instead, rejoice with them in their accomplishments,

However small, in your world.

In their world, it is HUGE!

So this post is about mistakes. . . 

and how to live with them.

If mistakes are not 'your thing' - skip this and go directly to the previous post.











While practicing making centers, I made this. But,

I need one more SC to make a center that can be

divided by 4.

In the next row, "SC2 in ea. st."

I must make 3 additional stitches: 

1 for this row

and 2 for the next row.


I learned that by trial and Error!!



This piece is a real mess! 

It started ok, but in the orange row, I have 17 DCs.

So, using the same color, I added what I thought would be

the correct number of stitches.

Wrong again!

While it will never be a square, 

I can use it as a circle.

Notice the blue row . . .

        I wanted to go high and low but experimented using only a chain, 
        a double crochet, and a single crochet (which I knew how to do).

        If a single crochet is one high, and a double crochet is 3 high, 
        how many chains are needed between them? That was the challenge.

        My first guess was 3 chains. Wrong again!

        The second guess was 2 chains up, and 3 chains down. Success!

Why? 

Going high, I already had a single crochet (count as 1), but going low, I am taking a double crochet all the way down to my foundation row.
        
        Maybe. I don't care, it works.

        Will that formula hold true for a smaller diameter? Try it and see. 
        
Sometimes, you just have to play. 
A 3.5" circle is small enough to finish quickly.
When I would make a mistake, or I didn't like
 the way the row would 'lay' it 
was quickly ripped out 
so I could try something else. 

My only rules were 
to keep the size of the circle consistent 
and do whatever 
felt like something I wanted to try. 


My circle is already too big to become a square. I had planned to have an odd number on each side, I have an even number. Do NOT count the corners!

The yellow lace is too lightweight to go with 2 rows of solid DCs. 


I will save it for a bigger square or circle.

The center of this one is from a pattern by Jane at JSP Creates.
I added rows to make it larger because I am using finer yarn and a smaller hook.





Making increases on a straight side:

Let's say I want a pattern that requires 7 stitches. 
If I put more stitches within that pattern, 
it no longer lies straight. 
I only need to increase by 4, maybe 5.

What does the original 'granny square' do? 

It puts the increases in the corner, and
 the middle until the repeat of the pattern on the straight side
can be fully repeated.


I will be adding to this as I find solutions to my mistakes !

Monday, August 21, 2023

Start row with a Double Crochet

  

When can you use a DC without a CH3 beginning? At the start of the row with a new color.

                You cannot use it to start a row within a ‘magic ring’ –

but you can make a magic ring, do a row of SC then start the next row with 

DCwoCH3 = Double crochet without chain 3.


Pull a loop through.

Do NOT make a slip stitch.







With the loop pulled up to be as long as a finished 
double crochet and pinch to hold it.
Make a chain stitch.





Work on the first step of the

double crochet.

Note: the hook is held 

vertical for clarity, 

but make the stitch with 

the hook at right angles 

to the work.



One loop and one double crochet.

Work the round as you normally would,

but do not count the first long loop as a stitch.

At the end of the row, work the first double crochet

(Or DC+CH1) as the last stitch.



Put a stitch holder in the last stitch 

made (black pin) and one 

at the top of the first DC (brass pin).

Pull out the loose end of the loop

until all that remains is the DC.








Join with an invisible join.



Completed pattern row.

With deep appreciation to Jane at JSP Creates.


Next up:

Lagniappe

Pronounced Lan-yap

Meaning

Bonus Material










Sunday, August 20, 2023

Crochet Olé

 Lay the groundwork for a pattern:

            I want my polygon to have 4 sides,

but I like each side to have an odd number of stitches:

start, center, and end.

 

I will start with a ‘magic circle’ and SC5. 

I put a pin in the last SC made.

Instead of a join, my circle is small, so I choose to make a spiral instead of a join, continuing the spiral until there are 10 stitches to my circle.

I could have started with 10 stitches in the ‘magic ring’,

but it squeezes up better with only 5.

 

            This is where the pin marking

 the end of the first row is important.

 

I could start my square with only 5 stitches in between the corner but that looks a little cramped.

I decided that 10 stitches give me more to play with, for a total of 44* stitches. That leaves 11 stitches on each side. Now I can make up a pattern of 11 stitches.


This is my center. It should count 10 single crochets.

I use a black pin to mark last stitch and gold for first stitch. Or vice versa.

Be consistent and you won’t have to remember. It will become habit.

Row 2: SC2 in each stitch. 20 total.

At this point, I need 24 more stitches. I could keep increasing by 10, then 4. Will an increase of 4 stitches keep my piece flat? Two more rows of stitches will begin to make my piece too large to have any kind of creative stitch pattern and still keep it under 4 inches.

Row 3: *SC2 in each stitch x 9, 3 SC in next st. *Repeat to end. 44 stitches.

If I want 4 sides, but an odd number on each side, I must have a base of a multiple of 4 plus 1, or in this case (4 sides) a multiple of 4 plus 4.

44/4=11

Correction!

Do not count the corners! So I needed 40 stitches. 

Each side has a corner and 9 pattern stitches.

The Bonus Material in which I illustrate mistakes

will appear after the Double Crochet 

without a Chain 3 in Part 3 of 3.

However, you want a straight side.

That means the increases come in the corners.


How did I know I wanted to make a spiral instead of a join?  A ‘magic ring’ instead of chains?

 I made five centers and chose the one I liked best.

 Yes, it is that easy.

Keep it under 20 (fingers and toes) and math is easy too.

 

At the end of Row 2, I had 30 stitches. 30 cannot be divided by 4 and come out even.

                                                30/4 = 7 + 2/4

If I want 7 sections I must subtract 2, and if I want 8 sections I must add 2.

 

Hmmm – does that work with, for example, 15/7 ?        15/7 = 2 + 1/7

Can I add 1 to 15 and get something that will divide by 7 ?

NOPE! But if I increase by 1 stitch, I can divide by 4 !

 

So, what else works?

15 minus 1 = 14, which can be divided evenly. If I want to divide 15 evenly by 4,

I must add 1 or 5 (which is the sum of 4 plus 1)

 

This proves the point, you don’t have to find your way out of a maze to solve a problem.

Another option is to start with a multiple of 4, and when I reach a pattern row, increase by 1 + plus the increases needed to go around the block.

 

Why does something ‘work’ with knitting or crochet that won’t work with a woven piece?

           Look at your yarn. It is one strand of yarn (most times). Now look at your stitch. 

It makes a loop. That loop comes out, goes around and goes back down. That makes 3 layers of one strand. That loop means that your finished piece will stretch or compact. Knitting is stretchier than crochet. It is the nature of the beast. When we want to make

 a stretchy fabric out of woven material, we over-spin the yarn, and that makes it crinkle up. We call the fabric ‘crepe.’ Think of a ruffled crepe myrtle bloom or skin with many lines: There are hills and valleys in that skin. It has lost its stretch, but the skin is still there. 

We are almost to the most interesting part. 

But first, I need to know how many stitches to increase 

in each row to keep my circle/square flat.

Let’s look at the classic Granny Square:



Row 1: Set up of ring and work CH3, DC2, CH3, *DC3, CH3. *to end. 

12 stitches and 4 ‘chain-3-spaces’. Join


Row 2: CH3, DC2, CH2, DC3, CH3, *DC3, CH2, DC3, CH3. *to end. Join.



.At this point it isn't necessary to count stitches. 

If the pattern is 'off' you will see it.

Next up . . . 


The DC Row without Chain 3 to start !

Friday, August 18, 2023

Crochet, Old and New

 Everyone has that special teacher. Mine is Jane at JSP Creates.


Review: 

This is for people who already have a working knowledge of crochet but may need some review.

 I am working on crochet in the round and want my piece to lie flat. The circle may morph into a hexagon, octagon or even a pentagon. If you want your polygon to end up as a square, you must work on a shape that can be divided by 4: An 8-, 12-, or 16-sided polygon. More sides than that, and you may as well make a circle, but it’s possible. The point is you can’t make a perfect square from a (5-sided) pentagon. With each new row, the circle or polygon gets bigger. You accomplish that by increasing the stitches on each row. A very small circle needs twice the number of stitches, but as the piece gets larger it takes fewer increases to keep the piece flat.

                 To increase you can make 2 or more stitches in one stitch*, or

                Make one stitch on either side of each stitch, 

                                          *which may be a ‘chain stitch space’.

                                            The top of a stitch lies between stitches.




If you have a row of DC+ch1, there will be 2 stitches in each space. This means that for each DC+ch1 (2 stitches) you now have 3 stitches: the DC of the previous row, plus 2 stitches (one on either side).

 



Gray row: DC+ch1 in each stitch.

Tan Row: 2DC in each space.






     Note that the first tan DC is created with 

                                        1 long chain 

                                                                        instead of a ch3.






In the gray row, can you find the ch3 that normally starts a DC row?

(You won’t find it because it isn’t there.)


Striped circles are great for learning the basics, but in time I need more of a challenge. To add variety to your piece:

1.        Combine stitches with spaces.

 

2.        Use a variety of stitches. Be aware that different stitches will have different heights.

a.       A slip stitch adds no height nor width (in theory).

b.       A chain stitch adds little height, but some width.

c.       A single crochet adds a little more height and width.

d.       A double crochet adds more height, not more width.

e.       A triple crochet adds yet more height, not more width.

f.        A multiple of double crochet in one space adds width, not more height than a single double crochet.

g.       A cluster of double crochet can add height and width but covers the area of one stitch at the top and bottom.

 

3.       Combine items #1 and #2 to create a ‘pattern.’ A 'stitch, ch 3, stitch' in a single stitch or space will create a corner, changing the circle into a polygon.

By starting with a small circle (that will become a 3” or 4” square) you can resort to ‘trial and error.’ If you don’t like the look of what you just did, it is easy to rip out and try something else.

“Start with the End in Mind”

One of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Effective People

“Every step you take, every stitch you make” – no one is watching you. Do what pleases you.


A bad start almost never ends well . . . 

The key here is "almost" . 

   To be continued.

Post Script:

Something to remember when learning a new technique: focus on one thing at a time. The first time you work it, the quality of the stitches may be wonky. That’s OK. Designers don’t publish first drafts. Tackle only one thing at a time. A photographer may take 1,000 photos to get that one ‘great shot’.

With that in mind, be aware that I am recovering and re-learning after a traumatic brain injury. Before the incident, eight years ago, I was a professional designer/writer and illustrator. As a freelancer, I had to learn many different disciplines. Retired now, I provide this information for free and hope it is shared. There are mistakes in my work - I do that to see who is paying attention. (I wish). Actually, I love mistakes. We learn more from our mistakes than we do from our successes. 

If my work doesn’t look as wonderful as that of designers who are publishing patterns, it may be because this is a journal, of a journey to recovery. I don’t work on any one discipline long enough to develop mastery. There may be months between posts. It happens that way. 



Thursday, June 22, 2023

Counted Thread Embroidery on a Journey to Crochet

 I am skipping over the several months of counted thread embroidery to adventures in crochet. More to follow. 

In the following posts, I combine the counted thread embroidery with crochet on linen - it is certainly a counted thread technique - worked on a ground that is not so much counted, except as counted by the ruler.

Meanwhile - watch this space. More to come.

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Stress Free Stitching

I turn my attention to counted thread embroidery in these latter days of the year. 

Sometimes we need an intense challenge, but the holidays have their own challenges. We don't need more. But neither do we want boredom. Rather, our souls seek a comfortable balance. Winter, in general, can be stressful with bone-chilling weather, and light deprivation.

Blackwork, also known as Holbein embroidery, after the 17th-century portrait artist in the court of Henry VIII is a favorite of mine. Others are pulled thread embroidery and Hardanger. Almost any embroidery stitch can be worked over a set number of threads. 

From the book Blackwork & Holbein Embroidery, book 2, by Ilse Alrherr (self-published), this pattern has been modified. The book is out-of-print. Attempts to contact the author for permission to reproduce part of her pattern were fruitless. The modification makes the border narrower and required a re-design of the corner motif to compensate for the change.














In my long life, I have observed that trends in the fiber arts market turn to the predictability of counted thread work when the social climate and world politics are uncertain and unstable. The year 2022, coming hard on the Covid 19 pandemic and disputed political outcomes have been unsettled with little to suggest an impending change.

I have worked on several of the patterns in my books by Altherr, and consider her a master of historical hand embroidery. I took a class from her in the 1980s in Mobile, Alabama through the local Embroiderers' Guild. I chose this pattern for a specific piece of fabric that I wanted to use as a table centerpiece and worked it in ecru pearl cotton on Hardanger cloth.



Friday, November 11, 2022

A.B.C.s of 1 x 1 Cables

Bromefields Knitting Shop on Etsy

Knitted Cable Sourcebook

Infinite Cables

Cables - 

cars, telegrams, landline telephones, lifelines, internet, KNIT !

Who doesn't love cables? 

What follows here are my observations while learning to knit cables. Listed above are some excellent sources for those interested in furthering their cable knitting education. As always, nothing on my page is a 'paid advertisement.'

  1. The first listed is an inexpensive booklet on some traditional cable variations.
  2. Norah Gaughan presents a comprehensive study of cables.  
  3. Melissa Leapman presents her class on working cables as an icon, instead of a vertical row.
         Note: In the book, Norah presents a lovely edge stitch that she does not explain in the book. Being the lovely person she is, she gave me the 'recipe' along with permission to share it with you.

    

A cable, in its simplest form, is comprised of multiple strands. In the case of knitting, a cable requires more than one stitch. A Bavarian Twisted Stitch (also on Craftsy) is sometimes called a 'traveling stitch' and uses a 1 x 1 pattern. It's similar but is not quite the same, being knitted through the back loop.

Technically, a 1 x 1 cable stitch is not a 'traditional' cable stitch. As originated with Aran Sweater knitting in the British Isles, cables are made with a 2 x 2 (or more) sequence.

My hat pattern is from the Bulgarian knitter Elena Dimchevska, on Ravelry.




Used with permission from the designer










What made this hat so much fun for me, a challenged knitter is that it is cable-simplified, but not simple. I made mistakes, but part of my challenge was to keep on knitting by either making a way to continue on with the correct number of stitches, or drop back and repair one or two stitches - but not rip out an entire row or pattern repeat. That in itself is a learning experience. Again, the mantra is Swatch, Swatch, Swatch.

To the Good Stuff - 

The A.B.C.s of 1 x 1 cables

A. The forward stitch will usually be knitted - unless the designer says otherwise.

B. The behind stitch will usually be purled - unless the designer says otherwise.

C. Both stitches are knit when you want to create an X, or the behind stitch will become a forward stitch very soon, as in the next pattern row.

D. Stitches might be Knit/Purl when you want the forward stitch to lean to the right.

E. Stitches might be Purl/knit when you want the forward stitch to lean to the left.

F. Why aren't the stitches interchangeable? Because you are usually working right to left.
Unless you work left to right sometimes, and right to left other times.

Unless the designer tells you to do it differently - 









Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Crochet Cotton vs. Knitting Cotton Yarn

 What's the difference?

Consider the crochet "doilies" popular in Victorian decor. That trend lasted well into the 20th century and is still revered by some.

The crocheted doily was a knock-off of historic laces, that had been practiced for centuries but required skill and specialization. To this day, crochet is considered a 'lesser ' needle art in some quarters. Not this one.

Lacis, a favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots is, in my experience the most difficult of all the lace techniques. It requires the lacemaker to first knot a net as a base. Then to embellish the net, she or he enters the net with the needle at one point and weaves. If the lace has been executed correctly, the needle will emerge at the same place it entered the net when the weaving is finished. 'Net weaving' is a less complex version of Lacis and is often done on a commercially made net.

In crochet, the 'look' was accomplished by the technique "Filet Crochet," wherein the embellishment and the netting was created at the same time, row by row.

Knitting is a different discipline altogether. While lace can be knitted, not all knitting is lace. The same could be said of crochet, however, so what is the difference?

Crochet was popular for home decor, back in the day. It was washed often and must withstand chlorine bleach, or harsh sunlight. Knitting was most often done in wool, but we are discussing cotton here - so what about knitting? Both crochet and knitted items are popular today.  

Using crochet cotton for either knitting or crochet means using a more firmly spun thread, while cotton prepared for knitting is often softer. It is up to the user which they prefer.

Color Coding Your Chart

 I love color coding. I got my first BIG commission for introducing a color-coded filing system to Boeing in the 1960s. It was for the 737. Don't blame me, it was only the files.

To move on, I have had a lifetime of experience with color - and coding - and color coding. 

Today I am applying the principles to 'Knitted Cables.'

Fortunately, the color wheel has more than 3 primary colors: Red, Blue, or Yellow.

We get to use secondary, or even tertiary colors.

To make it even more fun - we will distinguish between warm and cool colors. And light and dark colors! What a festive array!

Secondary colors are what you get when you mix two primary colors: Purple, green, or orange.

By now you may have noticed that some colors are easier to see if they are darker. For example, 'orange' has been made 'brown' so it can be seen easily.  (I have not shown yellow at all, except - see below) !

But, if I put any color within a black outline, it is seen much more quickly. Even white  will show up if it has a boundary of black - as in:

 

(Black on black defeats the purpose of the illustration)

Notice that yellow and black have the most contrast. That is because yellow is a warm color, while black, like white, is neutral. Grey without an outline, almost disappears from the page. Also, scientifically, black is either all colors or no colors, (I forget which) and white is the opposite, but black is dark and shows up well.

Typographers will use those features of colors to give their message an impact. But everyone enjoys color - as witnessed by movies and tv producers.

Given that yellow, and its neighbors, red and orange, are warm colors and appear to come forward if I am illustrating a stitch that comes forward I will use a warm color.

Likewise, a stitch that lies behind a stitch that comes forward gets grey, outlined in black. Because it is behind - and harder to see.

That takes care of 'knit' and 'purl' - but what if your cable is ' knit - knit' or 'purl knit' ? Or 'knit - purl - knit'?

That is when we use tertiary colors and values. 

Tertiary colors happen when you mix two secondary colors, or a secondary color and a primary color.

They will show up as 'lavender-blue' or 'red-violet'.

The Value is seen as the lightness or darkness of a color. Such as 'red' vs. 'pink', or black vs. white.

So we have a whole array of colors, and values and temperature to record our data. And that doesn't even touch on texture. Y'all know what texture is - all touchy/feely.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

When vision fails . . .

If we are lucky, we are blind from birth and can learn to see in other ways, from birth.

If we are lucky, we lose our vision gradually and can find ways to compensate.

If we are lucky, we lose our vision suddenly but have had a lifetime of seeing.

Either way, we are fortunate and will find a solution.

Here I will share mine, for knitting patterns . . .

I happen to love artificial intelligence. It helps me every day to find solutions to my problems.

For my waning vision, even after cataract surgery, I bought a good scanner.

  1.  Print my downloaded knitting pattern.
  2.  Scan it at 300 D.P.I. - dots per inch.
  3.  Open the 'picture' taken by the scanner in a photo manager with editing capabilities. I  use Microsoft Paint for simple tasks.
  4.  Resize the image to what you wish, making it smaller. For most knitting patterns, this gives me about 20 rows of knitting per portrait-layout page. In 'Paint' all I have to do is print in a portrait (or landscape) layout. I like approximately 3 rows to the inch.
  5. Now my pattern is large enough to color the squares, if desired, and can be seen easily from a distance when placed on my magnetic board.




















Note:  Chart is for Milka Hat - found in Ravelry.Com
Used by Permission from the designer.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

More Knitting Progress

 I found a wonderful chart on Pinterest. When  I went to the source, I could see it was partial - which means to me that it has been ripped off someone.

Regardless, I loved it and will not share it. But it brought to mind, I needed to play around with cables again.

Since I re-chart everything to compensate for my 'traumatic brain injury' I had to come up with a way to chart the cables in a way that gives me a little extra help. Cables were not on my keyboard for knitting symbols, so I must do them by hand. 

This is the paper I came up with to make a 'key' - Please feel free to copy my template. It is PUBLIC, for free, as in, not selling anything.














This was made in "Paint" the free graphic generating device, and Excel from Microsoft.


Sunday, October 9, 2022

Conclusions of exercise: Bruno in a Beaker

 Next time - 

I won't 'activate' the Inktense color with a wetting agent until I consider the work 'done.'

    Layering color as you would with watercolors on paper may not work. Subsequent layers may not be permanent.

I will baste the fabric inside of the wooden frame, to allow it to lie flat.

I will "test" wash as many samples as necessary before working on the final piece.

    Maybe I will do two samples, and wash one vigorously, and one washed gentlyto test the permanence of the color. 

If I give these mug rugs as gifts, I don't want them spoiled with a first laundering.

How do I know to take that into consideration?

Think black silk boxer shorts.   

I may activate the Inktense with a liquid fabric medium, though it does add some stiffness to the fabric. I wonder: if I mixed it with water would it still work? Would it bleed?

Would gel outside the line of the painting help to control a hard line of color? 

With every answer, there are more questions.

Bruno in A Beaker

 What works . . . 













Orignal drawing and tracing to yellow tracing paper for transferring to the fabric. The cup in the original drawing was from a shiny cup in my collection. It would not show a good value study because it was too shiny and reflective. I chose another cup, as seen in the tracing.


Photo reference for the cup.













The sketch on the fabric using Inktense outliner. It washes away mostly. . . but not completely. Test it on your fabric before putting it down where you will want it gone.


First 'finish'  before washing out the gel.









After washing out the gel, perhaps not as gently as necessary. I wanted a good "test."












I didn't start from scratch, but really scrubbed, again, with a poly hot pad, or dishwashing scrubber (it came as a freebie with an order for the kitchen, not sure what it is.)











I re-did the coloring with the Inktense pencils, allowed it to sit overnight, and applied gel. It sat to dry overnight.

I applied white highlights in the eyes with acrylic fabric paint and added black toenails.

The cloth was removed from the frame when the paint was dry.

Following instructions on the acrylic paint box, I pressed it with my dry flat iron (no steam holes) on a polyester setting, for 3 minutes, moved the iron to cover the remainder of the image, and heat set for another 3 minutes. Instructions were to heat set for 3 to 5 minutes, so I felt safe. The number setting on my iron was a '2.' Instructions said to use 212° f, but I can't figure out how to measure the temperature of my iron.

After the fabric cooled, I put it in a tub with wool yarn shampoo - only because I felt it would be gentler than an alkaline detergent. Cotton would ordinarily call for synthrapol or hand-washing dish soap for washing. 

Why? Wool Wash for animal fiber, and an alkaline detergent for vegetable fibers. It's a science thing. 

It soaked with a few gentle swishes for at least 15 minutes, was rinsed, and hung outdoors under the canopy in the breeze. I put some clips on the lower edge to add a little weight. 

Before I added clips on the bottom, I noticed the breeze had folded it up on itself.


Even at a distance, you can see the color remains brilliant. I am satisfied with an acceptable first piece. It will be finished as a 'mug rug' for Bruno's Mom, who lives in the Philippines.

Friday, October 7, 2022

Stretching Fabric for Painting

Update: This didn't work. I think the color needed to be pressed into the fibers/fabric better. I will still stretch the fabric but will reverse the front/back so the fabric can lay on a firm surface to apply the color.  

Other possibilities:

1. Gel was not washed out completely

2. I used a rubber-type hot pad that had many little fingers, and scrubbed to get all the gel

 out. It may have been too much scrubbing.

__________________________________________________________________


I use adjustable stretcher bars, but can't recall where I got them. I've had them for years.

Starting with a 10" x 10" square of Kona "snow" fabric, that has the main lines of the image traced to the fabric. Some areas have been traced with the outline pencil that came with my set, and other areas are traced with the Inktense color I will use, where I don't want a black outline.




Front of stretched fabric










A large piece of cloth is intended for stapling to the bars, to protect the background of the piece, with a window cut away. Before attaching my stretcher cloth to the bars, I stitch the project fabric to the cloth on the machine using the longest and widest zig-zag stitch my machine will handle.


Back Side