Author: Ruth O'Leary

Tropical Blooms parasol

Time for a new project! I’m still keen on the tambour beading idea, so I’m starting a proper project using it, rather than just experiments and practice pieces. Tambour beading is commonly used to embellish (very expensive) clothing, but my dressmaking skills aren’t good enough for that, so I’m tackling something a bit simpler: a…

Tambour beading: sequins and bugle beads

The last tambour beading experiment: this time, using sequins and bugle beads, instead of the seed beads I’ve used up to now. This really is just an experiment to test the technique, so I’m using a design so simple it doesn’t deserve the name: And two kinds of gold sequins – flat and cupped –…

Tambour beading: filling and shading, part 2

I am happy to announce that the tambour beading filling and shading experiment has been quite a success! Last time, I’d done the outline of an acanthus leaf design in gold and cream beads; now it was time to try filling it in. I’d had a go at randomly dotting beads around on some scrap…

Tambour beading: filling and shading, part 1

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I had quite a busy one with family, but managed to find some time to continue with the tambour beading experiment.  I think I’ve more or less got the hang of beading in a line, so now I want to try filling in…

Tambour beading: first experiment

For no particular reason other than wanting to give it a go, I have decided to teach myself tambour beading. For anyone who hasn’t come across it before, this is a way of attaching beads or sequins to a fabric with a hook rather than a needle, and is meant to be both faster and…

Primroses

Sorry for the long silence – longer than I’d realised, looking back.  I’ve had other, non-sewing, things going on lately and haven’t been doing as much embroidery as usual. I have been doing some, though; there doesn’t seem much need to walk you through the technique I used as it’s just the same as the…

Nasturtium roundel – finished

The final step, with the embroidery finished, is to cut it out and apply it to a background. As usual now, I painted the back with dilute PVA glue, and after leaving it overnight to dry thoroughly, cut it out – very carefully. I’m using an ivory velvet for the background; here’s the embroidery cut out…

Nasturtium roundel – flowers

The last bit of embroidery on this project: the flowers. With the leaves, I used the lightest shade on the outside of the leaf and got darker towards the centre; here I’m doing the opposite, starting with the darkest shade and getting lighter further in. The darkest shade is Madeira stranded cotton no. 0204, and…

Yves Saint Laurent at the Bowes Museum

The other day, a friend and I went to see the marvellous Yves Saint Laurent exhibition at the equally marvellous Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, Co. Durham: This was very busy, so if you’re planning on going – and I can recommend you do – be prepared for it to be absolutely packed. While a…

Nasturtium roundel – flower buds

A bit more than the buds, actually, but with my usual botanical ignorance I don’t know what the bit at the back of the flowers is called.  Whatever it is, I’ve done them, too. Anyway, the buds proper at the centre of the design, worked in long and short stitch in Madeira stranded cotton 0105…