Thursday, September 08, 2005

Thready


I'm going to take a break from quilting for a bit. I have to stay off the knee, so piecing is out. I could work on quilting "Noel" but that doesn't have to be done until Thanksgiving (the official beginning of Christmas decorating in our house), so I'm working on a Halloween thready project.

Up above there's a picture of an early thready (circa 2002) just to give you an example of what I am talking about. It's not what I'm working on now. I tried to move the photo to elsewhere in my post but Blogger and my brain weren't cooperating today, so the picture stays where it wants to.

Thready is my name for a piece that is all threads or yarns stitched or couched down onto a piece of fabric or lightweight canvas. The thready in the photo started with a base of reddish pink fabric that I couched down some tiny bits of red batik fabric to before beginning the running stitch, which I did in embrodiery flosses, rayons, perles, metallics... The silver frame is 8" by 9" ish.

I started the piece I am actually going to work on last Halloween and worked on it for awhile after that. I even took it on our Nile cruise and stitched on it while drinking tea under the shade of an umbrella, watching the banks of the Nile glide by. That was last November and it's been in hiding since then. See, I get bored and put projects away, but generally I do pick them back up again. If I still like them.

The one I'm working on now (again) is a piece of white canvas that I drew a spiderweb on. I stem-stitched that with a black perle cotton royal (it's shiny and pretty - you can quilt with it, but boy does it fray). Now I'm doing running stitch with various colors (lots of oranges with bits of yellow, lime green, purple and red) of embroidery floss. I just keep going and going and going until all the white is gone. All of it. That's how I know when it's done. Kinda psycho? Maybe, but still soothing, in a different way than the quilting stitch.

This Web thready is almost done - only several more hours to go. I haven't actually counted how many hours it takes - that's one of those things I just don't want to know. I would show you a pic, but might as well wait until it's done. Then I'll have to decide if I'm going to do a fancy spider somehow with beads or just stitch down a plastic one that I bought at Walmart. The final step will be to frame it - because they just aren't large enough to stand on their own. Previous pieces I've framed with glass (it's dusty here) but I'm pondering leaving it off. Halloween stuff is in a box 10 months out of the year...

9 comments:

Finn said...

Morning Tonya, LOL..well the net just stole my first posting..so here goes again.
Love the thready thing. It's so creative and such an interesting medium to work with..I never would have thought of it. I'm anxious to see the one you are working now.
Hope the knee is feeling better soon.
While surfing last night I came across a site that is all halloween. Maybe you know it, if not you might want to check it out. I think it's pretty much all free stuff. Downloadable music, and great paper printouts. Creatures, monsters, graveyards, etc..that you can print on card stock and then use your pens, crayons, paint, pens and what now.
http://ravensblight.com/

I'm gonna..*VBG*..get creative with the stuff..*G*

Quilts And Pieces said...

Tonya! I didn't get a chance to check in yesterday and today not until this afternoon. This thready you posted is GORGEOUS! I love the colors and normally I'm not a bright color person. It is so interesting. I wish I could feel it and look at it closely - it is pretty cool.

I can't wait to see your Halloween one - even it Halloween isn't my holiday!

Tonya Ricucci said...

thanks for the positive comments. I was a bit worried ya'all would shun me if I wasn't quilting...
Halloween didn't use to be a big holiday for me either - I have always hated dressing up in costumes. I think it's the bright colors and the "fun horror" aspects that suck me in.

Bonnie K. Hunter said...

Stitching while sitting under an umbrella, sipping tea on a Nile cruise....Wow....that sounds SO fabulous, like what could be better?!

You and Kathrine Hepburn in "African Queen"..you could have given her a run for her money, but I don't think she did needle work! :c)

Bonnie

Tonya Ricucci said...

I think Katherine would have kicked my ass. You want me to stop working on my thready and get into the WATER? EEUWWW.

Frances said...

i love this thready, from where I am it has a tartan flavour, love to see the web thready when done,

the nile cruise sounds fabulous, sorry to hear about the knee, not fun, hope it feels better soon,

Anonymous said...

Hi Tonya, and thanks for checking out my site! The thready is gorgeous- and just my colors! How do you make a thready, anyway??hope your knee is much better soon.

Jen said...

Love the "thready"! Beautiful colors, and a great idea. Very artful. Jen

Darcie said...

Tonya, I love, love, love your "Thready!" (I am so excited and inspired that I can hardly type straight.) I'm a new Quilt Maverick and was just surfing the Maverick neighborhood. Oh heck, instead of blabbering, perhaps I should just go post something "wordy" instead of "picturey" to my blog. Hats off to you!!!