Category Archives: Organza

Organza snowflakes

It’s so cold and wintery that I have no problem doing wintery themed projects. These are the prototype snowflakes made from layers of organza, machine stitch, cut back and finally soldered to embellish mine and a friends clothing when we attend a themed dinner later in the year. I plan to make a large and varied number of snowflakes which not only will they adorn clothing but I want to make a winter Mardi gra mask for myself and a wintery fascinated for my friend along with two across the body evening bags. So I am going to need quite a few snowflakes and while the weather is so cold it is a good time to get them done

Christmas hanging lantern box

Been working on this little box all week as a Christmas project for Kathy Troup of Stitch with the embroiderers guild magazine. This is the second go as the prototype colours turned out completely wrong. So it was back to the drawing board and different colours were put in to the layering system before I machined the design. I don’t mind making the item but I do so love putting it all together with all the twiddly bits and bobs that make it pretty. I am quite sad becoz I absolutely love covering the wire with machine thread by sewing machine and then bending or coiling it.
I just need to find a suitable box to send it in

Hanging Lantern Boxes in The Raw

I made theses boxes as a cut work needle project for Husqvarna but have since realised they work beautifully with my organza and soldering iron technique if not better.

They’re only a prototype at the moment but if I can sort everything out with assembly and decoration they will become a new kit for Alexandra Palace next week . I hear myself say “no pressure then” ha ha!

Mind you those who know me well know I leave all my good ideas until the last min and even though I complain about the extra pressure it always gets done

Poppies are out

Wow the poppies in my garden are just coming out.
This small 3 by 4 inch embroidery is made from strips of organza heat zapped with a heat gun to cause a shrinking back and melting effect to the background. Simple long stitches and bullion knots used to give perspective and finally circles of organza again heat zapped to make the shrivel and represent my poppies.
I think poppies are one of my most favourite flowers, graceful as they sway in the breeze.They never last long enough for me to get my fill of looking at them.

Waterfall Panel for New Zealand

Wow! What a blistering hot weekend. Only problem was that i just didn’t want to be doing any sewing.

Instead I added some finishing touches to my waterfall sketch book and took this photo so that you can see the outcome. Now all I need to do is work out how this rather dimensional piece is going to travel all the way to New Zealand next July. Looks like I’m gonna be posting another parcel.

Made from layered strips of organza, machine embroidered between water soluble film. Raised flowers made from bonded organza, machine stitched and wired in many cases. The leaves are bonded organza and are either wired in bunches and attached to the main embroidery or they hang from it on drops of beading. A soldering iron has been used to add details to flowers, leaves and panel.

Alston Hall Residential [The outcome was great]

Well several days have gone by since i last updated my blog and i have been feeling frustrated because i couldn’t get a good enough signal to keep you up to date. I suspect the Pennine mountain range and the bad weather might have had something to do with it.

I finally made it home after a repeat wet journey of the Wednesday going up. I couldn’t believe how much water was laying on the fields as i drove home from Alston Hall.


On Thursday I had a fab time teachinggold work. All ladies went home thrilled with what they had achieved, even ifit was only a piece the size of a postage stamp. Goldwork can’t be rushed andis terribly time consuming so even a small project can take weeks or even months.

Finished teaching at 4pm and clambered to my bed room where Icollapsed on the bed and did something I never do. I had a before dinner nap.
It doesn’t look much when you have spent all day working at it does it.
I’m not leaving until I have finished this bit

On Friday after a lovely cookedbreakfast I taught stump work. We were making an Elizabethan sweet bag and asyou can imagine there wasn’t much of that to show for a hard days sewingeither.

I had a couple of hours to myself at the end of the day and as thesun was shining I decided to get some fresh air and took the time to take somemore pics of the lovely building I was teaching in.
The chapel. Not in use now but very pretty
Taken from the Crochet lawn

Friday night at 8.15pmI started teaching again.This time I was teaching Machine embroidery with organza and the soldering ironand was looking forward to helping my ladies design and worktheir own designs instead of one of my designs. They were a great bunch andmost were willing to have a go and play Earlier in the day I had vacatedmy room of two days and moved to the garden room on the other side ofthe house. I didn’t mind because this room was great and had everything inone place. Also because I had a larger number of students, it made senseand gave everyone a good amount of room to spread out and get comfortable. Andboy did they spread. There was organza and sewing equipment everywhere.

We had all met up for the first time at dinner that evening andthen went to work afterwards. We only did an hour of me explaining andinspiring so that we could get going straight away after breakfast onSaturday.  Everyone was generally worn out on the Friday eveningas they have had to travel, but you always get one or two who want to burn themidnight oil so I signed off at 9.30pm and headed for the bar for a nice glassof chilled wine followed by an early night to bed.
Saturday we got going while making friends and stitching. Demonstrations happenedthroughout the day and I got the job of trying to extract informationfrom each student to help them achieve a stunning piece of work across theweekend, which they all did. I could have brought every piece home with me butthey wouldn’t letthem go and tucked them away quickly so that I couldn’t pinch any
My ladies were all lovely and we all got on a treat. Ihope I bump into them again in the future.
They produced some great work all of which I could of run awaywith. Have a look and see!!!!
Paula’s piece based on photos from a derelict church
I love the bronze through to blue and green appearing in this architechtural sample
A lovely sample of layered organza, stitched with straight lines and cut out with the soldering iron
Based on Andy Goldworthy’s stone photos
Ghost tree based on Andy Goldworthy’s photos

Soldering out the material to be removed from the background and sealing the edges