TAST week 8 ~ chain stitch

this is week 8 (chain stitch) with Pintangle's TAST.
one that i like because it can very easily be be used in a 'fluid' way. this makes it a great stitch to use for embroidered writing. i've known that i would place a word onto each stocking when i felt that the right stitch had been presented and the time was right so i was happy to see this week's choice.
i asked both my wonderful daughter and husband to pick a single word that had personal significance or meaning for them.

the wonderful daughter chose the word 'peace'. i used a medium strandable 4-ply cotton in a variegated green color.

the wonderful husband chose the word 'joy'. i used a woolen strandable thread; hand dyed and also variegated. i was disappointed in the way that the color placements ended up falling and felt that this word sort of disappeared into the background towards the end. he liked it just the way it was and asked that i not change it.

i chose the word 'play'. and play i did. i used a variety of threads and combinations of threads throughout the word. most of the thread was bits and pieces that had accumulated in the bottom of my thread tin. i just poked through and found fun combinations. i did try to use the color purple throughout the word to form a little bit of continuity.

and last but not least there are two fabric covered buttons that i made using the chain stitch within the embellishing.
the button in the background is monotone  in fabric and thread choices. this isn't something i do very often but i do like the look and should play with the idea more frequently. for the embroidery i first laid down a chain stitch (a twisted light weight thread) and then added a fly stitch (a variegated medium weight twisted thread) which i secured with a colonial knot at the 'catch point'. i then added two small colonial knots (in two strands of a strandable silk thread) centered over the open end of the fly stitch.
the second button was embellished using two strands of a variegated cotton floss. i was careful to load these strands onto the needle in such a way that they weren't always shifting color at the same time. i formed a chain spiral and then added small single stitches along the sides of the chain stitch using only one strand of the same thread. i placed two single stitches at the outer part of the spiral in order to form an 'easement' to/from the chain stitch.


if you think that you may be interested in learning embroidery or practicing the stitches you already know it's well worth a visit to Pin Tangle to join in with this project.

within this weeks contributors i found some wonderful whimsical examples of this stitch. check here and here for stitches that will make you smile.


recent gifts include:

• homemade chocolate cake (the wonderful daughter strikes again)
• feeling the love and devotion from a rescued dog 
• accomplishing work on all three of  the stockings this week