~ Working with Variegated Threads ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

another fine day brewing here on the farm…

2 cups of tea, a smattering of yogurt & I'm ready to roll!

Since I am working on punch needle models for Autumn/Hallowe'en

and I am working with my new color palette of pearl cottons from Valdani ~

I thought I would share with you how I use the variations in threads to my advantage…

here is my 'working bowl' ~ full of thread balls, pencils, threader, ball jar & trusty Cameo punch needle:

I carry my working bowl with me wherever I go 

...since I have so many favorite places to choose from…

~ shall I punch on the porch?      ...in my sewing room?    ...how 'bout in the garden?

ummmm….

YEP!

ok here goes,

we all know that the beautiful colors that we get from using the variegated threads is a marvelous thing.

~ but did you know that by using what I call 

'planned random-ness'

you can add so much more movement & depth to your work?

see the little dresses below…

each one is punched with the same variegated thread 

{Valdani  size #8  color: M90 to be exact}

but, as you can clearly see, each dress is different because of the way I punched it.

I used directional punching in a 'planned-random' fashion!

= fun fun!!

if I had punched each dress in the same direction, 

~ it wouldn't be as exciting to your eye.

it would look rather 'flat' to me…

another trick I use is a 'beauty-line' between motifs and backgrounds.

…below you can see the greenish color line {P2} between the orange of the moon {O510} 

and the darker beginning of the background color {O531}

that P2 is the 'beauty-line'…

I define it like this: 

Beauty-line

a line of color surrounding the motifs,

 either contrasting or coordinating, that is used to help motifs 'pop' from the background color.

This very same technique is used in primitive rug hooking!!

in this case I chose to outline all of the motifs AND punch the border using the P2 for a cohesive look.

see the witch hat below?

it was punched using O548 which is a color that is similar to the background color…

if I didn't use the beauty-line, all of the witch hats would sink into the background 

and you'd never see them…they'd be lost forever :(

of course, there are times when I WANT my motifs to blend in to the background…

like when I add subtle words or shapes like stars, swirls, etc. into the design for interest.

THEN you have to come in real close for a better look…

sneaky, huh?

ha!

the background to this model is almost finished ~

using the O531 I will again directionally punch my lines…

this time in a 'slanted' direction that I've penciled in on my weavers cloth…

{you can see my faint pencil-lines below}

I like punching the background in an opposite direction from the rest of the piece 

it will make your eye dance around and hold your interest longer :)

here are other examples of directional punching:

the dress on the left was punched using my 'random-striated' technique

{meaning punching in small, straight lines to fill in the motif}

and the pants on the right were punched using my 'random-blocking' technique

{meaning the punching was worked in small 'blocks' before filling in completely}

almost forgot...

the lighter backgrounds in the models above were punched in the same 'random-striated' way…

and since I finished the model below, 

...but had plenty of weavers left around the edges, I {of course} couldn't remove it from my frame until I used it all up…

so I punched little jacks to make into pins with leftover threads too :)

then it's a dip into my cauldron of walnut/spice dye

and out to dry in the sun for a spell…{hehe}

before being "finished" completely.

~stay tuned!~

I am thinking about writing another book

and

this time it would be on this very subject above…

{{{ but with lots more detail and photos/projects of course…}}}

----> would that be something that interests you?

let me know your thoughts!!!!!

watch for the release of my 3 new cross stitch and three new punch designs this coming weekend!!

~ Blessings from the Farm ~ 

 Lori