Band Sampler: Running Stitch
Made some progress on the band sampler this week. I decided to start by documenting the stitches I already know — the very most basic, beginning with running stitch.
I like this tiny font, and I feel like it’s going to let me narrate the work as I go. The flowers, leaves, and dots were done with some thread I bought from a bazaar in Mexico a few years ago. It’s very fuzzy and textured.
The first stitch I chose was running stitch — the easiest stitch of all. I was heavily influenced by Mandie’s sampler, and used variegated floss for the first time. In fact, I pretty much used every variegated floss from my collection!
If you’d like to try your hand at running stitch, try these tutorials:
- Sharon B’s Stitch Dictionary
- Primrose Design’s Stitch School
- Mary Corbet’s Needle ‘N Thread video tutorial (with additional information about ending threads)
I ended up doing about twice as many rows of running stitch as I originally intended. As I got into it, I got sort of swallowed up into it. Like knitting, it was easy to get lost in the repetitive, meditative quality of this repeating pattern. If you look closely, you’ll see spots where I got off the track and this usually happened if I lost focus for some reason or started to fatigue. I had to decide whether to go back and un-do and re-do. For the most part, I decided not to. After all, I reasoned, the purpose of the sampler is to practice and learn. It’s always good for me to start a project by accepting its imperfections.
How about you? Is it difficult for you to accept imperfections in your work?
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Do i have a hard time leaving my imperfections in my work? NOPE.
That’s how you’ll know if it’s been made by me. I thought about having someone
else long-arm my quilts, because I don’t have a lot of patience when it comes to my machine quilting. I’m sloppy, messy, and sometimes take my time to do a better job. That’s what comes with a quilt from me. And that’s the way, uh-hu, uh-huh I like it! uh -huh!
Comment by V — 18 February 2009 @ 11:12 am
This is lovely! I sometimes have a hard time with imperfections, but I’m learning that everything we make inevitably has them! I heard once that Amish women purposefully put a little imperfection somewhere in their quilts so to show/admit that they themselves are not perfect. Not sure if that is just a rumor, but I think it is a wise way to think about oneself!
Comment by Sarah — 18 February 2009 @ 11:57 am
@Sarah: I’ve heard that too about artisans from various cultures leaving “imperfections” in their goods to prove they were handmade. (Martha Stewart: Take note!) Another example of it is the Navajo tribe, whose rugmakers weave a colored thread from the interior design to the edge. I’d love to hear more of these examples, if anyone has one!
Comment by Mal — 18 February 2009 @ 4:38 pm
@V: Yeah I definitely find quilting a larger piece to be really difficult and I often make a mess of it. Oh well! If you want perfect, go to a store! (And buy something made by machine or, you know, child laborers!)
Comment by Mal — 18 February 2009 @ 4:39 pm
Oh yeah I’m having a hard time with the imperfections in my projects, but I’m getting better with letting go I think. It’s not that much about that you can see that it’s handmade but rather the picture I had in mind and how it really turned out.
Comment by Miss Behave — 21 February 2009 @ 6:44 am
@Miss Behave: I think that for some of us, this is a lifelong effort! Other people seem to be able to let go and be messy without giving themselves permission. Others need constant mantras and reminders — not that I would know…
Comment by Mal — 22 February 2009 @ 11:40 am
I think in an age of mechanical perfection and uniformity part of the appeal of hand made items and stitching is that is it imperfect – its human and has a personality like a trace of the person. I like that!
Comment by sharonb — 23 February 2009 @ 1:19 am
@sharonb: I think this exact truth is what has been driving me to more and more handwork recently. I want to feel more of a connection with my work and to get away from uniformity and machinery. All around us is uniform! From the clothes we wear to the strange, unnatural little carrots we eat. It’s very unsettling, when I take a step back for perspective.
Comment by Mal — 23 February 2009 @ 7:33 am