Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Olympus sashiko No. 12: colorful daisies

20150107_204236
Symmetry galore!!

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See how no stitches pass through the center of the daisy?  Negative space at the intersection?
up close and personal
While in progress, before pressing

red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green, hot orange with hot orange border!
After pressing with the Elna Press

After stitching the Olympus Dragonfly kit, I started searching for more sashiko to stitch.

Purl Soho had a blog post from 2009 of this pillow and I had to have it!!  But they did not have the design in  stock.   Finally I found this seller on etsy (TaDaa) that came with the colors but with two changes.

I  substituted Olympus sashiko thread hot orange #22 for the light pink that came with the kit as I felt it was more striking that way.  

I also stitched it the way it is shown on the Purl website and not the TaDaa way.

So how do you stitch it the Purl way?  Use the 6 fold symmetry of the daisy as a starting point, see below for step-by-step pictures. (There is a LOT of symmetry going on with this pattern for you symmetry lovers).

I ordered the kit on Dec 29 and it was delivered on Dec 31.  Perfect!  I started stitching that night and a week later I finished it.

start
The start:  it's a preprinted pattern.
red
Red
red, yellow
Red and yellow (like a "flat helix", for lack of a better description.  Alpha helices are 3D (right or left handed) but because of the negative space in the center of each flower (2D helix), you don't know which strand is crossing over the other so...it's without a hand...thus I'm calling it a "flat helix".)
red, yellow, turquoise
Red, yellow, turquoise (so you're stitching the turquoise on the diagonal)
best red, yellow, turquoise, purple
red, yellow, turquoise, purple  (the purple and turquoise "flat helix" are on the diagonal--can  you see it?)
red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green
Red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green.  (so the green is half the helix on the diagonal that slopes upward from left to right)
red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green, orange
Red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green, hot orange (the hot orange completes the third flat helix)
red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green, hot orange with hot orange border!
Red, yellow, turquoise, purple, green, hot orange with border!!
Done and Elna Pressed!!

Relaxing, meditative, no fitting involved, sense of accomplishment!!

One of my friends said it's pretty but what do you do with it?

Olympus recommends a tea towel or pillow.  I'll probably make it into a pillow.  For now it's draped over a pillow, in a place where I can see it every day.  It makes me happy to see it.   But it's not just about making the sashiko into something else, it's also about the joy of stitching it.   The stitches are not perfect and that's something for me to work on but hey I just started and I want to enjoy it!

I also really enjoy that there's no fitting involved.

Did I mention, no fitting?

No fitting.

Be well!

23 comments:

  1. YOU MADE THIS WITH YOUR HANDS!?!?!?!?!!?

    Fantastic!

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    Replies
    1. I did! Thanks for your enthusiasm and kind words!!

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  2. I love everything about it! Beautiful!

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    1. Awww, thanks Trumbelina!! I love it too!

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  3. I want this. I still struggle with the "What do you do with it" - from my super practical puritan upbringing, ahem.
    One can only have so many pillows, wallhangings, gifts for friends before you get there.
    I love the daisy centers. I have found with a lot of my sewing - it's the process that turns me on.

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    1. There is an idea about pillows! Just make the sashiko into a pillow sham and then rotate the designs through the same pillow! So one pillow, however many designs you make...instead of making a pillow for every design!

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  4. Hmm. I wonder how it will fit though.

    Bwahahaha. No seriously. I like your sashiko projects and that it makes you happy. Lots of color is always a good thing

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    1. Ha ha ha about the fit!!! What if it doesn't fit on my pillow form??? Ha ha!

      I like all the bright colors. Makes me happy.

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  5. thanks for the process pics, I always wondered how the sashiko was done and now it makes sense. so pretty.

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    1. Thanks Beth! The process is very straightforward and it is fun to see it "come to life".

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  6. This is lovely, and I also appreciate the progress shots, mesmerising!

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    1. Awww...thanks MaciNic! It's mesmerising for me too!

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  7. Great project post. Its' beautiful! I'm glad you posted the pics of how you stitched it because I was like, how in the heck did she do that. : )

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    1. Thanks! You're welcome!!! I did that through...magic! ;)

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  8. This is absolutely amazing! Your stitches are beautiful. It's a work of art.

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    1. Thanks Tomasa! I think I want to make one of these for work and hang it in my office!

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  9. Beautiful work! The stitches look perfect to me :)

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    1. Thank you Carolyn--you're very kind! I was thinking about this--maybe it's *not* about trying to look like it was done by a machine--hand made is just that--made by hand and will have inconsistencies in stitching especially for newbies like myself!

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  10. So pretty! Thank you for showing the in-process shots -- now it all makes sense. It will make a beautiful pillow -- or even a wall hanging if you put a border around it. One question -- do you work on it while keeping it flat on a table? Wondering if sashiko can be done while watching tv!

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    1. I just have it in my hands while I work on it....I'm usually at the dining room table or sitting up in bed while stitching. No hoop either. Just stitch-stitch-stitch!

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  11. Not sure where my comment went... The progression of photos with each new color reminds me of stop-motion animation! And no fitting is what drew me to quilting.... ;)

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