thecozycuttlefish

[thecozycuttlefish]

Pattern Spotlight: Frosty Blackwork Filler Stitches

It's time to level up visible mending with a blast from the past.

This kind of embroidery blossomed in the 16th and 17th centuries, when embroiderers worked to express their creativity or record pictures of the world around them. You can decide to draw any shape you want, and then shade it in with "filler" stitches that provide a sturdy grip between torn fabric and a patch.

These patches take the hardest part of the whole deal out of your hands! Instead of trying to count the correct number of threads to stitch (and on a t-shirt, how would you even?) you just let the stick-on pattern show you exactly where to stitch. Then when you dip your project in water, the pattern disappears, and only your work remains.

I made them partly because I love the idea of visible mending and sashiko, but I got a little frustrated having random patterns everywhere. I wanted a way to give it a tidier, more artistically complete feel.

Here's the pattern collection at my Etsy shop!

And also: Hi! I'm Lis. I'm a disabled Canadian artist. I run this business out of my living room, which is all just work studio now. I do the historical research and pattern design for projects like this. I'm so, so grateful to my customers and the community that supports me. 💕 Thank you all so much.

etsy: thehaberdasheress

[thecozycuttlefish]

🧶 Cow hitch increase

Unlike all other single-stitch increases I know, this one is perfectly symmetrical. I’ve been seeing it a lot in my feed lately, so I thought I’d share it. Haven’t tried it yet in a project though.

It mimics the structure of a cow hitch knot - hence the name.

🎥 🧶 👀✨

[thecozycuttlefish]

SUMMER KIRTLE

I am in love with the short sleeves

The reference picture :)

[thecozycuttlefish]

so you may recall i landed a job as a freelance maker for the phantom of the opera! 🎭

here’s one of the costume sets i have to make for the upcoming USA tour - fans of the show will know this from hannibal 🐘

i calculated the number of gems i have to sew on and it’s 650! good thing i only have seven pieces left 🫡 i feel like i have become one with my thimble already

[thecozycuttlefish]

I’ve just discovered the absolute loveliness of blackwork embroidery!!!

Isn’t she lovely???? Eventually it will be an 18th century pocket I can wear with my 1907 petticoat. And the blackwork is a 1602 pattern! So we’re really mixing it all up

Stay tuned!!

[thecozycuttlefish]

OMG I’ve created an hilarious monster.

So. for his birthday, I sent my Dad a money clip that said “there’s always money in the banana stand ” - with it I sent a DVD of the first season of Arrested Development. I said, “to get the joke just watch the first episode” - he CONSUMED the first episode and we all got to hear about how he “knows these people.” We were not surprised of course and we all got to hear new stories of dirtbags.

He loves the show SO MUCH he made a popsicle stick frozen banana stand. HE MADE A FROZEN BANANA STAND OUT OF POPSICLE STICKS!

Andy, “he’s also a sculptor!”

[thecozycuttlefish]

kinda wish I had taken a photo of these before, but I’ve been doing some visible mending on my clothes recently :) the fashionable distressing had turned into slightly less fashionable gaping holes lol

thought it would be fun to try and continue the tree print onto the pants themselves to make it look like they were growing out—I’m not terribly good at embroidery bc I don’t do it very often but I think it turned out well!! yay :) I left some of the frayed edges in bc I liked the look, and I’m pretty happy with that decision \o/

[thecozycuttlefish]

At long, LONG last, my hand-embroidered Iron Bull wheel of fortune tarot card from Dragon Age Inquisition is FINISHED! It took 111 hours of work overall, by FAR the most elaborate piece in my embroidery series. 11.5x19.5 cm in size.

If you've been following along the very slow progress of this piece on IG, you won't be surprised that this one has been on the move with me now for about 7 months while I've been involved in theatre work. I'd add to it while backstage, during tech weeks, and in green rooms while relaxing with work friends. As such each section contains memories of where I was and what show I was doing while working on it.

I probably could have finished within a shorter span if I'd dedicated more of my free time to it (same amount of hours probably, in fewer months) but I engage with these pieces like I do with the Dragon Age franchise as a whole: to have something comforting to return to and enjoy when the time is right. I hope you've enjoyed the slow journey of this one as much as I have.

[thecozycuttlefish]

I am so bad at posting here consistently but I feel like Tumblr would appreciate my best friend Fishbag (and the various creatures that live within her)

[thecozycuttlefish]

Well put. (Source: Writing About Writing Facebook page)

[thecozycuttlefish]

All Eyes on the Sumoud Convoy

Eyes on the road people. Eyes on the thousands of people on their way to the Gaza border to break the siege.

SumoudConvoy-tracker

[thecozycuttlefish]

for my fiber arts followers

wife finally finished her shetland lace shawl, all made from two ply handspun lincoln longwool! she's amazing 🥰

[thecozycuttlefish]

[thecozycuttlefish]

greta thunberg and 11 others on the flotilla carrying aid to gaza have been kidnapped by the israeli government in international waters.

[thecozycuttlefish]

Project Gutenberg just released this as their newest Public Domain ebook!

For all you vintage crafters out there :)