Thursday, March 27, 2014

Red and Blue and sneaky peek...

What am I working on behind the secret Elefantz screen I wonder??


Loving the colour pop of red and blue with a teensy trace of green...


...and playtime with some Aurifil threads for the first time was fun, too.


But to see more you'll need to wait till April. 
It will be inside the next issue of Elefantz Magazine. Mmmm. Nice. 

In yesterday's blog post I shared photos of the lovely but unfinished vintage tablecloth I'd rescued from the op shop. Dee left a comment asking about some of the stitches that had been used in the partially embroidered cloth, and it so happened that I was curious about one of them myself.
This border is stem-stitched...


...but this one I didn't recognise.


Rather than scrolling through pages on Google, I headed to the local library and borrowed this book of stitches..


...and look what I found.


The stitch used in the cloth looks very much like 'coral' stitch, so that's what I need to learn to finish the tablecloth.
How cool are photos that take you step by step?!


I'll be sure to keep you updated with my progress. 

 
It is raining and raining, and raining more, here in North Queensland. This is a blessing for many farmers (and please God make sure they get enough) who have been on the edge of existence with the drought. I really hope its falling at my buddy Narelle's property as they have been dry, dry, dry.

Here in Townsville everything is a lush green and lakes have appeared where once were parklands and back yards. The washing won't dry as it's 'wet humid', but the steady pitter patter of drops on the roof all night is welcome after so much heat this summer.
My little herb pots have revived as well, so tonight I used some fresh thyme to make a salt for our chips...


Just 2 tablespoons of Celtic Sea Salt, the zest of half a lemon, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme, ground down in a mortar and pestle to a fine fragrant seasoning...


Scattered over the chips it was delicious.

I still haven't shown you the photos of my latest Sunday adventure with Mr E, so I'll do that tomorrow. 
We discovered a quaint little place off the beaten track. I think you'll love it!

Till then,
hugs


12 comments:

Lorrie said...

Lovely peeks of your work. Glad you did the detective work on the coral stitch for us. I'm going to look it up in my embroidery book, too.
The thyme lemon salt sounds delicious!

Melody said...

I'm feeling very excited at the prospect of a new Elefantz Home. This looks like a gorgeous project. I love the sweet and delicate print you are using.

Tammy said...

Oh the coral stitch is gorgeous.....I still love the table cloth...Just so pretty

Julie said...

Please Jenny send some rain over here :-)
I just love your colour combinations & your work always looks so fresh & pleasing to the eye - you have made me want to just use 2 or 3 colours in my work since you have been doing this. I had not come across coral stitch before -- thanks for the info. x0x

Noela said...

Love that stitch Jenny, thanks for sharing. Hugs......

miss~nance said...

Loving your colours. The salt looks tasty.. I ahd not seen coral stitch b4, its a nice stitch.... gail

Thoeria said...

Please can we get to see what you're up to?! I love the little bit that I can see! Those sweet little birdies!

Retalhinho Chic said...

Everything that you do is magic!! Sorry, I don't speak english, but a try!! Kisses from Brazil! Vy

Wendy said...

Hi Jenny, I don't think it is Coral stitch. That has quite a small knot. I think it's Palestrina stitch: http://www.needlenthread.com/2007/04/palestrina-stitch-video-tutorial.html

Jenny of Elefantz said...

Thanks Wendy! I will check that book and get a closer look. :-)

Anonymous said...

Palestrina was my first thought, too. I learned it from Sharon Boggon's blog. But I think the one you found might work as well. Palestrina Stitch. Mary Corbet's videos (link of Wendy's) are great, and she does it several times - plus you can run it over and over. =)

Robin in New Jersey said...

I did coral stitch last fall on a project for a friend. I really enjoyed doing it and it's pretty also. Going to go have a look-see at the Palestrina stitch now. :)