TAST - Take a Stitch Tuesday

While reading through Sustat's blog, 

I loved the idea of her TAST

that she was doing, so I went to the group and joined in :)

Like her little book she has made, I have had one for 

a few years for crocheted and tatted samples, 

and so it was completely appropriate to make a little stitch sampler for 

embroidery.

The first stitch for this last Tuesday was the Fly stitch, and here is my sample.

I used no other stitch other than the fly stitch, and some beads.  I know 

it is rather simple, but it is pretty, and fits just fine on my little sample page :)

Here is the little sample book and coordinating thread book I made.

I used scrap material for the cover, and unbleached muslin for the  pages,

I will embroider or embellish every 2 pages facing each other, 

and then the back sides, where the stitches are with the knots, they will 

be sewn together, and you will not see them, so I will be left with a nice clean 

hand made picture book.  Until each page is completed though, the 

edges of each page is left raw.  I haven't decided if I will leave a frayed edge on the 

pages or if I will finish each page with a blanket stitch.

The first thing I did was cut 4  rectangles, sew all around them, turn them inside out, iron 

flat, and then make a decorative stitch around the edge.  I cute 2 rectangles for each

little book I made.

Next I cut the pages from the muslin,  the same size as the original rectangles for the 

book cover.  Then I took 6 pages at a time and stacked them as evenly as possible

and sewed them right down the middle.

Next I stacked 4 of these mini books together and sewed them together before 

adding them to the cover, and then I added a blanket stitch design on the

"spine" of my little book and wove some floss in just to give it some more design.

For the complimentary little thread book, so I will always be able to take

a project in the car or something, I used the other cover I made, and I cut 

several rectangle pieces of felt to put inside, sewed them down simply and put 

thread inside.

And here are my 2 wonderful little projects I did this week, and you already saw my 

first  stitch I put in, at the beginning of the blog entry :), the fly stitch.

Happy tatting, happy stitching, and happy crafting. 

Bri.