Running Stitch

I wouldn’t say this is my favorite stitch, but it sure is the one I use the most in my fiber art.  It is surprisingly adaptable to many different applications.  That said, I didn’t do a new sampler for this stitch of the week.  Instead I have dolls I made a couple of years ago.  They were inspired by the beautiful faces of Byzantine mosaics.  I have always loved mosaics, but I’m not interested in branching into a totally different media; I am too obsessed with fabric.  That meant I would have to imitate mosaics using materials I already had on hand.  Making pictures with fused squares of colored fabrics was fast and fun.  That had me wondering if I could I use stitches to replicate the tiles.

Our Lady of the Burning Ember is 12″ from the top of her foiled headdress to the bottom of her tassel.

My first effort at embroidered mosaics was a learning experience.  I decided to try again with satin stitch on the eyes and double running stitch on the mouth.  This is my favorite of these faces.

The Labyrinth is 7″ tall.  Both she and Our Lady are what I call my “sweet potato” dolls.  On a whim one day, I traced the shape of some sweet potatoes in my pantry and adapted those tracings into doll patterns.  I do get my inspirations in some unusual places.

One more try with outline stitch on the mouth and eyebrows in addition to the satin stitch eyes.

The Empress is 12″ tall.  Her headdress is a cutting of some vintage trim given to me by a friend who was cleaning out her sewing room.  I didn’t do the beading on her body.  They are part of the silk velvet scarf scrap that is stitched to her body.  Just one of the many scraps and bits that I find at the Quilt Festival in Houston each Fall.

To see more samples of running stitch from Sharon B’s weekly challenge, visit pintange.