Tapestry Crochet Cushion

Last month I wrote about stepping out of my crochet comfort zone and trying
something new. That something new is tapestry crochet and I'm pleased to say
that I've really enjoyed learning this new technique. I'm also pleased to show you
my first finished tapestry crochet project - this harlequin pattern cushion cover.

If you google images of tapestry crochet, you'll get a lot of harlequin patterns.
Their bright colours and geometric shapes were actually the ones that first
drew me and made me want to find out more about this type of crochet. As soon
as I got the handle of working with multiple yarns and crocheting in reverse,
I wanted to try making something with a very simple harlequin pattern.

I drew a basic pattern on graph paper, a triangle with a base of ten double crochets,
and made the rest up as I went along. It was quite easy once I've made a row with
five of these triangles using off-white and green mercerised cotton. Seeing the shapes
forming as I worked every row was exciting (I'm doing colourwork! Yay!) and
I pretty much maintained my stitch tension throughout, usually a bit of a challenge
for me when I'm making something flat.

You'll notice that the upper half of the cushion has off-white with coloured yarn while
the lower half has plain white. I ran out of the off-white yarn halfway through but
didn't really want to buy some more so just used what I could find in the house.
The plain white is also cotton but not mercerised, so it split in almost all places and
wasn't as nice to work with, but it got me to the last row and joined up the front and
back together, so it's not too bad, I guess.

The back panel is very plain compared to the front, just rows and rows of double

crochets using leftover Drops Muskat yarn. It was joined to the front cover

with good old double crochets and I made three loops for buttons at the opening.

I am really chuffed with this. It's a fantastic technique to learn and you can work
as many colours into your design as you like. I have many ideas for my next project;
I'd like to try round shapes next, like maybe fruit or flowers. I've been mulling over
another cushion with lemons or pears. It will be great fun!



Thanks to everyone visiting here. I'll see you soon. Have a great weekend!

Making in March

Hello, how are you? I hope you're well and March has started off all right for you.
 For today's post, I'd like to share with you the progress I've made with my two
ongoing projects. First off, my tapestry crochet.

I was only a few rows in when I last showed you this but it has now grown
and I'm actually not far off from finishing. I'm really pleased with how it's going.
I still have a lot to learn about this technique but I now feel quite confident with
the basics, including crocheting in reverse, and I think I'm ready to try new
patterns and designs.

I had a peek at the latest issue of Simply Crochet magazine while I was at the
supermarket and interestingly, they're featuring various colourwork techniques
including tapestry crochet. I think it's a fun skill to learn and it's great that it's getting
some attention. Hopefully more people will try it, too.

My other project is my Spring-themed cross stitch sampler. I've had to unpick and

change my motif for the letter 'S' - the dustpan and brush were supposed to be for

'Spring clean' but I was told they looked more like a comb and an upside down mirror

and they were not at all colourful like the other motifs, so they had to be replaced

with a pretty snowdrop. My two critics are happier with this and I have to admit,

so am I. And now that's done there's just one tiny motif left to stitch and then,

fingers crossed, it will be at the framers at the end of the week.  

So those are my two projects and I'm looking forward to having them both finished soon.

I haven't been around here much lately, it's been a busy old week with one thing after
another. Hopefully the rest of the week - and month- will be a little bit calmer, with less
mishaps and dramas. I'll be catching up with your blogs in the next few days -
take care and see you soon!

Tapestry Crochet

I've long admired colourful patterns like this from talented crocheters. I like
the woven look and the wonderful colourwork and I have fancied giving it a go,
but it seemed so complicated. I didn't really know where and how to start.

Last weekend I decided to read up about this type of crochet and learned that

this particular technique is called tapestry crochet. It is worked entirely in double

crochet stitches using two or more colours of yarn on each row to create colourful

graphic designs. The yarn not in use is usually encased at the back as you work

each row, just like you do with yarn ends in normal crochet if you prefer not to sew

them in. It didn't sound as complex or intricate as I'd first thought, so I made a very
simple pattern and gave it a go.

The first row with the colour change went all right but it got tricky as I got to the end
of it. All rows on tapestry crochet are worked on the right side. This is fine if you're
crocheting on the round, but not so much if you're making something flat. You can't
turn at the end of the row as you would normally do, so you can either crochet back
using your left hand or crochet in reverse. Not being ambidextrous, I chose
the latter method.

It took me awhile to get my head round it and I still get confused sometimes but
I'm getting more used to it. I followed my pattern and it had turned out better than
I was expecting. The only thing is the coloured yarn in the background - it is visible
through the white sections. You shouldn't be able to see the yarn that's not being
used and I've tried pulling it towards the back as advised but you can still see it.
I've yet to crack this yarn issue, but over all, not bad, I think for a first try.

I've decided to try a slightly more complicated pattern and so far, it's going well.
I like this one more so I'll keep going. Hopefully it will be a cushion cover. I'm using
scraps of mercerised cotton. It has good stitch definition which is ideal for this and
also it doesn't split, making it nicer to work with.

It's been great to step out of my crochet comfort zone and try something new and
different. Apart from the girls' headbands, I haven't been very inspired with crochet
lately so this has been very good for sparking my interest again and I already have
a few patterns in mind that I'd like to try.

Have you tried tapestry crochet before?  If you have, I'd love to hear about your
experience and see the things you've made. I hope you've had a good week.
Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!