Nature Observations

The nature table is full of Autumn delights.

Golden browns, greens, yellows, golds and reds.

Looks like the girls are building up a collection of conkers.

Miss Olivia Ottava is thrilled with the observations that the girls have listed.

Conker, conker on the tree,

Won't you come falling down to me.

Careful though if you please,

To miss my head and toes you see,

As hard as anything you are sure to hurt

and bumps and lumps will result.

But fun games can be had with conkers to be sure

Searching for the one that is the best

Hard and round is just right

to be ready for the conker fight!

Observing Nature

It is one of those 'teachers only' days today at school, so the girls are at home, but have been set a task to do and report on at school the following day.

They are to spend 30 minutes to an hour outside in the garden and observe everything the see, hear and smell.  

A tall order sitting still, for girls that like to be active...

Listening, watching, smelling....

Peggy Sue is a little puzzled...she is sure that something she can see is out of place...

She looks intently...

Alert to all that is going on.

An Art Lesson - Two

Peggy Sue is hard at work painting her picture.

All is quiet in the classroom...

All eyes intent on what they are doing...

Miss Olivia Ottava goes round each student offering encouragement.

Redwork Embroidery - Lesson Two

Miss Prim has been very busy as we can see below:

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Part 1 – Preparing the Fabric

- Wash, dry and iron the fabric. Washing will pre-shrink the fabric and remove any sizing from the manufacturing proses. Sizing is what gives the fabric extra stiffness to allow it to be stored on a bolt. Pre-shrinking the fabric will ensure that the stitching does not pull in if washed after embroidering.

Miss Prim has prepared the fabric for the students and has provided a selection of motifs they can choose from for their embroidery.  

It seems most of the girls wanted to choose the butterfly!

1) In the centre of your piece of fabric, carefully trace around your square template with a pencil. This will be your cutting line when you have finished the embroidery.

2) For the next step you can use a window. Tape the paper with your motif on the window pane, using a small piece of masking tape in each of the 4 corners.

3) Place your fabric right side up over the top of the paper and centre your motif in the square you drew earlier on the fabric. Each side of the motif should have the same mount of space between it and the sides and corners of the square.

4) When you have your picture centred, have a friend tape the fabric to the window while you hold it in place. This way the fabric won’t move when you are tracing.

5) The light from the window will show through and you will be able to see and trace the lines very clearly. Using a 2H pencil, trace the lines from your picture onto the fabric.

6) Check that all the lines have been traced and are dark enough to see. Once complete, carefully remove the masking tape and take your fabric and picture off the window.

Part 2 – The Embroidery

Miss Prim will demonstrate the stem stitch and French knot stitch, and students will practice on the extra fabric outside their motifs. Miss Prim will discuss the nap of floss and how to pull the floss through so the nap will lie down and not fuzz up and fray. She will also show the students how to start and stop a line of stitching without a knot.

Miss Prim discovered that a few of the girls found stem stitch difficult so for those that did, they can use back stitch.

1) Cut a length of embroidery floss that is 18” long. For this project we are using only 2 threads or plies of the 6 plies that make up the strand of floss. To separate the strands, hold the main strand and gently pull out one strand. Lay it flat so it is facing in the same direction you pulled it out from. Keep hold of the main strand and pull out a second strand of floss. Lay it next to the first strand and then put the two strands together, matching up their lengths at the top.

2) Thread these 2 plies of floss together through the eye in your needle. You are now ready to follow Miss Prim and practice your stem stitch and French knots.

3) When Miss Prim has seen that you understand the stitches and can do them nicely, you can start embroidering with stem stitch on your motif. It is easiest to start on a longer line so you have a chance to get into the rhythm of stitching and making your stitches the same size before doing a more complicated curve or small detail.

Miss Prim knows EVERYTHING about little girls it seems...

An Art Lesson - One

Leaves, leaves, in the trees,

come twirling down in the breeze...

Reds, yellows and golden browns...

Forming piles on the ground.

Now poor Miss Olivia Ottava is feeling slightly out of her depth as she is having to take the art lessons for a while...