Feeling Spacey

Greetings Earthlings~
Hope you're all doing well and moving productively into this still-new year! So, I had so much fun doing that Star Wars embroidery for Sean at Christmas that I went back for seconds to try a something new I'd seen over in the tutorials section of Urban Threads. I wanted to try this technique for a while, and I finally had the time to do something just for kicks. What a nice change after the warp speed Christmas crafting rush of December.

Here we go...

Revisiting Mr. Fett... Mr. Boba Fett. First I found a picture I liked, and then traced it onto paper, which I then hung in my kitchen window (a good source of backlight for tracing) and traced onto fabric with a disappearing ink pen. Easy peasy.

Next, I colored him in using plain ol' Crayola crayons. Small strokes in same direction (more or less). After that, I pressed him within an inch of his life between two sheets of paper (to absorb the excess crayon wax) with a VERY hot iron, this sets the color into the fabric. Weird, the heat made the blue disappearing ink go pea-green. Hm. Whatevs. Moving right along.

Now the fun part, embroidery! I think the backstitch is my worst stitch, I just can't seem to keep the stitch lengths even, and I feel like it's a pretty unforgiving stitch because they're all right there on the top of your fabric and they need to look identical. To me, uneven stitches give a piece a wonky look. So, figuring that I could use the practice, I did this whole dude in backstitch. It wasn't so bad. And besides, practice makes perfect, right? I think I'll be practicing the rest of my life... oofa.

So basically you just outline the drawing in colors that coordinate with your image. I love this. The possibilities are endless! I think I'd like to do a Darth Maul too (he's SO creepy!)... Sean likes bad guys.

Here's Boba all stitched up.

I don't know what he's going to be yet... me might just go into a frame... I'm open to suggestions, here's the actual size of fabric I've got to work with. What do you guys think?

Speaking of space objects or space bounty hunters, as it were, anyone care to make an identification of this weird looking thing??

My mom's neighbor gave it to her, they grow these in their garden. What the heck is it?? They told her it was broccoli, but they don't speak very good English. Now, I dunno about you all, but I've been eating broccoli my whole life, and this ain't broccoli. Is it space broccoli? This is some weird shit veg! Sean and I are both too chicken to eat it. I've always said I never met a vegtable I didn't like, but uh... I think I've met my match.

It's actually very beautiful in a strange, otherworldly kind of way, the whole thing grows in a spiral, and each bumpy spiral is covered in smaller bumpy spirals, into infinity... bizzaro.

It's BIG too, way bigger than say, a blowing ball or a human head. I just went and measured, it's 25" in circumference. Heavy also, I'd say 4-5 pounds. I think it's an alien pod that's going to burst open any minute and little creepies are going to come wriggling out... {shuddering} I'm going to have Sean weigh down the lid of the yard & garden cart tonight. Gah! I just gave myself the heebie-jeebies!

So... can anyone tell me what it is? Anyone? I'll be waiting... paitently... in a staring contest with a space vegtable.

Over & out.

Lisa