While I really should be finishing up some grad school courses so that they don't linger into the fall when I really should be working on other grad school courses, I found myself following a few embroidery courses over the last few days. My first stitches have been... well... intrepid and imprecise should we say but getting much better (with some help from drawn lines... ahem).
... stars and chains... I love these
...french knots, sometimes... not so much... but sometimes kind of...
... these were done while watching Jane Eyre (loved)... and yes, I'm slow...
Yesterday I grabbed my copy of Sublime Stitching, an embroidery hoop, my embroidery scissors, embroidery floss and embroidery needles (though by the by I now, two days in, prefer tapestry needles) a piece of left over fabric and got down to it (it's like I had been preparing for this moment of embracing hand stitching my whole crafting life!). Jenny Hart's instructions in Sublime Stitching are excellent and very, very user friendly. This was the first time I have ever attempted anything besides a slip stitch and I sometimes just run those seams that require it through my Bernina... avoidance much? I was shocked to find these stitches enjoyable if not...fun. I went hunting for a few more homework assignments and practice opportunities (that doesn't cause me to shudder, it really is summer!) and found two excellent ones. Crafty Daisies embroidery lessons are great, as are the infinite variety of stitches found at Sarah's website... though all those stitches scared me and I was back doing simple lines at Crafty Daisies pronto. I will definitely keep both as a resource and am now just practicing... because it makes kind of perfect (though I have my doubts about my ability to make friends with french knots). If you've been thinking about tackling embroidery I have nothing but encouragement (so far). Enjoy this Wednesday!
