It's Been Quiet

This is due to a variety of reasons, lack of sleep, being busy, hands suffering from too much gardening, and the most frustrating-no internet!  Since Sunday, there has been a problem, but hopefully, it has now been fully sorted.  It's been very frustrating not being able to get online, or not to be able to do what I want when we can get a connection.  My boys probably think it would be fun to keep me quiet, but that's sons for you.

It's not been totally unproductive here, I did finish another pair of socks, not much to show for a week of activity.

I did receive a lovely gift though.  Some friends have just come back from Japan, and she brought me some lovely fabric.  I'm not sure what pleased me most, the fabric, or the fact that she took the time to go and look especially for something I might like.

Hopefully, other tasks have been done, and I can get a few days at home with enough time to get stitching.  I have two embroidery pieces started on the class that need my attention.

A Present For Me

I was so excited when  Karen wrote a blog post about an embroidery course that she was offering online- Embroider, Embellish, Create. I have long admired the work that Karen has done, and am very lucky to own a little bit for myself.  I really wanted to do the course, and sat and thought about it for a little while and decided it would be a present for me, from me.  I hadn't spent all the money I'd taken on holiday, and this was going to be my treat.

The first thing to do was find some suitable fabric.  Karen uses a lot of fabrics taken from older textiles, so I went through my drawer and found some table runners, dressing table set and an embroidered table cloth with crochet edging.  

I found some more treasures in the drawer below.  This held some old pilowcases.  I had to check they didn't have quilt covers to go with them, but sure enough, apart from the ones with the peach edging, they were all ones my mum had acquired from somewhere.



 I also found some crocheted doilies, a couple are hand made, but the others are machine manufactured.  These may or may not find their way into the project, they could prove to be too heavy.

While I was searching through, I also found one of the first pieces I embroidered.  If I'd know then, what I know now, I would have seperated the strands of floss, and not tried to embroider such small designs using the full six strands.  Nevertheless, it was well used, so well used in fact, it has begun to wear in the centre.  As you can see from the colour choice, I was not a pink girl.



Our first lesson for this course is due to start today, and I can't wait to see where it will start and where the journey will take us.