SAL

My mind and energies have been elsewhere these last few weeks, so there hasn’t been any sewing. Instead I am taking an easy option.

Last time I showed you the embroideries I had been sewing as Christmas presents. From the comments you seemed to like like them. As many of you enjoy embroidering I thought you might like to know the stitches I used. The inspiration came from the work of Melissa Wastney.

The stitches are very simple and ones that you will know.

I started with the centre. It was made with large chain stitches, lying next to each other.

The petals are created in stem stitch. The uneven lengths give the flowers charm. I think the flowers work best in bold, jewel-like colours.

The leaves and stems are in feather stitch. To make the ‘leaves’ work, you have to start away from the flower and then work your way towards them. The threads were either in variegated green, two strands, or an olive green, one strand.

Lastly, the little French knots at the end of the leaves. While these are not botanically correct(!), I feel that they finish off the stem. Without them it sort of looks empty.

Maybe next time I will have some new stitching to show you. In the meantime do look at the work of the other stitchers. They all do such wonderful work, and such a variety of things.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen