Winter Workshop

What a fabuluous weekend!  Three days of making Christmas stars and two of the workshops at my new studio. 

We had a lovely time stitching and sharing, helped by copious amounts of tea and cake.  Thank you to everyone who came along.  Look out for more workshops in the New Year!

Christmas is coming..

With Christmas only 6 weeks away (oh no it isn't, oh yes it is!) my attention has turned to making a few cards for friends and family.

These simple designs use shapes cut from silk and Bondawebbed onto linen.  The Christmas tree design uses open Cretan stitch on the body and a 'closed' version of the same on the base.  The snowflakes use a mixture of fly stitch, lazy daisy and French knots.  The star is simply running stitch.  Easy peasy.

Ring O' Roses

Learning new skills is so enjoyable and none so much as ribbon work embroidery.  I took a class last month with the lovely Nicola Hulme organised by Skipton Embroiderers' Guild.  Not really knowing what to expect, I thought the workshop might broaden my horizons but would be altogether too fiddly for my liking. 

Like the worst kind of convert, I cannot stop talking about ribbon work and have been feverishly practicing ever since!  Here is a little (think button sized) brooch made with a simple woven rose, some buds and loopy flowers (who knows what they really are but they look good!).  Its finished with some fly-stitch leaves and a smattering of glittery thread.  A perfect pick-me-up for any outfit.

Nicola teaches classes in ribbon work and other types of traditional embroidery at her studio at East Keswick.  She is a fantastic teacher and her relaxed approach means that you get great results with your first attempts.  Her website is  www.simplystitch.co.uk