Stitch Class and My Peacocks

 what a great weekend last week. i spent the whole weekend at my friend Beth's house and we took a stitch class from Chris Berry who traveled all the way from Glasgow, Scotland. The Northwest Sampler Guild put on the class and it was worth every cent. It was the first time i had taken just a stitch class and i highly recommend it to all who love to stitch, even if you think you know stitches Chris gives you so many options that you can't help but learn a bit more on each. We started Friday night with a lecture and a PowerPoint presentation with pictures from Burrell Museum, V and A, Ashmolean Museum and UK Embroiderers'Guild collection. Amazing! On Saturday morning we used silk, cotton and metal thread to stitch with.  (You can see from the picture above) the metal was a bit harder for me and i need to give it another try. i love detached buttonhole. We also tried Blackwork, Ceylon stitch, Block Satin Stitch, Rococo or Queen stitch which i also love. i can't wait to put my stitch book together that we were given. i want to fill it with each stitch and a brief story about each. It is something i have wanted to do for years.

Chris Berry studies 16th and 17th century stitches and she has such a positive attitude about the process of stitching. i love that she talks about how there is no right or wrong way to implement a stitch. just as long as you get the results you want. I think sometimes we worry so about the backs that we get a little stressed out, if you have ever seen the backs of some antiques samplers they are not all perfect on the back or front.

this little peacock is another project i am working on. stitched on silk gauze with silk thread. i plan on making it into a necklace. the little circle at the bottom of the gauze is a pattern i am making into earrings, i love the color and hope to make the other earring different. i love

stitching on silk gauze your design comes to life so much faster.

this peacock was stitched on regular linen and i have it in a small frame for a necklace, now to add some paper ephemera. Peacock's are my latest motif, so fun to play around with. easy to change to your liking.

i was so happy to see i now have "18" followers! amazing it is nice to share your creativity with others thank you all for looking in. till next time