Hand Embroidery Class Week 1

Today was the first part of my Hand Embroidery class and I had a wonderful time and made some very interesting discoveries during my first session today, actually even before the class started.  As you may know I have been a quilter since 1980 and most of the quilts I make are made completely by hand, I am self taught and in the early days of teaching myself to quilt I used a template and scissors to cut my fabric pieces, all these years later I still do.

I am inept when it comes to using a rotary cutter, I have two from 1980 along with a little green cutting mat with no grid lines and one a bit larger with the grid lines.  What I realized today is I need to take an up to date beginners quilt class, if for no other reason then to master the dreaded rotary cutter.

Anyway here is a photo of my tracing of the embroidery pattern for the pincushion we will be making its still on the light box (which really helps these old eyes).

I'll start to embroider it tomorrow, the tracing wasn't too bad using a fine micro point pen and the stitches won't be too bad just 5 basic stitches though I have yet to master the french knot which really get me because the first few we quite nice the others had an elusive loop, so tonight I will just make french knots, and let me say this happens quite often when I embroider or cross stitch and I am forever snipping them out.

The next class I need both of my embroidered pieces complete and ready to put them together, here is a photo of the front piece for the needle book though the photo isn't too clear

I enjoyed the class the instructor DeeAnn is a wonderful teacher, knowledgeable, patient and talented her own work is outstanding I should have thought to snap a photo of the pieces she has made.  I did sign up for her crayon tinting embroidery class held on the 21st of this month and this is the pattern we will be making

finished item from website

and to give me the encouragement I bought the kit so when I finish the pieces I am working on I have a new project to keep me busy, I'll use my light box to trace the pattern before the class.

DeeAnn is currently working on the crayon tint pattern for a sample and so far its simply stunning.

I don't know what it is exactly about the Crab Apple Hill patterns that I like so much but I just ordered this pattern from an on line shop to work on after the class since the quilt shop doesn't carry the patterns (yet).