If I can't be a dragon-whisperer, can I at least befriend a talking dog?
When I want to be making something, but don’t have the energy for complicated projects like quilts or sweaters, I embroider. I break out the floss and start stitching. Sometimes even my improvised ornament designs are too much work. That’s when I grab the cross-stitch fabric (aka aida cloth) and make it up as I... Continue Reading →
Not everything I make turns out the way I want it to. I don’t know if this is because I am constantly making things without planning ahead, or if it’s just a natural part of the creative process, but my holiday ornament project just reminded me that sometimes things don’t work. When I find a... Continue Reading →
In my search for interesting embroidery stitches to use on my felt ornaments, I came across Bead Embroidery Stitch Samples: Motifs by Yasuko Endo & CRK Design*. The images in the book filled me with excitement. Beaded embroidery is exactly what I imagined for my ornaments. Here were some stunning designs of flowers, as well... Continue Reading →
In 2020, I started making an Advent calendar I’d been dreaming about for years. I would embroider an ornament for each day to be hung on a quilted Christmas tree. While I haven’t forgotten about it, I haven’t made much progress, either.* This often happens with my creative projects. I get excited by the vision... Continue Reading →
I spent a lot of August watching YouTube videos. (Did I mention that COVID totally sucks?) While collecting stitch ideas for my Advent calendar project, I discovered Sarah Homfray’s brilliant hand-embroidery channel. A trained embroiderer, Sarah Homfray has over 400 videos on her channel. I’ve done all sorts of needlework in the last four decades,... Continue Reading →
