To Dream

With all the stuff I did and didn't do this summer, one of the things I have really missed was working on my stitching projects.  And every day, I thought about it too, that simply marvelous volcano and its lava paths, watching my ebullient little boy play and charm me.  He found very early on that the case containing the stitching stuff was a great place to sit while eating his Happy Meals and watching videos.  Everyday, it was right there, in front of me.  And  I let him.  My case is filled with thick lidded cases full of floss.  A squibbly boy can't hurt them.  What energy I had this summer went to my knitting goals for stash dash and the project for Cassie and one for their mum.  But the embroidery was always on my mind.  

I made an order to Mary Maxim for some tea towels, the big, almost square. cotton 'flour sack' kind.  I did it mostly because these tea towels beat anything that you can get anywhere else for drying dishes (I really do need the tea towels) and because they really are perfect for simple playful, silly embroideries.  A row of flowers, a small group of sheep, silly quotes, practise of stitches and borders.  

Next I treated to myself to this.

I ordered a Beginners Guide to Blackwork.  This is not for use on my tea towels.  Blackwork needs an evenweave fabric and in I 'found' some.  Sorting and digging in a drawer for something completely different, I found a long linen table runner that I won't use again. It has a green border matching my curtains from the house on it but it is otherwise in fairly mint condition.  It has onlly been washed a couple times.  The linen is just too nice to waste, so I thought maybe I could take off the green fabric edging and use the linen to do something else, something like Blackwork, It could make a large piece for my living room but I could also use it along with the linen roll Olga brought back from Ukraine for me. This idea just popped into my brain and right now, my stitching vibes are humming!  Part inspiration and part a project to dream on but maybe?  

Last night I dug out my very old copy of Ilse Altherr's Balckwork and Holbein Embroidery.  I have had this forever and a day, but I was never quite ready to work on it and learn this slightly different technique of work.

This book is  a true workbook.  There are motifs to work up, but the author also shows you the pathways to beautiful work.  You see Blackswork, used traditionally to docorate garments and household linens had to look good on both sides.  The 'pathways' in Altherr's book shows you how to do that and how to deal with those times where you can't.  

Who knows where it all takes me?  But here are three different embroidery projects to get you thinking of whatever creative purisuits you love for the winter days coming up.