HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter all! Its been a miserable Easter here in North Wales so far - but the perfect time for crafting without the guilt of staying indoors! Love this illustration from an Enid Blyton Holiday book though I really can't work out what the girl is offering the little chick - a worm perhaps??

I recently treated myself to a Free Motion Stitching workshop at The Coach House. I've struggled to find time to practise much since and I really really want to improve on what I learnt from the delightful and hugely talented tutor Fliss Owens.  But I have finished one project and yesterday started another.......

I made my first embroidered picture into a peg bag as I much prefer things I make to have a practical use rather than just sticking them on the wall or leaving them in a pile on the side.  And guess what, the sun has suddenly broken through the cloud cover so maybe I can use it this morning!!!!

My picture was inspired by this little sketch in Rebecca Crompton's Modern Design in Embroidery published in 1936.  Rebecca, Kathleen Mann and Priscilla M Warner are embroidery heroines of mine and I've been lucky enough to collect a lovely library of books by them full of gorgeous inspirational work and advice, mostly at very modest prices. However for some reason this book of Rebecca's commands a very high price so when I saw it on sale as what I thought was a very reasonable amount I jumped at it and was not disappointed when it arrived. If you are curious I've a Pinterest board of their work you might like to look at here.

I'll definitely be dipping into it for inspiration for my next creation. Lastly here are a few photos from our class at the Coach House last month, including my very first attempt - the flower in a pot. Although I wasn't happy with it as I was creating the embroidery, Fliss was right when she said it would turn out fine and I really liked it once it was finished and sewn into a lavender sachet.