From the Workbasket

Things have been busy around here lately. I hate it when life gets that way! I have been feeling more creative than I have in a very long time so I'm going with the feeling. I'm not really sure what will be created but it will either be awesome or a total fail but as my South Park would say, "I learned something". That's not a bad thing. Below you see my slow start on CHS Miss Lila's House. The fabric was originally an antique white linen. I dyed it myself with some good old RIT dye. I was hoping for a true black. As you can see I got nothing close to a true black, but I think the design is working up well on this color. My first attempt was a very light charcoal, so I soaked the fabric overnight, rinsed the heck out of it the next morning and still ended up with a deep charcoal instead of black. The dark fabric was a bit frustrating to stitch on at first, the tree in the center there has been frogged not once but twice because I was apparently just sticking the needle in where ever it felt good. I mentioned that I am feeling creative. I pulled out my Jenny Hart Sublime Stitching book, found the practice sampler, and worked on it yesterday. I think I like embroidery. A few years ago I don't think I would have written those words. I've been taking my time, trying to get comfortable with the stitches, stitching on muslin instead of evenweave linen and basically enjoying the process of learning. I think we forget how fun learning can be. I'm one of those people that wants to be able to do something correctly from the beginning, to start out an expert and that's such a joke and only leads one down the path to craft disaster. So I'm taking my crafting slow these days, embracing the process. If I spend a few days learning something and it's a big old fail, then it's a big old fail and maybe when I try again later, I'll get it. I have to remember to love the process.

I am seriously digging this Clover hoop. Sorry I'm not adding links, my computer is being a butt and I'm just hoping to get this posted before the post goes "poof" into cyberspace, anywhere but my blog!

My stitches are not perfect, a few of my French knots are questionable, some of my flowers are wonky, but isn't that what makes it handmade instead of machine made?

Hope this post finds everyone doing well and enjoying spring!