Hand quilting and embroidering

Hurrah!  I've managed to complete a hand quilted square with quite dense background quilting, without needing to pleat it or worry about flaring or other distortion as I've finished it!  Perhaps this means that I'm either getting better at marking the cloth or better at keeping the tension even when I'm sewing (still without a frame....).  This is about 11" square, and I have no idea how I will use it or what I will use it for.  Perhaps it will make a good cover for a scrapbook at some point in the future.  I'll let it 'mature' in the cupboard until I decide.

Having finished this, I wanted to choose some more hand stitching to do - I like to have something to do with my hands whilst I'm being a 'ballet mum' and sat waiting, and sometimes I like to stitch in the evenings too when I have enough energy.

I came across a course to hand embroider buttons, run by Karen Ruane, and decided to spend my birthday money on the course and a few more threads and self-cover buttons.

This is my first attempt (still in the mini hoop) using french knots and bullion stitches.  Not a finished piece but I'm not sure what to do with it.  The middle part looked too like a creepy crawly, so I added the other french knots around it....but I think that they've taken something away from the total rather than added to it.  I either need to add more light knots or just put this aside as a learning piece, I think!

This is my first attempt at web stitch.  The top three are quite full, the lower ones are less full. and show the structure better.  Obviously this is in it's early stages.  I think that I'll pull out some of my hand dyed variegated threads now that I know that I can form the stitches!

Apart from this I've just made a couple of patchwork strips as part of my quilting groups ongoing 'sew a row' challenge.  All will be revealed when it's put together in about 6 months time!

Hope that you are going to be happy creating something this week!

(oh, and make sure you listen properly when the radio is on.  I've just mishead "wintering in the Southern Hemisphere" as "windsurfing in the Southern Hemisphere", which I did think was an odd occupation for a cuckoo......lovely mind-picture, though!)