Jacobean Leaves

I can't believe that it has been nearly a year since I wrote my first blog post. Amongst other things, I talked about turning some of the projects that I have been teaching over the years into kits and patterns, boldly showing a larger crewel piece, Jacobean Leaves as one such design.


This brings me to why I haven't been stitching (or blogging) very much for the past couple of weeks. I have been working on getting this very pattern ready. I originally thought it was going to be a quick and easy job to do - after all, I just had to tweak my teaching notes, right?


Wrong. I taught this project ten years ago and the way I like to present my work has - shall we say 'evolved' quite a bit over the years. Hopefully for the better. So getting this pattern to a point where I am happy with it has required a lot more work than I had anticipated.


The biggest part was developing new diagrams and there is quite a few of them! I don't usually photograph as I stitch, and if I do, I find the images don't often show what I am trying to convey clearly enough. Besides, wool is fluffy and hairy that really close-up pictures look terrible. I used to draw the diagrams by hand, but really - I am not very good at drawing so I have turned to the computer. It has taken a little bit of practise, but I am beginning to get the hang of it. My issue with digital diagrams is that the colours are flat and boring - well, I am sure clever graphic designers can do some really beautiful stuff, but I am not a graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination. I could leave the diagrams as just line drawing I guess, but I do find that colour is so helpful to relate the diagram to what you are actually stitching, don't you think?  So I print my line drawings out, colour them in by hand, then scan them and pop them into the text. It is a lot of work but I like it that way and hopefully if you ever work from one of my patterns, you will too.


I am just doing the final check this week and then they should be ready - fingers crossed.


Of course, working on this pattern has given my ideas for new designs... oh if only there were more hours in the day. For now - it has stopped raining, so I might venture out for a bit of fresh air, then I have a week ahead full of other work part of which s preparing a 1 hour beginner class. What would you suggest you were to introduce embroidery to someone and only had an hour to do so?

Hope you are enjoying a lovely Sunday.
Happy stitching,
Anna X

Comments

  1. Beaustiful!!!!!
    Wonderful!!!

    hugs

    Maria Filomena

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  2. I'm looking forward to this kit, it's a beautiful design.

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  3. Congratulations on your one-year blogging anniversary! So glad you started it as I enjoy reading.

    This is a lovely design, and can't wait until it's available. I'm already visualizing it as a beautiful cushion in my living room! So enjoyed reading of the painstaking work and the process involved in bring a pattern to concrete realization. So much technical detail - it gives me a much greater appreciation of the work necessary to create a quality pattern/kit.

    Beginner's Class Suggestions: Intro to materials (fabric, accessories), show how to mount the fabric in a hoop, and 5-7 basic embroidery stitches (stem, outline, chain, split back stitch, french knots+) and a little motif - maybe a sunflower on a stem?
    -Sharon in France

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  4. Good morning Anna:

    A suggestion for your beginner class would be to have a mini trunk show at the beginning - pass around some of your amazing work for everyone to see... That's how I got hooked. I attended an embroidery class in my favourite quilt shop with a friend, to humour her and have a GNO. The teacher passed around some of her work that illustrated the broad range of possibilities and I was hooked - despite myself. Your work is out-of-this-world-amazingness so I'm sure seeing it up close and being able to pass it around would be hugely inspirational - not just for beginners as in this case, but to any needle artists.

    Sending love and hugs from Canada.

    Pam.

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  5. Thank you for the lovely feedback. The ideas for the little beginner class are great, thank you. It is more of a 'teaser' class I am doing with Country Bumpkin at a coming craft fair. I will show you later in the week what we will be doing. Hugs, Anna

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  6. Hi Anna,

    I agree with Pam's suggestion of taking along examples to show work beyond the introductory level. I also find that kind of thing inspiring, and I pay closer attention to the class I'm in!

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  7. Hi Anna,
    Congratulations on a year in the blog world! It's a joy to get your updates and see what you've been up to. This crewel piece it's gorgeous!
    Liebe Grusse,
    Kathy

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  8. Hi Anna,
    Having begun one of your kits I would like to say that your instructions are really clear and easy to follow! As the recipient of your hard labour I Thank you ! I am loving my return to stitching after decades of neglect! I also agree with all the comments above.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Robyn, I am really glad to hear you are enjoying the crewel project. Playing some little part in getting someone stitching makes me really happy.

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