Step by step

Spring this year in Adelaide has been strange to say the least. Mostly cool for this time of year, with very short bursts of exceptionally hot days. 

We have been following the devastation of the fires on the East Coast and, as we are bracing ourselves for over 40C (104F) and very high winds in South Australia today with 'Catastrophic fire danger" declared for large parts of the state, today is one of those days, you just want to get over and done with - praying that we get through the day without any major incidents. 

I have been working the instructions for my new little crewel panel Very, Very Berry.
Although that kind of work does not leave much to show, it is coming along nicely. The text is done and I am almost finished drawing the diagrams to go with it.

 

Although it can be time consuming (and let's face it - I would much rather be sitting over an embroidery frame than over a keyboard) I do find it rather satisfying trying to replicate the steps and stitches in drawings.

It is not my favorite part of the process and I guess, I could try take more photographs while I stitch to try and skip the drawing stage after. It is just that I find that 1) I forget to take enough photos, 2) the photos are not a good enough quality and to improve that I would have to get up each time, and place everything into a good lightbox + invest in a much, much better camera, 3) At the end of day, I do find that I can show what I want much more clearly in diagram, which I hope make the instructions more user friendly at the end.

The weather might be awful today, but it is perfect for me to stay put and get the last diagrams drawn up. Then I will need to put it all together, and get the booklets and fabric pieces off to printers. I would like to think the kits are 'on the shelf' this side of Christmas.

My plan is, that while that is at the printers, I will make the panel into something. Most likely a small pouch, similar to the pouch I made ages ago for the Tulipa Bird. I use that one all the time and this panel is the same size. Should I make a matching pincushion or needle book to go with it, do you think.

But just quickly, before I get back to work: Look what just arrived in the post! Stunning floss silk from Pipers Silk. Aren't they just gorgeous? I have not yet decided what to do with them - I just thought they would make a nice addition to my stash, just in case I suddenly had a brilliant idea...

Best Stitches,

Anna