cyniree

I am getting back to hand quilting and embroidery. With the stress of today, I am making time for myself and my well being to sit and relax and do hand work.

scrappylouisa

I love doing both hand embroidery and cross-stitch. My Mother taught me to embroider when I was young........the only thing she could never teach me was to make French knots! I'm in my 50's and still have not mastered them. Anytime a French knot is called for I sew on a seed bead.

GladGrams

Yep, nail clippers are the answer! Luckily, the TSA has discovered that we knitters are not dangerous so we can now take our knitting with us again. I have to laugh when considering tiny scissors one uses for emboidery being considered dangerous. Couldn't they just decide on what size is okay and have them in the plastic bags with the liquids permitted?

But then, who am I to complain? I rather be safe than captured.

betlinsmom

Yes I love to embroider by hand and I love the old fashioned look best. I generally change something on the piece and often just work up my own. I am teachimg my neice to embroider and to make quilts, too, because it does seem to be a dying art. I hope you will teach someone, too.

GramMER

I still like to do embroidery by hand. Mine is not wonderful, but that is because I learned late. I have been doing cross stitch blocks for quilts and have done several for new grand babies. I do smocking and love it. So far I find the machine embroidery very boring. I do like the French hand sewing by machine, but that is not so restrictive as pre-programmed picture embroidery.


:roll:

trolley station

Hi Rhonda...Yes we are still out here. I particularly enjoy adding embroidery or redwork to my qulting pieces. It lends a wonderful "old time" touch to these projects and what great way to cure the boredom of watching TV.

jumperfamily

I would go insane if I didn't keep a needle in my hand! I do crewel, redwork, bluework and my favorite blackwork mostly.

I like to design my own samplers when doing cross-stitch, I rarely "follow patterns." I love Hardanger, too.

I only have pictures of some penny blocks I put in a baby quilt for a friend. I'll put a couple of them here, maybe I can get my hubby to take some pics of my more impressive work to post later.

Shelly

Rhonda

I cheat when I make French knots. I got tired go them pulling back out so after I wrap the needle and go through the cloth I hold the knot tight with one hand and I come back up through the middle and take the thread over the edge of the coiled thread and go back down again angling the needle to go back through the center. It leaves the knot in place but it anchors it so it can't pull back through the fabric. My knots are not picture perfect but they still give the look.

lass

I use a screen door glass that I prop between two TV tables with a light underneath. It is a pretty good size and I was able to trace a large center panel of a quilt using that method.

Rhonda

How beautiful!! In spirit as well as quilting and embroidery! I love the idea of using the scriptures that way!!

Are your swirls decorative or do they have meaning? I thought maybe Hebrew or something. If not that would be a neat touch to include a Hebrew word or sign