Buttons!!

I told you all previously that I took a Buttons class in November, from Karen Ruane, a first class embroiderer from England and an excellent teacher. I encourage any of you wanting to improve your stitching skills to check out her blog: karen ruane @blogspot.com. Her work is just beautiful and she has regular online classes you can sign up for.

We began the class with the following stitches: french knots, Karen's web stitch and bullion stitch.

We then progressed to needle weaving and buttonhole lace, which I adore. Mine are not outstanding examples, but I am just beginning.

Next, we learned how to make puffs, which are so much fun and great to embellish!

Then we progressed to cutwork and half cutwork. This was challengening for me. But as always, a completed challenge is very well worth it. Again, there a many mistakes, but that's okay.

And finally, my favorite!! Tiny little ball buttons. I just love these. They were a little labor intensive, but well worth it!

I believe I will use these on some of my whitework from the class I am currently taking. That will be the subject of my next post. Have a wonderful day everyone! Take care!

First stop: Organization!!

A bit of history is required, I suppose.

I began my stitching journey with embroidery and cross stitch, both of which I love. But my main focus in the last 15 years has been quilting. Underlying all this was alway a fervent love of fabric. Especially linens and silks! I have no idea where this came love came from, but it has been a constant.

I would scour garage and estate sales for fabrics of any type,
but was particularly drawn to tablecolths and napkins. I would come home with piles of dining room table cloths, napkins. table runners etc... to show my husband.

Always the practical one he would say,

"But honey, we don't have a dining room table."

Undeterred, I soldiered on!

The end result is a basement filled with fabrics of all types: tablecloths and runners, napkins and handkerchiefs, quilting cotton and remnants, threads, floss, yarn. Scissors of all types, pinking shears, pins, needles, ribbons, trims. You name it, it is stuck in my basement.

This was not even half of the fabrics and "stuff" that I had in my basement.

When my good friend from Mosaic Magpie told me about an online class for whitework embroidery, my ears pricked!! I had that feeling of knowing this is what you are supposed to do. I always follow that feeling. I looked online and this woman's work is simply stunning!! Her name is Karen Ruane of Contemporary Embriodery. (I will try to post both of these sites when I learn how to do that!! Ha ha!). I was hooked. I signed up immediately for a Buttons class she was teaching this past December 2011 and the Whitework class this January 2012.

But first I needed to organize all that "stuff".

Now I am ready to take all those vintage linens and fabrics and transform them into whitework blocks and eventually into a panel. I am very excited about beginning on this journey and will keep you posted on my progress.

Thanks!

Next blog will show some of the things I learned in my Buttons class this past December and subsequent posts will show my progress in the Whitework Embroidery class that is going on this month.

See you soon.