Part of the process of the Stupendous Stitching project is hand embroidery. I have never done this before! The instructor, Carol Ann Waugh, demonstrated three basic stitches that can be put together in different ways to achieve a variety of looks and textures. I was able to do a running stitch, chain stitch, and French knots using embroidery thread and a small hoop...BUT...as a lefty the whole process was a little more complicated and took a bit of practice. The French knots in particular were confusing at first but now are my favourite and I could make hundreds of them!
One fellow student mentioned a book of embroidery stitches that includes a chapter specifically for lefties. I was able to pick it up at a great price and since I was curious what modifications to the stitching instructions would be made to help those of us with a lefty persuasion, thought it was worth it. Also, I really enjoyed the hand stitching and thought it would be fun to expand my repertoire of stitches. The book is Elegant Stitches and has tons of basic and fancy embroidery stitches, with little diagrams on how to form each one. The left-handed chapter is a bit sparse and some of the descriptions kind of leave a newbie hanging in terms of 'next steps' but overall it's a nice addition to my ever expanding quilt and sewing library.
Here is a photo of the hand stitching I've done so far on my Stupendous Stitching project. I didn't really have the right embroidery thread but I made do with what I had. The embroidery is Step 3 of the process, after adding decorative stitching using the sewing machine along the previously couched lines of fibers. The hand-work adds a new dimension to the fabric and the French knots add so much texture.
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