Completed: #39. try embroidery

I find that I develop obsessions with certain arts or crafts for extended periods of time, and it gets difficult for me to focus on anything different - no matter how comparable a craft. Lately, that focus has been beadwork, which I have been using to my advantage in order to gift freehand medicine pouches for special occasions, and fashion treecycled Christmas ornaments in peyote stitch.

Sometimes, in order to try something new, I must actively remind myself that, whatever my current obsession, I once did not know how to do that either. It takes a lot of concerted work to convince myself. (True story, according to my mother's pen notations in my baby book: My first full sentence, at 14 months, while trying to count to 10 and say my ABCs, was "I can't do it." Therefore, I have to believe that my defeatist attitude is at least partially innate. However, having mastered both the alphabet and counting to 10, I have to remind myself that this attitude may also be inaccurate.)

SO. I finally convinced myself to pick up this beginner's embroidery kit, which my dear friend Steph gifted me an embarrassingly long time ago. For what it's worth, I never forgot. I've stared at it in my studio many times.

Evidently, my hoop is 2" too small, but it is all I have. No big deal. I figured if I can position and tighten it, I can untighten and reposition. It worked out fine.

Now, I was surprised to find that the enclosed instruction set didn't have diagrams on how to do the stitches (which I later found out are conveniently and environmentally-friendily located on the creator's web site), so I relied on some YouTube tutorials and internet photographs. Some I couldn't figure out, so I just improvised. Oops.

For instance, while attempting a chain stitch, I actually used a split stitch, because this small memory that was previously buried in my brainfolds, I guess, resurfaced to remind me: "Oh, hey, my mom once taught me something like this as a kid!" I remembered her drawing in chalk on taut fabric and instructing me on how to form letters with thread. I think I may have stitched "I love you" and given it to my dad for some sort of occasion.

Anyway. This is not a chain stitch, but it works:

I did newly teach myself those fly stitches, though. Those were kind of fun.

(Also, for reference, here is the kind of thing my mom has been capable of embroidering FOR DECADES:

This was a gift she made for my dad in the 1970s, which now - resulting from sizing and symbolic purposes - now belongs to me. The students love it because it's OMG SO VINTAGE, and that sort of thing is in now, y'know?

Maybe someday I will make something of this quality. That day is not today. Alas, I had to start somewhere.)

Now, at some point I ran out of the supplied embroidery thread, due to using double lines when I should have used single lines. Fortunately, along with a lot of I-swear-I'll-use-them-someday materials that I possess in my art studio, I had some thread of my own. I started using it, as a result, and was kind of pleased with the colour variation.

Here are the final photos:

C'est ça. Someday, I would like to embroider my own design, at least. Someday.

[Original goal list posted here.]