I am on a roll!

The eyelets and twisted lattice band are finished. I like my eyelets open and was delighted to read this post by Yvette Stanton - the Hardanger guru". I was doing them the correct way - quite a surprise as I almost always manage to work back to front. I am not sure mine are quite as open as Yvette's. Eyelets make great background with surface stitching , especially combined with pulled satin.

I began the reverse diagonal faggotting today and after that is finished comes the scary stuff! It will be time to cut threads and needleweave. I think I am getting hooked on Hardanger - although it is annoying that I need a magnifying lens to work accurately. I would like to try some on 32 count linen - this is 26 or 28. Hopefully that is possible.

I have found that using marking lines every 10 threads has meant I have not needed to unpick. The big challenge will be to remove those threads when the stitching is complete.

Today a visit to the library produced some interesting embroidery books . The one that has been most inspiring so far is about a Brisbane embroiderer, The Life and Embroidery of Mabel McAlister. She was one of the cofounders of the Queensland Embroiderers' Guild. Her life is interesting (I realise she went to school with my mother, probably the same year) but her embroideries are wonderful and, as I said, so inspiring.

Another, Jill Carter's Special Occasions in Embroidery, has some interesting designs from which I can also acquire some ideas. Then there is one on beaded dimensional embroidery that I have barely skimmed. How am I going to find time to stitch?

Drawn Thread - second try!

This time I used the centre of a piece from Effie Mitrofanis' Needleweaving and Embroidery: Embellished Treasures. The surface embroidery is slightly different. I really like the way she uses surface embroidery with needleweaving.

I have been having lots of trouble getting a half decent photograph of this and I am certainly still not happy with my camera work.

I finished the stitching nearly a week ago. I enjoyed the process very much and felt the needleweaving improved as I went along but as you can see there is a massive amount of room for improvement. Still, perhaps I only need about another dozen practice pieces before I might be happy! For the moment I am content to go back to Hardanger and sampler 2. Amazon sent me details of a new-to-me Hardanger book Hardanger Embroidery by Donatella Ciotti - I like the few illustrations given on the site and have added it to my wishlist.

Another pitiful attempt!

I had a good friend once who seemed to be always telling me "A little humility is good for the soul". I am not sure I liked to hear that, then or now!


Nonetheless, I will show you my first attempts at Hardanger with its many mistakes. It was just on a scrap of linen so there was no room for the hoop (of course I didn't have time to add any calico!) and that did not make for nice even stitching. Many of the books say that you don't need a hoop but I am sure I would have been more comfortable using one.

I couldn't count threads properly and ended up with the most peculiar point to my original shape of kloster blocks. This wasn't what I had intended but I could have made it a design feature. However I decided to simplify the whole thing and made the groupings with the needle weaving and the Dove's eye (Spindel) (another mistake in it) and my ambitious Skraspindel or square filet filling. Also it is obvious why a new sharp pair of scissors, more suitable than the ones I own, is at the top of my Christmas wishlist (Santa has promised to oblige!).

Once again my eyes let me down and this is work (on 28 count linen) that can only be done in small bites.

I did learn! I used #5 perle for the kloster blocks and feel that they would have been much more satisfactory in #8. I will use a hoop in future and probably take the time at the beginning to mark out the fabric.

Last week after an extended library loan it was necessary to return the library books on Hardanger I had borrowed - one by Jill Carter and the other by Yvette Stanton (one amazing needleworker!).

Not sure whether I prefer Carter's book, Hardanger Embroidery , because it is the one I read first but I find her easier to follow than Stanton. I am certainly not wanting to denigrate Elegant Hardanger - it is up to her usual high standard - beautifully illustrated descriptions of all the steps . I am just expressing a personal preference. In fact, I will probably buy the Stanton book because I can't find that particular Jill Carter book at a reasonable price. I would recommend either of these books to a beginner.

It goes without saying that this is an embroidery style that I want to pursue further. Much as I would love to own a runner, I am thinking realistically I might manage maybe a coaster, or two when I polish my technique a little (or a lot).