It’s our Embroiderers Guild meeting on Monday and as I’m away for the weekend in London I thought yesterday I’d better crack on with my Travelling Sketchbook entry. It’s the final swap of these travels, I get my own book on mountains back on Monday – exciting to see it again with lots of new embroideries inside!
The theme of this months book is ‘Domesticity’, I did struggle to think what to embroider, previous entries have been on keys, a house, lavender (I like that one) a chatelaine…
I tried my usual source of ideas, Pinterest and one name kept coming up, Jenny of Elefantz. Jenny is an Australian designer, her designs tend to be what I would call pretty vintage style, a little bit twee at times but very pretty. She is actually one of the first blogs I followed when I started this one. I remembered that I had subscribed to her pattern releases for a year so I had a look through my files and found one I thought I could adapt.
I decided to look at the theme of domesticity in terms of what I see as ‘domestic bliss’ and this image does seem to encapsulate it for me. It has a little house, surrounded by a garden full of flowers with plenty of room for sewing and creating, all surrounded with love…very apt for Valentines Day too!
I chose a piece of quilting cotton which has a very delicate grey floral pattern on it. It’s very pretty but I found the one disadvantage was that the grey pattern looked just like the pencil lines of my tracing. Of course this did have the advantage that where I changed the design slightly the pencil lines don’t show up!!
I embroidered it with DMC 4030, I wanted a variegated thread that didn’t have very light areas, but also wasn’t too dark. I can also argue that peaceful greens and blues are the colours I have painted my own home!!
Jenny’s patterns tend to be mainly in back-stitch or stem stitch, I wanted to vary it a bit. I used chain-stitch round the heart as I find it quite forgiving when you’re trying to stitch a nice curve. I turned the barn into a cottage, it was meant to have little buttons either side but mine weren’t quite small enough, I later added three flower shaped blue sequins underneath and a few beads instead.
The flowers were meant to be tulips, but I changed them into daisies instead and used feather stitch for the leaves. OK this isn’t botanically correct but it looks pretty!!
I changed the scallops at the apex to buttonhole stitch and used a double whipped running stitch for the twisted cord of the scissor fob.
To finish the embroidery I backed it with interfacing and blanket-stitched round the edge. All I had to do then was stick it in the book and write a little bit about it.
I’m fairly pleased with this one, I don’t feel it’s as much ‘me’ or my usual style, probably because I adapted a pattern, rather than starting from scratch with an idea, but I found it a difficult subject to choose an image for. I have managed to incorporate most of the stitches in the new round of TAST too!
We’re starting a new round of Travelling Sketchbooks in March so I think I’ll have to choose a new theme for my next book.
thecraftycreek 
Margaret, your productivity never ceases to amaze me ~ this is lovely! Hope we will get a “tour” of your sketchbook when its back home. (hint-hint!)
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Ooh yes, I’m planning a little tour!
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š Yipeee!
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Dear Lady, would you send me your mailing address via email? I’ve had a little card for you that I can’t send because your beautiful silks didn’t include a “proper” (according to our posties) address. Maaaany thanks!
Happy Valentine’s Day! šš
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This is lovely and a very apt heart post for valentines day! Love your variegated thread too
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Thanks Jane, I’m getting quite a collection of variegated threads š
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That is so pretty, lovely in the greens and blues!
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Thanks Carole, it seems to be my floss of choice at the moment š
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Such a beautiful piece, love your choice of floss and thank you for including the color number, This really speaks domestic bliss to me.
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Thank you
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I haven’t embroidered in years…quilting, crochet and genealogy has kept me busy. You are inspiring me to broaden my creative side a little more š just lovely!
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Ahh, geneology, now that took over my life for about 3 years!!Glad you’re going to try embroidery again š
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I think this illustrates domesticity beautifully. Looking at it just makes me happy, Margaret! I confess, I eagerly await the tour of your sketchbook when you get it back. š
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Thanks Kathy, I can’t wait to see it too š
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beautiful, especially the little embroidered scissor fob!
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Thanks Claire, it’s a very pretty design š
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Perfect for the theme AND Valentine’s Day. Good choice!
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Thanks Kate, pure chance with Valentines Day š
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Margaret, your work is such an inspiration to me as I move off-piste with my embroidery. The idea of a book to pass round members of your group to add pieces to is so personal and such a wonderful thing to do. I thought the idea of TAST beat everything but reading about ‘the book’ might just surpass that. In addition, I had never seen the beauty of DMC variegated threads until I began following your blog. Off to buy some tomorrow.
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Thank you Prue for your lovely comment. I only got ‘into’ variegated threads about a year ago, I’ve got quite a collection now š
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Very pretty indeed and she will be thrilled.
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Thanks Cathy š
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This is so pretty, I love all the choices you made.
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These books always intrigue me, and this is a very pretty design, even if you feel it isnāt you as much as your other creations.
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