Things are starting to come together with my bee book, well maybe ‘coming together’ is a tad optimistic, but it’s heading in the right direction!

Three weeks ago I had just started my thread-painted bee, called Betty…

This is a pattern from Purple Rose Embroidery on Etsy, it’s available either as a pattern or a kit. I just bought the pattern, how much you pay for the pattern depends on whether you get instructions with it! I paid the extra to get the instructions too. Initially the instructions seemed really confusing, but once I e-mailed the designed she was very quick to apologise and rectify the issue, I’d been sent the old version! The new instructions were much better.

I enjoyed stitching this one and I’m pleased with ‘Betty’, I pretty much stuck to the instructions, I think I just added a few stitches in a darker yellow over the yellow stripes. She’s only little, about 3″ across.

I’ve just a couple more bees to start stitching, a goldwork one and another thread-painted one, then that is it, I really must stop browsing on Etsy! I’ve almost finished a whitework one which I’ll hopefully share this week and I’ve stitched a mini cross-stitch one from a kit someone gave me. Once they’re all finished I’ll have a good variety of embroidery styles and techniques.

I’ve started putting pages together, well I’ve started the first one! My biggest embroidery is the three bumble bees, so that one has set the size at about 8″ square for each page.

I’ve started collating suitable fabrics together, I’ve quite a few bee fabrics in my stash and then I needed others to coordinate with them. I tackled one of my bigger pieces first, I’ve just added two borders so far, then I’ll either add some trims, a little embroidery and maybe some writing…

I’ve started stitching some bee quotes and poems to scatter amongst the bees. I had earmarked this quote from 1744 to go on the above page, but I think it’s probably ended up a little too big, so I might put it with a smaller embroidery on the page opposite. Of course I have made one mistake in the counting as the bottom line is one stitch too close, I didn’t realise until I was at the other end and I wasn’t going to undo the whole line! The spelling is the 1744 version.

I’ve stitched a little quote on some purple linen, thinking of the lavender bees but that might change…

I’ve just started a list of common bumble bees and their Latin names, which will hopefully go opposite the three bees above.

Hopefully in three weeks time I’ll be well on with my final embroideries and starting to put pages together.

Here are links to other SAL members . . .please follow the links to see what everyone else has been stitching.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Christina, Kathy, Margaret,  

Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, 

Linda, MaryMargaret, Cindy, Helen