I think we’ve only one more word prompt to go with this stitch-a-long with Anne Brooke then I can decide how I’m going to put this book together, I have a few ideas, we shall see. I posted half the pages a few days ago, here’s the other half…

I rather like this first page, the background fabric of eucalyptus leaves is what gave me the colour scheme initially. Words on this page include trapped (the shell circle) running, petal, which was made with circles gathered up together, lumpy (a pile of French knots), cup (a domed piece of stitching of which I can’t remember the stitch name!) and the most recent one which was stuffed.

I really wasn’t sure when I saw the video for stuffed as Anne’s were quite bulky to give some 3D texture to her piece, but mine are going into a book so I don’t want anything too bulky. Anne made hers round a cotton ball, I remembered a little packet of mini cotton-wool balls and I actually managed to find them. They were red but that didn’t matter too much. I used a length of sari silk as it was nice and fine, I made five in a row and stitched them near the petals.

The other side of the eucalyptus fabric could possibly do with a little more adding. This was one of the earlier pages I started. Words on these pages include hidden (a ring of felt under a circle), spike (a woven stitch) meander (a couched thread) and jump (some short lengths of beads jumping over the meander), rib (straight stitches close together) parallel (bugle beads), tassel and encrusted which is the circle of beads.

These were the very first pages I stitched, with layers of fabric and loops with loopy French knots and the thistle head which has cut loops. Although there’s only two words on this page I think there’s probably enough. The page on the left has hummock, slit and dotty, I feel it needs a bit more around the slit, maybe a bigger circle, perhaps in cross-stitch.

This is the last page to show you, with cross, silky, rolls, fringe, holey, wrinkle and furrow. I think there’s probably enough going on on this page even though there are a few spaces.

So I’ve a little stitching to do to finally finish this stitch-a-long, but not much. I’ve a bit of a deadline for finishing the book as I’m doing a workshop with Anne in March and I did tell her I would take it along. I’ve enjoyed this SAL with the word prompts but I’m ready for a change now, once a week for a year is a long time!!