Flower Power

In January of 2022 I decided to start with some practice. Using my 4" hoop and an old cotton pillowcase, I launched into learning different stitches. I made all the beginner mistakes, of course, crooked flowers, droopy flowers, flowers that pulled the fabric into a bunch. 

I played with using one, two and three strands of thread to see how it worked. 

I found some needles in the things I inherited and stashed in my sewing kit, experimenting with different ones to see what happened.

I learned how to make the stem stitch and the leaf stitch, and practiced stitching words, which is where I encountered the satin stitch. I began to get a hint of how glossy and smooth one could make a satin stitch. 

I created my own blossoms, using different colors and centers, trying out the bullion stitch and French knots, learning that they could knot the thread so badly they had to be cut out!

These practice pieces were essential to figuring out how to use thread and needle, but they weren't at all the direction I wanted to go. I still wanted to learn how to stitch landscapes.