Embroidery

Last week I read A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier, one of my favourite authors. It's about the life of a single woman (one of the so-called surplus women) in the 1930s in England. Embroidery and bellringing are important themes. It's beautifully written, and very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.



I had just finished the cardigan I showed in the previous posting, and was trying to decide what to crochet next. But after reading the book I decided I really wanted to give embroidery a go. In my craft stash I found some muslin fabric and embroidery hoops (from when I used to sell screenprinted fabric stretched in hoops in my Etsy shop Blue Jacaranda). I bought some embroidery floss and was ready to start.



I knew what I wanted to embroider: a Lone Star. Even though I don't make quilts anymore, my house is still full of them, and quite a few of them are Lone Star quilts. My Classic Lone Star Quilt is on our bed, and my Lone Star Mini Quilt is hanging on the bookcase in the bedroom. I look at it every morning when I do the exercises for my Achilles tendon!



And when I look to the other side I see Mondrian's Lone Star Quilt, hanging on the wall in the hallway:



And that is the one I want to reproduce in embroidery. I really like the colours and the fact that it is so asymmetrical.



I started last Friday and this is where I'm at today. I'm enjoying the process very much - except threading the needle! And I've got lots of ideas for other embroidery projects, so stay tuned...

(there's also the crocheted Lone Star Blanket that I still have to finish...)