New skills

 I have never had a go at free machine embroidery, but, about a year ago, Kirsty Allsop was doing some stuff to submit for a county show, and I thought, I want a go at that!

So, I acquired some soluble embroidery stuff at a craft fair around Easter, and I set about just having a go, after all, from a position of complete ignorance, you can go wrong very easily, and find out how not to do it? yes?

So the embroidery stuf goes in the hoop, a pencil sketch is made on this, and it gets loaded onto the machine. And feed dogs dropped, embroidery foot in use, and hey, we're away!

This was the second lot, I forgot to photograph the first one in progress- over-excited?

 I was trying to copy a garden geranium roughly, though I am not sure anyone would guess, I was using a lilac-y pink Gutermann Sulky thread, and a topstitch needle. And it seemed to go pretty well, I think. What I didn't know, was how densely to do the stitching, nor how much to do in the opposite direction, before I started to sew in the texture direction I wanted, to give a 'net' to work with.



But it seemed to be working. and, because it was working, I got bolder and braver, and added another colour, to try to give some of the petal markings on the real thing, and then added yellow, to look like stamens.








And then, how about a leaf? And a yellow centre to the flower?


And then these were cut out roughly and dropped into a bowl of water, to dissolve the base fabric.








And you end up with some free flowers, and a leaf.











Now, I am doing a frame purse swap with a wonderful group of very talented ladies, and I have not attempted a frame purse before, but for my first one, I wanted to like it myself, so if it is any good at all, I would use it. The next one I will have to try to make to my partners taste, but this is from fabric I have in anyway, and no extra supplies procured, other than the frame itself.
So, having decided where to start, and cut the basic shape, I decided to use my first flower, and free embroider the leaves to go with the flower, using a pretty variegated green thread, and then attach the flower.


Then lining. Again, I acquired the lining fabric- not the pocket- at the craft fair, a lovely John Louden lawn, very fine and smooth.







and this made up, so far, into this. After supper, I will have to try to glue the frame onto it. That is the frightening bit!

Once it is done I will take more photos.

what do you think so far?



I hope, not 'rubbish!'

 As a by product, I am starting to feel I may be able, with practice, to do FMQ at some stage!

Just don't hold your breath!

 just editing to show a bit of finish!

 some piping stuffed into the channel to occupy the space. Need to get that tucked in really well!

 one side glued, now wait for it to cure!

 Both sides glued. Wait for cure!

All done and dusted!