After a snuffily start to the year, I finally made it back to the Royal School of Needlework last week. Between snow, illnesses and procrastination I haven’t made it this year. I think I have a standing email on a Monday morning to say cant make it again, so I was greeted with hugs and Happy New Year, before settling down to start work!

As I had forgotten most of my kit (who goes stitching without needles!) I started framing up my next project rather than mounting my canvas stitches. The last technique for my Certificate is Goldwork. I wanted to pick something with a bit of meaning to me for this project rather than do a more random design so I had a trawl of the Wellcome Images website and decided to go for a DNA helix.

So week 1 consisted of framing up the calico and then silk (100%silk from Silk route). Pouncing on the design and then the very nerve racking painting on – I don’t have the steadiest hand with a paintbrush and was very nervous of making a great splodge in the middle of quite a delicate design, but am quite pleased with the outcome – my best attempt to date!

So now my homework, stab stitching down the design- little stitches around the design to hole the calico and silk together and reduce the chances of bubble occurring while I’m working the design. Applying the felt padding to areas which will be raised and making a velvet board to cut the metal threads on to stop them pinging off all over the place.. Here is my first piece of felt on – just 17 more to go!

My resolution this year was to start finishing things, I’ve made a pretty good start..

I’ve finished two blocks for the Quilting bee I’m taking part in

November

December

The January block looks a bit tricky, so I’m putting that off to next week when my Mum comes to visit..

The canvas stitches piece I’ve been working on at the Royal School of Needlework, this piece is based on a painting by Georgia O’Keefe called Lake George, Autumn. This piece has been so much fun to do – I did go a bit mad with the shading, with sometimes more than a dozen threads in the needle at one time.

I have also finished a few pieces that I’m hoping to put up for sale in an Etsy shop – alongside their patterns.. Eek! I’ve been talking about this for a while now, but am close to making it real – I just need to fix the scanner and write up the patterns!

No cute photo of my son in the post, but while I’ve been productive in January, he has been in craft overdrive! He has discovered the joys of cutting and sticking! This spider was made one Friday morning before 9am. It looks likely he’ll be a lefty so I bought him some scissors just before the snow arrived, since then we’ve been drawing cutting and sticking pretty much every day.