Stump work

Always in the back of my mind are projects I would like to try, new methods I would love to learn, but too often lack of time, or opportunity pushes those wishes to the end of the queue.  Recently our local news-sheet offered several courses over a weekend.  One immediately caught my eye and imagination ... stump work.  Somewhere, sometime I had gazed at photos of gorgeous stump work and marvelled, and wondered, how the effect was created.  I enrolled!

Last Sunday I paid my dues, found a chair at the stump work table and my lesson began.  Before that I had given thought to looking on-line for tips, but decided that it would be wiser to go with a completely blank mind; hopefully to soak up the lesson.

The tutor was wonderful.  She was organised; had samples of each step along with typed out instructions.  All that was left to the 'students' was to begin stitching.

She had decided we make a butterfly ... so we began.  Moments before the end of the course I completed a butterfly, not perfect, but still a butterfly.  Best of all I have the main method installed in my brain [I hope!]. 

 

Yesterday I found another stump work pattern, and once I have purchased the essentials [that I do not have, such as wire] I will find out just how much did stick in the brain!   

A busy few days

I love winter especially for the fact that with cooler weather it is much easier to sit and sew, something I find a tad difficult when perspiring profusely.

I haven't wasted these cooler days; the sewing machine has been whirring busily.

 

A little mug rug where I could practise my Paper Piecing.  I find mug rugs excellent to improve skills as they are not big enough to completely ruin, and are small enough to finish relatively quickly which adds to confidence.

 

The Mug rug was for a swap, and of course I added a small extra ... a little Christmas tree decoration.

 

 

Recently I had my attention drawn to instructions for a purse based on the cover of a book.  This captured my imagination, and while the 'readable' part of the book had to be cut out, I have kept it ... fortunately this book came with an extra cardboard cover. 

At first the instructions appeared difficult, but as so often happens if one starts at the beginning and follows the instructions to the end all is well.

 

 

Yes, there were moments when I wondered what to do next, but with the use of glue several times meant I had time to sit and think the instructions through while the glue dried.  Over all I am pleased with the result ... in fact I have eyed up another book to lose its middle!

 

 

The book is sitting on a small Snowball quilt that didn't take very long at all to construct.