Embroiderer does some stitching shock!

This is the sum total of my stitching over the last two weeks – bet you’re impressed!

And it’s not even embroidery – but my cack-handed attempts at a darn [top, right side and wrong side] and a patch [bottom, right side and wrong side].

The college session I missed was one the subject of ‘holes’ and was linked to the ‘everyday’ topic. L. kindly sent me  a summary of what I missed – and the requirement seemed to be to make 4 samples of holes, or ‘repairs’ to holes.

So I looked through a few books to research darning and patching, and these are the result. What sort of sad person has ‘a few’ books on darning and patching, you may ask? A sad person who collects old needlework books, the old the better. And the older they are, the more likely they re to have a lengthy section on repairing textiles – For example Amy K. Smith’s ‘Needlework for Student Teachers’ [1897 edition] has 65 well-illustrated pages on patching and darning! [And some indication of what girls were taught in needlework lessons in those days – which is a bit of an eye opener.]

I’m sure Ms Smith would not approve of my efforts – but heck, this is supposed to be creative.

I have now started on the making holes bit – at the moment lots and lots and lots of eyelets. Sitting with my feet up, doing some gentle hand sewing and listening to Radio 3 is about all I’m capable of at the moment – although we did haul ourselves up to Brooklands Museum yesterday to see the family. We had a picnic in the car park while the men watched the cars at Mercedes World – although I will admit that Babybel,  Mrs Cheddar and I were quite taken with the formation driving by 4 neon coloured Smart cars. Then, as I didn’t feel up to going round the museum, Wensleydale and I came home, while the others looked at cars and planes and went on Concorde.And a good time was had by all!