Skip to main content

Beginning Again

I've been thinking about creating a blog for a while now.  Blogger says I've been here since 2012.  I never posted anything with that one - it didn't even have a name.  So, last year I deleted it.  After coming up with what I think is a good name for my blog, I am beginning again.

"Counting on Needlework" has more than one meaning for me.  Foremost, it pertains to my primary hobby of counted thread embroidery.  Often, when you tell the common person that you do counted thread embroidery, they look a little puzzled.  This area of embroidery includes counted cross stitch, blackwork, Assisi, pulled thread, drawn thread and maybe others.  


My secondary fiber hobby is knitting and any knitter knows there is a fair amount of counting and math to this hobby.  


Another aspect of the title is the pleasure I derive from my hobbies.  I really do count on them:  for stress relief from my day job as a legal assistant, for that sense of accomplishment when I complete a project, for the joy I experience when I give a handmade item to another, for the simple pleasure of creating.


I want to use this blog to share my hobbies with you and to further an interest in them with others.  


Here is a current work in progress:  Fleur-de-Lis by Lorene Salt.  This was a project through CyberStitchers Chapter of the Embroiderer's Guild of America.  


I have much more work to do!




Comments

  1. A great start to your blog, Bonnie. I've tried twice and just can't manage to stick with it. I look forward to reading yours. Great stitching, too! Love the colors!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good luck and I find it interesting to see how much I have stitched over a period of time through the blog! Love this piece!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the clever blog name! I look forward to reading about all your stitch endeavors.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Finished Feeling

Here are some of the items I worked on over Memorial weekend.  I have to be in the mood to do finishing work and was happy to get these two items done. The first is a thimble purse to be worn as a necklace.  The design is by With Thy Needle and Thread .  The pattern came with the purse frame.  I used a scrap of 40 count linen and overdyed threads I had on hand.  It is stitched with one strand of floss over two threads of linen.  It is lined with a coordinating cotton print fabric.  The pattern suggests using waxed hemp cord for the necklace, but I thought a chain would be more comfortable.  As you can see, the purse from the closure to the bottom measures about three inches.  I like the tree and the scattered alphabet.  And, yes, I put a thimble inside. The other finished project is a small sewing set by Little House Needleworks from the pattern called Fresh from the Garden.  The quilted sewing case and pincushion are pres...

Chasing Master Craftsman Status

As you know, I am a member of the Embroiderer's Guild of America .  One of the opportunities afforded to members is the pursuit of Master Craftsman certification in a number of techniques - beading, canvas, color, counted thread, crewel, design, quilting, silk/metal threads, smocking and surface.  A couple of years ago I began working on the Master Craftsman in Counted Thread Embroidery.  There are several steps - the first being the creation of a family history sampler in counted cross stitch.  Here is my successful piece: The assignment for step two is to create an Assisi embroidery piece.  Assisi embroidery has a void design so that the subject of the piece is done in double running stitch and then the background is filled in solidly, in this instance with cross stitches.  Also, there is typically a decorative border done in double running stitches. I have had more than one idea and nothing has worked out so far.  However, I think my la...

Exhibiting to Inspire Others

Coming up in September (19-27) we have the Panhandle South Plains Fair  in Lubbock, Texas. I have had one piece framed and have done finishing work on a few others so far.  I plan to exhibit these pieces in the cross stitch category.  It would be nice to win a ribbon, of course.   Another way to look at it is:  Who will I inspire by showing my work?  Who will want to learn this or that technique of stitching or finishing?  Who will want to create their own designs?  Who will teach and inspire someone else? First up is my Assisi-style embroidery.  I created this embroidery as part of my journey in EGA 's master craftsman in counted thread embroidery program.  I adapted some patterns from the book Here Be Drolleries by Nancy Spies of Arelate Studio and added some designs of my own to create my design of a "peaceable kingdom".  You can find Arelate Studio designs now at 1884 Stitchery . I have finished a couple of small cushions m...