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Mary Corbet

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I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

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15 Minutes: Miniature Embroidery

 

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In another 15 minute session with my needle and thread, I managed to accomplish a tiny bit of embroidery on a tiny embroidery project. As luck would have it, this 15-minute embroidery experience was nowhere nearly as productive as the last one!

Miniature embroidery has its drawbacks. The most noticeable one, for me, is the fact that it’s miniature! Now, don’t get me wrong – I like this project. It’s fun! But on such a small scale, once the stitches are in, it’s actually hard to see which direction the stitches are going. This wouldn’t be a big deal, except for the fact that the four corners point in four different directions, and I quickly found that the design looked better if the tent stitches were altered to point in a certain direction, depending on the corner.

Miniature Embroidery

You can definitely see the problem with the center of the motif – I should have changed the direction of my stitching on the the right-hand leaf! I may take that out and fix it. (Then again….)

So, once again, here’s a 15 minute segment of stitching. I took the above photo after setting the timer for 15 minutes, and when the timer went off, I stopped stitching.

Miniature Embroidery

I managed to get in the top of all the flowers in the light pink! I was so happy!

But then I realized that the stitching on the bottom right corner was done in the wrong direction! I didn’t take it out at that point – I figured that would make a good job for another 15-minute segment!

Anyway, the little motif is coming along. I’ll show you finished photos of it later on – with a ruler to give you a sense of size…

In the meantime, I’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up on a weekend that was insanely busy! I hope you had a chance to check out the goldwork peacock feather, which I didn’t get a chance to post until later Sunday night. It’s quite a beautiful piece of work!

Enjoy your Monday! And I do hope you get in a good 15 minutes (or more – lots more!) of stitching today!

 
 

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(4) Comments

  1. I love this sequence you’re doing and the basic point you’re trying to make. It is THE point of trying accomplish something in a busy world. Be set up and just do it, if only for a few minutes each time. Bravo…wish I’d thought of doing this on my blog 🙂

    Cheers— Larry

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  2. I love this Mary…really pretty! (I bet you do take out that leaf…*grin* )

    I have been making a few mins at a time everyday to stitch…it`s surprising what you can do in just a little time!

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  3. Mary … I have to agree it is amazing what small chunks of time dedicated to stitching can acomplish. I work quite a few evening shifts a week … and get an hour for dinner…it doesn't take me that long to eat … so I usually end up with about 40 mins. at my disposal and often take stitching with me to work on during that time. Many people can't fathom how I accomplish what I do … but it all boils down to creating the time … using the time that is available wisely.

    Prioritizing … factors in. I'd rather stitch than do housework … and often simply delegate it to the kids. I need … yes need creative time…especially when the ideas are flowing…vacuuming & dusting become less important…or at least can be done by someone other than me.

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