Last time we visited the Mission Rose project, I was almost finished with the goldwork on the central rose. Well, I haven’t moved ahead as much as I’d like, as Life keeps interrupting in unpredictable ways.

Still, I always figure Some Progress is better than No Progress. No matter how little, progress is always progress, and it keeps us moving towards an eventual completion, right? 15 minutes here or there, squeezed in whenever you can, might be all the time you have to work on something, but those short bouts of stitching add up!

(Yes, I’m just trying to make myself feel better for not having more to show you!)

I don’t often use iron-on transfers for hand embroidery. I’m more of a trace-your-pattern sort of gal, or transfer it in other ways, depending on the project. But good iron-on patterns have their place, and they are a Very Convenient way to get an embroidery design onto a piece of fabric.

The problem is, there’s not that great of a variety of embroidery designs available as iron-on patterns. There are, of course, the Aunt Martha iron-ons which have been around for a long time. And there are the fun-and-funky, very trendy Sublime Stitching (and similar) designs, for craft embroidery.

But for other types of general surface embroidery designs that are a little more classic and will withstand the test of time, it’s somewhat difficult to find iron-on transfers. Generally, if I’m looking for iron-on transfers that fall into this category, I look for them abroad among the French and the Italians. (For example, these Mani di Fata iron-on transfers from Italy or these iron-on transfers from Mains et Merveilles of France.)

And that brings us to the book I want to show you. DMC France has a book out that is jam-packed with a huge variety of embroidery designs in iron-on-transfer form. It’s called Fleurs en Transferts or Flower Transfers.

Lately, I’ve been sharing some photos of various samples of floral monograms that I’ve been putting together. When I started on this particular monogram project (not to be confused with the more “traditional” monograms I’m also working on), I had a goal: to embroider the monograms with 20 – 25 types of stitches or stitch combinations.

Just a quick update on a tad bit more goldwork on the Mission Rose project!

Yesterday, I was supposed to be working on something else to share with you today, but I still had all the goldwork mess out, and … it beckoned.

I heeded the call.

What else can one do?!

It’s just the tiniest bit of goldwork, but … it’s goldwork!

Last time we visited the Mission Rose project, all the felt foundations for the goldwork frames were finished. Next step: the goldwork on the rose. Once the goldwork on the rose is finished, then I’ll tackle the frame!

Last week, we chatted a bit about embroidery ground fabrics, thread types and colors, and stitch choices.

After preaching so enthusiastically on the subject of trying something different, I did try to break out of my Color Comfort Zone.

All I can say is… it’s ain’t easy!