Classy stitching ... har

So I mentioned briefly that I taught an embroidery class at the Stitch Lab last month. It was loads of fun, and the women in the class were really great. I was nervous, and having such fun, sweet, enthusiastic and warm gals in the class really helped ease my nerves. I loved it. It ended up being a really relaxed, fun evening.

I designed a basic sampler for the class - we've got backstitch, split stitch, stem stitch, satin stitch, chain stitch, blanket stitch, lazy daisy and herringbone. My hope was to create a fun design that the students might be able to use in some way after the class.

And that's just was Amy of Sewcial Butterfly did - and she knocked my socks off with her display of her classwork. She's framed it in a beautiful shadow box and even added paper and embellishments that coordinate with the Stitch Lab logo - love that! Even better, she did a journal panel on the back of the frame. It's such a cool way to capture a memory. There was a recent discussion on the Flickr Embroidery Group about ways to display your finished embroidery. I think Amy's ranks up there as one of the best. Sure, I'm a bit biased, but .... ya know.

And, yes, as she reveals in her journaling, I did give her a tiny peek at the Secret Tea Towel for Jenny Hart. As we sat there and stitched in class, we talked about the great online crafting community and about all the people whose work we admired. She mentioned several people whose work was on the towel. Seeing and admiring someone's work online is one thing, but holding it in your hands takes things to a whole nutha levol. I can't deny anyone that joy.

I'm teaching another class at the Stitch Lab in June. If you're here in Austin, please join us!