My own examples of stitchery from this workshop included these four little pieces, about 8″ square.

We had to design and sew a small piece each day, two layers of fabric, outline the image in chain stitch and then infill the image, its background, and, once we learned about borders, apply this knowledge in some way to what we were doing.

Some even managed to finish off the edges of their pieces. In my own defence, I must say I did another one in addition to these, which I traded to Tracey W. in a dyeing class who ran through a couple of silk scarves for me….I have plans to stitch them Kantha-style. On the other hand, they have come out beautifully blotchy, I might not obscure them with stitchery…

I don’t remember exactly how we were to search around for design motifs, so can’t tell you exactly WHY the roos, and the gum leaves and nut, all national symbols to an Aussie anyway, but the other was in response to one direction we were given to design something embodying a wish you have. Apparently, the Kantha women embody hopes, plans and dreams into their works.

Next is a collage of details of a beautiful old piece of hand made broderie anglaise, age unknown, approx 200cm x 43cm, which I bought on a market stall down on Tristan Navaja one sunday several years ago. It has been removed from something – possibly a priest’s robe – it still has a fine lawn placket attached at one point…. and the US$7-50 price tag is still attached.

The Expressive Stitch workshop also addressed the matter of mending, too, and we were asked to take some examples along, and also some examples of hand sewn fabric of either decorative or purely functional nature. Dorothy had a number of wonderful old mended garments, and this piece of broderie anglaise had a couple of mends, one nice and neat, the other pretty slapdash, in a hurry perhaps.