Exploring Hand Stitching

I have been enrolled in Karen Ruane's 'non-class', Simply Stitch 3, for the past few months. With no set course requirements, it has been a perfect venue for me to learn a bit about hand stitching. Through the wonders of video, it is as though you are sitting on Karen's shoulder while she stitches her own projects and shares her thought processes. It is a gentle way of learning and I have thrived.  Karen is ever so willing to answer questions readily via email. In addition, Flickr is used as an online venue where you may post photos and receive feedback from Karen and the other 60 'students' located across the globe.

Early on, I decided that the best tact for me was to pick a project and work on it. I decided to create a 'pouch', as Karen terms them. She works primarily in white, so I decided to follow her lead. I imagined it would help me appreciate the art in her world. It was a fun experience.

Front

Back

The beauty is in the individual stitches and the interplay of the piecing. As you can see from the following photos, even a beginner can create some beautiful effects with just a few well-placed stitches and some beautiful fabrics.