fat lady

I'm looking forward to going to a beginner's stumpwork embroidery day at the Weald and Downland Museum in June. It's something I've never tried but always admired, especially the collection of stumpwork pictures and boxes at Parham House in Sussex.

Stumpwork is a kind of fat embroidery, and I thought I'd get in the mood by making a fat lady. No doubt a stumpwork expert would have kittens looking at this but I had great fun, especially with the bosoms- and just look at those stomach muscles!

I've also been trying a bit of writing with the sewing machine. Its interesting to notice how you need to approach each letter so that it flows from the previous one. Of course when writing with a pencil you lift your hand from time to time, but with a sewing machine its all joined together. Hopefully I can improve in time, as I have some ideas using quilted writing... 
The words are from the poem 'Home from abroad' by Laurie Lee.

I think we will be embroidering dragonflies on the stumpwork day, and by hand rather than by machine, but I really enjoyed experimenting with my fat lady and its given me lots more ideas.

I've just read Jenny's latest post at Handmade Happiness:

http://jenny-handmadehappiness.blogspot.co.uk/ 

about giving yourself time to play creatively, and it seems we must have been of the same mind lately. I couldn't agree more that the older I get the more important it seems to have food for the soul rather than a nice clean kitchen!