Inbetweeners - Abi's Baby Gift

Thanks to Abi for sending this photo of a hoop she has embroidered as a gift for a friend who has just had a baby boy - the writing is done in stem stitch. (Getting some sneaky practise in for May's stitch sample!)

A brilliant idea and one we can all *ahem* borrow...

February Playday - "Hearts"

Thank you to Davina for sending the photos of the Hearts Playday which was obviously a big success! 

Here are some photos of the work done on the day - updates to follow in due course, I'm sure! 

February Meeting - Chicken Scratch Stitch

For those of you who were wondering...

Why is it called chicken scratch? One theory is that the main stitch looks like a chicken’s track. One story suggests the technique started during the Great Depression when a woman wished she could add lace to her plain gingham dresses. However, she only had some floss, so she set about to figure out how to create a lacy look. When her husband asked what she was doing, she told him she was adding lace to her dress. His reply was said to be that it looked like chicken scratches!! 

Chicken scratch is also called Amish embroidery, depression lace, and snowflake embroidery, all typically stitched on gingham fabric.

Here are the samples stitched at the meeting on Friday - part of our ongoing "Stitch a Month" project. Thanks to Anne Brooke for taking the photos. 

And here are some lovely finished examples, stitched by Abi. The ones with dates and initials have been made as gifts for friends.