New progress

Ok i actually did this stuff last weekend, but havn't had time to upload the pictures which i will do now.


This is what i am doing, just a piece of cloth where i am practicing embroidery techniques patterns and designs. It is not meant to be displayed. i might eventually do one that will be. Here is a close up of a "leaf" done in detatched buttonhole stitch. with directions from this site.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/01/detatched-buttonhole-filling-video.html

Here is the flower and bud i also did. You can't see that the green part of the bud was supposed to have little "points going up the pink section. I didn't do that part of it to well. will have to try again.

Want to try some little critters as well like a caterpillar

Here is the progress so far on the flower. The stitch really makes the petals stick out which is cool. Just need to do the center and think i will do french knots at the end of the gold lines coming away from the flower. They are a gold thread done in 4 stitches of chain stitch.

Update

Well here is the progress i made last night playing with new stitches. Getting out of the very medieval split stitch and playing round with new stitches is interesting that is for sure. Elmsley Rose has offered to give me some pointers. Have a squizz at her sight by the way...

The fishbone stitch is easier than i expected and doesn't look to hard to totally muck up. Have a lokk at the following video tutorial that is on the Needle'nThread website. I find them very easy to understand (once i do this switch over for being left handed...)
http://www.needlenthread.com/2006/11/fishbone-stitch-video-tutorial.html

As you can see i tried to do a filling stitch in the flower petals. It has highlighted the fact that a) i havn't done the stitch before, b) was doing the stitch by memory and c) that the petals are not the same size. Hopefully with all of them done this will ballance out a bit and look more normal. With have a hunt around and see what other stitches would be good for these sort of flowers.
They also just posted a link to an online book about embroidery.... here is the link i must check it out properly
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24964/24964-h/24964-h.htm

Learning new stitches

This is the first time i have tried whip stitching....
I'm teaching myself new stitches and new patterns at the moment. Rather than starting any new projects. Having see some of the wonderful work on http://www.plimoth.org/embroidery-blog/ (the enbroiderer's story) and also the work of Elmsley Rose http://elmsleyrose.blogspot.com/ I think i shall focus on playing with stitches and designs before playing with anything new. Up till recently i have mostly been doing split stitch needle painting type work. I would love to try some of the later types of embroidery shown on those sites.

if anyone has any good site rcommendations, i'd love to hear them