Mabel's other stitching 2026

[Mabel Figworthy]

The complete one and the side view are both Sarah's models, mine is at the stage in the middle picture - all the padding, a bit of outline and a bit of chipping. No idea when it's going to be finished, no rush! DH, when he saw my photograph of the design drawn on the fabric, said "but the drawing is asymmetrical, you dodn't stand a chance!"

I don't actually like the hoop-on-a-stick ones, I find them difficult to get the fabric in. I much prefer my table clamp and floor stands that i can clamp any of my wide collection of hoops in - much more versatile.

[Mabel Figworthy]

A bit of work on the Drapers' Hall kit:

[Serinde]

This is the first time I realised that the chips are stitched directly onto the felt. How do you know where to start!?!

[Mabel Figworthy]

you don't - you just start somewhere and keep going, making it as random as possible. I actually added more silver than there is in the original; like all good teachers Sarah encouraged us to make the thing our own!

[fccs]

I do love a good fleur-de-lis and yours is going to be beautiful.

[Mabel Figworthy]

A little bit more work on the fleur de lis, completed the pear purl outline of the rather complicated bottom part. Again, not very symmetrical, but my main aim was pointiness, as the picture on the kit box shows the outline rather rounded and I didn't like that effect. But I should have got the two sides a little bit more alike....



This is the box picture:

[Serinde]

We are our own worst critics.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Ha, I know! I even considered unpicking and redoing with some pearl purl of my own, but I have decided against it and to leave it as a salutary reminder that we can be too fussy

[Serinde]

Aiming high is almost never a mistake. How else would we improve?

[fccs]

Aiming high is almost never a mistake. How else would we improve?

This!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Very true. And if this was my Certificate piece, out it would come. I guess my remark about being too fussy just meant that sometimes I need to remind myself I'm stitching for pleasure, and it doesn't always have to be perfect

[Serinde]

Quite so and well said!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Finally managed a bit more chipping. Surprisingly, the gold in the tips has already started tarnishing, even though I've kept the work covered all this time! (The second picture also shows a needle minder I made from a fridge magnet I bought in my home town - it was a fundraiser for the church DH and I got married in, and is made using a 5 cent coin; I managed to find one dating to my birth year )

[Serinde]

It's coming along beautifully.

The needleminder is very cute. When DH and I were married, my Best Woman found shillings minted the years we were born. Still have them, of course.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Finally finished the chipping - just the cutwork (and the making up) to do. I should really have been doing homework, but this was very relaxing

[Steam.Jo]

Well done

I love it

Jo

[Serinde]

Guess relaxation is all relative, eh? This is beautiful -- well done! Can't wait to see it finished.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Well, here it is - it's a bit wonky on the cutwork for reasons I will explain in a FoF later this week, and I haven't actually completed the brooch; it's too big for me to wear, so I only finished the front part of it and will just display it as is.

[Serinde]

Showing the imperfect, but beautiful, is important for non-stitchers who look at what we do. Of course, we strive for "perfection", but our stitching group has found that it's very useful to show half-finished pieces at our exhibitions and also where we have made mistakes because it encourages newbies to understand that (1) we all started at the beginning and (2) even the most accomplished embroiderers get it a bit wonky sometimes. And no one (usually) judges us.

[Mabel Figworthy]

Just that. It's why the AI-generated "embroideries" are so heart-breaking, with aspiring embroiderers saying wistfully "I could never do that". No. No-one could.
Would you be happy for me to include what you said about your group in my FoF?