Apparently, even a trip to Tesco isn’t safe for the unsuspecting crafter. At least, in a Big Tesco with a Homeware section.

In my defence, though, the embroidery kit was on clearance for about a quid, and you can’t really go wrong for a quid. I keep meaning to have a Proper Go at embroidery. Learn all the stitches and so on.

When we were at the Botanical Gardens back in May, they had an embroidery display of lots of beautiful nature-inspired designs. One of the ladies there reckoned that cross-stitch, which is my normal form of stitching, is the hardest form of embroidery, and if I could do that, then I was good to go with more general embroidery.

I’m not sure I agree with her: cross-stitch uses only the one main stitch (with occasional variations of half or quarter stitches, and maybe some French knots, and back-stitching for outlines and detail), but Embroidery? Gosh there’s a lot of different stitches!

I’ve done a couple of small Hobbycraft embroidery kits before too. As with this Tesco kit, they only really used back-stitch and satin stitch, neither of which are particularly complicated. They also suggested French knots, but I’ve never managed to master those, and usually switch them out for adhesive gems or pearls. One day, maybe, I’ll get the hang of French knots.

This project was not the time for that, though.

The main advantage of embroidery over cross-stitch, at least these simpler designs with uncomplicated stitches, is the speed of completion. Unlike cross-stitch, where you have to concentrate and count and keep looking back at the pattern, but with the embroidery, once you’ve decided on the stitch, you just follow the outlines printed on the fabric. Much less thought involved.

I keep thinking that some of my stamps would make nice embroidery designs. Stamp them on some cotton or linen or something, and then stitch over the outline, as with a normal embroidery design. But I have yet to attempt this idea. One day, perhaps.