This too shall pass

With more ideas for embroideries than my small brain and limited time could handle, Saturday brought me a most unpleasant surprise: after carrying my sleeping 3 yr old up the stairs to his bed, I realised that my elbow hurt like. a. bitch.

I couldn't fix my hair. I couldn't brush my teeth or put my makeup on. Yoga and stitching were out of the question. The ghost of my broken elbow from rollerblading in hyde park 16 years ago had come back with the miserable weather to seriously test my patience.

I'm a bit better now, but I'm wearing the sling as I type. The stitching (the mesh made it pretty easy) was done half with my right hand and half with my left*. I have to wear the sling whenever it hurts, and in the future try to avoid balancing 16 kilos on my right arm as I fumble for the keys with my left to open the front door.

I believe there is purpose to be found in all obstacles, so for the time tricky stitching like owls and sailor girls will have to happily wait. I'm very pleased to be off to Kefalonia for easter and I may even leave my needle and thread in Athens...but I dunno...I'm such an embroidery nerd. Here's wishing you a most lovely holiday:)


*I added the fern stitch and the skull later, with my right hand. I had originally sewn a button where the skull was because with a dodgy elbow I found the O totally tedious. This post has been written over two days.

sail away

If you live in Greece then you feel it. Summer is just around the corner. The sun is out and the people are out and so I thought I'd take a break from making owls and do...a sailor girl or two!

I love cameos and for a while I've been toying with the idea of doing a stitched cameo necklace or ring. It was bloody nightmarishly fussy. Itsy bitsy bitchy little stitches, and I thought the owls were hard work. After I finished the first (necklace) I said I wouldn't do another then immediately got started on the ring. Whats wrong with me? Am I a masochist? Thing is, I wasn't very happy with the outcome, and thought, ah she'd look prettier in pink*. But then the ring didn't come out quite as I had envisioned either so I'm already toying with the idea of a third one, in black this time. Sheeeeet.

Anyway I do mean well by the sailor girls. I see all the sailor girls by people such as Angelique Houtkamp (do have a snoop around http://www.salonserpent.com/ so you can see what I mean) and think of boats and islands and summer romance. I think you'll see a lot more sailor and island themed stuff here in the months to come...

*Like the pretty pink sailor girl on Liz's arm. It gives you something to admire while she snips off your hair! If you live in Athens and want a great haircut then go visit http://www.lizbumgarner.com/ now.