Something new - traditional embroidery

I'm just back from Borders books and somehow managed not to buy anything new,which is most odd! Craft books are my main indulgence, but my shelves are full to the brim and I made a promise not to buy any more until I'd weeded a few out.Might have a bit of a tidy out tomorrow ;-)

I dyed some silk today - gold - not sure about the colour but it's not completely dry - it'll be easier to tell tomorrow in natural light .The zips I was waiting for arrived in the post, so my plan for this week is purses, purses, purses!

But in the meantime here's something I made last week - a ring pillow for a friend's wedding. It was lovely to be involved in making such a personal item, although I was out of my comfort zone, as I've never done much traditional embroidery and the colours needed to be very restrained! It was a challenge , however a rewarding one. The most difficult part was the decision about which font to use for the initials.I'm no good at decisions!

I used photoshop to make the basic design and position the lettering ,then printed it out and transferred the letters using a disappearing marker and a makeshift lightbox ( an anglepoise light shining up through the design to the fabric above)

These disappearing markers are such a brilliant idea ...wish I'd known about them much sooner ! The sewing of course took ages , but I just love stitching away like that . It takes up all your concentration and hours go by but you don't mind at all.

I can't help but find it nerve racking working on commissions , I'm always worried the recipient won't like what I've made, so I was happy on Saturday when this one was handed over and it seemed to be very well received.

Before I go I want to thank every one who's left a comment on my March give away. It means so much to me that you've taken the time to give me feedback. I appreciate each and every comment you've left ! The give away will be drawn at the end of the month so there's plenty more time to join in - I've added a banner to my sidebar to make it easy to find ;-)