26 Post Challenge (E)

Wow, this A-Z is really doing the trick; while thinking about the letter E one word popped into my head and has quickly transformed into a new project that I'm super excited about.

E is for Embroidery.

Before the knitting bug hit, I was seriously into cross-stitching and still love using embroidery thread for a fine, detailed effect with really vibrant colour and sheen.

For the longest time I've been working on a series of Oriental rug miniatures. I have a couple already completed and patiently waiting to be framed.

Each of these took about a year to finish and since the pictures don't really give you an appreciation for the number of stitches, here is a peak at the backside. I'm talking thousands and thousands and teeny tiny little x's.


And here is one more in the early stages waiting for some one-on-one time when the weather warms up and I set the knitting aside (occasionally).



But now back to the new project that E has inspired. When my daughter was born someone very special passed along an amazing set of framed, vintage Alice in Wonderland illustrations.
*Sorry about the size. If you double click the image you'll see them in better detail.*



But you'll notice that the oh-so-important White Rabbit is missing. That simply won't do! So I grabbed my copy of this classic and found the perfect black and white illustration right at the beginning. And down the rabbit hole we go.


I remembered some muslin that I had buried in my stash (Oh my gosh - I have stash! How did that happen considering how little I was sewing before this year?) This project seems meant to be!

I'm going to trace a simplified version of the illustration and start split-stitching away. And since I'm working from a black and white line drawing I'm feeling really inspired to let that rainbow of colours lead the way with complete freedom.