Embroidered Tea Towels

Here are some recent examples of my embroidery. I embroidered two tea towels in the traditional sashiko style for the church bazaar. The average age of the ladies in the handicrafts posse, of which I am a member, is about 70, and as I am the only member who is not retired, they kindly reduced my quota. Even then the leader is every bit an authority to be as obeyed as a CEO. She is a little old lady around 140cm tall, but she was a master at getting monthly progress reports out of me to gage whether I was likely to reach my production goal, and certainly knew how to motivate me to meet my quota. Even though I've always loved handicrafts, it was all I could do to embroider just two tea towels. When I was in college I was sure that I was busy, and that college students had a lot less free time than what older folks assumed, but I still had time for handicrafts. I was certainly busy as a student, but it's not the same as the busy-ness of a working professional, I must admit.

The first one is a stylized shamrock, done as a traditional Celtic design. This complicated design took some time to embroider.

The other is a gnome sitting on a toadstool, grinning as he holds a flower. Whimsical, yes? (Of course that's my tablecloth in the background.)

Thus, my handmade efforts extend beyond cooking. I also do embroidery and other handicrafts. Oh, and by the way, both tea towels sold at the bazaar.