Seahorse Embroidered Napkin

I'm still plodding along with unfinished projects, and thankfully I have had less mistakes and muck-ups this week (although the chilly weather is making for slow handwork).

This simple embroidered napkin had been partially embroidered in purple floss, but I never recorded the colour number (a suprising mistake for me; since I know what I am like, and how prone I am to put a project down and come back to it months later). 

I wasn't happy with the stitching anyway, so I unpicked it and started again in this deep red floss.

The piece is worked in a hoop, and I used DMC cotton floss in split and double running stitches. 

I added a running stitch around the border of this thrifted napkin.

The sea-horse design is part of my personal heraldry.

It probably seems like I have oodles of these napkins (and I do have quite a few) but they are extremely handy at tournaments for covering plates of food to keep the flies and wasps away, as well as for wiping hands and covering up my camera and other mundanities.

I plan to add some decorative weights such as beads to the corners of some in the future so that they are more useful as dish covers on windy days (in the same vein as my chalice cover project shown here: Broider Me 'Bethan: March 2018 (broidermebethan.blogspot.com) ).

Embroidery Challenge Piece

I recently had the opportunity to present my embroidery challenge piece and it was well received. I thrifted a linen napkin with (what looks like) crochet edging, and used running stitch in silk to embroider a heraldic sea horse. I also added a running stitch around the edge of the napkin.

The theme of the challenge was 'Animals and/or heraldic". I originally planned to do a more elaborately embroidered partlet for the challenge, but this last year has been hectic, so that plan did not come together.

Heraldic Embroidered Napkins

I made these napkins some time ago as a gift for a friend. They are embroidered with her heraldic animal in split stitch. There is a line of running stitch around the edge of each napkin. I find cloth napkins to be really useful, especially for covering plates of food at events.

Heraldic Seahorse Napkin

I got the opportunity to take part in a couple of excellent online classes yesterday, and was able to practice my double running stitch. I finished embroidering my device on a napkin during the classes.

Split stitch napkin

I've been really sick, and still struggling to get on with my work. I managed to finish another split stitch napkin. I added a running stitch around the hem as a little 'extra'.

Noble Pilgrimage- Franchise Project

As part of the Franchise (possession of noble bearing) aspect of my personal Pilgrimage challenge, I am working on improving the look of my garb and accoutrements. My feasting gear is a bit of a hodge-podge of thrift shop finds, mainly because my funds are very limited and also because I tend to be a little rough on my feasting gear and I only trust robust wood and metal items to stay in one piece!

I felt that it would be good to make some more embroidered cloths and napkins. I do have a few, and they are so handy for keeping flies off the food at outdoor events as well as using as a napkin. I would like to complete a few more (in varying styles and colours) before the Pilgrimage ends. I have just completed the first one, a cotton napkin embroidered with my heraldic device in split and double running stitches.