Oops, I picked up a new hobby: Embroidery

Saturday night was Hand Embroidery - the last of my 3 classes I signed up for at The Stitch Lab (that I can't stop raving about).

I'd love to take MORE classes, because there is something about it that's so relaxing.  But now that I've picked up two new hobbies - crochet and embroidery - I'm thinking maybe I should just play with these for awhile!

The class was great fun.  I felt even more relaxed.  Maybe I've broken through my "performing in front of a (tiny) crowd" nervousness. But also, embroidery felt less complex than crochet - no "learning" to get your hands comfortable with holding things just so and wrist motions.  My biggest trauma - threading needles.

Like the crochet classes I was lucky to once again have a fabulous teacher - this time Rachel Hobson who blogs at Average Jane Crafter.  If you want to see more of what The Stitch Lab looks like (hint, it's a super cute, fun, tricked out house), check out this fun post on Rachel's blog.

Rachel is totally nuts about embroidery and all things crafting. She had laid out on the table tons of inspiring books and completed projects and materials and tools for us to feast our eyes on. She took us through the basics, and then we started working on a little sampler piece, learning new stitches as we went.  She encouraged us not to worry about perfection and that the more we practice the better we get.  Words I always need to hear.

One of the fun things about the Stitch Lab, is that it is also a shop where you can buy some seriously fashionable fabrics and crafting supplies (not your run of the mill selection).  There was a whole display of Sublime Stitching supplies, so I also ended up walking away with two sets of iron on transfers - Scooter Babe and Under the Sea.

Sublime Stitching is the brainchild of Jenny Hart, a fellow austinite and stitcher extraordinaire.  It was stumbling across her book, Embroidered Effects, that first inspired me to take the class.  And now that I feel comfy with the beginner stuff I want to try more.

I'm already pondering my first embroidery project, thinking I might want to make a pillow with the Scooter Babe transfers.