more stitches for my left-handed stitch dictionary

Today I have had the pleasure of resuming work on my left-handed embroidery book. After a long run of bad health, things have improved so much that I feel well enough to work again. It’s quite exciting as I have been lamenting for some time that nothing has been happening with my book.

I spent the day writing the instructions and drawing the diagrams for Antwerp edging stitch. It was quite fun, and I really like it as a stitch. It makes a lovely knotted edging. I also had a look at Armenian edging stitch, but wasn’t happy with how it was forming. There has to be some trick with the needle that I am missing, because at the moment it seems very awkward and time-consuming. I’ll have to experiment a bit further.

Some time ago I consulted embroidery teacher extraordinaire, Carolyn Pearce, who has an amazingly large repertoire of stitches that she regularly employs in her embroidery designs, about her suggestions for stitches that I should include in my book. She gave me a huge long list, many of which I was relieved to find were already on my own list (meaning I didn’t have to add them!), but also with a good selection of stitches that I hadn’t thought to include.

Carolyn, who is a right-hander, is very sympathetic to the plight of left-handed embroiderers in her classes. She told me, “I have taught myself how to stitch like a left-hander… in order to help them. That way I can tell when a stitch will feel awkward when executed in a right-hand fashion. Years ago I was at a class where 3 were left handers – the tutor couldn’t help them – just left them to their own devices. I realized that this just was not good enough!”

Thanks to Carolyn for her assistance with the book. I truly appreciate it.

If you have any suggestions for stitches that you would like to see included in my left-handed stitch dictionary, please leave your suggestion in the comments section. I’m still accepting suggestions, and will be for some time yet.