Denman College - Day 2

I was told to expect hard work and lots of fun and I'm delighted to say today has been both.

Up at 7am for breakfast just before 8am - full English! Aces!

Then on to the first session. Having chosen my design and drawn it on to my silk the first task of the day was selecting some coloured embroidery threads for the flowers. For some unknown reason I found this near-on impossible! I do this all the time when cross stitching or doing random embroidery, but this morning my head just would not colour co-ordinate!

Anyway, tutor Hazel got me in gear and then she started by demoing our first type of stitches. Which didn't even need the dratted coloured threads!



This is the very first bit! I stitched down the pearl then did a ring around it with a metallic thread. And I used a different type of metallic thread to do some other curly bits.

As you can guess, I have given up trying to remember all the technical names! It's enough just to figure the stitches and decide how to put them all together!

The jist of it is, it was a long and awesome day. We get TWO tea breaks - morning and afternoon - as well as lunch and dinner. There are several teaching sessions throughout the day and one in the evening after we have eaten, so it is non-stop.

I did have time for a short tour of the college as well today. The house is incredible and as each bedroom is decorated by a different WI federation they are all unique.

All the ladies are great fun - very welcoming and quite mad! We have had a right giggle tonight over one stitch - the bullion knot. You have to go "windy, windy, windy" and then "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle" to do it!

And here is what I have done today.



Rather impressive I think, particularly as this morning I couldn't even choose a few colours! I have done a lot of work on this flower in different threads and techniques, and the border is half done all the way round (if you know what I mean).

And now I have to sleep!