Happy Valentines here's to my new love.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

I hope you have the day that you want. Personally, I am very happy as I have a new love, a new skill!

There are amazing freehand embroidery artists on Instagram,you cannot help but be inspired by their work. Probably the one that I love the most is @amandastinton I am smitten with her bees.

I only had one resolution this year and that was to try my hand at a little freehand embroidery myself. I wasn't sure if I would like it, I wasn't sure I would want to do lots of it but I did want to try it at some point.

At the end of January I signed up to take part in #2018sve a secret valentine exchange. The idea was somebody made something for you and you made something for somebody else. Each participant filled in a questionnaire and that information was passed on. I was going to make for a nice lady called Melanie who lived in Norfolk. I didn't get much from her answers but her Instagram kind of gave me the idea that she might like hares and I started looking at hare quilt designs. However the more I thought about it the more I became convinced it would be a good time to try out some free hand embroidery. I had plenty of time - if it was a mess I could still make something else.

I am really, really glad that I had a go. I absolutely loved making him it was so therapeutic. I wouldn't say that I did it exactly as I was supposed to ( that is the joys of self taught) and I had a stressful half an hour unpicking the paper pattern from my stitching. When it was complete I was so proud of my first piece, although I do think he looks a bit like a grumpy rabbit from water-ship down, he is made completely from scraps which is always a bonus and my family have commissioned one for our house as they didn't want me to let him go. Anyway I sent him out into the world and he is loved so all in all a very satisfying Valentine make!

Did you join in #2018sve? what did you make?

Till next time Happy stitching

Arianwen x