Sublime? Just shoot me now...

Yes! That is an embroidered pink skull and crossbones.

Recently, I realized that I don't have a hobby that can be done in front of the tv or while traveling. For some reason all my hobbies tend to require appliances (sewing machine, stove, oven) or can't be done while sitting on the couch (travel, scuba, yoga...).

So, I recently decided to change all that by adding to my textile skills. Knitting and crocheting, alas, are not for me. It's amazing that people can take a string and magically turn it into a sweater. But when I was taught how to knit as a girl, the best I managed was an enormous knot. So, I decided to try hand embroidery instead, and was utterly thrilled when my learners kit arrived from Sublime Stitching before I left for Vegas.

The kit has everything I need for my first project, including an apron to embroider with funny fruits and veggies. I decided to transfer the pattern to the apron before leaving for Vegas - NOT one of my better ideas. Um, er... it didn't go exactly according to plan.

The directions seemed to stress how to correctly transfer the pattern to the apron with your iron. I may have overestimated how much heat and time was involved:

Look at the poor burnt apple: he even looks like he's in pain!

Naturally, the "yummy" is above the burnt apple. Perfect.

Adding insult to injury, it looks like I will also be adding an ironing board cover to my list of projects:


Sigh. I'm not generally the kind of person that gets things right on the first go-round. I'm more the persistence/patience/practice sort. Oh well. Lesson learned: despite the directions, the transfer does not take 20 seconds at cotton/wool setting.

Anyway, I will be finishing the project because it was meant to be practice, and it still will be a good learning experience, even if it isn't exactly as planned. So, today, I will transfer the faces onto the fruits. I guess I'm going to have to re-think the smiley face I was going to use for the apple.