I start this diary to share how embroidery is such an integral part of my day and therefore my life. I tend to have several projects on the go simultaneously. Today, I am working on:
- a small reproduction of a scene from the Bayeux Tapestry (at 50% of the original design), a drawing I developed from David Wilson's book 'The Bayeux Tapestry' printed by Knopf in 1985.
- a very difficult, detailed embroidery in 90 denier Piper's silk of an 18th century leaf form, in bright greens, blues and yellows.
- a wonderfully mechanical cross stitch design of a picture frame taken from Valérie Lejeune's book entitled 'Répertoire des Frises', a collection of motifs garnered from pattern books dating back more than 100 years.

The cross stitch project is challenging by virtue of the fine even weave linen I am using as the ground fabric and a split rayon thread. But as long as I count correctly, this embroidery piece is a restful exercise. Contrary to this work, the 18th century leaf form gives me lots of technical challenges because of the extreme fineness of the thread, the multitude of different shapes to be interpreted and the stitches used i.e. needlepainting, satin stitch. Precision is the order of the day. As for the Bayeux Tapestry project, it has been sitting on my work table for a while. It calls for yet again different embroidery techniques.

All together, the fingers are given great exercise and each project grows just a little more each day. This is very satisfying.