Happy New Year 2025

2024 was a good year, although not for this blog, I di not manage a single post, not even my Happy New Year post. Before writing the post for the current year, I like to read what I wrote in the previous one. I had to go back to 1 January 2023. It all seems a very long time ago ! I finished by saying “Bring it on 2023, I am excited to see what you have for me!” I did not plan to review 2023 in this post but I think a few things are worth at least a mention. I finished Kusadama! I attended Teacher Class and became and accredited Japanese Embroidery Tutor. I joined Jane as a teaching assistant for her classes in Lancaster and have a small but growing number of students learning Japanese Bead Embroidery. A planned trip to the Netherlands on the Harley were rapidly revised when I tripped and broke my elbow two days before we travelled. Fortunately, my husband was able to change bookings from the bike to the car and arrange a vehicular pass for the city or Ghent where we had booked overnight accommodation for one leg of the journey. And we fulfilled a fifty year dream to visit Egypt. Ever since seeing the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition in London, I have wanted to visit the Land of the Pharaohs. We did a twelve day tour taking in upper and lower Egypt and not only did the trip not disappoint, it exceeding my expectation. It is difficult to select highlights from a trip that brought something new and sensational every day but one standout moment was something that I did not think was going to happen. We had hoped that The Grand Egyptian Museum would open in time for our visit. It didn’t. I thought that this meant we would not see the Treasures of Tutankhamun. Although I had seen them all those years before, I did not remember seeing the funerary mask, and hoped that I would get to see it again. Much to my delight, it was still on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and by good fortune, at the moment I stood before it, everyone else moved away leaving me alone with this iconic symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization for several minutes.

Family and Friends

2024 was a fabulous year for family. Two of my nephews got married. Two very different occasions, both perfect, and both my favourite moments of a great year. Looking ahead we will be travelling to the Netherlands to be with my sister-in-law and her husband when they celebrate another mile stone in their relationship. I have another wedding to look forward to, this one of a friend. Wendy is the sister of someone I was dating many years ago. Our friendship lasted way beyond the relationship but somehow we lost touch somewhere along the line. One day, I received a PM through social media and we picked up where we left of, as good friends do. I am thrilled to be invited to her wedding in the Summer.

Work

The past two years at work were not what I expected! Somewhat bored and unfulfilled, I was considering retiring. A new boss reignited my passion for the company and our product and encouraged me to take on a challenging new role. As he put more and more trust in me, my confidence and enthusiasm for the role grew. Unfortunately, he has decided to move on to new projects and I am feeling uncertain about progressing without his support and encouragement. What will this year bring … I will have to wait and see!

Embroidery

If there was a downside to my renewed enthusiasm for work, it is that it impacted on my embroidery time. I put a lot of energy into my work and worked a lot of extra hours. That said, my embroidery was not neglected.

However, as often is the case, when I reviewed what I HAVE done over the last two years, I was surprised to see just how much there is. Most of them are not (yet) recorded on the blog. I add those to my growing list of things to add to the blog!

In no particular order
The Elizabethan Valentine by Katie Strachan
Ringo, a raised embroidery beetle based on a design by Arlene White
Fanciful Story by Rachael Kinnison
Topaz, based on Topaz by Alfons Mucha
Cherry Fall, playing with beads.
Deep Dive into Stumpwork by Well Embroidered (Sara Rickards)
Phoenix and Pine (briefly, and I really would like to get back to this)
Spooling Around, a 6 x 6 canvas for the Textiles in Oxford Showcase
Summer Hydrangea, JEC Phase XI
Orchid Broach, a raised embroidery orchid based on a design by Jenny Adin-Christie (with kind permission)

My current sewing room project is the Summer Hydrangea.
My current sofa project is Black and White + 1, a piece based on White Blossoms by the JEC reimagined as a 6 x 6 canvas for the Textiles in Oxford Showcase, 2025
My next course will be A Garden in Gutter Lane by Cynthia Jackson. I am very excited about this course 😊

I have continued to assist Jane with her Japanese embroidery classes in Lancaster and we have a small, but growing, number of students learning Japanese bead embroidery. Starting in January I will be teaching Japanese embroidery and bead embroidery in Oxford, assisted by Jane. I am very grateful to Jane for her support and guidance in setting up this first class and I am very excited for this new venture to begin.

So, bring it on 2025, I am excited to see what you have for me!

Happy Stitching!