A few days to spare

I'm back again with the needlebook saga I'm afraid to tell you.  I'm feeling a bit disappointed with this one as I have not given it the time it deserved.  However, I am really pleased that it is done and I have some of June to spare.  Originally I intended for this to be Jacobean embroidery, but due to several circumstances, I've had to re-phrase and re-think my approach.  I feel I can really only call this 'Just Embroidery', sorry ladies.  I very much wanted to use the William Morris print for the lining, and as you will see, it has very few colours in it.   I found lots of lovely designs, but I really couldn't use them, as in my mind, they just didn't do anything for the overall look of the needlebook.  I was also handicapped by not having a great assortment of shades in my desired colours.  To settle on something, I drew this simple flower/stem/leaf design, and embroidered it using basic stitches, ie stem stitch, padded satin stitch, portuguese stem stitch, fly stitch, seeding.  

I have become used to making these needlebooks by simply placing the outer and lining together, and then binding.  I did use several layers of Shapewell, but the whole feel was still a tad soft for my liking, so I inserted two pieces of template plastic between the pieces, prior to attaching the binding.  Template plastic or overhead projector film always leaves the book feeling much more stable.

One more photo to show how pretty this needlebook is inside and we're done.  I love this print, actually purchasing this piece of fabric to use as a lining for pink wool blanketing...............one day!!!!  I'm quite happy with the navy wool felt, it is a bit darker 'in real life'.  And so ends June's needlebook adventure..........