Adventures in embroidery

I attempted to secure some stone coloured linen-cotton blend for Ethan a while back, but bought a shade lighter than he wanted, due to the crappy artificial store lighting. So I had three metres of this lovely fabric sitting around. Some of it went to make my son's piggy tunic, after which I had some almost rectangular off-cuts.

Being the environmentally conscious crafter I am, I set them aside for future crafting possibilities. And lo and behold - the other day I was taken by the sudden desire to pull out my embroidery threads and embroidery hoop and fiddle. And what more perfect fabric could I have for an impromptu sampler piece?

Once I was done with my freehand design I was casting about, wondering what to do when I hit upon the idea of making a small pocket out of my piece of fabric - again all by hand rather than machine, as my hand-sewing really does need to be better. In the course of sewing my pocket, I decided to make a pillow of rice from the cupboard and lavender (a Christmas present from my MiL) from more scraps - again, entirely by hand.

Upon seeing the result, my partner promptly christened it a "hot pocket", as it's about the size of a pocket in a pair of pants; perfect for travelling with, or for little aches like sore wrists, knees or to fit perfectly in the small of your back. I'm now working on some more!