We picked up the latest issue of Craft magazine over the weekend and it has a nice article about getting started doing embroidery. I have been wanting to get started on something but so far I can’t imagine what to embroider. I need to know what something will be used for and I have a mistrust of decorative objects that don’t have a purpose. I think my first sewing project will be a little adventure bag for my daughter but I don’t have a working sewing machine yet. Maybe I can embroider a patch that I can incorporate into the bag. I need to think about this. I don’t know why I’m having trouble starting, there are so many things to embroider: sewing cases, dishtowels, a child’s drawing (and here).

I love the Clover embroidery patterns at Superbuzzy though my limited research pointed out that the Clover embroidery tool might make stitches that are a little too delicate and need to be glued on the back. I’m sure I can use the patterns for conventional embroidery, though. There are more fun patterns at Sublime Stitching; they even have gnomes and forest animals. Primrose design has vintage patterns in her store and a whole series of tutorial posts on her weblog she calls Stitch School.

One thing I would love to use as a pattern is a sketch I did a few years ago as a plan for my vegetable garden beds. I have a scrap of linen fabric (just under a yard) I bought at JoAnne’s for half-price, I have hoops, I have floss. I have ideas, too.