Transparent Embroidery
While I was at the Renegade Craft Fair in LA, I got to see my friend Cathy Pitters of Bossa Nova Baby and PDX Supercrafty. Cathy has been doing more and more embroidery, and I was marveling at these delicate and nearly transparent pieces she's creating. As I was looking at them, I realized that no jump stitches were visible. A "jump stitch" or "traveling stitch" is when you exit the fabric (come up through the front) at a new point, and leave the floss trailing on the backside instead of cutting it. But I couldn't see any evidence of jump stitches, so I had to peek at the back:
I was amazed at how carefully she had avoided any traveling stitches and meticulously followed her worked stitches to avoid this. There is much anxiety produced over what the back of needlework looks like, but I'm really unfussy about it. I'd be really embarrassed to show you my backside. Pun intended. See Cathy at work.
Cathy's Etsy Store and her blog, Stitch and Destroy
Related: Underneath it all
Front and Back Embroidered Journal
