I went back to the school the next week for my private class with Louise Dawson, a lovely young woman with a certificate from the Royal School. We set it up for the afternoon, so I got to spend the morning with the other stitchers. More coffee, more cake! I asked them if they had cake every week and they said no, but we managed cake both times I was there!
Louise got everything set up for my class while I gobbled a sandwich I’d brought with me, and we got started shortly after lunch. I selected a small goldwork project, and Louise transferred the pattern to a lovely light blue silk, mounted the silk and backing fabric in a hoop, and I was ready to begin.
I’ve taken several goldwork classes before, but I always learn something new with every class I take. I learned how to secure my stitches with a pin stitch, a little differently than pin stitches on canvas. We started with chipped gold for the center of a little flower, then moved on from there.
For such a small project, there were a lot of different threads and techniques involved. Louise got everything assembled for me, since I wouldn’t have time to finish, and we went over everything so I could complete the project on my own when I got home.
Everything was beautifully packaged in these little envelopes, so I could easily see what everything was.
Louise even gave me a lovely beeswax swan! The logo for the Wemyss School of Needlework features a swan. I don’t know if this is included with every class project, but I was so happy to have it!
I learned several different things, including stitches and techniques I can apply to my design work, even without using gold. But I love this little project and hopefully will get it finished before too long, and can share the finished picture with you.
The Wemyss School has an extensive collection of stitched work. Not everything is on display because there isn’t room. But they serve as a repository for stitched pieces. Both Wednesdays while I was there, people brought in stitched work of all kinds that they found in attics and storage chests, and the Wemyss School takes it and saves it. Not everything is wonderful and awe-inspiring, but quite a few pieces were and I enjoyed being able to look at these lovely old stitched pieces.
The school is out of the way, but so well-worth the time to visit. With the public bus system it was very easy to get there, at a time when I wanted to visit, and easy to get back. The next time we visit Edinburgh you can be sure that I will return!