sassy librarian cushion

I picked up this amusing embroidery pattern during my birthday trip to the V&A in January. I'd completely forgotten I had it until it fell out of the pages of one of my sewing books last week and I decided to brave the first embroidery I have done since I was a child.

At my rather traditional primary school, the girls would have needlework lessons whilst the boys played football. We were instructed by a slightly terrifying teacher by the name of Mrs Fillial, who also taught history and country dancing. We would embroider samplers of rows of numerous different embroidery stitches, but would never actually make anything of use nor ornament. Most of the lesson was spent standing in a queue of other girls whose work had become tangled in a knot, waiting for the teacher to rescue it.

But at least something from those lessons had obviously sunk in, because as soon as I got going with this little project, I remembered quite a few different stitches. I did most of the outline in back stitch, her hair in chain stitch, the hairband in stem stitch and the glasses in split stitch. I was especially proud of the french knot I managed for her earring!

I also ad-libbed some extra strands of hair in her fringe and by the time I got onto the book I felt confident enough to add a little bit of fancy decoration.

I absolutely love the finished cushion, it's going to take pride of place in the lounge.


However, I can't help but hear Mrs Fillial's razor sharp voice in my mind- 'it should be as neat on the back as it is on the front'. Mine, I will bashfully confess, is not... but I have to say life is too short to worry about the bits that nobody ever sees!