RSN Crewelwork Course: time for a stitch review

Earlier I wrote about the supplies and equipment that we would be needing for the RSN Certificate Course in Crewelwork. Getting all the things together that I would need was fun and exciting and a good place to begin. I always thought that getting new school supplies made having to go back to school after that long, sweet summer a little less difficult. In this case, gathering together everything I would need just intensified the excitement!However, there is one aspect of the course that I'm going to have to review and prepare for: stitches. Like many of us, I tend to use a small group of stitches over and over. Sometimes I decide to be brave, to try a new stitch or a variation of a stitch and wonder why I don't expand my stitching repertoire more often. It's fun and I do love the satisfaction I feel when I finally understand the new stitch.So when the letter came giving us an overview of the course requirements, I was both nervous and excited about the list of stitches to be included in my final piece. The letter states that we should  choose a good variety of stitches, including most but not all of the following: trellis, long and short, laid work, satin stitch, padded satin stitch, block shading, Van Dyke, Cretan, fly, feather/leaf, whipped wheels, woven wheels, chain, coral, heavy chain, Pekinese, whipped back stitch, whipped stem stitch, buttonhole, raised stem band, french knots, seeding and stem stitch.In this list, I rarely use Van Dyke, Cretan, whipped or woven wheels, heavy chain and raised stem band. How am I going to learn and practice these? A sampler, of course! To help me learn these stitches, I'll be using my library of stitch books but my number one place to go learn will be Mary Corbet's web site, Needle'nThread.  She has so many great videos that not only tell but (more importantly for me) show how to work these stitches.The inspiration for my sampler design came from Tracy Franklin. Her new book Crewel Work includes photographs from samplers in her workshop in Durham. When I was there last fall I was lucky enough to have time to study these. Using basic stitches, she has created sets of stunning squares of stitches, each one a variation of color and texture.There are 24 stitches on the list so I have created a template of 4 x 6 squares. Each area will contain only one shape using one stitch. The entire piece will use a limited color palette. The purpose of this sampler isn't to look beautiful (although I hope it will be nice!) but to do each of the stitches and have a visual record of each one.If you would like to print this for your own use, click here for a pdf of the chart.   RSN Prep SamplerTo download this, you will need the Adobe Reader which is a free program you can find here.Among the books I will be referring to are:Royal School of Needlework Embroidery Techniques (no surprise there!) text by Sally SaundersThe Embroidery Stitch Bible by Betty BarndenEmbroidery Stitches by Barbara SnookThe Embroiderer's Handbook by Margie BauerRSN Crewelwork Essential Stitch Guide by Jacqui McDonaldNow it's time to go draw the grid on the linen twill and get started stitching! After all, the class begins in just under 6 weeks! Yikes!