Work in Progress: Tiramisu

My current focus WIP (not that I don't have plenty of UFO's!) is Tiramisu.

Designed by Dakota Rogers, it is an EGA group correspondence course that starts out as a series of exercises in color and design theory. This background allows each student to stitch the second part of the course, a blackwork sampler, in colors of their own choice. The design theory helps to ensure the entire piece is balanced.

I am not using much of the color theory, having chosen shades of blue, as Dakota did, to stitch my sampler. The design theory is coming into play somewhat though, because I'm only using 4 values of blue instead of the original 5. I've found I needed to rearrange the color values a bit to keep the sampler balanced.

Blackwork (or spanish stitch, as Dakota calls it), is commonly reversible. One of the primary stitches used in reversible blackwork is the double-running stitch. The best online instructions I've seen for double-running are from the Blackwork Embroidery Archives. This site is also worth exploring for lots of freebie blackwork patterns. All you need is some countable fabric, some contrasting thread, a needle, and a little bit of patience! And if you don't want to use double-running, feel free to use backstitch - though this can cause shadows if you're using dark thread on light fabric - or running backstitch - which doesn't cause shadows, but isn't reversible (if you care!).

What should I talk about tomorrow? Does anyone have a suggestion?