Many people discovered hand crafts during the Covid lockdowns of 2020. Other embroiderers, like me, taught online as well as taking up new skills. Initially I enrolled in an online course on bookbinding: an introduction to making contemporary books with photographs. In opening a door to a new world of fine binding and designer bookbinders, I discovered the local bookbinding guild offered workshops for basic binding. Over the last few years, I found a new home amongst a group of stimulating makers.

My intention in joining the bookbinders’ guild was not to embroider covers, but to understand the making of books. However, one of the early classes I took, was making bookcloth, the basic fabric on cloth covered books. Preparing an assortment of flatweave fabrics to use, gave me confidence to begin embroidering cloth specifically for covers.

I continue taking book making and book binding classes to learn various techniques. having a new medium to express ideas has been refreshing.

Learning to finely stitch text has also been a new venture which holds much potential. While I have stitched text for many years I had never bothered to see how to really improve the readability of my stitching. It does not take as long as I had imagined.