- The long and winding road: A kitchen towel stitch sampler

Never let it be said that I read and follow recipes (already well-documented in previous posts). Rather, I prefer to find my own way ... which can lead to some interesting journeys. So it is with Jude Hill's Spirit Cloth 101.

The stitch sampler that I wrote about in the last post took some unexpected turns, taking a cue from Owen Temple's recent song Make Something, in which he urges "show it to your people, don't forget to sign your name."

Fortunately, the water-erasable marker worked as intended:

I took one last look at the back (which probably would have worked as it was),

but in the spirit of Spirit Cloth, I basted a layer of loose-woven muslin to the back ...

Knowing that those long basting stitches on the back would cause some problems for a kitchen towel, I then basted a second layer of muslin (you really have to take the Spirit Cloth 101 class to find out more about how and why) and began quilting. In this photo you can see both the front (to the left) and the back (overturned corner):

As with the stitching, I am quilting some of the sampler with a single thread of floss, and then will add a second thread of floss to the rest of the sampler to see which I prefer.

It's also a great way to practice and get used to the feel of a totally new (to me) form of needlework. Ironically, I'll probably "follow the recipe" in the future by basting the first layer of backing onto the linen before stitching the front. Live and learn.