For Stitches' Sake

Today I've been taking my time with some hand stitching, creating a beginner's stitch sampler for a basic hand sewing post later this week.

Much to my suprise, I actually enjoyed this little bit of hand sewing! Concentrating for just a few minutes on each different stitch caused me to slow down and pay attention to the interaction between needle, fabric, and thread.

The Basic Stitches sampler will post in the next few days. I know most of you dear readers already know how to sew, but the more I teach the more I find people who don't know much about hand stitching. It might be a great refresher course if you haven't picked up a hand needle in many years!

This bit of stitching also made me excited to start my next hand sewing project. A great beginning for any hand sewer and a historic "first" for many young girls learning to sew in the early 20th Century.

And speaking of hand sewing, it seems ironic that this used to be the first steps in learning to sew; mastering hand stitches first, then moving on to using a machine. These days it seem the other way around. So how about you? If you sew, which did you learn first, hand sewing or machine stitching?