embroidery love

I took an embroidery class at the end of December.  I've always avoided hand sewing like the plague, mainly because I had no idea what I was doing.  I took the class to learn the easy stuff, how to tie a proper knot, how to finish a stitch and how to make pretty designs in future quilts.  We just made a sampler where we covered the basics:

I loved learning the lazy daisy, twinkle and french knot stitches. The running stitch will be the most practical for hemming, basting or quilting and I think the backstitch will be a good one for sewing secret messages (!) into projects.  

Here's the back of my loom.  A hot mess, right?  I'm not so sure.  I saw an exhibit at a museum a long time ago that showed both the front and the back of a series of paintings.  I found it fascinating to see the artist's marks, the museum marks, and the secret codes that explain the paintings' lineage.  Not that anyone in the future is going to look at the back of my embroidery and immediately recognize it as mine.  I'll be happy if its seen for what it is: a crafty work in progress :-)