Over the Easter weekend I have made an effort to work the two samples I need for the Workshop I have to give later this month. I was hopeful this is the last of my preparation, following the printing of notes and linens earlier this month.
The samples are about 2" square. While they are not overly ambitious, they each require 5 or so different stitches and the use of Au Ver a Soie Perlee thread - quite a bit to get used to.
I worked in a seated hoop stand. I needed both hands to maintain tension, as well as protecting my wrist.
I used the smallest piece of linen I had printed for the first one - figuring better for me to use than a student. I stitched it to a piece of old sheet to fit it into the hoop.
It was relatively straightforward until I came to the open chain border, which was very awkward to manage in the hoop, so I ended up taking it out and working it in hand.
The green section is a feather stitch, the beige ones and the pink flower are buttonhole stitch (one close together, one further apart). The red flower and the yellow centre are eyelets, the purple corner is woven and there are three varieties of chain stitch.
It's a bit rough. I needed magnification. The silk is lovely to work with and largely holds its twist.
The second sample was in most ways simpler. The leaves and dark berries are buttonhole stitch and the red flowers eyelets. There are three versions of chain stitch.
The photo here shows my waste knots and the simple chain stitch border before embellishment.
The embellishment proved a bit tricky. The stitch chart lists it as chainette surjetee. The diagram suggests a series of loops under each chain stitch without anchorage. Searches in Jacqueline Enthoven's The Stitches of Creative Embroidery produced no likely stitch. In the end, I came up with a version which gives the side loops indicated in chainette surjetee and is held in place by weaving under and over each individual chain.
It will be interesting to see what the Certificate Course students come up with.
I'm a bit concerned I may not have provided enough thread of any one colour for students, especially for the daisy flower in the first sample above. I intend, however, to give them the option of cutting another length from the spare reels I have. The colour choice isn't great, but this is expensive thread, and we are, after all, learning about it.
I did enjoy this second sample, perhaps because of the colours I was using. perhaps because the border, however puzzling, was neater and easier than the open chain of the first.
I'm no expert in this area, and I'm looking forward to learning more from the workshop as we figure it out together.
The linen on which it was printed was a little wider than A4, so once again, I turned it into a zippered bag. The last one worked very well.
The cutting out, finding lining, constructing bag and strap all went well. I bombed, however, putting in the strap, forgetting that, with a zip, it needed to go on the outside of the bag! 
Once I had unpicked the (very secure) attachment and resecured on the outside, all was well.
