It’s been a while since I’ve been able to spend some time on the ‘smalls’ from the Carolyn Pearce Home Sweet Home workbox, which I am making from her book. The piece I am working on at the moment is the tiny little emery block.
Emery powder has been used for centuries to clean tarnished needles. If your needle is starting to feel ‘sticky’, it could probably do with being cleaned using emery powder. The traditional shape for a holder of the powder is that of a strawberry. I used to have one of those even when I was very small – I’m not sure I even knew what it was for, but I liked poking my needles in and out of the strawberry anyway!
This emery block takes very little time to embroider, as it measures just over an inch by an inch and a half, by 3/8 inches deep. This is the reverse side:
I was quite happy with how the flowers turned out, but I think that my bee looks more like a vine weevil with wings, to me! I think the metallic thread that I chose, in a gunmetal grey, wasn’t quite right. But I do like the way that the stitches are quite raised when completed, so it’s an interesting piece to look at. You can see this clearly if you look at the embroidery sideways on:
Now I need to work out how to assemble the emery block. I don’t really like the suggested assembly instructions in the book, so I need to work out my own way of doing it.
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Janet Granger's Blog 
Very nice! Maybe you can give the ‘vine weevil’ some yellow stripes, it will look a bit more friendly and beelike. My friend Mieke and I will start the Home Sweet Home very soon, we allso start with the smalls to get used to the techniques. We follow your blog with much interest!
Love, Anne
I love your bee and its wings. First thing I looked at.
I’m so grateful that you are working on Home Sweet Home! I have amassed my fabrics and threads and want to start this year. Your posts will greatly inspire and assist me!
I’m thrilled you’re working on this emery block! I’ve got one half done but it’s been sitting on the table for two weeks now while I struggle to work out how to put it together. I’ve somehow gotten myself quite stuck. Hoping that I can follow your lead.
I don’t think the instructions in the book make much sense, so I’m going to try today to work out another way of putting it together….so I’ll be blogging about that soon!