This picture - a rare, still moment of my girl over four years ago - was traced over, then photocopied on to paper using a laser printer. This contains carbon, which you need to produce the Print Gocco screen.
As you'll notice, this Sophie's pointing in the other direction to the original photo. I must have had the screen upside down when I did this one! Yesterday, to get the outline for my machine embroidery, I stuck this to the window...
... then traced it on to a piece of recycled white linen (thanks for your old trousers mum!)...
... made an outline in black then slowly, but surely, worked the sewing machine to embroider the detail. Much of this was done by winding the machine on by hand, as some of the details were so small. I wondered whether it would have been quicker to just sew the whole thing by hand, but I've been wanting to do something like this on my sewing machine (Bernina Activa 220) for a long time. I then sewed on the bias - very wonky, but lovingly handmade.
I stuck it up on Sophie's wall, but I don't consider it finished yet. I would like to keep going with a cushion top perhaps, or something else. I had to stop yesterday to do the school run (or walk, as we do!), so it was a swift tidy up. It was such a lovely afternoon though - some self-imposed creativity to have a break from the list of 100 million things to do!
PS Walking in to Sophie's room this morning, I found this piece upside down - she knows it's not facing the right way, but hasn't worked out the image is reversed rather facing up rather than down... I will have to explain it when she gets home!