A butterfly playing with Caterpillars

I have to say that, as I mentioned before, I wonder about Pinterest and some of the controversy over people grabbing images without any comment or link to the original, but recently I am really enjoying and appreciating other people’s collections of images which relate to particular interests.

This can be time consuming, also daunting at times to see the amazing work produced. It makes me even more aware than usual that the butterfly approach does not lead  to a thorough mastery of any particular skill. However, the other side of me enjoys the thrill of trying something new, even if it is a one off; although I like to think that in some way it all works towards the whole process. I am pleased to still enjoy the excitement of following the new and feeling carried along with it for a time.

So on PinInterest I recently saw a link to  Canberra Craft Bookbinder's Guild    where there is a detailed tutorial on how to work the Caterpillar Stitch.

I tried it out on a piece of card.
 In the past I turned to the instructions in Keith Smith’s book and was determined to master it.I gave up in desperation with all the arrows going everywhere. I really think there is room for someone to offer similar detailed instructions but just to try and make them less complicated to follow. Or is it just me?

If you want to try the stitch follow the link and also take a look at this excellent video on You Tube.

It really is quite simple when you get the knack of completing the first few stitches.  I have not so far tried a curved stitch, but will do at some point.Thinking about it, I should try it on fabric.

I found some illustrations in an old book for the inside of the front and back cover.