SBQ for this week

I thought I'd leave this with you while I'm gone to ASG over the weekend. I promise to return next week with at least some sort of report and some pictures. I thought it was an interesting question, but I'm not sure my answer is all that interesting.

This week's SBQ was suggested by Ternezia (ok, this may actually have been last week's question but hey, I'm trying to catch up.)
(http://loreleicrafts.wordpress.com/) and is:

What for you means to achieve mastery as a stitcher?

I used to think it would be to becoming proficient in a certain number of stitches. Then I learned a lot of stitches and found out there were things like pulled thread work, drawn thread work, blackwork, goldwork, Hardanger and other such wonderful things. So then I thought it would be learning how to do all those things and mastering them. Well, I've taken classes in each of these types of stitching and I'm not sure I've achieved mastery as a stitcher. I think that there are some stitches and some forms of stitching that I do pretty well. Not to mention some I actually like to do, even though others cringe at the thought of that particular stitch. (And here I'm thinking about a certain person and a certain stitch that will remain nameless...Judy...) I also thing to be thought of as mastering stitching you'd have to at least once design something that you stitch. Part of mastering is the ability to take what you know and put it in practice. In a way I have done this when I participated with my DFs Jill, Judy & Heather in a round robin several years ago. (You can see all four of the pieces here.) So, I guess in a way I don't think I'll ever achieve mastery. I think what I've managed to do, and what I'm currently satisfied with, is mastering those areas of stitching which I enjoy.

See I knew that was going to be convoluted and probably not make sense.