Stumpwork progress

I'm half way through the stumpwork course I'm doing with the Embroiderers Guild and although it continues to be a challenge I have learned so much and am really enjoying it. I was attracted to this particular course by the reputation of the tutor Alison Cole and haven't been disappointed - she is an excellent tutor from whom I'm learning so much.

Our latest assignment was to complete a stumpwork flower following our own design and to make it up into an item.

I chose to embroider a viola and make it into a pincushion. Strangely enough, it is the first pincushion I've ever made or owned!

I'm really pleased with my end result and was surprised to see such improvement in my stitching. The three petals and the leaf are detached and wired. The stem and back petals are embroidered onto the fabric.
Our next assignment is to be an insect and the final work is to be our own design, a good size and using the elements we've learned in class. The creative brain is ticking!
A lot of people will wonder how long it takes to embroider something like this and I don't know the answer. My focus at the moment is to advance my stitching to the highest level I possibly can - that takes time. To give you a rough idea, one of these petals could take up to 5 hours :)