Stitching the Wheel

Planning to Paint

2011-12-11T20:25:00.000-08:00

I ordered some arty crafty supplies from DickBlick.com. I plan to do some painting, pastels and playing with clay. I even ordered a table-top easel! The only problem is that it's too cold to work in the garage right now. I might leave the really messy stuff for spring. :)

Lifelines Poetry Anthology Released Today!

2011-11-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

Lifelines poetry anthology by the Poetic Muselings, published by Inkspotter Publishing is available today on Amazon.com. The poets are Michele M. Graf, Margaret Fieland, Anne Westlund, Mary W. Jensen, Lin Neiswender and Kristen Howe. The cover collage is by Lin Neiswender.

http://tinyurl.com/dy2z6wo

Finished Mandala!

2011-11-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

I finally finished it! Urban Threads design. Tons and tons of French knots!

Mandala Update

2011-11-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

I've started on the purple French knots in the center. Here is the latest photo of the Mandala.

You can see how raised the French knots are in the second picture.

Mandala Progress

2011-10-10T19:55:00.000-07:00

This project is for Buddhism class. The French knots represent my attachments and the mandala is a meditative device. French knots are a bear, so I won't be filling the whole thing in. I started on the outer circle today, in blue. Here's the progress of my French knot mandala, so far.

New Testament Apron

2011-05-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

I finished the apron!

Maiden Monarch Fairy Queen

2011-05-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is what I worked on this week. It took four days and about 13 hours worth of stitching. I made a few mistakes, but I think it turned out great! This is a free Urban Threads design for an Urban Threads contest. The idea is to take their original design and use a different set of colors. I used a piece of fabric from Joann's. I was really intimidated by this design, the hair especially. I can't believe I finished it! The contest deadline was supposed to be tomorrow, but they extended it to the end of the month.

Finished Floursack Towel

2011-05-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

Finally finished the Mushroom House for a Stitch-a-Long that started in January. All Doodle Stitching designs.

More Jean Jacket Progress

2011-05-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

I rinsed the Transfer-eze off my jacket yesterday. I'd been working on it for a few months so I have a lot of pictures. Design credit posted below each picture.

Peacock Feathers, Doodle-Stitching design.

Cat, Urban Threads design.

French Knot Swirly, Doodle-Stitching design.

French Knot Leaf, design my my friend Heidi.

Constellations, Doodle-Stitching designs, heart designed by my friend Lotus.

Triple Moon, Urban Threads design.

Creativity, design by my friend Lotus.

Peace Dove

2011-04-19T00:42:00.000-07:00

Craft project for the Gospel of John, New Testament class. Last homework for the class!

Madonna and Child

2011-03-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not real happy with the way this turned out, especially the eyes. With a limited color palette I had to make some hard decisions. I'm only using lavender, white, black and purple DMC floss on this apron. My brother said it looks like a Russian Icon, so that cheered me up a bit. This is for the craft part of my Gospel of Luke homework for New Testament class. I started a Peace Dove design today for the top part of the apron. Design by Urban Threads. Apron Rit-dyed purple. Hand-embroidered.

Butterfly Notebook

2011-03-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Notebook close-up.

Butterfly Notebook, birthday present for Janet. Made using Iris-folding pattern from Circle of Crafters/Iris-folding.

More Jacket Designs

2011-03-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

Here are two more designs on my jean jacket. The first is a mermaid because that's one of my nicknames. Mermaid design by Aimee Ray. The second is Art Nouveau flowers, the flowers are light blue, but it's hard to tell in the picture. Flower design found on the internet.

Cross & Flowers

2011-02-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

This cross is part of my New Testament class homework. It is embroidered on the pocket of an apron that's been dyed with purple Rit dye. Urban Threads design.

And some Valentine's Day carnations!

Finished Projects - January '11

2011-01-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Leafy Earth on jean jacket. I used leftover green embroidery floss and new blue floss. Design by Urban Threads.

Star of David embroidered on purple Rit-dyed apron. To represent the "Jewish Gospel", Matthew. Design from Dover's Holidays and Special Occasions Iron-on Transfers by Charlene Tarbox.

What I've Been Up To

2011-01-08T15:05:00.000-08:00

I moved around the beginning of December. I didn't give up on creating. Here are some pics of what I've been up to.

Embroidered Jacket - Paisley

2010-12-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here is the paisley piece that gave me so much grief when I started it. It has white metallic thread which I started to use with 6 strands, but it got all tangly and was very difficult to work with so I went down to one thread, which is doable. The other floss is a light aqua color. The design is from a blog called Pintangle. It turned out better than I thought it would.

Embroidered Jacket - Flower Mandalas

2010-11-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here are two designs I stitched up. They are from a design I found on the internet.

Embroidered Jacket - Progress

2010-11-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some more designs on my jacket. The bunny is an Urban Threads design, the Octopus and Crow are Doodle Stitching designs.

Embroidered Jacket - The Start

2010-11-08T08:48:00.000-08:00

I'm going to embellish this jacket. I've already got a few small motifs from trying out transfer techniques and I just finished the moon phases on the waist. Moon phase design from Aimee Ray's Motif Collection book.

Stonehenge

2010-11-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

I made a Stonehenge model for the craft part of my project for Religion in Prehistory. I attend an online seminary school. I have to finish a poem (the writing part of my project) and finish typing up my process notes. Then I send the pictures, the poem and the process notes to my teacher. I'll just post all the photos of the model here. When I tried to peel off the aluminum foil a lot of the stones fell of or down, so it became a ruin. :) I glued some of the stones back up. Made of most of a box of original white Sculpy clay. I had to condition the clay a lot to get it to a workable state. Thank goodness I have a pasta machine to help me with that. I'm not going to paint it. To be honest I don't know what to do with it. Kinda fun having a sacred site on my kitchen table though!

One for me, one for you

2010-11-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

A successful experiment using Sulky Soft & Sheer stabilizer for stretch fabrics. Design from Aimee Ray's "The Motif Collection". That's me wearing the hot pink tee, Rit-dyed. I used white DMC floss, all six strands.

Wedding photo printed out with peach tone from PhotoImpression program, pale yellow acrylic painted wood plaque, stickers, gold glitter, matte Mod Podge. Forgot to spray photo with hairspray, turned out OK anyway. Christmas gift for Mom.

On Quitting Projects

2010-11-02T16:20:00.000-07:00

I quit two projects yesterday that I was never gonna finish. One, a green tote bag for my Mom, an embroidery project. I used too complicated of a design on both the front and back and that tote bag canvas is so hard to work with. Also the iron-on design was too light for the detail involved. Maybe someone will pick it up at the thrift store and finish it. The other was a beading project on my loom. It was too wide and too hard to do. I just cut it off and chucked it. It had been sitting for about six months. Next time I'll do a narrower pattern, although I don't plan on beading on the bead loom for awhile. Sometimes you just have to give up on stuff! I feel better since I did that.

INSPIRATION Art Journal Pages

2010-10-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here are my INSPIRATION art journal pages I did in response to a prompt in the art journal group on CCS.

Punchneedle or not...

2010-10-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

I bought a punchneedle kit and supplies last Christmas. I made some progress on the kit, but not a lot. I decided to do my own experiment on denim to see if I could get a rhythm going. I got a little better at it, but I made really slow progress. So slow that I decided not to do punchneedle anymore. I will give the supplies and kit to one of my friends, if they want it. Some of you might have better luck with it. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I've been looking at counted cross stitch kits. Uh-oh!

LOVE art journal pages

2010-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

I made my first art journal pages this week. They are two sides of the same piece of paper. Eventually, if I keep at it, I'll bind them together to make an art journal. Inspired by my friends on CoachCreativeSpace! The theme for these is LOVE.

The second pic includes one of my poems.

More Good Stuff!

2010-10-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Set of fall napkins for my mom. Free embroidery design by Carina Envoldsen-Harris found on Flikr. Just finished yesterday.

Framed Halloween pumpkin:

And some pretty flowers:

Fall Images

2010-10-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Halloween - Stitching the Wheel - Work in Progress

2010-10-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

OK, 3 blogs in one day is outrageous, I know! I've been under a lot of stress this weekend and so have been stitching a lot. Plus I like to take breaks between doing homework by embroidering. It takes longer, but I retain my sanity. 5 homework posts due yesterday. 5. Aaaaack! Here is the future Halloween decoration for my house. I'm slightly farther along than this. You can see the Transfer-eze stuck to the fabric. Design by Urban Threads.

Fall Failures and Successes: Fall Triple Moon

2010-10-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried the Goddess design, upper left on the paper (previous blog post) on an organza bag, but the bag was too small and ripped, so that didn't work out very well. I had to toss the whole thing. :(

I used Transfer-eze to transfer the small triple moon design onto orange printed fabric. That turned out nicely. I think I'll frame it! :) That was also part of the Fall/Halloween art challenge on Creative Souls, a NING website. Here is the triple moon design. It is only about three inches long.

Transfer-eze! I love this stuff!

2010-10-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

First thing I printed out some Urban Threads designs and cut them out and stuck them to another piece of copy paper. Then I scanned those images. Then I printed them out on the rough side of the Transfer-eze with my laser printer which I figured was less likely to bleed (toner rather than ink). I used many images because this stuff is $15 for 10 sheets, plus shipping. Just Google Transfer-eze to find quilt shops to order from. I ordered mine from Original Creations, in Texas, fast shipping.

Here's a picture of the cut-out's on the left and the Transfer-eze on the right. I paid for all these designs at Urban Threads, they are $1 each for hand embroidery designs unless there's a sale. They are PDF files.

As you can see I already cut out the kitty face design. Then you peel the printed side from the blank paper side. The printed side sticks to the surface of the fabric as you can see here:

Then you just embroider! There is a little sticky filminess, but that is nothing compared to being able to transfer designs onto any color fabric. Here is the kitty embroidered. I chose gray which doesn't show up ver well.

Then you soak the fabric in cold water for 15 minutes to a half an hour. Still experimenting with the time frame.

Then I let it the fabric dry overnight. This is the result, a gray kitty face on my jean jacket:

So easy!

Love Towel - Finished!

2010-10-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished towel for Kari. I used four colors of embroidery floss, 2 pinks and 2 purples. I think it turned out nicely. The small embroidered charm is on the far corner of the towel. Kari really liked it. :)

Decoupage Baby Picture - finished!

2010-09-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

I used 9 coats of glossy Mod Podge on this one. Plus glitter. I think it turned out well.

Birthday Decoupage Project for my brother, Chris

2010-09-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

I'm going to decoupage a wood circle with a picture of my brother as a baby for his 50th birthday. Today I scanned the photo, printed it out on my inkjet printer, ripped it out and sprayed it with hairspray so I can decoupage it onto the wood. I painted the wood with red acrylics with a little white mixed in. I'm gonna wait until tomorrow to start decoupaging. I only have gloss Mod Podge left so will use that. I think it will be awfully plain so I'd like to use either silver stars (like the kind you got as a kid in school) or silver glitter on it. I'll have to ask Mom if she has any of those star stickers. What do you think? Should I leave it plain or what? Here is the picture of the original photo, from about 1963 and the one I printed:

Here is the painted wood circle:

Red and Black Throw

2010-09-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the granny square afghan/throw I'm making. I'm going with the big stripes so I don't have so many ends to weave in (in the back). This is just plain acrylic yarn in black and red. It's to go with my furniture. You can see some of the ottoman under the throw. I'm pretty slow at crocheting, so this is only the third throw I've made. I will probably have to get more yarn too. :( My other projects are on the back burner for now.

Parable of the Talents - 1st Set - Progress

2010-09-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

All I did here was put the backs on the 1st set of bookmarks for my Parable of the Talents bookmarks. I still have to make the rest, then sign the backs and laminate them. Tonight I restarted a crochet project. I'm making an afghan for my house in black and dark red acrylic yarn. I'm making a giant granny square. Well, it's just a little granny square right now! Pictures of afghan project posted later.

Super Secret Embroidery Projects

2010-09-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

I started embroidering floursack towels for some CoachCreativeSpace friends. I can't post pictures of them until they are finished and in the hands of their owners. I can post the progress I've made on the Love towel I'm making for Kari. She is in love, so I picked out these designs and the floss for her. I've made pretty good progress on it thanks to a couple movies and insomnia. Floursack towels are blank white towels that are really big, lots of room to embroider on! Kari has already seen what I've done so far. I did find out doing this that there's an art to doing iron-ons. It seriously helps to have the iron on the highest setting for half an hour before using the iron-ons. Makes a much darker image. I use all 6 strands of floss so it's easy to cover up the lines.

A Princess Among Dragons - Framed

2010-09-14T04:23:00.000-07:00

I got this framed and it is hanging above my kitchen table. Love it!

Creative Mistakes

2010-09-05T19:35:00.000-07:00

I started a new embroidery project tonight, twice! I ironed-on the designs on patterned fabric and they didn't show up enough for me to be able to see all the design. So I got out some white fabric and it finally worked. This is a present for a CoachCreativeSpace friend, so I can't go into any more details. :)

Parable of the Talents - 1st Set of Four Bookmarks

2010-08-31T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here are the first four bookmarks for the Parable of Talents project, plus supplies used:

I joined a weekly challenge group on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/groups/52weeksofcreative/ I posted this picture for Week 1.

Starting Over

2010-08-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

I just joined the 30 Days of Creating challenge on coachcreativespace, so hopefully that will jumpstart my creativity. I've been sick with a bad cold lately and haven't felt much like creating. I didn't win the Sublime Stitching combo contest. But I entered! All for now...

Sampler - New Stitches

2010-08-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

I am trying to expand my repertoire of stitches. I tried out some new stitches on blue fabric with three colors of blue floss. I have a bad cold today, so a short blog post.

Parable of the Talents - the start

2010-08-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Our church is doing the Parable of the Talents project. The church gives us each $5 to use to do crafts or food to sell or provide a service. Whatever money we make goes back to the church. So I spent my $5 on embroidery floss, already had the paper. I will have to pay for the laminating, but not much outlay on my part. I'm making cross bookmarks. They are not my design exactly, but they are my execution. I drew out the designs very large and then reduced them and printed them out. There are two cross designs, four colors of paper and matching thread. I think we have until Christmas, not sure. Here is the picture of my baby project:

Coffee-themed Apron - Finished! and a Metallic Purple Concrete Leaf

2010-08-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

I finished the coffee-themed apron! I just had a few small motifs to do and the "sweet" lettering. This is a present for my friend, Beth, for the Grand Opening of her coffee shop. The apron is dyed with Rit Dye. It was so much fun to do. I picked out 6 colors, 3 in the brown family, 3 in the hot pink family and bought two skeins of DMC floss each. So I had to be creative. Once I was out of the dark brown I was out! Designs ironed-on from Colonial Patterns (Aunt Martha's) and Sublime Stitching. Making this apron was so much fun. I hope Beth enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it. I just entered it in a Sublime Stitching combo contest. Here is me modeling the apron.

And here is the concrete stepping stone my mom made. I painted it because she had to work on the last day of Vacation Bible School for adults. They take a month to "cure", so in early September the stepping stones will go out in my yard. It's painted with acrylic craft paint.

Starfish Tote Bag - Finished!

2010-08-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

I finished Kari's Starfish Tote Bag! I fought with the heavy canvas and eventually won. :) I will be seeing her on Wednesday, I hope, and can give it to her then. I used six strands of DMC floss (I always use that much) in purple split stitch and french knots. Here are the pics:

Fall Leaf Stepping Stone

2010-08-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

During Vacation Bible School for adults at my church we made stepping stones and painted them. Mine turned out really big. The lady who taught us how to do this brought some huge leaves for us to use. They are made out of concrete and painted with acrylic paints. I guess they take about a month to cure completely. Here are my pics.

Don't try this at home!

2010-07-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

I have images on the computer I'd love to transfer and then embroider. I'm looking for easy ways to do that.

I've been neglecting my dishes, so instead of doing those I tried out a couple transfer methods tonight. One didn't work at all and the other didn't work very well. The first was the Acetone Toner Transfer Method. I reversed an Urban Threads image by scanning it, a lucky clover one and printed it out with my laser printer. Then I taped it to a 100% cotton floursack towel. Then your supposed to get a cotton ball wet with nail polish remover and go over it, followed by the back of a spoon. (for complete instructions send me a message with your email and I'll send it to you). Well, this didn't work at all! My nail polish remover says it has acetone in it, but maybe not enough.

The second method I used was the light box transfer method. I found a clear plastic box, turned it on its side and put a floor lamp sideways on the floor into the box, sans shade. I don't have a table lamp. Then I put down my image, not reversed, and traced it with Crayola fine point washable markers on the floursack towel. Well, the markers bled quite a bit. (fabric on top of paper on top of clear box) I should have taped everything down too. I didn't like how it turned out so its on top of the washer. I will see if the colors really do wash out!

So now I'm pretty frustrated. I really want to try Transfer-Eze, when I have a spare $15 or so. Here is the link to the tutorial: http://zuill.us/andreablog/2010/01/29/transfer-eze-a-new-product-for-embroiderers/ Here is a place you can buy it: http://www.originalcreationsquiltshop.com/shop/TransferEze.htm

So for now I'm sticking to iron-on transfers. :(

Does anyone know any other methods that work for you?

A Princess Among Dragons

2010-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

For the July/August Challenge in the Art Challenges~ group at http://creativesouls.ning.com/. DMC floss backstitched on cardstock with Far East Matstack papers. Stencil designs by www.spraypaintstencils.com.
What really helped me finish this was Dan Goodwin's suggestion on Coach Creative Space http://coachcreativespace.ning.com/ to work on one project at a time through to the finish. Of course you can't always do that. Actually I think it was in one of his blog posts. This is just embroidery on paper or Dutch Embroidery. I just printed out the stencil designs and poked holes along the lines in pink, green and purple cardstock. I used black DMC floss on the dragon and variegated floss on the rose and stem. After sewing I stuck it all together with double-sticky tape. I used DCWV papers around the edges. Here are pictures of the process.

The back.

Fall Napkins

2010-07-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've only done two out of six of these so far. They are turning out nicely. It is just a simple split stitch design. I got the leaf designs free off the internet. (pattern excerpt from Small Stitches Booklette by Carina Envoldsen-Harris, www.wardi.dk ) I printed out the patterns on Sulky Solvy and hooped them, then pulled out the little pieces of paper after stitching.

I'm using DMC floss I had on hand. The fabric napkins are from Target and they are died with Apple Green Rit Dye.

Decoupaged Planter

2010-07-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

I finished the decorated coffee can for my mom to use as a planter. I used a DCWV stack called Taj Mahal. It has different Indian themed papers. I used 6 different papers from that and taped yellow construction paper with double-sticky tape to the can. I almost finished up a jar of Matte Mod Podge with another 10 layers on this can. I picked out the colors especially for my mom. Her birthday is in a month. I think I've got decoupage out of my system for awhile. On with the pictures!

And here's the finished project!

Creative Update

2010-07-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm currently decoupaging a medium size coffee can for my mom. It's going to be an indoor pot for a plant (I don't have any Outdoor Mod Podge). It's her birthday next month. I've been doing a little embroidery on Beth's hot pink apron. When I was in Olympia last I bought some more supplies, including crayons and fabric (evil chuckle commences). Yes, I have plans! I should probably finish the projects I've started. There is an embroidered leaves on napkins project next to my living room chair. Each one has a simple leaf design. Already finished two. Will post pictures soon. Found a laminating machine on Amazon for only $40 plus the laminating sheets are another $15. I can't really justify it right now. What do you think? It cost about $6.50 the last time I had my bookmarks laminated at Staples. What would you laminate if you had a laminating machine? Crafting is a total stress release for me. I've had a stressful week. Got into it with my best friend. *sigh* I think I'm making a habit of creating when I'm upset. Not a bad strategy at all.

"Blue Christmas" Box - Decoupage

2010-07-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here's my first Christmas present for the year. I realize it's only July! I had this navy blue box sitting around. I decided to decoupage it. I used some papers from last Christmas, from a DCWV mat stack. Also some glitter papers, the same brand, really too heavy to use. The corners turned up on the glitter paper. I just got some Matte Mod Podge, which is what I used for this project. I applied about 5 coats when I added the layers of paper and 5 more to finish. I just cut out random shapes and strips of paper. It turned out pretty good. I might add a layer of varnish later if I can figure out what kind to use. It took about 48 hours for it all to dry, in 2 hour increments and overnight twice.

My kitchen table, at the start of the project:

Then I added the holiday papers:

This is the finished box with the glitter papers and layers of Mod Podge:

This is for someone who likes blue. Hmmm......!

Starfish Project Update

2010-07-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics of the Starfish tote bag. My friend Kari's nickname is Starfish. I have the one side finished, with the word Starfish on it in my handwriting. I just used a pencil and wrote it on, then embroidered it. The other side has one starfish on it and I will be embroidering 3 more smaller starfish on that side. It is all done in split stitch and french knots. I love to do both those stitches! I hate the heavy tote bag fabric though. On with the pictures!

Coffee-themed Bookmarks

2010-06-30T01:57:00.000-07:00

I finished the coffee-themed bookmarks. Yay! I plan to sell them. I'm not sure what I should ask for them. I still have to get them laminated. I get them laminated at Staples for a few bucks. Hopefully I can do that on Saturday or Monday. They turned out very nicely, I think. I just picked some floss colors I wanted to work with and matched the cardstock to them. Unlike regular embroidery you just use one strand of floss in Dutch Embroidery. They don't cost much to make, just the time involved. These are the first 8. I will probably make 8 more. I tape the front to the back with double-sided tape. You have to do something like that to cover up the thread and the tape in back. I'm really happy with these, even if there are a few mistakes.

Coffee Themed Apron Update!

2010-06-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend while watching episode after episode of Smallville, I had plenty of time to embroider. I have all three big motifs on the coffee themed apron done and I've started on the little motifs. The funny thing is, when I'm stressed I love to embroider, but when I'm relaxed, like I have been the last few days, I find other things to do. Not one person commented on the blue musical tote on my creativity websites. :( I guess they are used to me posting embroidery by now. I'd like to embroider one of those long half aprons that waiters wear for my brother. Does anyone know where I can get one, not online? I'm thinking maybe the Cash & Carry in Olympia might have some aprons. So here are the pics!

And ice cream cones, in progress:

Musical Tote

2010-06-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

I finished my friend Janet's musical tote bag!

I also ordered 1000 yards of DMC thread from Herrschner's. It came unsorted. Not sure what I will do with the colors. It was kind of an experiment.

Hat for Mary

2010-06-17T01:27:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of a purple hat with variegated floss roses on it that I made for my friend, Mary. She is a member of Coach Creative Space, the site is one of the main reasons I'm a creative person. You can visit CCS at: http://coachcreativespace.ning.com/

Tattoo Inspiration

2010-06-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

I found a lot of inspiration tonight on a site dedicated to tattoos, tattoo art and body art. Be warned, you'll have to look through a lot of body art and pictures of tattoos before you get to the flash tattoos. http://tattoo-art-designs-gallery.blogspot.com

Here are a couple "inspirational" tattoo flash design collections.

I'm thinking about drawing my own designs, using some of the tattoos I found as a base. Or something along those lines! Pretty cool design ideas!

New Embroidery Books and a Finished Coffee Pot

2010-06-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

I got two new embroidery books in the mail today. Yay! The first one is "Doodle Stitching" by Aimee Ray which is full of cool project ideas, tips, and encouragement to make your own designs. Nice! The second one is "Embroidered Effects" by Jenny Hart. This one is heavier on the tips, has project ideas, and all-around general encouragement to do your own thing. Plus iron-on transfers! Sweet! They both have stitch diagrams as well. Aimee Ray has a new book, but it's not coming out until October. I'll probably get that one too. Here they are on my kitchen table.

I've been getting really jazzed up about embroidery. I read most of the two books this afternoon. I finished the coffee/tea pot tonight. I think it looks like a fancy coffee pot. My brother thinks it looks like a teapot. What do you think? I guess it doesn't matter. I used a split stitch on the handle, spout and top knob of the coffee pot. I haven't used that much before this project. I only know about 5 stitches anyway that I have no trouble doing, satin, stem, split, back, cross, fern. I can make those little stars too. So much fun! OK, here is the coffee pot, finished. It is all in shades of pink: hot pink, med. light pink, and very light pink for the steam coming out of the pot.

Big Ideas

2010-06-14T00:25:00.000-07:00

My crafty friend, Fiona, suggested I use rice paper to print out patterns on. I guess it is a lighter weight paper, but heavier than tracing paper. I found some on Dick Blick and also found colored pencils and crayons. That brings me to my next big idea. I've been reading tutorials and discussions about doing shadings on light colored fabric with colored pencils or crayons and then ironing them so the colors blend well. You need a hot iron on Cotton. After shading you then embroider. Here is a beautiful one done with colored pencils by Sew Lovely Embroidery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewlovely/4647711421/

Here is a tutorial at Urban Threads for using crayons to make adorable shaded pears: http://www.urbanthreads.com/pages?id=448

I want to try this shading some time. I'm thinking of doing a pumpkin design for Halloween. Haven't decided if I'll embroider it or embroider on paper. I wonder if you could melt crayons into paper...

Sea Star/Starfish Project

2010-06-13T05:03:00.000-07:00

I'm looking for a good lightweight paper I can print out embroidery designs on. I'm using Sulky Solvy stabilizer right now, which you can dissolve with water. It actually works better if you just rip it out from the threads, carefully, of course. I tried tracing paper and regular copy paper, the first ripped too easily, the second was too heavy. Any ideas for something in between those two? Sulky Solvy is $8 plus tax for 12 sheets, so not very economical.

Here is the very start of a tote bag project for my best friend, Kari. I guess this will have to be a secret blog, for awhile at least, cause I want to surprise her. I printed out some free starfish stencil patterns on the Solvy paper. I had to do it a couple times because I need paper around each starfish to hoop with the embroidery hoop. Her nickname is Starfish. I chose purple thread because it goes nicely with the hot pink. I think I'm just going to use stem stitch for all the starfish. I probably won't get started on this for awhile.

I just found out the proper name for a Starfish is Sea Star. I like that too!

Hello!

2010-06-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

I got interested in embroidery in January of 2010. Yep, last January! I've really taken to it, so decided to start a blog about my adventures in embroidery. I've done Dutch Embroidery for a few years now, which is just embroidery on paper, a wildly different medium than fabric. I do other crafts as well and may post pictures of those as well. Enjoy!

I'm embroidering an apron for my friend, Beth. I hope to have it done by the second week in July or sooner. She is having a Grand Opening of her coffee shop and bakery around then. The apron was dyed with liquid Rit dye and I ironed on Aunt Martha's "Java Break" patterns and cupcake and ice cream patterns from Jenny Hart's "Sublime Stitching" book. Already started the coffee pot. It will be embroidered in coffee and pink floss colors.

I don't have any holiday embroideries planned at the moment. I expect I'll do them far ahead of the holiday in question. At least I hope so! I'm going to include my Dutch Embroidery projects on this blog too.