Blog / embroidery
embroidery project: vintage birds
So in addition to the doily that I made during an embroidery class at the Stitch Lab earlier this year, I also worked on this piece, which I finally got around to framing last week. After falling in love with this vintage bird embroidery I found on Flickr, I decided to use it with a new-to-me image transfer technique: printable fabric.
I printed the image out onto printable silk, removed the paper backing, and ironed it to a navy blue cotton. I then stitched over the image's lines using a lovely greenish gold floss, passing the needle through both the silk and the cotton.
I love the final image and had a lot of fun experimenting with stitches. If I were to do it again though, I would try another transfer technique. I would have loved to have seen the floss directly against the navy background; I think the color would have really popped. The printable silk is better suited for full-color images, like photographs, which could be beautifully embellished with different stitches. Have you ever tried stitching on printable fabric? What did you think?
embroidered name napkins
Before the sewing room was all packed up, I made personalized, embroidered lunch napkins for my co-workers as going-away gifts, using thrifted cotton and recently found vintage sheets.
Each name was stitched with a simple running stitch, using lime green floss.
noah's ark
During a recent thrifting excursion, I fell in love with this fluorescent crewelwork Noah's ark and snatched it up for the excellent price of $2.50.
Lovely giraffes set against a beautifully stitched green and blue roof.
Some friends for Curtis.
The stitching is pretty amazing (I love the clouds and the elephants!) and I now need to decide how to frame the piece. Stretcher or frame? Any tips or suggestions?
rainbow of stitches contest
On Sunday, it was announced that my embroidered doily was the winner of the white category in Feeling Stitchy's Rainbow of Stitches Contest--wow! Being new to embroidery, I'm so honored and flattered to be in the company of so many talented stitchers.
My doily is now in the running for the grand prize, and if you have a moment, I recommend checking out all of the finalists and voting for your favorite one. Voting closes at 12:00 a.m. (EST) on Wednesday, June 16, so be sure to get your vote in before then. And thank you, everyone, for all of your lovely comments here and over on Feeling Stitchy and Flickr!
handkerchief invitation pillow
A few months ago, a friend commissioned me to make a wedding gift for her friend, Annette. The gift was a pillow featuring Annette's wedding invitation, which had been brilliantly printed on a handkerchief.
Using fabrics that my friend had selected, I sewed together a button-back cover (this tutorial came in very handy) to fit over a fourteen-by-fourteen-inch pillow form. Since my machine is ancient, I borrowed a friend's machine to make the buttonholes.
I sewed the handkerchief to the pillowcase by hand, using embroidery floss that matched the yellow stitching around the edges of the handkerchief. I also embellished a few of the invitation's pink and purple flowers, using isolated chain stitches (my favorite part!).
It was fun doing a commissioned project, and after spending so much time with the invitation, I loved seeing pictures of the actual event--Annette's amazing-looking and craft-filled wedding (which can be seen here).
