Embroidery Inspiration

by Kelly

I'm taking a break from the sweater project for a few days. I had all the increases done and was about to start the straight stretch when I thought to count my stitches and see if I had made a mistake...and I had 75 stitches...when I should have had 76.

Grrrrr.

Meanwhile, my husband and I went to an Estate Sale this weekend. Actually, we went to three. I'm hopelessly addicted, sadly. But I love the treasure hunting aspect of auctions, and estate sales are a sort of substitute during the Midwest winter when it's impossible to hold outside auctions.

So anyway, look what I found at the very first sale:

This is embroidery on linen. It has its issues...there are quite a few yellow spots, and the stitching is loose in a few places. And it would be neat if it was a purely original work, but when I look closely I can see the telltale blue outlines of a manufactured pattern under some of the stitches. There's a nameplate on the back that reads "The Old Farmhouse 1980". I have looked online, but haven't found the kit...yet.

Aside from all that, though, it's really an interesting concept, and that's why I picked it up. My main problem with cross stitch is filling in all the boring background. And here someone else thought the same thing, and picked up just a few details that were fun to do, and left the rest unworked. It's a very simple solution that appeals to my lazy side.

The stitch choices are nothing terribly exciting - long and short for the grass, stem stitches for the tree trunks, and 'lazy daisy' stitches for the leaves on the trees - but they are neatly done, and I especially love the flying birds. Had I done those birds they would be surrounded by holes in the fabric, where I couldn't get the stitches just right. Here, that's not the case.

The image also reminds me of illustrations from old children's books:

Narnia endpaper via Pintrest

Look at all the possibilities if I did the image above in embroidery. Different stitches could add texture to the trees in the background and the frozen twigs up front. And all that snow and ice would be perfectly illustrated with some silver or steel colored metallic threads...or even blending filament.

Such wonderful potential...but first I have to finish this sweater. Sigh.

Pirate Dew Rag - Finished!

by Kelly

And here's the reveal of the finished project - A pirate dew rag for my husband's birthday:

I used this free pattern from sewing artistry. If you're handy with a sewing machine, you should definitely check them out. And even if you're like me, and regard a sewing machine as something just a little less tricky (and potentially dangerous) than a hand held plasma cutter, check them out anyway, because this dew rag pattern is perfect.

Donna makes the suggestion that you start sewing at the back (where the ties are located) and work your way forward, to ensure that everything lines up perfectly. Meanwhile, I would suggest that if you're cutting out a fabric pattern for the first time, don't choose the most slippery rayon fabric in the store. And get yourself a decent piece of white chalk, for heaven's sake...if you can find one, that is.

Donna also suggested that these would be perfect for kids who are undergoing chemo, and when I suggested this to my mom she concurred. She even said that she would have preferred one of these to the endless stream of headscarves, hats and sad looking wigs that we were offered when she was going through chemo. My mom in a pirate headscarf...see what I've missed by not being crafty, all these years?

Since I have no idea how to scale down sewing patterns, I'll leave that part to someone else, but I think any kid would love these, even if they haven't lost all their hair.

Especially in a pirate print. Arrrr.

Local Wildlife

by Kelly

I thought I'd post some pictures of the local wildlife, since it's fall, after all, and some of them will be leaving for the winter.

I've been putting out peanuts on the back patio for a few weeks now, and I have attracted a whole gang of these guys:

Tufted Titmouse

I was originally hoping to lure in a few of the thousand and one squirrels that live around here, but they're too busy to be bothered. But that's okay, I got a photo anyway.

I also cleaned and filled a hummmingbird feeder this morning and look who came by for an afternoon snack.

Ruby-throated hummingbird?

This feeder has been out of order all summer, so I didn't expect any results at all, let alone such a quick response. I queried the mighty Google and am guessing that this is a Ruby Throated female, but I am far from a hummingbird expert.

Oh, and here's one more native creature, that I caught on the fly:

That's an Assisi work deer that I made. And how did I do multi-color Assisi embroidery? I'm afraid that's a trade secret :)

I got the inspiration for this from my FIL, who saw a white deer in our shared backyard a few years ago. I wanted to make an embroidered deer running against an autumn background, but I couldn't find any patterns that I liked. So rather than design my own, which was way too much trouble, I decided to try Assisi embroidery, because that's just one color of floss used to outline an image. Of course, then I got bored with working just one color and anyway the deep autumn red that I chose really started to bug me, since I thought it was too purple, so I came up with a new technique instead.

The funny thing is, my FIL is a hunter, so naturally when he told me about the deer I asked if he was going to get out his bow and try for it. He looked at me as if I were crazy, and said, "You don't kill a white deer."

Oh.

So you'd think that, over time, if everyone felt this way, the white deer would become extremely common, since they were the only ones who had a truce with the hunters. Strangely, they're still really rare. Must be some genetic thing.

This particular white deer is listed in our shop. It's going to be really rare too, because I don't think I'll take all that trouble again. Next time, I'll just get out the graph paper.

Singing the Blues Flower Hexagon Afghan - Finished!

by Kelly

I made half-hexagons and finished off the latest afghan. It's now for sale in our shop here.

Quick tip for anyone else who might be working on a hexagon project - make sure all your ends are sewed in before you wash it. Trust me on this one.


 And a sneak peak of another project...

This is the one that needs the homemade decoupage glue.  I'm really happy with how this one turned out - even though I had to hunt down more embroidery floss in the store.

What are you working on?

Chicken Scratch Embroidery or Depression Lace

by Kelly

Chicken scratch embroidery is basically Smyrna stitch (a cross stitch with an extra cross, so that it looks like an asterisk) done on gingham fabric. When done right, it looks like lace and is a cheap and easy way to decorate the edges of ordinary gingham aprons and curtains, and jazz them up a little. That's one reason why it was so popular during the Depression, I guess.

via Tie One On

I have been wanting to try chicken scratch embroidery for quite a while now, but didn't have any gingham fabric. So a few days ago, I broke down and actually bought some, instead of waiting for it to magically appear in my crafting bag. Two dollars worth of fabric and I was all ready to finally give this a try.

It's very easy to do, if you already know how to cross stitch. The results aren't the same, because it's usually done with only two colors - white and the darkest shade of the gingham you're using, whether it be red, blue, or whatever. On the other hand, there's no fooling around with charts or multiple colored skeins, either, which is a plus.

The fabric I bought is pink. My mom would laugh if she found out that I bought pink fabric, since I was so vehemently anti-pink for so many years. Even in the thick of the '80's I wouldn't wear pink, and no amount of persuasion by the mighty fashion industry would break me down. Luckily, my mom is as anti-computer as I was once anti-pink, so she will never read this.

I'm using size 30 variegated crochet thread, which is working out really well. I have come up with what I think will be a really neat idea using this graduated color scheme, so we'll see how it turns out. Stay tuned :)

Meanwhile, if you have some gingham and want to use it for something other than Chicken Scratch embroidery, Tie One On (a blog about aprons and making aprons, in case you're wondering) is currently running a sew along with a gingham theme. Check out her blog for more details.

The Picnic Basket

by Kelly

Ah, picnic baskets. Packed with potential, but you never know what might be inside. There are so many dietary plans and restrictions these days - vegan, organic, gluten free, peanut free, low-carb, and the list goes on and on. If you have an appetite for a traditional picnic, and open the lid of the basket to reveal a bottle of distilled water and a bag of low-calorie rice cakes, imagine your disappointment.

Well, would you like to see what's inside? Could it be southern fried chicken? Hot dogs? Is there orange creme soda? Potato salad? Apples and French cheese? Blueberry yoghurt and a burn notice? Fava beans and a nice Chianti????

Hmmm.....embroidery supplies. Some people might be disappointed. Me, not so much.

Embroidery on Denim

by Kelly

So I had all this denim that I had saved for some reason, and a sudden urge to embroider something. So here are the results...

This one started with the words 'flower girl' in pink. I was going to embroider a little girl in a white dress picking flowers, but that proved to be way too complicated for my simple design skills. So I settled on a white basket, the kind that a flower girl would carry in a wedding.

I added a bit of ribbon, a memento from our trip to Florida in November. And since I don't happen to know any flower girls at the moment, it's listed for sale in the shop. And then there are WIPs...

That up above is the Grinch's heart, which is, of course, two sizes too small. I'm not sure what these will ultimately become, but I love the look of that little red heart. If I had enough red floss, I'd probably be embroidering them everywhere. Luckily, I'm all out of red at the moment.

And another flower from the garden, just because.

These flowers kept disappearing from the plants, and reappearing scattered all over the lawn. I found out why this morning, when I saw a squirrel pick one and eat out the bottom, presumably to get that nectar hidden down inside. I would never have imagined such a thing unless I'd seen it with my own eyes.

Show and Tell - Embroidery and Crochet Hexagons

by Kelly

A short post today, because I'm busy pricing things for an upcoming garage sale.

Bookmarks I've made for the sale, that take about two minutes to make...

And since I had the embroidery floss out anyway, I tried out a project I've been thinking of for a while now - embroidery on denim. The red hearts looked the best, but I'm still playing around with ideas for those.

And of course, more super simple crochet hexagons from One Loop Short, just because they're pretty and addictive. Or is that pretty addictive?

Book Lover's Sampler

by Kelly


A sampler I made for my library:

The quote is from Groucho Marx. In case you can't read that cross stitch style wording, it says, "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."


As I said, I originally made this for my own library. Unfortunately, since the house and library project seems to be delayed yet again, I'm offering it for sale in our shop. I'll just have to make another one when our house actually becomes a real project instead of just a paper one.

It's stitched on 28 count linen, which is just like 14 count Aida, except more fiddly since you're stitching over two threads instead of one.  I also didn't take the time to baste the edges, since I was so eager to launch into my first 'solo' design project, and that really bugged me the whole time I was stitching.

I also thought it would be cute to add a little cross stitched dog at the bottom, wagging it's tail. But what kind of dog should it be?

Adding a Backing to a Cross-Stitch Bookmark - Tutorial

by Kelly

When I started making cross-stitch bookmarks, I faced a dilemma. As a book lover, I didn't want a bookmark that was too thick, because then it might damage the spine of the book. On the other hand, the stitched bookmark really needed some kind of backing, to cover up the less than pretty back.

After trying quite a few methods, I finally found one that works - adding a ribbon back with double stick fusible webbing. It's super fast and easy and all you need is the bookmark, the webbing, some ribbon, and an iron.
 
First, set your iron to the heat setting recommended on the webbing package. While that's warming up, cut your bookmark, your ribbon, and a piece of the webbing to an identical size.

Next, peel off one layer of backing from the webbing. This will expose a layer of sticky stuff.

Place the backing, sticky side down, onto your bookmark and iron lightly. I usually just set the hot iron on the bookmark for a count of four, then lift it off. By the way, if you don't happen to have an ironing board, two layers of bath towels on the kitchen counter works just fine. (At least, for solid surface counter tops.)

Peel the next layer off of the backing. Look, another layer of sticky stuff.

You'll notice that I have two 'seam allowance' side flaps on the bookmark above. This probably isn't necessary - I just like to be sure that the side edges are as sturdy as possible, since they seem to wear out first.

Place the ribbon on the bookmark, making sure the edges are lined up the way you want them, because after the next step, there's no going back.

Now iron again - you'll need to iron a little longer this time, to make sure all those layers are fully adhered.

That's it! You're done.

Looks like I'm going to have to trim that ribbon a little. But that's okay - I don't have to worry about fraying edges, because the webbing acts like glue and holds loose threads together.

Ta-da! All done. Less trouble then sewing, and not as thick or messy as gluing on a piece of felt. And there are miles and miles of pretty ribbon at the craft store, so they're sure to have one that matches your stitching.

 

Oh, and if you are mistake prone like me, here are a few helpful tips to get you out of the mess...

How to remove fusible webbing

If you make a mistake with your first experiments with fusible webbing, don't freak out. Soak your project in lukewarm water for a few minutes, then use your fingernail or a soft toothbrush to gently scrub away the fusible webbing. Please be aware that I have never tried this with old projects, only new ones, or projects a few days old. I found this out by accident when I tried to clean a completed bookmark.

If you get sticky stuff on your teflon coated iron, let the iron cool and use vinegar and a soft toothbrush to clean it. I got that tip here. Vinegar is cheap and does so many things...I hope nobody gets a patent on the stuff, or we'll be paying an arm and a leg for it.

I've added some bookmarks to the shop. Give them a look here, if you have a second.

Dimension's Cross Stitch Kit Review

by Kelly

All cross stitch kits have a few things in common - one or two embroidery needles, a graphed pattern to follow, a piece of fabric, and floss.

I usually choose kits from a company called Dimensions. Now, in general I don't have much brand loyalty - I tend to buy for different reasons. But for cross stitch kits, I always look at Dimensions first, and here's why.


First of all, they chose beautiful images to turn into kits. Here are two of my favorites:

Midnight Dance via Amazon

via Dimensions site

Secondly, their kits are never boring to work. Now, having said that, if the idea of sewing hundreds or thousands of tiny colored x's onto a piece of fabric to make an image makes you shudder, these kits still aren't for you.
But if you're crazy like me, and find that kind of thing fun and worthwhile, then imagine combining different colors of floss together in your needle to get a unique variegated look, or learning how to make velvety dark shadows with four strands of black floss, or adding French knots and lazy daisy stitches onto a cross stitched background to create a patch of flowers.

Also, they're great quality for the money. I've completed somewhere between ten or fifteen of these kits, and I've never been disappointed. I've also never run out of floss, which is a good thing, because they dye their own. If you do run out, they provide a way to order more of that color. Of course then there might be problems with dye-lots, and that could be a huge issue if you're trying to finish a half completed kit. Luckily, I've always had floss left over when I'm finished.

And lastly, since they have kits for all levels, from beginner to expert, as I learned new things I've always been able to find a Dimensions kit that was interesting and challenging. Whether or not I will ever take on one of their really complicated kits (like Ballerina Dreams), that's another story.

For now, I'm back to crocheting. But that smaller kit below would be cute to gift to my mom, since she loves butterflies. Hmm....

via Dimensions site

The Two Year Cross Stitch Project

by Kelly

I have finally, finally finished it. I started this project way back before I even learned how to knit or crochet, so you can imagine how happy I am that it's finally finished.

This is a kit from Dimensions, called Garden Door. I customized it a little, but the changes were very minor. All I did was use different colors in certain places. And since I have a super abundance of extra embroidery floss on hand, it wasn't like I had to go shopping for those extra skeins of floss.

Here's the original, so you can see what it's supposed to look like.

I changed the flowers in the left corner to Black-Eyed Susans, changed the ribbon on the hat to yellow, and changed the kitty to look like our late cat, who was always outside sleeping in the garden somewhere. Or at least, if he wasn't in our garden, he was in a our neighbor's.

I'm really happy with how it turned out, but mostly I'm happy that it's finished, washed and ironed, and ready to be stored until I can find a mat and frame and all that.

Whew! Now, where did I put that knitting...

Bookmarks - Dr. Who, American Flag, Rose

by Kelly

While putting away crafty supplies, I found these bookmarks. In my life I have read thousands (tens of thousands? EEP!) of books, and over the years I've found any number of unusual bookmarks left in books from shops and estate sales - sticks of gum, coupons twenty years out of date, and once even a dollar bill folded into a tiny sailboat.

I personally have used pennies, brochures, and the common stray bit of paper, but I rarely use an actual bookmark. They are fun to make, though.

Dr. Who

Colonial Flag-those stars were a pain

Rosebuds

How many books have you read in your lifetime? There's an interesting thread at the MobileRead forum discussing this. The one number that I found for an average was 100 books per person, but it doesn't seem to be backed up by anything.

I'll have to ask my Mom if she's ever thought about this. She's been reading every day since 1936 :)

Eyeglasses to Embroider - DIY

by Kelly
 

While reading Craft this morning, I ran across a post about 'Tapestry Eyeglasses', and since I'm always in the market for something as geeky as DIY eyeglasses, I had to track it back to the original site.

These utilize 3D printing technology. The glasses are printed with tiny holes, which enables you to use the yarn or thread of your choice to make your glasses match your style. Aside from the design diva aspects here, I can already forsee at least one practical use for something like this. They would be a great temporary measure for those with broken glasses (not that I have ever borne the shame of eyeglasses held together by tape-of course not!), especially if they could be made to fit the lenses you already have. And since all eyeglass frames have design info printed on the earpiece, this would be easy enough to do, provided there was some kind of database that the printer could access.

These are from the site Fashioning Tech.com, which has quite a few other interesting articles, not least of which is this article about a research project devoted to integrating a sport coat with a mobile phone so that gestures made while wearing the coat can dial numbers or post your location. Were I involved in this project, I would have developed a gesture link that ties a common upraised finger gesture to a site like Navteq that notifies people of traffic problems. Sadly, that feature doesn't seem to be available...yet.

FashioningTech.com has just made my list of daily reads, at least for the moment. It looks like a great place to find out the latest news in fabric art mixed with technology.

Highbrow Craft Books

by Kelly

                                      Delftware Inspired Cross Stitch

at Amazon.com

                                    Fashions inspired by Jane Austen

Craft Gossip

                     Quilts and things inspired by William Morris

at Amazon.com

  Norwegian Handknits : Heirloom Designs from the Vesterheim Museum

at Amazon.com

Haloween Crafts

by Kelly

Halloween is coming. Are you ready?

This little ghost is so cute you just want to eat him up. And that's okay, 'cos he's completely edible. Yes, even the googly eyes. Find out how on  Hungry Happenings.

Cross Stitch pattern from Krenik. Krenik is an awesome place to buy your crafty supplies or get inspiration from their free patterns section. 


And finally, Red Heart has a new way for you to decorate your pumpkins if carving them up is too messy or traditional for you. Simply crochet them a costume instead.

here at the Red Heart site.

Love that pirate pumpkin. Arrr.

More Cross Stitch

by Kelly

More Cross Stitch show and tell.

Swan Card

Blurry Rose Bookmark

Crewel

Now that I've gotten the hang of things, I find cross stitch kits a little dull because there's not a lot of room for creativity. Embroidery and crewel work kits are still fun, because I can experiment with new stitches.

I just bought a Trish Barr Needlepainting kit that I am excited to try. Needlepainting is a whole new thing for me to learn. But first I have to finish my current knitting project. Meh.