So I will be frank: this post is mostly just an excuse for me to show you some of my recent embroidery projects. Consider this my blogging version of your third cousin twice removed subjecting you to a slide show of their vacation snaps. Or the current social media equivalent, whatever that is. (In case the topic at hand wasn’t enough evidence, I am An Old Person at heart. And also in my similes.)
I am going to organize these in chronological order, to show the progression (or not) of my skills. Other than figuring out how to do a rose stitch – the wooorst, but so pretty – I can’t say that I’ve done much active learning; I think my stitching has improved through practice, but I mostly stick to the same 3-4 stitch types I learned from the beginning. It has been so much fun to make different designs that I haven’t worried too much about technique and broadening my skills. I think that’s a common pitfall of being self-taught; you figure out how to do something basic, and it’s fun, and you just keep doing it.
This was a request from my boss, and currently hangs in her office.
I used my trip to Texas as an excuse to make some more “gifts” for friends I was visiting:
My lettering still leaves a lot to be desired but at least I figured out how to finish the back nicely. (Y’all can shove those in the back of the closet now that I’m gone – no hard feelings!)
And then, inspired by a cute notebook I got on Amazon, I came up with this:
Frankie lives in my office.
I also tried a different version of mixed media, by adding beads and some leftover knitting yarn (story for another post!):
Most recently, I made this for a friend’s birthday (don’t worry, I bought her a real present as well):
I’ve got a few more ideas kicking around, and a couple of commissions from my BFF. All good reasons to keep the production train going. My Old Person spirit lives on!
If you guys have any embroidery newb questions, leave them in the comments – just be warned that I may or may not be qualified to answer them. Better yet, send me your tips and tricks!
I want to get into embroidery–how should I start? I get overwhelmed by all the choices. Is there a particular book or kit (among the many) that you prefer for starting out?
I started with a bunch of supplies off Amazon – wood hoops (I get a pack of 5 in different sizes), white muslin, and embroidery thread (you can get a starter pack of 100 mixed colours together with needles of different sizes). I also bought a book called Simply Stitched, which had some nice easy patterns to start with/practice learning stitches. Most of the info you need, though, you can find online. But I don’t like working from patterns, so once I had a handle on basic stitches, I just did my own thing. You just have to pick a style/aesthetic you like – or experiment. There are tons of resources out there, which is great, but can also be overwhelming. I don’t think you can wrong starting anywhere, though!
Those are so impressive! I especially love the sloth (I have a Kristen Bell-like affinity for them).
Potentially dumb question: do you keep that wooden ring thing (obviously don’t even know what it’s called) on once the project is finished?
Yes, it’s my (lazy) way of keeping the work “framed” so to speak. The hoop can be hung easily that way as well.
There are all amazing! I love the mermaid!
Thanks!
Really great work! Particularly love the sloth one!
These are all great! I especially like the Frankie says Relax one you made for your office. I always enjoy seeing your creative efforts when you share them on your blog!
gorgeous! i LOVE the “wild thing.” since it appears you’re not working from patterns, how do you plan out your design?
I usually decide what sort of thing I feel like doing next, and google for inspiration online. Then I freehand draw the design on plain paper and once I’m happy with it, I trace it with black Sharpie. As I usually work on white muslin, I can simply place the fabric on top of the paper and copy the design (with pencil). And then I look at my collection of embroidery thread and decide on a “colour story”. That’s about it. What I love about it is that I can just do whatever I feel like; I don’t like following instructions – which doesn’t work for other crafs (ahem, knitting) but does in this case.
Sometimes, as I’ve started to experiment with mixing other media in my embroidery, it takes a bit more time to think through the logistics (especially when I’m inspired by something I see online and need to figure out how they did it).
But overall, it’s a very easy thing to pick up, imo.
I LOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE my Shine piece! Thank you!! xoxoxox Girl, you are very talented and artistic. I love them all!