FaveCrafts

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Link Love: 13 Embroidery Sites

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I’ve been dabbling with embroidery for awhile now, trying to master the different stitches and the techniques. I love the possibilities of embroidery, with so much color and texture added to just about any fabric. Here are my favorite embroidery websites:

  1. Feeling Stitchy– This is my favorite embroidery blog with new posts daily. On this blog, you will see the most beautiful embroidery from all over the web and will also find links to great embroidery tutorials and free patterns. The flickr group has almost 5,000 members!
  2. Sublime Stitching– Founded by Jenny Hart, Sublime Stitching sells “alternative” embroidery patterns, starter kits, book and other embroidery supplies. You will find over 50 embroidery design sheets, including many created in the Artist Series. You will find embroidery how-to’s, a customer gallery and much more at the website.
  3. Needle n’ Thread– The best thing about Mary Corbet’s website is the video library of embroidery stitches. This is a great resource for someone learning how to embroider like me.
  4. Needlecrafter– This is a large library of free patterns for needlecraft. I LOVE the art deco category.
  5. Embroidery Treasures– Some focus on machine embroidery, and overall a lot of good ideas.
  6. Future Girl- Embroidery– Check out the great embroidery category at this craft blog.
  7. Hoop Love– For free vintage embroidery and cross-stitch patterns, check out this Flickr group. You have to join the private group to view the images.
  8. Vintage Transfer Finds– Find a bunch of free vintage embroidery patterns for hand stitching.
  9. Sweet Bee– You’ll see lots of embroidery, including vintage transfers on this blog.
  10. Embroiderer’s Guild of America– For inspiration, check out this guild’s blog. Sure, the blog has not been updated since July 2009. Still, scroll through the archives and enjoy the work.
  11. Mr x Stitch– Check out this blog devoted to contemporary embroidery and needlecraft.
  12. Judy’s Journal– A beautiful blog showcasing the embroidery and other work of Judy Martin. Very inspiring.
  13. Dog-Daisy Chains– This blog also had some beautiful embroidery work. Do check out her Etsy shop too.

Designers Transform Artwork into Embroidery

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Donna Dewberry, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner, Tina Givens and Kaffe Fassett, a few of today’s best known artists and quilting personalities have chosen some of their most popular artwork drawings and transformed them into beautiful, multi-formatted embroidery designs under the brand of Westminster Fibers Lifestyle Products.

The Designer Embroidery Collections include:

Donna Dewberry– Her famous brush strokes transform to embroidery in her Daisies machine embroidery collection. This collection has 14 multi-format designs.

Joel Dewberry– Expresses his creative passion in a new medium with beautiful machine embroidery through modern motif. His collection has 18 designs.

Anna Maria Horner– Has a collection of 16 designs showing her passion for color and vibrancy, which spills over into the art of beautiful machine embroidery.

Tina Givens– Her collection is filled with 12 multi-format designs. The amazing art of Tina has been described as endearing, fanciful, vivacious and fun.

Kaffe Fassett– Within 15 designs Kaffe shows color and textiles with his new embroidery design collection of stunning floral motifs and vases.

Each of the Westminster Fibers Designer Embroidery Collections contains:

  • A Flash introduction about the designer
  • Multi-formatted designs (ART, CSD, DST, EXP, HUS, JEF, PCS, PES, SEW, SHV, VIP, VP3, XXX)
  • A downloadable PDF showing the embroidery design name, size, stitch count, stitch sequence and recommended thread colors in stitch order
  • Two downloadable PDF’s with sewing projects
  • A downloadable PDF of expert embroidery tips from Creative Machine Embroidery
  • Six Electric Quilt files to help you to design a quilt using the designer’s fabric collections by Westminster Fibers

For more information go to westminsterfabrics.com

Plastic Canvas, Cross-Stitch and Embroidery for Fall

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[Editorial Note- This an excerpt from today’s newsletter. If you would like to receive our free craft newsletter, you can sign up here.]
National Sewing Month left many of you crafters craving other ideas for what to do with your needles. You asked for more plastic canvas and more free embroidery patterns, so we found them for you.

For Halloween, use plastic canvas to create a Glow-in-the-Dark Bag for trick-or-treaters or spooky home decoration. Complete a Halloween costume with a plastic canvas mask. A simple to make Pumpkin Patch Pin adds great color to any autumn outfit (shown).

If you prefer cross-stitch, create an Autumn Leaves Table Runner from waste canvas, with matching Leaf Placemats. This colorful set is perfect for autumn entertaining. You can also get started on this beautiful cross-stitch Christmas Angel for holiday decorating.

If you’d like to embroider some of those great sewing projects from last month, check out the patterns below or all our embroidery patterns here.

Felt Bouquet

Satin Butterflies

Delicate Flowers

Tropical Fish

Jenny Hart’s Embroidered Effects & Sublime Stitching

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My favorite craft is embroidery. I had never tried embroidery until the summer of 2000. It was something so foreign and familiar to me at the same time. I thought large portraits would be wonderful and also that it was high-time for some less traditional themes for people to stitch. I founded Sublime Stitching in 2001 to re-inspire anyone to try embroidery. In 2008 I wrote a column called “Crafting A Business” and  I have a new book of embroidery instructions, patterns and projects called Embroidered Effects (Chronicle Books). Future projects include “Hart Crafts” which I’m really excited about!

sublimestitching

Get hip to Hart’s embroidery:

www.SublimeStitching.com
www.JennyHart.net
www.EmbroideryAsArt.com

Some more alternative looks at needlework:

Feeling Stitchy
Jenny Henry Needlepoint
Laura Hughes Needlepoint
Mr. X Stitch
Subversive Cross Stitch (NSFW)
Wool and Hoop Crewel

Crafternoon Tea

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Last Saturday, I attended two classes in a series called Crafternoon Tea. My first class was embroidery and it was a huge success! I can do all the basic embroidery stitches now and can even do french knots. To do a french knot, you bring the needle up from the bottom with the floss knotted at the end. You then hold the needle parallel to your fabric surface, slightly to the left of where you came out. You wrap the floss around the needle exactly three times and bring the needle back down through the fabric right next to where you came out. You should get a cute little knot nub on the surface of your fabric. Based on how tightly you wrap, you will get different sizes. This awesome crafter used french knots to embroider little sheep:

French Knot Sheep from incywincystitches

French Knot Sheep from incywincystitches

Love it!

At FaveCrafts, we are excited to feature embroidery projects from DMC. Just yesterday, I added this fantastic embroidery project with printable pattern for Satin Butterflies on a swirling background:

This pattern is done with two stitches, satin and seed, and the project page illustrates how to do each. You can simply print out the design and trace onto your surface. Enjoy!

Felt Corset Sachets

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A certain fondness for pretty under-things and maintaining them well made me completely fall in love these Felt Corset Sachets. I’d love to throw a few in my top drawers (pun very much intended). These were found through my blog source of embroidery eye-candy Feeling Stitchy. Flickr user rectangel shares the free pattern for three different Felt Corset Sachets, so check it out!

felt-corset-sachet

For easier sachets, we have this awesome sachet project made with regular paper napkins. For lavender sachets you can also use in the bath, check out this tutorial.

Flight of the Conchords Embroidery

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If you’re not already a fan of the comedy duo/band Flight of the Conchords, you will be after hearing songs like “Business Time” and “The Humans Are Dead” (sung by robots after the robot revolution). Not only are their songs hilarious, they’re really quite catchy! I’m humming one right now. Because I’m obsessed with all things embroidery right now as I begin my squid project, I was pleased to come across Lily Blogs. Her embroidery skills are certainly admirable, but I just love her design choices. The picture below is a representation of the Flight of the Conchords song “The Humans are Dead.”

Flight of the Conchords Embroidery by Lily

Flight of the Conchords Embroidery by Lily

Though I can’t find this design on her blog or flickr set, she’s credit through this Neatorama post.

“Drew Carey is Suprisingly Easy to Embroider”

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You may not know this about me, but I am a HUGE fan of The Price is Right. I started watching at age 3 with my babysitter and was determined from then on to meet Bob Barker, get on the show, play Plinko and take home wads of cash. Mock me all you want, but the summer after my freshman year of college, I traveled to LA and waited in line for over 6 hours to be in the audience. Being at a taping took away all the glitz and glamour of the show and I didn’t win a dime, but I sat four rows away from Bob Barker and that was good enough for me. And even though I don’t think Carey can ever live up to Barker, Sarah of Totally Severe did a great job with this embroidered portrait.

For more of our favorite embroidery projects, check out our Embroidery section. Make some Felt Corset Sachets for your drawers.

Etsy Pick: Squid Embroidery

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Earlier last week, I wrote a post on beginner’s embroidery and how I want to embroider a squid for my first project. For a little inspiration, I thought I would find the best examples of squid embroidery on Etsy. I will admit I’m a tad obsessed. Searching for such specific topics on Etsy is the most fun though. You should try it! Simply type a favorite animal + a favorite craft (example: penguin felt). In the meantime, here are my three favorite embroidered squids:

  1. Squid Embroidered Wall Art from biffandbunny. She uses three colors of embroidery floss for a subtle change of color along the length of the squid, and the hoop is actually the frame for this wall art. Clever!

    Squid Wall Art by biffandbunny

    Squid Wall Art by biffandbunny

  2. Solstice Squids from hissen. For shear hilarity, this design with squids wearing scarfs wins. She can do custom colors and also sells the pattern. I am seriously considering buying the pattern.

    Solstice Squids by Hissen

    Solstice Squids by Hissen

  3. La Catrina Sugar Skull Squid also by hissen. Inspired by Day of the Dead sugar skulls, all I can say is wow. This is serious embroidery skill.

    La Catrina Sugar Skull Squid by Hissen

    La Catrina Sugar Skull Squid by Hissen

Squid Embroidery

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I love embroidery but I have never tried it, nor do I currently have the necessary tools. Nonetheless, I have a project in mind. I want to embroider a squid onto a pillow. Before Christmas, I decided to start a collection of handmade squid things for my boyfriend, whose nickname is indeed squid (I know, it’s sickeningly cute). On Christmas day, my boyfriend unwrapped this screen-printed shirt, a squid vinyl card and our personal favorite this holiday, a cobalt blue “monster mug” with tentacle handle from Wildcard Pottery (her shop is currently on vacation but check it out when she returns!). Shopping for squid things on Etsy was ridiculously fun.

Now, this is the squid design I want to embroider from Tim of It’s Nacho Time. I’ve already sung my praises of his squid-tastic blog with so many handmade items (his Halloween costume is classic). Tim designed this squid for a shirt design, but I feel like it could work for embroidery. No?

Before I launch into an embroidery project, I need to gather the necessary tools including:

  • Embroidery Hoop- Keeps the fabric taut between two rings when embroidering
  • Embroidery Floss- Thicker than thread, usually made up of multiple strands which can be separated for finer work
  • Embroidery Needles- Slightly larger eye to accommodate the floss (number 10 or 12)
  • Fabric
  • Sharp scissors

I would want to trace my design onto the fabric with a pencil or washable marker before securing in the hoop. With a design like this and light fabric, I could easily just place a print-out under the fabric and trace. To secure the fabric in the hoop, you separate out the two circles, place the fabric over the one without hardware and place the other circle on top. You then pull the fabric taut between the two loops and tighten the nut until secure.

Just like in sewing, there are different stitches that I can use to create my design. Backstitch is the easieset for beginners. Basically, I would make a knot in the end of my length of floss (I’ll probably separate it out to 3 strands for this finer design) and bring the needle up through the bottom of the fabric. I’d make a stitch to the left if I want to go right and to the right if I want to go left. That may sound confusing but it’s because you will be bringing the needle back up a stitch length in the direction you want to go and backstitching right next to the original stitch. The purl bee has a wonderful tutorial on creating french knots for a more raised and thus textured embroidery.

I can’t wait to get started.

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