Doodle stitching

Thank you all so much for your comments on my last post! I am currently stitching another little heart, a teacher gift, which I will unveil in a few days. These are highly addictive little stitchies!

My very first project with embroidery, after a bit of experimenting on scrap bits of fabric, was a trio of nursery songs for my girls.

I first showed these on my blog way back when (you can see them in situ there!). The idea for the trio started with the birds’ nest, featured in Aimee Ray’s Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection, the second in her beginner’s guides to embroidery. I took her designs, then added the titles of songs we like to sing.

Can you spot the bird’s nest? And the bunny gazing up?

Each picture allowed me to practice a basic embroidery stitch on a small scale.

Some chain stitches, stem stitches, back stitches...

The “Rain, rain, go away” picture was based on a cloud and raindrop design, but I added the rainbow running stitch to brighten it up.

 

And my little bunnies had to be gazing up at stars (the stars that, obviously, you can see I doodled in myself!), because I have sung “Twinkle, twinkle” to both of them nightly since birth. Special memories. 

 

These little pictures are my no means perfect, but they were a lot of fun and got me hooked on embroidery. The girls love them. I mounted them quite sloppily in the hoops, and don't even ask me to flip them over - the backs are a real mess of threads! Back then I didn't even know how to transfer properly - I just took a pencil and copied what I saw in the book, no tracing on a window or with a light box. And the words were just me 'writing' with the thread, I tried to write with pencil on one of them and got fed up. Ah, it's the thought that counts, right?

Here is Aimee Ray’s first book, by the way, which I highly recommend to anyone wanting to dabble with the art of needle and thread. It is playful but instructive, fun and unintimidating (sometimes the beauty of embroidery overwhelms me and I can’t imagine being able to do something so fine and detailed. This book contradicts that mindset.)

She illustrates and explains the stitches thoroughly, with illustrations and photographs, making it far easier to attempt stitches and compare what you’ve done with the photo.

Have you ever tried embroidery? Are you interested but have yet to try? I’m thinking of creating some of my own designs – I do a bit of drawing, and I have some ideas in my head for simple projects, but I might need to call on some volunteers to try them out...

Chrissie x

PS A special "thank you" and warm welcome to my new followers!

Quiet stitching...

Following last week’s craft anxiety, this week I’m settling down to some embroidery.

I find embroidery incredibly calming. Perhaps it’s the attention to fine detail that necessitates a calm, quiet atmosphere. Perhaps it’s the rhythm of stitching, or the soft textures of the linen I tend to use...and my latest little project features such natural shades of floss...whatever it is, I just find myself happily more relaxed and taking everything in my stride. The recent sunshine doesn’t hurt, either!

 

This is the teeny make I finished yesterday afternoon, sitting in the garden while Bunny and Little Flower frolicked about in the paddling pool. I used a vintage linen tea towel to make the little heart. One strand of floss for the stitching: two colours of brown for the bark, one lovely shade of green for the leaves. That’s it! And because it is so dinky, it was a very speedy project.

It is a key fob, from my latest – and already beloved – craft book: The Hand-Stitched Home by Caroline Zoob.

I bought this book last week after umm-ing and ahhh-ing about it for a bit, and I am so glad I have it. It is one of those books that has a definite mood to it – I opened the cover and I swear a hush came over my home as I turned page after page of elegant embroidery and linen loveliness. Beautiful photographs.

The book is divided into six chapters, including ‘Making pictures’ for small embroideries in interesting frames, and ‘The soft stuff’ for cushions, blankets and the like.

 

There are a lot of useful, practical projects here, but all of them have such delicate, beautiful stitching that everything seems a bit more special. Which is interesting, because honestly, the projects all seem very manageable, and some, like the heart key fob, are in the easy category. Back stitch, stem stitch...a bit of sewing, but the projects, when made with subtle colours and interesting textures, seem much more graceful and chic. Perfect for gifts!

 

Just look at those bookends! Are they not gorgeous? I want to make these for my mother-in-law, who loves sheep and all things woolly. And I already thought of other designs using the same bookend template – fairies for a child’s room, ribbon embroidery initials...ooo I’m digressing...

The Hand-Stitched Home would be an ideal addition to an embroiderer’s library. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for a complete beginner to embroidery - it assumes some stitch and sewing experience and knowledge. The guide at the back of the book is not as comprehensive as a beginner’s reference book, or more funky/naïve-design books such as Aneela Hoey’s Little Stitches or Aimee Ray’s Doodle Stitching. That being said, the stitch guide is a good reminder for those who have done a bit of embroidery, and I absolutely love Caroline Zoob’s description of the knot stitch:

“I confess I cannot make sense out of all those pictures of French knots. So I had to invent my own sort of knot.”

Is this fantastic or what!? She continues to explain her easy-peasy technique that looks just as wonderful as the French knot, a stitch that often makes me want to tear my hair out!

Caroline Zoob encourages the reader to look around and be inspired by natural surroundings. She offers good advice on choosing materials, floss colours and tools. Her gentle, casual attitude towards the stitching means that the projects are far more accessible and enjoyable to create than the finished look suggests.

This book also would make a beautiful gift for someone who enjoys embroidery. I plan to make a few more hearts then move on to the very appealing napkin rings and placemats. Must avoid more craft anxiety, after all!

Happy crafting!

Chrissie x

Crafting al fresco

Crafting in the garden...being inspired by one's surroundings...Buzzy Bee perfectly covers the hole in my slipper. 
Ta dah!
Thank you all so *very* much for your funny, supportive and friendly comments on my last post. I will soldier on in the face of my "condition"! :-) 

That's all for now, let's get back out to the sunny garden! 
Happy crafting!
Chrissie x