Stick and Stitch

A while back, I'd stitched up a couple of Dropcloth Samplers' Stick and Stitch patterns, without an idea of what I would do with them. Then recently I found I had some 3" bamboo wooden hoops, and thought I could use them together. I watched a video, 4 Ways To Back The Embroidery Hoop | Hand Embroidery 101 by The Authentic Embroiderer, and decided to try the 'cover the back with felt' method. It started with putting the embroidery into the hoop and gathering it on the back.

Then I followed the instructions in the video and stitched a felt circle to the back. For both steps, I used a single strand of Aurifil 12wt thread in a color that pretty much matched the fabric and felt.

  

Gotta say, I really enjoyed the process, and it went together neatly.

I liked it so well, I did it again.

So then.... I took both little embroidered hoops down to the Free Little Art Gallery Edmonds, where I've dropped off little art pieces many times.

Hopefully they'll find a new happy home!

CARE

I already shared how much I enjoyed the Dropcloth Samplers @dropcloth Advent calendar. But today, I want to share a little more about the word of the year patch that was our gift on the final day.

Never before have I publicly shared a Word of the Year. Privately, I've chosen one a time or two, and I still have them written down to mull over now and then. But with this cute little sampler, I decided to go ahead and choose a word and stitch it and share it. To get started, I basted a border of fabric on the sampler to allow it to fit into my new Nurge embroidery hoop, backed it with a piece of Essex, and gathered all the threads I had received in my Advent calendar.

The word I chose is CARE. For some reason, it came to mind one day, and wouldn't leave. First, I think, was the thought of self-care, as I'm hoping to do a bit more of that this year. But also, there's being open to folks I come into contact with day to day. Active listening and sharing words of affirmation with those I care about. Reaching out to friends I haven't been in touch with in a while. Being aware of and responding to what's going on around me. Slowing down a bit in my creative practice and infusing more meaning into it. That's all a lot, but that's what I'm mulling over when I think about care.

So in stitching the sampler, I didn't end up using that variegated floss shown up above. But I did use the other threads, and added in more from my stash. I want to note that I was trying that blue Sparkly Sky Sparkle Pearl Cotton by Valdani Inc. @valdani_threads for the first time, and I'm definitely a fan. It stitched as nicely as any other metallic thread I've tried, and I'll definitely be using it again. Meanwhile, I used it for my focus word and enjoyed that very much.

I framed the sampler with fabric, layered it with thin batting and a backing, and then quilted it with Aurifil 12wt thread.

I designed it as a little quilted hanger, and finished, it measures nearly 5.5" square. I hung it up in my studio so I'll see it often. Just a little reminder to be intentional with showing care.

A Year of Doodles Finale

Well it's hard to believe I worked on this embroidery panel for a full year! But it's true, and I was very conscientious to work on each month's section only during that month. 

The design measures 8" in diameter, and I had ordered the pre-printed panel from StitchDoodles @stitchdoodlesdesign. I used a double-thickness of Aurifil 12wt thread throughout, except at the very end - in December I needed a true red thread, and I only had that in Wonderfil perle cotton #8, so I used just one strand of that where needed.

A little finer than many of the samplers I've done, the 12wt was perfect for this design, imho. I really enjoyed switching up the color focus each month, admittedly inspired by a finished sampler I'd seen by @stitch_happy24. 

Now time to move on to my (many) holiday-related stitching projects.....

ABC Bloom Stitchalong Needle Roll

When I saw that Rebecca of Dropcloth Samplers @dropcloth was hosting a summer stitchalong, I of course, was interested. Then when I saw that we'd be stitching over a layer of silk organza, and that the finished sampler would be made into a needle roll, I was definitely in. Silly me, I didn't actually know what a needle roll was - a storage case, typically made of fabric, that keeps various needles organized and protected by rolling it up. Once I learned that, I placed my order for a kit.

The kit included a printed ABC Bloom Sampler, along with:

• One hand printed piece of silk organza
• Bias tape
• 1 vintage button
• Pendleton wool felt

Sorry I didn't get a photo of all the components, but you'll get a peek at most of them in the finished piece.

Once again, I used a double-thickness of Wonderfil #8 perle cotton to stitch the sampler. It was nice to know that it didn't feel much different stitching with the added layer of organza. I had backed my sampler with SF101 as Rebecca suggested and the sampler sandwich was quite comfortable to stitch. My particular piece of organza didn't have much printing in the center, so I lost much of the design one my sampler was trimmed. Oh well.

Rebecca posted instructions to construct the needle roll, if you're interested. Let me tell you, it goes together quite quickly. I had the trimming, backing, and machine stitching of the binding done in under 30 minutes, which included my making of my own double-fold binding. I just wanted something a little different than what was in my kit.

I did take the time to hand stitch the binding onto the front with a blind stitch. Then I just had to sew the button and ribbon/cord that would wrap around the roll. Rebecca used more of the binding fabric for hers, but I wanted something a little different there too. I went looking to see what options I had on hand, and found the thread braid I'd recently purchased. 

I pulled six colors of thread from the braid, then braided them together. I thought it was quite perfect, and it was just the right length to wrap around my needle roll a couple of times and then securing around the button.

This project is one of my favorites that I've made from the many Dropcloth samplers I've stitched. So fun to have a finished project that I can put right to use.

Floral Stitches Year II - Daisies

With all the stitching I was doing for the Ode to Joy quilt back, I got a late start on July's Floral Stitches sampler. Here's what it looked like before any stitching was done, courtesy of Rebecca of Dropcloth Embroidery Samplers @dropcloth.

Used by permission.

But I've been working on it pretty steady the last couple of weeks, and now it's done!

Without realizing the stitches I made for the blue, lavender, and green circles had a name, I later found out they did - the Smyrna stitch. Basically it's a "cross on a plus," and is considered an embellished version of the cross stitch. Good to know! Otherwise, I did a lot of straight stitch on this one, as well as chain stitch and seed stitch. Kept it pretty simple, and I'm happy with the finish, number three of the series. On to number four.

Trying Out Embroidered Handwriting

Recently, I purchased Laura Hartrich's @laurahartrich on-demand class, Embroidered Handwriting, with a bit of an idea of how I'd be using what I learned. First off, though, I needed to do a little sample or test of the different style options, and see which I wanted to move forward with.

After trying all three styles - block text, backstitch text, and cursive text - I decided I was most comfortable with the backstitch method. (Pretty obvious, right?) So stay tuned, and we'll see if my idea pans out....

Oh Christmas Tree Advent Day 16

My first year with an Advent stitchery, I've really been enjoying stitching most evenings on my Oh Christmas Tree panel from Stitchdoodles. I've been using threads I had on hand - perle cotton, Aurifil 12wt and embroidery floss - in colors of my own choosing. Most have been similar to what was suggested, but I've used teal and magenta a few times, when they haven't been suggested at all. So yeah, I'm making it my own.

Here are some of my favorite trees I've stitched....

So I'll just continue on. We're over 2/3 done, with the end in sight!

Oh Christmas Tree Advent

Though I know I'll be a little jealous as I see folks opening and sharing their sewing-related advent calendars, I decided that I'd instead, join in an advent stitch-along, and chose the design by Stitchdoodles. 

Based in Gloucester, UK, I went ahead and ordered the printed 100% ivory cotton fabric panel, which came backed with a calico fabric stabilizer. Each day, directions will be released for stitching one particular tree. 

I'm going to use my own thread stash, so I'll figure that out as we go. I'm thinking mostly greens and teals, and maybe a variety of threads - perle cotton, Aurifil 12wt and embroidery floss. But then again, we'll just see.

I did stitch tree #1 right on schedule using Aurifil 12wt for the tree and floss for the trunk. I'll be back periodically with status updates!

All the Windows

When I first saw the Windows Embroidery Sampler at Snuggly Monkey, I was in need of a new stitchery project, and was excited to try something new to me by a new designer, Colette Moscrop. Screen printed on 100% linen, the sampler was pretty big - 19.5" x 13.5". As the description said, "This windows design is perfect for embroidery and makes a great starting point for a modern sampler." IE. I'd have to come up with my own stitching plan.

It wasn't until I was a few windows in that I decided to try as many different embroidery stitches as I could. At first, I didn't really anticipate using 67(!) different stitches/stitch variations, but that's exactly what happened. I stitched a bunch I knew by heart, then moved on to referencing embroidery books in my own collection, as well as online sources. At some point, I began keeping track of what I was stitching, just for fun.

All along, I was using a double thickness of Aurifil 12wt in a limited selections of colors. On each window, I also outlined it, either on the inside or out, with a backstitch. I looked back, and it took me about two months of evening stitching to finish filling all the windows. I'm not quite sure what this sampler will become from here, but I sure do love it. I learned so many new embroidery stitches! Here's a highlight of just some of them.