There have been posts that people have loved, some that got a way bigger reaction that I ever expected and those posts that people have said “thank you for writing, that’s helped me”.

In no particular order, here are some of my favorites…

• My post about a free pattern for a Snuggie has gotten more popular than I ever imagined – apparently people want to make these… lots and lots of people!
• You can’t get much easier than these ribbon roses – I’ve made literally hundreds over the years.
• My fabric-covered journal tutorial turned into a much bigger how-to than I originally planned – it’s split into five separate posts, in fact.  Here they all are, so you don’t need to go searching for them: part one, two, three, four and five.
• Dyeing fabric doesn’t have to be a big, scary project – it can be a fun experiment too.
• And of course, anything I could embroider, I would!  I’ve made felt sweethearts for Valentine’s Day, a mini bag for Halloween and monogrammed napkins as a wedding gift – I’ve even embroidered on origami paper.

You can still find me on the web at Splendicity or my own personal craft blog

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

My All-Time Favorite Tutorials

I love browsing through photos from the shows and seeing the incredible mastery that the designers have with fabric.  They can take a humble bolt of fabric and turn it into a sculpture or a piece of art.

Not sure what I mean?

Check out these lush flowers from Colombian designer Leal Daccarett:

Aren’t those fabulous?  I can almost smell the peonies…

If you want to see some amazing embroidery, look at this outfit from Pakistani designer Deepak Perwani:

Unfortunately, I can’t post a high-res image, but trust me – the embroidery is flawless… and those shisha mirrors are not an easy feat!

Maheen Khan, also from Pakistan, showed more embroidered work:

The detailed gathers on the top are quite something as well.  The added fullness around the hem of the blouse is from dozens of little gores, stitched into the fabric.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to go brush up on some of my embroidery skills…

images: Zuma Press

Post from: Blisstree

Fabric Artistry from Milan Fashion Week

Image: sxc.hu

It implies high fashion and enables people to take pride in using their creativity to make use of worn and worn out items in their closet…or ones they find at rummage sales and second hand shops.

In addition to altering used clothing, these new designers (whether it’s someone who does this for a living or you simply stretching the clothing budget) use embellishments and embroidery in creative ways.

Some of the pieces of altered couture I’ve seen are:

• An apron made by cutting away jeans except for the front with side pockets.
• A lightweight jacket created from a sweatshirt with added embroidery.
• A skirt or tote bag utilizing neckties for the fabric.
• Tote bags made from jeans and denim skirts.  (One lady came to our yard sale looking for just these items and showed me the totes she created.)
• Clothing mended by adding applique, embroidery and/or embellishments.
• Small purses made from jeans’ pockets.

What have you done in the way of making altered couture when you thought you were only recycling or budgeting carefully?

Post from: Blisstree

Altered Couture or Recycled Clothing

I know I’m guilty of primarily working in cross stitch and the standard needlepoint stitches, the tent or half-cross stitch.  I may bring out the lazy daisy or back stitch if I’m not working on gridded canvas or Aida cloth…

But there is a world of stitches out there!

Have you ever heard of the “Droit stitch” or the “Stepped Sheaf stitch”?  How about the exotic-sounding “Turkey”, “Egyptian” or “Romanian” stitches?

If you’d like to expand your stitching repertoire, the Stitchopedia website is the place to start your search.  They’ve got listings for all kinds of amazing-sounding hand-embroidery stitches.  Each stitch has a diagram as well as a text description of how to form the stitch.   They also have printable diagrams so you can print and save the stitch how-to.  Perfect if you don’t embroider in front of the computer!

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

All Those Embroidery Stitches…

Of course, I can’t leave my camera at home and so I’ve got dozens of photos of lovely plants to use as inspiration.  I find that the “macro” image is the one that interests me the most, so I rarely seem to end up with the whole flower or plant in the frame.

One game I like to play is imagining how I would interpret the photo in fabric, mixed media and fiber.  In fact, I’d like to go through with you and share some of my thoughts on how I’d create a fiber art piece.

Take a look and see how you’d interpret the same image – and please leave a comment if you’d like to share

I love the heavily mottled leaves of these plants – I’d make this one out of hand-dyed fabric and then machine embroider the veins on.  Hand-painting the fabric could be a great challenge too – how about dripping a fluid fabric paint like Dy-Na-Flo to reproduce some of the splotches and mottled colors?

This shot is actually from underneath the plant, with the sun shining from above.  I’d like to try making this one from a single piece of green fabric, but then heavily machine-embroidering all the veins and ribs of the plant on.  As an alternative, I might try using a dry brush method of fabric painting (thicker paint, used sparingly with a dry brush) get the shading and the thicker ribs.

I’ll share more photos and techniques tomorrow!

images: © C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Interpreting Natural Textures in Fabric

Since I do both machine and hand-embroidery, but covered sewing yesterday – I’m just going to share my 5 favorite hand-embroidery supplies in this post.

In no particular order…

1. A good embroidery hoop – I have very particular likes and dislikes when it comes to embroidery hoops.  I plastic hoops that are between 4″ and 6″ across (I find that larger hoops strain my wrists), that adjusts with a screw (I don’t like spring hoops) and one that has a “lip” on the inner edge.  Yes, I am particular, but I’m so much happier with a hoop that holds the correct tension and doesn’t strain my arms.
2. Good light source – don’t strain your eyes by embroidering in bad light.  It’s just not worth the headaches and eyestrain.
3. Sharp scissors – it’s so frustrating to try and snip the floss or thread off at the surface of the fabric, and end up shredding it.
4. The right needle – different types of embroidery need different kinds of needles.  You don’t need to spend a mint on them, but the proper kind of needle will make your embroidery so much more enjoyable.
5. Good quality floss, thread or wool – cheap fibers can shred, lose color, bleed in the wash and break more easily.  You don’t need to buy the most expensive stuff out there, but I’ve rarely had good luck with dollar store floss.

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

My 5 Favorite Embroidery Supplies

It can be challenging to get started for some people.  They tense up and get frustrated because the line isn’t flowing as smoothly as they’d like.

Some teachers recommend beginning with drawing simple stipple patterns (like the piece of one of my art quilts shown here) on a piece of paper.

I’ve never had good luck with that though – the movement of drawing on paper is the exact opposite of quilting.  With drawing, you’re pushing the pencil across the surface of the paper.  With quilting, you’re moving the fabric under the stationary needle.

Personally, the best method I’ve found is to start small, with little fabric sandwiches.  Little practice squares are easiest to move around, so that way you’re not straining your shoulders or neck.  Relax and just guide the fabric around the machine.  Take the time to get comfortable with the technique before you try and quilt something special.

In no time you’ll be free motion quilting like a pro!

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

Getting Started With Free Motion Quilting

How about a great how-to book?

Why not a book to polish your existing skills?

Now is the time to stock up!

Interweave Press is holding their annual “Hurt & Overstock ” book sale, with great discounts on craft, fiber art, jewelry, knitting books and much more.  I’ve gotten some fantastic deals on “gently damaged” books from them over the years.

What kind of goodies can you find?

How about $12.48 for “Bags With Paper & Stitch “?

“Explore the art of papermaking and how to transform these distinctive papers into unique, one-of-a-kind handbags embellished using modern techniques. Fiber artist Isobel Hall showcases dozens of exquisite handmade bags and her methods for achieving success in Bags with Paper and Stitch.”

Or how about “Color On Color: Elegant Designs to Stitch” for just $10.98?

“Small splashes of bright colors can awaken any wardrobe or home decor. This beautifully illustrated book provides a wonderful introduction to embroidery for newcomers and will capture the imagination and interest of more experienced needleworkers as well. Janet Haigh, one of Europe’s foremost embroiderers, combines simple hand-worked embroidery, exquisite natural fabrics, and several cross-craft techniques to create 12 striking projects with 20 elegant and contemporary designs.

Sounds like fun to me…

images: Interweave Press

Post from: Blisstree

Big Craft Book Sale at Interweave Press

She has created a totally free fireworks embroidery pattern, and then uploaded it to Flickr, so everyone can download it and use the pattern for some holiday fun

There lots of different options for embroidery patterns.  Why not embellish a favorite t-shirt?  Just place a layer of tear-away interfacing behind it and stitch away.  Did you know that you can embroider on paper?  Transfer the pattern and have fun.  How about enlarging the pattern and making a patriotic tote bag?

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

Want More Fireworks? Embroider Them!

The benefit of buying a kit, is that if you only need a foot of a particular color, you don’t need to buy a whole hank of floss.

Of course, the downside is trying to separate 25 different colors of embroidery floss that have been knotted together…

I like to organize my floss in bright, natural light.  I find I get the best color separation in natural light – there is just no point for me to try and do it at night under a lamp!

I write the name and color code of each color of floss onto a strip of paper and then tuck it and the floss inside a mini baggie.  I buy boxes of 200 baggies at my local craft store, normally quite inexpensively too.

image: C Findlay-Harder

That way I can easily tell which color is whice, even when I’m embroidering at night.  You can reuse the baggies over again, which is why I don’t like to write on the bags themselves.

Now just remember to keep all the baggies together…

Post from: Blisstree

Tips & Tricks – Organizing Embroidery Floss