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5x7 Folded Card

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The most valuable invention of mondern man!

Although i love making hand embroideries I've struggled with a limited range of options due to my major lack of any artistic skills :(
Previously, i had overcome this obstacle in one of two ways:
Option 1: buy printed designs and embroider over them (boring & lame)
Option 2: get somebody else with talent to draw the design and transfer (annoying.)

Well that has worked out sort of well but it severely limited my options with regards to design. It was frustrating trying to find somebody to do the drawing for me and the transfer was always a total hassle. I've taped fabric/transfer paper to windows, TVs, and computer screens to try for the best light and easiest transfer. But obviously, there is nothing easy about tracing designs to things taped to a window. Repeatedly I've cursed this process and looked at 1,500$ under-lit drafting tables with longing in my heart.

Recently though my prayers were answered when i came across the greatest invention of modern man. Behold the light box. It's pretty much amazing. For anywhere from 45-120$ you get a light box of various sizes, which is exactly what it seems. A small-to-large sized, thin, box which is lit from within. The work table is angled to help reduce pressure on your arms and the product is compact and lightweight. The light is really bright which allows for layering of numerous designs which can be transferred directly onto the fabric or transfer paper. I'm really in love with this product, it's pretty much the best. Now that i have my light box i never have to worry about finding patterns or struggling with making transfers. Amazing. :)

Halloween gohul for my sister

I purchased a somewhat generic pillow case with a printed picture on it and decided to embellish it as a birthday gift for my sister. Seeing as i have no artistic talent regarding drawing this is an approach i have used before. I think it turned out really well and i hope that she loves it! I used the satin stitch mainly but also a few others to make a little texture. This is the first time i have used the blended thread and i really liked the effect. I hate to admit that it took me a month to do this, but between school, work, and attempting to have some semblance of a life i guess that's what happens. Anyway, i took some pics along the way to capture the process so here we go! hope she loves it (cause i sorta wanted to keep it ;)

It's been a long weekend and i'm feeling relaxed and accomplished! Last week my second semester started and the assignments came pouring in. I've been reading, writing, and taking quizzes all week long. I submitted my last assignment (until i go back to class tomorrow) a few hours ago and have been enjoying a leisurely night of doing next to nothing. ahhhhh sweet relaxation...

I thought I'd take these available moments and post a new project that i finished just before Christmas. It's a tea towel that i keep hanging on my oven. I got the tea towel itself from the Dollar Tree (god i love that place) and it had a screen print of the chef already on it. I was instantly inspired as soon as i saw it and rushed home to start.

I used a back stitch for most of the outlines and basically just traced the printed design of the chef. I added french knots for buttons and a satin stitch to the carrot. It was really simple and quick. My boyfriend drew the text on either side using a washable fabric marker than i stitched over. I used a satin thread on the words and it really made them pop. Finally i used contrasting red and black (satin) to stitch a border and after hand washing it it was good to go. The whole project cost less than 2 dollars and was finished in less than a day. It was a really fun project that i will definetely try again, when i get another free moment that is...

Ribbed Pillow

I got the brilliant idea to make a pillow case on the loom somewhat out of the blue. Although i didn't have a pattern, i did have the idea and some yarn and that seemed sufficient enough. I used the large yellow loom and wrapped most but not all the pegs. I chose the ribbed stitch because it has a nice stretch to it, while also showing the texture of the ribbing. * When using the ribbed stitch it's a good idea to approximately double the pegs you're wrapping against the size you want your finished product to be. As it comes off the loom the ribbing will pull very tight and make it significantly smaller that the wrapped area. This stitch can also get very tight when working so take care with yarn that breaks easily.* The ribbed stitch is super simple and nice because it's reversible. The Right side will be ribbed (obviously) and the wrong side will have a flat solid finish that is very thick.

Here's the ribbed stitch pattern:
Cast on designated number of pegs with e-wrap method (turn at the end).
Wrap each peg twice (there will be three yarn wraps on each peg).
Pick up the back stitch and wrap it over the front two.
Continue until it reaches the designated length.

For some unknown reason, i had gotten it into my head that i needed to make my panel large enough to fold four ways around the pillow. Makes no sense right!? I know! When i had enough (for the previously stated and slightly miscalculated plan) i used the flat bind-off method to take the panel off the loom. Then i took the two sides and pulled them tight around my pillow. I stitched the sides and the bottom closed and it looked great! The ribbing stretched out and showed the beautiful colors and textures, however i had totally miscalculated the size. i now had a perfect pillow with the exception of it's giant loose trunk of hanging and excess material that i had to do something with. I considered tucking the miscalculation inside and sewing it shut, but that was bulky and ugly. I almost resorted to cutting the trunk off but knew all the stitching would come undone. Finally, i was so fed up and ready to quit that i just settled on folding it over and being done with it.

When i did this i noticed that it looked quite nice. The contrasting pattern on the Wrong side really stood out against the ribbing and made for an interesting design. Later on, I bought a decorative button at a craft store that worked nicely to latch each flap down. Now that it's all come together, I have to say I'm quite satisfied with the finished product.

If nothing else I've learned the lesson: measure twice cut once (and you never come up with unique design).

Embroidered bookmark

I finished the secret Santa bookmark! This is the second book mark that I've made and it was much easier this go round. The first time i made one i really struggled with holding it while i stitched since i couldn't put it in a hoop. I guess my hands are getting stronger because i didn't get crippling cramps this time from holding it at the awkward angle frequently required.

I used the long-short stitch on the cat's body. It turned out really nice and looks great for the animal fur. I had never used it before though and it was a bit of trial and error. I laid down all the blue of the body and then built the mouth, nose, cheeks, whiskers, and eyes on top. By the time i was getting to the end of that list the layers had gotten sooooooo thick that i couldn't even pull the needle through! I think the old proverb goes 'desperate times call for desperate measures' and that's what i resulted to addressing this issue. I used my teeth several times to pull the needle through, which worked great, but it was only a matter of time until i put an eye out with that method. I tried rubber bands on the needle, which was time consuming and totally pointless. Then finally i got the idea of using my rubber jar opener. Brilliant! It was a perfect gripper and cushioned my finger tips so that i could get the needle through the thick areas. i guess i should give in and invest in a good thimble, but if you're in a pinch give my style a go.

• I'm currently working on an embroidery that will be a secret Santa gift for my boyfriend's class mate. It's a medium sized book mark with her name and a picture of a cat.


• I think that the process of how something comes from idea to finished work is just as interesting as the finished product, so I'm sharing some images as i move through the process. I can't draw (really i can't) so Paul (my boyfriend) does my illustrations. He's a talented artist, but for some reason these cats were a struggle. It worked out in the end though so don't judge these ugly kitties too harshly. I'll post the finished piece once i complete it!