Gracious Blues by Claire Wallace won Best of Show Traditional / Innovative - South African International Quilt Festival
Joyce sent along some photos of a gorgeous embroidered quilt she is working on for her granddaughter. In selecting patterns to embroider for the king-sized quilt, Joyce told me, “I picked out pictures I thought would be ok for her now as a little girl and would be ok for when she has grown up.” ...
Two of our favorite publishers are joining forces! Check out this announcement from F+W Media: F+W Media, Inc. (www.fwmedia.com) and Country Bumpkin Publications ( have formed a partnership to crea…
The Royal School of Needlework has begun publishing a series of “essential stitch guides” for various needlework techniques. The first two to come out in the series are on crewelwork and blackwork, and it looks as if two more will not be long in coming. The title of the series indicates exactly what the books ...
Another way of filling a shape in your embroidery pattern :) Lots of pictures below, you were warned! So, the stitch of this month is detached buttonhole! Or, rather, the technique of this month, because actually, this stitch has some variations and the name can even be extended to a technique common for stumpwork (which will hopefully be covered in one of the next posts). But I digress. If you are not familiar with a regular buttonhole stitch, check out these posts first: Buttonhole stitch basics Buttonhole stitch variations Buttonhole stitch as a filler Buttonhole stitch tip I recommend trying it out on a spare piece of fabric first, at least the basic one, to get used to the way it is worked. Although, you can actually work detached buttonhole without any preparation! Now, let's start the lesson because it is quite long as it is. Detached buttonhole type 1: loose I'm working this one with 1 strand of floss. First, we need to outline the shape. I used chain stitch, but other line stitches will do just as fine: back stitch, stem stitch, split stitch will suit this purpose. Now, if you strive for perfection, you might want to work the stitches evenly on the left and right sides. In this case, they will serve as a sort of mark. I'm usually the one to take it easy, so my stitches aren't perfectly aligned, they only serve the purpose of being an outline. Because of that I don't have marks and have to rely on my intuition, but I don't really mind, haha. We begin the first row of detached buttonhole the following way: bring the needle up through the fabric at one side of the shape, a little under the top, then slide the needle through one of the stitches of the outline vertically with your tip going downward. Notice how the working end of the thread is being tucked under the needle tip at this step. Pull the needle through, forming a loop. Keep it loose enough, don't pull too tight. But also, keep it in shape, you know? Well, you will get a hang of it once you try! Keep making stitches the same way and don't forget to slide your needle under the top stitches with its tip down and with the working thread tucked underneath. After you make the last loop, insert the needle on the other side of the shape, a little below the top level, mirroring what you did in the first step. Now come up through the fabric on the same side and repeat all the steps except that now you will be anchoring your loops on the ones from the row above. Keep going! By the way, for weaving techniques like this it is always better to use a needle with a blunt tip to avoid picking on thread fibers. I was too lazy to search for one in my stash though, so I just moved the needle with the needle eye down. If you look closely at the loops from different rows you will see the slight difference in how they are formed. It is because we change the direction with every row. But the difference is very difficult to notice without looking closely so we can make this sacrifice in order to save thread, right? It will not work for the other type of detached buttonhole though.... When we finished, we need to anchor the last row. For that, make a loop like you would normally do, tucking the working end of thread under the needle, and then slide the needle under one of the stitches from the outline. It will anchor the loop to that stitch. Keep doing the same with the rest of the loops in the last row. Anchored well! The result. Well, not perfectly neat, but it is a practice so I didn't really sweat over it, haha. I actually used this detached buttonhole for the leaves in this pattern! You can see that it can be worked for irregular shapes as well. Going to be a little challenging, but you just need to calculate the way place your rows. Detached buttonhole type 2: close woven The order of work for this is almost the same, the core movements are identical – we just add one more element. For this shape, I'm using 3 strands of floss, to make the weave even more close and dense. If I worked it with 1 strand of floss it would be a little more airy, but I wanted to show how to get that “heavy” effect. So, work an outline for your shape, I used back stitch here. Then, come upwards through the fabric at one side of the shape and insert the needle at another side on the same level. You are making a giant straight stitch this way, which lies horizontally on the fabric. And then, on the same side where you inserted the needle last time, you will come up a little below that bar, and make a loop. The loop is worked almost the same way as before: the needle sliding downward through the stitch above, except that the needle also goes under the bar before you tuck the working thread under it. So, remember: under the stitch above, under the bar, but over the working thread. This way, you are trapping the bar stitch inside your loop. And then you can continue working the full row repeating the previous steps. When you reach the other side, you need to make a new bar and start another row of detached buttonhole. So, basically, you always start on the same side. With this type of weaving and this thickness of thread, if you start a new row of loops from another side, the difference will be more visible. It is not that likely to start from the other side, though, because you always come back to the same one after making another bar, anyway. But I'm telling this in case your thread ends and you want to continue from the other side. The difference in loops will be clear! Now to the topic of anchoring the loops. I have two suggestions. Here, as you are working the last row of loops, you can slide under the outline stitch as well. So, the order will be: under the loop above, under the bar, under the stitch from the outline, over the working thread. It will create a sort of an edge. Another way is to work the last row of stitches completely (I cut it in half here just to show you what it would look like), and then anchor every loop like you would do with a fly stitch. This is how it can look like. You can also anchor it right over the outline stitches! I used the first method to save thread because it was about to finish, haha. It can be worked even closer, actually. To the point that the background hardly peaks through at all. For that, make your loops shorter – I skipped every other back stitch when I was working the first row, but you can make a loop for each one. So, here are the new ways you can fill your shapes in embroidery. One is an open filling, like lattice, the other is... semi-solid, I would say? It will depend on how closely you work it and how thick your thread will be! Oof, congrats if you made it till here! See you at the next tutorial! :)
The Hearthstone Wrap is the perfect companion as you warm up by the fire after a day on the slopes or as an extra layer while exploring the village. Inspired by vintage ski sweaters, this triangle wrap can be worn draped over the shoulders or with the point in front to keep you cozy all winter long.
simple, but fun.
In this previous installment of our series on how to embroider wheat five different ways, we stitched the two stalks on the right side of the bundle using bullion knots in different ways. Today, in the last of the four tutorials in this collection, we’re going to work a relatively quick satin stitch for the ...
Errata available: thealpacayarnco.com knittingdaily.com ravelry.com knittingdaily.com interweave.com interweave.com
CON PAIPAY CHINITA CON SOMBRILLA ROJA HADAS CON FLOR EN LA MANO CON SOMBRILLA CHINITA GUAPA MUJER CON CESTA DE FLORES RELOJES
Today, we have to deviate slightly from our normal course of embroidering strawberries. In this installment on How to Embroidery Strawberries, we’re going to stitch Strawberry #4 – which is the largest strawberry in the design. But two things happened that detoured the original planned approach: 1. A photographic oversight – there are no photos ...
Stem Stitch is my favorite hand embroidery stitch, because it is so versatile and so attractive. The poor stem stitch doesn’t get the attention it is due, in my opinion – most folks tend to stitch lines today using backstitch, running stitch, and chain stitch, more than they do with stem stitch. But stem stitch ...
Wartime knitting was more than a hobby – it was an act of patriotism.
Jorge Perez Higuera, whose snaps show Darth Vader's henchmen in a hot tub and knitting, said: "I think Stormtroopers represent the galactic working class"
I’m here to share my own mixed media techniques and guide you through processes that support genuine creativity.
It was a first ever for me. I worked on Mr Snowman and Carrots yesterday and FINISHED them both. Miracles happen. The Carrots…..took longer to finish. The tops needed to be designed as you …
Learn how to knit a yarn over between both knit stitches and purl stitches with these step by step photo and video tutorials!
This crochet tutorial shows how to make the interlocking double V stitch step-by-step. The tutorial includes detailed photo instructions.
I've finally finished the second lesson of the red fox class!
Want to make a handmade gift but don't have months to work on it? Whip up one of these hand-embroidered cuties! Each one takes less than an hour to stitch up and the results are so sweet. Each little kitty has loads of personality and is easy and fun to stitch. This listing includes patterns for all four cats shown - plus two additional cats. There's a complete color and stitch guide for the cats shown on the patter cover, or you can customize the colors to look like your own cat. :-) Make one for a friend - and one for yourself! The images are small enough to frame in pendants - wear your best friend with you wherever you go. :-) They also frame up well in a 3" wooden hoop (seen in the second photo). Or you can enlarge any of the patterns to stitch on T-shirts, blankets, tote bags, and more! You've never embroidered a single stitch before? No worries. The pattern only uses the most basic stitches, and it has links to free video tutorials to teach you how to do them. I teach these stitches to kids as young as six - I promise anyone can learn them. :-) You'll receive a link to download your pattern as soon as payment is received. Delivery at the speed of light!
Found in a Craft Magazine email last week: an embroidered notebook paper love note from Katie Cupcake and a felted snail in a found s...
Hi friends! Today I have a really special (long) post for you! Today I want to share a quilt that took me two years and about 85 hours to...
Here you'll learn how to make a Tunisian (also known as Afghan) Crochet fabric using the basic Tunisian Simple Stitch. Let's get started!
Explore chez60's 310 photos on Flickr!
May the glad dawn of Easter morn, bring joy to thee. Easter Sunday is a week away... plenty of time to make a little felt basket or two! I have uploaded the pattern template to scrib, you can find it here - don't be too concerned about sizing. I made a couple of half sized ones and about a dozen bigger ones; you could probably go bigger again and it would still stay pretty sturdy depending on the thickness of your wool felt. Decoration, or none, is completely up to your preference and time... I will show you how to do the little wool twist and stitch a bullion bee, just make everything else up. ok you will need the pattern template, some wool felt, scrap wool yarn- about twice as long as the side length, various colours of embroidery floss, needles, scissors... maybe a little bit of raffia or wood curl shavings for inside the basket, that is it. Cut out the felt pieces from the template - you should have three - base, side and handle. Tie a little knot in the very end of your wool yarn and with matching thread make a few small stitches to secure it to your side piece of felt (notice that the top sides slope inward just a little? secure your yarn on one side about 1/2inch down from the top) Start twisting your yarn, very quickly you will notice it starts to loop back on itself, working in small sections make tiny running stitches to secure the twisted wool yarn to the felt. When you make it to the other end, tie a knot and snip off any remaining yarn, finish twisting and stitching and you are done with that bit. Making a bullion bee... Hmmm this could be as clear as mud but I'll give it a go. Bullion stitches are best made with straw needles - they are thin and even along the length, if you don't have one (and I don't even know if I do) use a needle with a really small head.. eye bit.. umm...one with even thickness along the entire shaft! It will help the wraps slide off smoothly if you do. Any embelishments need to be done on the opposite side to the twisty wool bit and in the bottom two thirds of the basket side piece. Ok. you will need black and yellow threads, I used two strands of each and don't snip them between bands (and they each have their own needle so I don't have to keep re-threading) Bare with me cause I don't have photoshop anymore... Point A is on the right where you see the needle threaded with black disappearing into the felt and Point B is to the left about where you see the yellow thread hanging down. The distance between point A and B is the length of the bullion. You will need to make enough wraps to cover this distance. With either yellow or black thread (knotted) bring the needle to the front at A, bring the thread through. Take the needle to the back at B and re-emerge at A, LEAVE THE NEEDLE IN PLACE like the picture above.. With your thumb over the eye of the needle, raise the point of the needle up and wrap the thread clockwise around the needle.. pull the wraps reasonably firmly against the fabric and try to keep them even - to start with you should need 6-8 wraps. Keeping the tension on the wraps with your left index finger, begin to ease the needle through the wraps. Continuing the pressure on the wraps pull the needle and remaining thread free through the wraps. Pull the thread all the way through tugging the wraps away from you, this helps to keep them tight. Now pull the thread firmly toward you, The wraps (bullion) should now sit between Point A and B. You can fiddle with them to make them even, if you need to, be gentle and keep the tension tight. Anchor the bullion by taking the needle to the back at B. Now swap your colours and do another slightly longer one... keep going till you like the look of your bee. I like to end with a short black bullion 'head segment' Put on a couple of 'lazy daisy stitch' wings and he is ready to buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... I made a little tiny bee with three french knots (a very short bullion, just three wraps and anchor in the centre of A and B) and a running stitch buzzy path. Putting it all together With wrong sides together and using blanket stitch, sew the sides seam together from the top down When you get to the bottom take the circular base piece and begin sewing it in place, easing as required. Secure any knots on the inside of the basket, it is neater that way. Fold down the top edge and secure with blanket (or any other stitch you fancy) To make the handle, fold the two long edges into the centre and stitch in place I used blanket stitch...mainly because I think I can do it in my sleep. When you get all the way across secure the handles on each side at a depth of about the top fold. That is it.. Happy Easter. May your baskets be filled with love (and a little bit of chocolate too).
Play with color and texture with this eye-catching cardi, perfect for spring layering! The meditative three-color linen stitch works up in no time and is complimented by the bold contrast edging.
Reshaping armholes to facilitate proper range of motion is probably my least favorite thing to do. After setting it all up -aligning pattern pieces along the grain and matching join points- this is…
