Just like stickers, t-shirts and pin badges, embroidered patches are a trendy fashion accessory designers love to produce with their custom designs. They come in all shapes and sizes, some with multiple colours; others with simple mono designs. Common uses include novelty promotional items, saleable merchandise, or souvenirs for events. What I personally love about […]

The only thing worse than a Monday morning is having your periods start suddenly on a Monday morning! Dragging yourself to work, while your cramps are at an all

What is sashiko? Sashiko, meaning "little stabs" is a Japanese style of stitching. In traditional Japanese mending, sashiko is a style of hand stitching used to repair textiles or to create layers for added warmth in working garments. It is creating small repeating stitches that form a pattern, the patterns often inspi

Cooler weather means wearing jeans frequently, and wearing jeans frequently means wearing jeans out more quickly than you ever thought possible. If your favorite pairs are ripping, fraying, or just showing more wear-and-tear than you’d like, these 10 DIYs will keep them functioning and looking fabulous all fall. If you want a basic fix without adding too many distracting elements (these are jeans after all), try this tutorial on how to add a denim patch inside your favorite pair.

by HEIDI EMMETT Oh my goodness! When this fashion show came across my path, I was MEZMORIZED! Patchwork and quilting ARE HOT in the fashion world right now! I think they have been for the past few …

Top US quilting blogger, Seams Like a Dream Quilt Designs, features all the info you need to know about the 9 Patch Block. Click here now!!

How do you decide which darning/mending technique to use? Some questions to consider: -is the patch going to be visible or will it blend in? -what type of garment are you repairing? -how much time do you want to spend mending? When it comes to mending, there is never an exact yes or no answer. It is (almost) always th

Looking for some quilting inspiration? Try these Nine Patch block ideas.

Looking for some quilting inspiration? Try these Nine Patch block ideas.

Continuing from where we left last time, let's take a look at the “non-conventional” placement of colors at needlepainting. A quick recap for those who missed the previous part of the needlepainting tips: The majority of lessons and tutorials for long and short stitching (including the lesson on this blog) show the traditional way of shading, which goes from top to the bottom in horizontal rows of colors. However, when you come to the actual needlepainting you might find out that the directions of stitches, the placement of colors can vary A LOT from project to project. The most confusing part in such cases, is usually the order of work: where to start from, is it better to go row by row switching colors or finish each color area separately, etc. It may not seem that complicated when you look at the project but as soon as you start, the questions keep arising. So, in July we discussed diagonal shading and the order of working it. Now, I have to remind that what was demonstrated is only my way of working such patterns of shading. I actually saw a different approach in a book once (similar to the traditional one, just changing the colors couple of time in one row) so be aware that there are other methods and ways and maybe you will even develop your own preferred way of working it! This time, let's take a look at shading in patches. If it sounds weird, I'm sorry, but that's the only term that comes to my mind when I think about it, haha. What I mean by patches are spots of colors placed randomly in a shape that is supposed to be long and short stitched. For example, look at Euphoria piece. The flower there is shaded exactly in patches. The borders are not that clear because the colors are close in temperature although having different hues. There are yellowish, pinkish and coral colors placed as spots randomly and only the lightest color on the edge of the petals and the brightest coral close to the center of the petal, only these two have the same placement from petal to petal. It was really fun to work it, merging few hues together which made the “base” color of the flower not clear. Is it yellow or light pink? There is no real answer because both colors are present there equally. Now that you have an idea about what shading in patches is, exactly, here are two examples with step by step pictures. First of all, pause, look at the placement of spots and think: how would you work it? In what order would you shade this petal? From the left? From the right? What next? Make a simulation of working the petal in your mind. Done? Now, this is how I worked it. 1-3. Theoretically, I could start it from the right as well, it wouldn't make much difference. 4. We had to work the two top patches first because this one is attached to both of them. That's why we couldn't work the left corner and then this one consecutively. 5. This one is attached to both patches of colors above again. 6. The last one, I guess, is quite self-explanatory? For these examples, I took thread of similar colors, but the hues are a little different. My goal was not to perform a good shading, like from lighter to darker colors, or have some realism. My goal was to work the patches and make them evident for you when you look so that you can tell the colors and patches apart in a finished petal. Here is a look at the petal under natural lighting. The colors merge better here, but you can still the patches here, right? This example is veeery close to how I worked Euphoria :) Now let's take a look at the second example, slightly more complicated. Look at the placement of patches and think how you would work this petal, what would be your order of work? When you are ready, look at my process of working it: 1-3. the first two patches are quite clear 4-5. Now, why did I work the one on the right and not the one no the left? Because the left one goes a little under the right one, so it is attached to it. That's why the right one has to be worked first. 6-7. And the last ones are our good old horizontal rows for traditional long and short stitching. Here's how the petal looks under the natural lighting. Did you guess the order of work correctly? Would you do it differently? I think these kinds of exercises are golden for long and short stitch practicing and they will prepare you for working serious needlepainting pieces, like Magnolia bu Trish Burr that we worked together recently. So, next time you have spare time, draw a couple of petals with random spots inside and try to figure out how to work them, it will be fun!

The 9 patch is considered a basic foundation block in quilting that can help your build your skills in so many ways. Learn the basics and master this block.

Dit noem ik nou ‘minimale inzet, maximaal effect’. Je hebt letterlijk maar drie dingen nodig om jouw versie van deze kekkeblouse te maken: witte textielverf, zwarte textielverf (of stif…

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This dark twist in art by Jeff Huntington, shows the multi-faces of humanity, which we like in art. The smooth yet quick brush storks give the work its arty feeling, nonetheless keeps it in a weak …

Explore our free fall wallpapers for your phone, featuring stunning autumn designs to refresh your phone's look effortlessly!"

Learn how to mend clothing with these creative sewing techniques. Here, we cover how to sew a hole, mend a seam, and more with visible mending.

Be inspired to up your embroidery skills with these 10 amazing embroidery designs! Whether you’re an expert or beginner, you can’t deny the craftsmanship in these embroidery designs.

Fuxico is an age-old Brazilian textile technique that uses up snippets of cloth left over from larger projects, yet many of our readers around the world may be familiar with it by other names. The origins of this technique date back to the colonial era in Brazil when women reused small scraps of cloth while they had a

Learn how to sew a patch with either a machine or by hand. Sewing patches and badges are used to decorate or to hide an ugly hole or damage.

Holes in your jeans used to be thought of as very unsightly, and now rips and tears seem to be the height of fashion. However, not everyone wants their bare skin exposed, and there is a way to have the best of both worlds. That is to have your jeans fashionably ripped up without exposing

The nine-patch quilt block is a timeless classic that has been enjoyed by quilters of all skill levels for many generations. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced quilter, the simplicity and…

I’ve been really digging the work I’ve seen from Darn & Dusted, a small, one-man custom repair company over in...

How to make a patch with your embroidery machine. It's easy to make an iron-on patch with almost any type of embroidery or applique design.

Hey friends, My name is Brian Johnson (Instagram: @ambitious_bjohn) I'm a learning sewist and film photographer here in Sacramento,Ca. In this blog post I share how...

Aprende el arte de la composición fotográfica y crea mejores fotos usando los elementos y reglas básicas de la composición en fotografía!

Learn how to create an embroidered no sew, iron-on patch using fabric, stabilizer, the right design and your embroidery machine.