Needle'nThread.com: August 2006

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Linea - Embroidery Simple and Quick

DMC has recently launched a "new technique" in embroidery, called Linea. What's new about it, and why has it become so quickly popular?

Linea is basic, simple embroidery used to embellish garments and accessories (household and wearable) using simple line stitches worked in DMC perle cotton. What's new about it? Nothing really - except that the designs, bold patterns, and colors fit the fashion trends of today.

The stitches used in Linea kits by DMC are basic: the running stitch, the back stitch, the straight stitch, whipped stitches (sometimes), stem stitch, chain stitch, and a few others here and there, now and then, depending on the look you want.

There's nothing at all new about the stitches. However, the "new" comes into the play in that DMC is packaging Linea kits with pre-made items stamped with the design, perle cotton to embroider the design, a needle, and some simple instructions. Still, as far as kits go, it doesn't sound so "new." But most embroidery kits out there, unless you're shopping for children's kits, are generally a bit more complex than these. The appeal to popularity falls, in my opinion, on two facts:

The kits are fashionable - they fit today's fashion trends. They aren't the typical "homey," "country," or "vintage" type embroidery that has been around for a while. Most of the Linea projects I've seen appeal to trendy people - teenagers, college crowd adults, etc. Silk dupoin and other popular fabrics are commonly used in them. The color schemes worked in DMC perle cotton fit today's popular color schemes.

Linea is EASY and QUICK. If you want to feel the satisfaction of completing a hand-made project, you can't go wrong. Linea just isn't the kind of stuff that develops into a UFO (unfinished object). On the contrary, if your creative juices are flowing, if you're itching to try your hand at embroidery, and if you like the idea of having an accessory you can wear or display in your home - you can't really go wrong. You can work up any one of the kits in a weekend, if not in an afternoon. The stitching is quick and basic. The tools are minimal. The results are pleasing.

Now, if you like the whole concept behind Linea, but are a little more original in your thought processes, you might indeed like to take a stab at the techniques and create something --- but you might be the type who thinks "Ok, if I buy this kit for a silk scarf, how many other people are buying the same kit, and how original is that?" No problem! You don't need a kit! This is the funny thing about it - packaging is everything, and DMC has succeeded once again in marketing something thanks to packaging.

What do you need to make your own original Linea-type project? Any pre-made item you would like to embellish. A denim shoulder bag, a silk purse, a long flowy scarf, a jacket - whatever. You need a pattern, or you can be really creative and draw up your own. You need a needle comparable to the fabric you're embellishing, and you need some DMC perle cotton #5 (even more widely available than ever at your local hobby and craft stores). And finally, you need simple stitch directions for line stitches primarily, which you can find here.

Here's a pattern, if you're looking for something simple and pretty. Click on it for a larger version, and right click to save it to your computer. You can scale it up or down on your computer or on a photocopy machine. You can also only trace parts of it, depending on how you want to arrange your embellishment.

To transfer the design, I suggest using the wax-free, carbon-free dressmaker's transfer paper (like Saral or Dritz) that you can find in the fabric section of your local hobby, fabric, or craft store. Use a light colored paper for dark fabric or a dark paper for light fabric. The markings will come out after washing, as long as you don't iron over them and set them with heat. If your eyes are good, you might use a dark paper on dark fabric and a light paper on light fabric, so that the markings are not so noticeable, if you're working on something that you don't plan to wash right away.

You don't really need a hoop, and you should stitch only from the front of the fabric (in a "sewing" method), especially on pre-made items.

Get creative and have fun with this "new" (not-so-new) concept!

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Sunday, August 27, 2006

Maple Leaf Embroidery Pattern

Fall's on its way - time to embroider up some maple leaves! You can use this one on anything. It would look particularly nice in autumn colors, in any kind of line stitch (even a simple running stitch), on a bread cloth (i.e. a cotton or linen cloth used to line a bread basket and wrap over warm bread). Do you have an autumn wedding coming up? A bread cloth with a maple leaf on each corner, combined with a nice basket and a bread cookbook would make a great shower or wedding gift!

Here's the pattern:

For a larger image, click on the leaf. Right click and save it to your desktop. You can resize it (up or down) on your computer or on a photocopier. If you don't want the veins in the leaf, skip 'em!

Any ideas for this particular pattern? Feel free to share them. Have fun!

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Seasonal Embroidery - Fall Acorn Border

With autumn shortly upon us, you might be interested in some seasonal embroidery patterns for fall. How about starting with an acorn and leaf border? This would look great on a shirt pocket, on table linens, on a sweater or skirt, or just about anything else you want to use it for.

Here's the pattern:

Click on it for the larger version, then right click on the larger version to save to your computer.

Some stitching suggestions:

A good opportunity to dig through your stash! Use simple outline stitches and multiple colors on the leaves - oranges, yellows, browns, reds, even greens! Use a darker brown on the cap of the acorn, and fill it in with close French knots. Satin stitch the nut in a lighter brown.

You can scale the image up or down on your computer or on a photocopy machine. You can also make the pattern longer or shorter by tracing or eliminating some of the repeats.

Whatever you do with it, have fun!

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Saturday, August 19, 2006

Butterfly Embroidery Patterns

Butterflies are pretty little things, and adapted into the embroidery world, they make nice motifs on anything. Here are a couple free butterfly embroidery patterns for surface embroidery. They can be adapted to be used on anything - from clothing to linens to quilts.

Here are the first two butterfly patterns. Use your imagination!! These make great beginner patterns for young embroiderers. They can be worked in cotton perle #5, in a variety of colors and simple stitches - outline, stem, whipped backstitch, French knots, chain stitch, etc. They can also be "dressed up" with regular floss, applying satin stitch or more advanced stitches for a completely different look. In whitework, they would make a nice accent on a dresser scarf or table cloth.

I think they'd make a great "accent block" on a quilt, with a matching motif on a pillow for a child's room.

Click on the image for a larger version. Right click on the larger version and save it to your desktop.

You can find more hand embroidery patterns here.

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Thursday, August 10, 2006

Satin Stitch - Filling Stitches, Part II

Hand embroidery employs lots of different basic embroidery stitches, but when it comes to filling in, the two most popular seem to be the satin stitch and the long & short stitch. To achieve good results with these stitches, practice is required. Here are some simple directions to get you started on them.

The Satin Stitch
The satin stitch holds its own as the most beautiful of embroidery stitches when done well. It is used in many embroidery applications. I've included below two photos of satin stitching. These are not necessarily techniques for the beginner, but it's always nice to have some "inspiration" - as with any embroidery stitch, practice makes perfect!

Whitework: a combination of cutwork and satin stitching

This is a close-up of a piece of linen covered with Italian cutwork, satin stitching, and inserts of needle lace. To stitch the "swoosh" at the base of the image, I first outlined the shape with a tiny backstitch. Some people use split stitch for this outlining. The instide of the outline is then filled with straight stitches running perpendicular (more or less) to the final satin stitched layer. Using #40 coton a broder, I satin stitched over the straight stitches. Note how the direction of the satin stitching turns with the design.

Goldwork: satin stitching in gold thread on cloth of gold
This is certainly not a beginner's technique. This is a photo taken of a relatively old piece of work (not done by me!). The gold thread is satin stitched over a kind of cardboard. It is actually softer than cardboard - almost like a cross between mat board and dense wool felt. I couldn't move the stitches apart to see precisely what was used, since the piece is not mine. I include the picture here so you can get a sense of the beautiful effect of satin stitching in gold.

The Basics of Satin Stitch
Satin stitch is basically a series of straight stitches taken right next to each other, close enough to cover the fabric underneath, but not too close as to butt up next to each other and cause bumps. The idea of satin stitch is that your stitches look smooth - like satin.

There are several difficulties in satin stitching that need to be overcome by practice, and I've addressed each of those below:

Uniform edges: when you satin-stitch, you want the edges of the space you are covering to be even. Practice will help you achieve this. Don't hesitate to take out stitches that don't produce an even edge. You will be better pleased with the overall results if you patiently work on getting the edges of your shape even. A hint: when you transfer your pattern, be extra-careful for the areas that are going to be satin-stitched. If the edge of your transfer is "off" (if your pen wobbles as you draw the design, etc.) then your embroidered stitches will also be off! You can also make yourself familiar first with stitches like the fishbone stitch or buttonhole. Practicing on these will acclimate you to neat edges.

Here's a point on which stitchers differ. Some stitchers say that satin stitching does not require you to stitch an outline of your shape before you proceed to stitch over the shape. Other stitches claim that an outline is very helpful for neat edges and indispensible to the satin stitch. I believe both, depending on what you're doing. Stitching a tiny outline of back stitches or split stitches on the lines of the shape you are going to satin stitch can be very helpful. Even in very delicate work, this one tiny outline does not take away from the delicacy of the work. The trick is to use one strand of floss, either back stitch or split stitch over your outline, and then satin stitch over the edges of the outline you just stitched (not inside the outline!). I do this with practically anything I satin stitch, with the exception of very small circles and tiny bars. Other than those two shapes, I can't think of any time that I don't use an outlining stitch along my pattern.

Spacing: Satin stitches that are too close together buckle. Stitches that are too far apart show the fabric and lose the desired effect. So, spacing is important. When you begin to practice satin stitching, choose a fabric that has a relatively even weave, and choose a thread that will cover the space between one fiber in the fabric and the next. Try, for example, something like a loose weave linen, and use tatting cotton or perle cotton, or a larger size coton a broder (that is, a lower number, like 16). Try to aim for one stitch per fiber in your fabric, but if this is too far apart, you may have to split the fibers. If it's too close, you may have to work over 1.5 fibers or 2 fibers, etc. Try it with and without an outline (mentioned in #1 above). See what you like best. As you practice, try different shapes - like the "swoosh" in the whitework above. Try circles. Try tear-drop shapes, etc. Follow the stitch instructions below for different shapes. Strive to keep your spacing even and to insure that your threads are lying flat. Practice, practice, practice!

Stitch direction: It's important to know in which direction to stitch. For example, in the whitework above, the stitches don't run down the length of the "swoosh" - they cross over the "height" of it. Also, notice the direction of the stitches. They don't continue straight up and down, always parallel to the side edges of the fabric. They "ease" themselves around the shape. As you work around curved shapes (like the swoosh), you'll have to fan your stitches out - that is, at the top of the design, there will be more space between stitches than there will be at the bottom of the design. The direction of your stitches change as they move down the design around curves. However, when you're stitching a rectangle, bar, square, line, or any squared shape, there should be no real reason for your stitch direction to change - unless you're trying to achieve some strange, different effect. The stitch direction should remain the same over the whole shape.

Stitch Directions
For these directions, I'm using cotton twill and #5 perle cotton. The concept is the same, no matter what fabric and floss you're using. Keep in mind that satin stitch is not meant to cover huge spans or large shapes. Your needle should be able to cross the shape comfortably. The photos below show the "sewing" method of embroidery - that is, your hand does not go to the back of the fabric to work the needle. Everything is done from the front of the fabric. You can use the "stab" method just as effectively in satin stitch. It helps to have your fabric in a hoop or frame.

Notice that the stitching begins in the middle of the shape and works to one edge. Then you go back to the middle and work to the other edge. These are illustrations of two basic shapes. I didn't pad or outline these stitches at all, but you could run a small outline around the shape if you wanted to, and you could even pad the shape by stitching straight stithes underneath, perpendicular to the direction of the intended top layer of satin stitches.

Stitching a horizontal bar shape, with perpendicular stitches

Stitching a horizontal bar shape, with diagonal stitches (recommended)

Stitching a petal or tear-drop shape, using diagonal stitches (recommended)

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Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Iron-on Transfers & Embroidery

Iron-on transfers and embroidery? Is it the â€œeasy way outâ€ when it comes to getting your design on fabric? It depends on what you wantâ€¦

Iron-on transfers on t-shirts and other items are really in vogue right now, with the do-it-at-home, do-it-yourself creation of personalized transfers. All you really need is an ink-jet printer and some special paper to get started, and you can transfer just about anything following a few easy steps.

The question is, can you create and transfer embroidery designs for hand-embroidery the same way? Simply put, the answer is no. If you do a line-drawing on your computer (of if you have, for example, an embroidery pattern like the ones found here), if you print these in your computer on transfer paper then transfer them to your fabric to embroider, youâ€™re still going to get the film from the paper in between the markings. So, this isnâ€™t the way to go when you want to transfer hand-embroidery designs! I have heard of doing this if you want to fully cover the design youâ€™re embroidering, but I still donâ€™t think itâ€™s such a good idea. For one thing, given the relative newness of the technique, I donâ€™t know if the fabric and transfer medium would withstand the test of time. How will it affect, for example, your floss or threads over time?

So thatâ€™s the ink-jet transfer technique, and I personally say forget it for fine embroideryâ€¦

Is there another way? Sure there is! If you like the idea of iron-on transfers, you can make your own pretty easily.

What do you need?

1. The iron-on â€œproduct.â€ There are a couple kinds available out there:
Dritz makes a red iron-on pencil, which you can use on any tracing paper. You can find a picture of it here. Itâ€™s easy to use and works well, and is pretty inexpensive. For precise designs, youâ€™re going to want a couple pencils on hand so that you can keep them sharp while youâ€™re working.

Then there are Aunt Marthaâ€™s hot iron transfer pencils, which require hot iron transfer paper. These are â€œokâ€ â€“ but I figure the Dritz pencils work just as well, and you donâ€™t have to have the paper.

2. Designs to transfer: these can be as simple or complex as youâ€™d like. There are some hand-embroidery designs on this site here. You can also use designs from Dover coloring books and such, or from design books. There are heaps of these out on the market, and some of them have great designs in them. Or you can go free-hand.

3. A regular iron and a relatively hard surface. If you have a padded ironing board cover, you may want to put something heat-resistant and harder on top of it, and cover whatever youâ€™re using with an old sheet. You want a firm surface for ironing.
4. Fabric: natural fibers always work best, and, for iron-ons, the smoother the fabric, the better. You donâ€™t want to use a waffle-like kitchen towel, for example, with an iron-on pattern!

How do you do it?

Set up your fabric first. If you want, for example, to mark the center of your fabric, you should baste in some lines, â€œcuttingâ€ the fabric in half horizontally and vertically. When you baste these lines in, the place where they intersect will be the center of your fabric.

Trace a â€œmirror imageâ€ of the design onto the paper â€“ use any tracing paper for the Dritz pencil; for the Martha one, you need to use the specific stuff mentioned above. Itâ€™s only necessary to trace a mirror image when you want the design to point in a certain direction, or when you are using text. It will require you to trace the design twice â€“ trace it once, turn it over, trace it again. If you have your design on a computer, you can just flip the design horizontally in your photo editing program, print it out, and trace it once.

Now, if this is a design you want centered on your fabric, I suggest marking lines on the back of the paper (the part the iron will touch) so that you can see the center of the design. Line these lines up with the basting that you have already done on your fabric.

Place the design â€œpencil side downâ€ on your fabric, and line it up carefully. Using even pressure and the correct iron setting for your fabric, firmly but gently (in other words, donâ€™t mash the fabric!) press over the design. Donâ€™t go â€œback and forthâ€ with the iron â€“ you donâ€™t want the paper to move around. You can carefully lift off a corner to check the progress of the transfer. Do not leave the iron on one place too long, but be careful when you move it â€“ you do not want to shift the pattern!

You can keep your pattern from shifting by pinning it on the edges to your fabric â€“ outside the area of the transfer. This will help a little bit, but you must still be careful when you iron.

Iron-on transfers like the above are a great way to set up an embroidery project for kids, or to transfer a design onto a quilt square, etc. For very fine embroidery, I suggest using other transfer methods â€“ because guess what? The iron-on transfer pencils donâ€™t wash out well! But donâ€™t lose heart!! Itâ€™s no big deal if youâ€™re going to cover your lines with your stitches, right??

Have fun with it, be creative â€“ you can even draw free hand with it, and skip the tracing altogether!

If you have any suggestions on creating iron-on transfer designs, do share them!

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Embroidery Hoops & Frames Review

Embroidery hoops and frames are generally thought of as necessary equipment. I recently got into a discussion with a lady on this. She's been embroidering for all her life, and she works especially on vestments and altar linens for her church. So we're talking advanced embroidery. She never uses a hoop or frame! She said she never learned on one, and never finds she needs one! Well, for the rest of us mortals in the field, most of us probably do use a hoop or frame. And there are lots to choose from on the market...

The most commonly available hoops are probably the Susan Bates hoops found in most craft and hobby stores. These are plastic hoops with a "Super Grip Lip" on the inside ring, which is supposed to keep your fabric taut. These are very useful hoops - they are great for beginners and I use them all the time with the kids that I teach. They come in bright colors, so the kids really like them. Also, they're affordable. If you aren't sure you want to invest in this kind of hobby, you wouldn't be putting out much in purchasing this hoop. They come in a variety of sizes, from I think 3 inches to about 8 inches.

Better hoops: If you're sold on embroidery, and you like using a hoop, you might want to invest in some really good hoops. Hardwicke Manor hoops are made in Germany of birch wood, with brass hardware. The wood is polished super-smooth - no snags, no splinters. They come in three "depths" - thin (5/16"), medium (5/8") and thick (7/8"). The medium and thick hoops are perfect for heavier fabrics such as linen twill, Mountmellick fabric, and whatnot. The thin hoops are great for fine linen, cotton, etc. I have a variety of these hoops. The first thing I do when I get a new size is wrap the inner ring with twill tape (found in the same section as the bias tape at your local fabric store). Once this rather tedious task is done, my hoops are ready for any project that might come along. Another perk - the hardware on these hoops is really sturdy, and has a screw eye on the bolt, so you can adjust it as tight as you want with a screw driver. These are undoubtedly the best hoops on the market. You can order them at a rather reasonable price through the Twining Thread, where the service is quick and good.

Frames and Scroll Frames: I can't find a good source for slate frames!! If you know of one, will you share it? I tried through Accomplishments, which has moved from Ohio to the East Coast, but I never got a reply on whether or not they still stock them.

I have several other frames, though. The frames by K's Creations are nice, and pretty widely available. You can look at their official website here, where you'll find all their products, but you have to order them through retail shops - or pick them up in your favorite needlework shop. Unfortunately, I live in the boonies and there are no decent needlework shops around, so I order online from Twining Thread and others. I have a lap frame from K's Creations, with several sizes of bars for different projects.

Lacis also sells a good frame, and an excellent floor stand which is more affordable than the K's Creations, although Lacis doesn't have the same variety of designs, sizes, etc. But the floor stand at Lacis is not only affordable (around $80 for the stand - frame or hoop separate), but it is a really well-made, beautiful piece of work, and the wood is smooth as glass. I love mine!

Since I can't seem to find a source for slate frames, I am determined to find someone to build me some slate frames that are decent. I have one, but I would like a variety of sizes for group work. Slate frames are really the best way to set up a serious embroidery project. They provide the best uniform tension without the chance of damaging the fabric in any way. The drawback to a slate frame is that, if you're eager to get on to your stitching, you might not like the set-up time. It can take an hour or two to properly set up a project on a slate frame. On the bright side - once it's done, it's done!

If you've got recommendations for hoops or frames, share them with the rest of us, please!! Also, if you know of a source for slate frames, I'm all ears!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework tools

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Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Mountmellick Embroidery

Do you ever cringe at the thought of giving your hand-embroidered masterpeices a good washing - in fact, washing them over and over and over gain? Way over in Ireland, there's a place called Mountmellick, where, in the early 1800's, a school was established to teach an affordable embroidery technique to women and girls. What is it that makes Mountmellick embroidery different from other types of whitework?

There are actually several aspects of Mountmellick embroidery that differentiate this technique from other forms of whitework. First of all, Mountmellick is not done on linen. Rather, authentic Mountmellic fabric is a heavy cotton jean fabric (not denim, really) - with a nice sheen on the back of it, the side on which the embroidery is done. It's a durable fabric, and it stands up to laundering. The more it's washed, the shinier it seems to become.

While the material has a nice sheen, the thread is actually matte. This nice contrast is a trademark of real Mountmellick work. In fact, in the era of mercerized cotton (which has a chemically-induced shine), it can be hard to find the proper threads for real Mountmellick work. Good thing there's Lacis, which does have the matte thread. (Look under embroidery cotton).

In most whitework, the designs are somewhat delicate, and cutwork or openwork is often involved. In Mountmellick Embroidery, the designs are definitely bold, and cutwork and openwork are never involved - it's all straight surface embroidery. The common motifs in Mountmellick Embroidery are taken from nature - flowers, berries, brambles, leaves, stems, etc. The typical stitches are satin stitch (padded), stem or outline, Mountmellick stitch, knots, feather stitch, and buttonhole, and variations on all of these. The edges in Mountmellic embroidery are generally finished with buttonhole stitch or with fringe, depending on how the stuff is to be used.

The type of embroidery that "flourished" in Mountmellick was originally intended to help poor Irish women and girls survive the austere living of the Industrial Age in Ireland. The supplies were inexpensive (not so today - if you want the "real stuff" when it comes to Mountmellick fabric, you'll pay anywhere from $30 - $50 / yard for it), and the goods were sold, often to visiting Americans, from whence the technique spread in popularity. It's still a popular technique, and in the embroidery world, it's enjoying a renewed interest.

If you'd like to give Mountmellick embroidery a try, I suggest starting with Pat Trott's "Beginner's Guide to Mountmellick Embroidery." It's very practical and down-to-earth. She even suggests transferring designs by taping them to your window! She's got great suggestions for framing up your work for stitching, and a nice selection of authentic patterns and stitches.

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Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Simple Stitches - Beautiful Results

Embroidery stitches can be very basic or rather complex. Perhaps you are intimidated by learning â€œall those complex stitchesâ€ so that you can create a beautiful embroidered masterpiece. But donâ€™t be put off! You can create beautiful things with the simplest of stitches. Here is a project I am currently completing that employs only three types of stitches.

The item below is a piece of church embroidery. It is a pall, which is a square linen â€œpocketâ€ that usually has a thin cardboard insert that makes it stiff. The pall is always made of linen, and it is generally all white (white on white embroidery), although you can often find colored palls made for special occasions. That is, the embroidery or the image on the top of the pall may be colored, but the pall itself is linen, and especially the back of the pall, which rests on the chalice.

Even if you are not interested in church embroidery, you can see by this example how very simple stitches can create a beautiful finished product. You can apply this concept to anything you want to embroider!

First, the main outlines in the whole design (so, the outlines and veins of the leaves, the double outlines on the circle and on the quatrefoil, and the outlines of the letters) are all done in a whipped backstitch, using #20 coton a broder. I embroidered the backstitch first, and then whipped the same type of thread through all the backstitches, forming a kind of tiny â€œropeâ€ effect for all the borders. This was simple, fun, and relaxing. I didnâ€™t have to sweat over complicated stitches. The backstitch is so simple! Overall, you want to make certain that the stitches are as even as possible, but even if they are occasionally a tiny bit â€œoffâ€ â€“ no worries! The whipping with the finishing thread covers up a multitude of sins!

The inside of the leaves are filled with seed stitches, or seeding, in #40 coton a broder. These are tiny straight stitches which, for the most part, I have taken in the same direction, following the normal â€œgrowthâ€ of the leaf (the directions of the veins).

The curling vines at the top of the pattern are stem stitched in #40 coton a broder.

Between the double outlines on the circle and the quatrefoil, I have stitched double seed stitches â€“ that is, two small straight stitches originating and ending in the same hole in the fabric â€“ in #30 coton a broder.

The grapes were actually a bigger problem than I realized. When I originally drew the design â€“ copying from Church Embroidery and Church Vestments by Lucy Vaughan Hayden MacKrille, I clustered the grapes together instead of sticking with the original â€œstylizedâ€ bunch of grapes, where each grape was separate from the other. But because of the closeness of the individual grapes, the satin stitching on them did not look as good as I would have liked. After mulling over them for a while, and working two clusters, I changed my mind and picked out the stitches. This was no small task after having stitched about four layers of padding under each grape! To my dismay, the stitching had taken its toll on the fabric, and the resulting mess in the fibers of the linen had to be covered up, or Iâ€™d have to start all over again! Frustrating!

So I washed the linen to get my marking lines out and to establish the extent of the damage. With a little bit of adjusting in the design, I was able to re-draw the grapes (stylized as on the original). I will transfer these onto the linen, and re-stitch the grapes, covering up the distorted fibers in the linen with coton a broder #30. I would use #40 (much finer), but I noticed that the Anchor #40 that I have is a lot brighter white than the DMC #30 and #20, with which the rest of the pall is stitched.

So, in the end, I think it will turn out "ok." The finished pall will be stretched tight over the cardboard insert, and an small edge of needle-lace will be stitched around it.

The point is ----- you CAN stitch something that looks elegant and skillful using some of the simplest embroidery stitches out there.

Try it!!

If youâ€™ve done similar projects that use simple stitches for beautiful results, feel free to share your ideas!

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Embroidery Pattern: Border for Redwork (or other techniques)

If you like redwork and are looking for a simple pattern to edge towels or other items for the home, here's a nice stylized border that would look great outlined in red. It works up quickly with nice results. You can lengthen the border by tracing repeats, or shorten it by removing sections. The design isn't limited to redwork, though! You could "dress it up" by stitching white on white and using satin stitch.

If you click on the pattern below, you'll get a larger image. Right click on the larger image and save it to your computer. Enjoy!