December 11, 2014

Embroider a Christmas Ornament from your Stash – part 1

With Christmas a mere two weeks away, you might be thinking it’s a little late to start embroidering an ornament.

And normally, I’d be the first one to agree with you, especially if Said Ornament was a fancy-schmancy one, embroidered with hard-to-find threads and supplies.

But would I do that to you, right before Christmas? No, no, no! This is a fun and quick project, something to relax and enjoy, while making something special.

In this 2014 Christmas Sampler Ornament series, we’ll discover how to embroider a Christmas ornament with whatever we have in our stash, and how to put the ornament together and have it hanging on the tree (or wrapped in a box for gift-giving) well before Christmas arrives!

Today, in Part 1, we’ll talk about materials, setting up the project, and working the first stitches. Then, in subsequent articles, we’ll concentrate on more embroidery ideas and finishing.

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

December 10, 2014

Try this Embroidery Design Transfer Tip!

Before we launch into a “made from stash” Christmas ornament project (which we’ll start tomorrow), let’s look at a quick, easy, and precise way of transferring a simple embroidery design to fabric.

The key words here are precise and simple. This method – which is really a cheater version of prick and pounce – only works quickly if your design is quite simple.

So, simple shapes, simple lines, designs where you just need basic guidelines – that’s where this method of embroidery design transfer will come in handy because it’s quick and precise.

How to Transfer a Simple Embroidery Design

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December 9, 2014

What You Can Learn from a Crazy Quilt Square

It’s been a while since I’ve featured some embroidery from you, so today, let’s look at someone else’s embroidery project!

Sarah Aldrich recently finished this fantastic crazy quilt square, made from a combination of red fabrics, with embroidery done entirely in white. The result is striking!

Let’s have a look – and let’s see what good lessons Sarah’s red crazy quilt square can teach us.

(You can click on the photos below for larger versions…)

Hand Embroidery Patterns

December 8, 2014

Embroider a Christmas Tree!

If you’re looking for something Christmassy to embroider, something relatively simple that will work up quickly and look great, you might like this Christmas tree embroidery pattern.

Inspired by a soutache embroidery design from a late 1800’s publication, this particular pattern is especially suitable for tambour embroidery or for couching. If you start from the tip of the tree and follow one line as it twists and turns, you’ll eventually end up back at the tip of tree!

Once you have the tree part embroidered, you can add ornaments to it, too, which doubles the fun!

Below, you’ll find the free Christmas tree embroidery pattern in PDF format, as well as some suggestions for stitching.

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December 6, 2014

26 Tutorials for Chain Stitch Variations

If you’re launching into any embroidery projects this weekend, you might consider incorporating the chain stitch – or some variation thereof – into your current project.

Why? Lots of reasons! The basic chain stitch is easy, it’s versatile, it’s attractive, it works up quickly – and it has oh-so-many variations to it that you could never get bored with it!

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December 5, 2014

The Disorganized Stitcher

There are times when I try to be an organized stitcher. I actually make an effort to keep everything in its place while I’m working.

There’s a reason for this, and it’s very simple: organization saves time. I can work much more efficiently, in a much better frame of mind, if my workspace is neat and if I know where things are.

But just as there are times when I purposely work to keep myself organized while an embroidery project is underway, there are also times when I don’t.

Right now, I am suffering from PPMD – Post Project Mess Disorder. And unlike my embroidery thread addiction that I spoke about yesterday – which I don’t intend to fight – this is something I need to face and fix right away.

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December 4, 2014

Mesmerized by Thread

I am, I think, addicted to embroidery threads.

There. I said it. The first step on the road to recovery is admitting there’s a problem. So I’ve admitted it.

But this raises a question: is this an addiction I really want to recover from? Not really. It’s not as if it’s harmful, after all.

But the truth is, I sometimes do the Silas Marner thing. You know him, don’t you? He was a miser. And he liked to count his gold.

And sometimes, I like to count my threads. I like to take stock of the threads I have, especially if I’m starting another project, and especially if the threads I plan to use are metal threads.

And when I take stock of my embroidery threads, sometimes, the most delightful thing happens!

Connect with Mary

How-To
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Embroidery Tips & Techniques

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Embroider a Christmas Ornament from your Stash – part 1

Try this Embroidery Design Transfer Tip!

What You Can Learn from a Crazy Quilt Square

Embroider a Christmas Tree!

26 Tutorials for Chain Stitch Variations

The Disorganized Stitcher

Mesmerized by Thread

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos