Category Archives: Embroidery

Tender Whispers of the Heart – April

April’s theme is Beauty

My supplies for April have arrived. There was quite a delay this month.

I have narrowed my poem choice to two possible stanzas

it all comes down to this:
In our imperfect world
we are meant to repair
and stitch together
what beauty there is, stitch it

with compassion and wire.
See how everything
we have made gathers
the light inside itself
and overflows? A blessing

Holding the Light – Stuart Kestenbaum

Or

But I study what is beautiful,
what is generous. I offer it my devotion.
Even in this moment writing this poem,
I stitch in the pauses and the stumblings –
these, too, are beautiful because they are true.
I stitch in the pure potential that steeps
in uncertainty. I stitch in silence. I stitch in hope.

Stitching it Together – Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

I am leaning towards the second one.

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Home Sweet Home Update

Home Sweet Home Progress

I have 30 stitching projects and I have decided to pick a new one every week using a random number generator. This was the one that came up (number 17). I am feeling a bit over-whelmed.

I have switched to an embroidery needle (from a tapestry needle) to make piercing the thread while doing a pin stitch easier. My pin stitches kept pulling out.

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Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Embroidery

English Paper Piecing Progress

Hexagon progress

I have been working on my hexagons (English Paper piecing) – it is very relaxing and doesn’t require anything special (magnification, hoop, etc.). I want to get to a piece that is 40cm by 30cm so I can make the Slow Stitched Huswif – from L’ucello. I already have the pattern. Once I have the base, I am going to embellish.

Originally I was using a guterman cotton thread to sew the hexagons together, but I have swapped to a aurafil 50wt cotton 2846, and it does seem to be a bit easier to make small stitches (less visible from the front).

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Filed under Cricut, Embroidery, English Paper Piecing, Patchwork, Patterns, Quilting

School girl Sewing Club

My School Girl Sewing Club arrived today – from the Crewel Gobelin.

Brenda from Brenda and the Serial Starter – talked about this club last year and I was keen to participate, but it sells out fast! This year, I stalked the website from January. I chose the 40 count linen version.

As you can see above, it comes beautifully packaged. This one is Mary Lockhead Sampler by Sovereign Samplers.

I have so many projects on the go. I am not sure when I will get to this, but I am very keen to try the linen (Hogbristle Light by Fox & Rabbit). I need more hours in the day.

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Filed under Cross Stitch, Cross Stitch, Embroidery, Inspiration, Purchases

The Ivy is Finished

I finished the ivy! I used 4 skeins of au ver à soie silk d’alger.

It’s Language of Love from Textile Tours of Paris.

I haven’t even finished lesson 1 yet.

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Monthly Poems

Now that my name tag is out of the way, I can work on my monthly poems.

This is me transferring the poem onto my linen (it’s deadstock french tea towel linen).

I haven’t finished January or February yet, but my extra spools of silk have arrived.

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Embroidered Name Tag

For my in-person stitching class, we were asked to make name tags. And the lovely teacher, Barbara, suggested a 3D element. There butterflies and dragonflies, but I chose a flower.

The petals are edged with floristry wire, which I then covered in blanket stitch using one strand of DMC cotton.

The centre of the flower is a french knot slip. On another piece of fabric, I draw a circle and covered it in french knots – using Pearl Cotton 8 in two colours. I stitched a running stitch around the circle, stuff it and pulled it tight. And then attached it to the background – (I added the petals after).

My name is stem stitch using pearl cotton 5, and outlined it using a metallic thread.

Feather stitch, stem or vine and a chain stitch border.

I have laced it to a piece of card.

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Filed under Bedazzle, Cardstock, Embroidery, Fabric Stash

Project Update

February sock (I know it’s March) and progress on the Language of Love embroidery

I have been working on my February sock. My left twist has improved, but it is still a slow process. The yarn is lovely (it’s from here). We are now watching The Wheel of Time season two.

I have also made some stitching progress. I have run out of the light green silk that I am using for the Ivy ‘veins’, so I have started on the Ivy leaves, which are just straight stitches using all seven strands of the silk (and trying to make them fluffy).

My silk has arrived for my two poems (January and February)

February Poem

So I need to get back onto them, so I have four stitching projects with deadlines (not terribly hard deadlines)

  • January Poem
  • February Poem
  • Name tag for stitching class (this is an in-person class here)
  • Language of Love

I am still waiting for my March supplies to arrive, and I haven’t yet decided on a poem.

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Filed under Embroidery, Knitting, Sock Knitting, Yarn Stash

Using my Cricut to print an embroidery design on fabric

I used my Cricut (Maker 3) to print (in washable marker) an embroidery pattern onto fabric.

I had the pattern as a pdf.

I used Inkscape to trace it and remove the background – I am a beginner with Inkscape. I am googling every time I try to do something.

Then I uploaded it to design space, and selected pen.

It worked really well – definitely something I will do again (maybe with a finer pen?)

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Filed under Cricut, Embroidery, Fabric Stash, Inspiration, Software

Language of Love Start

Getting ready to start (Language of Love)
I am working on the ivy veins

The linen is beautiful (I wonder if I can get more?) and we are using Au ver à soie silk. I have re-instated my hoop stand (this one) and I am finding it is working well. I can position my magnifier in front of it and stitch two handed.

I can’t recommend Rebecca’s courses highly enough – she is a fabulous teacher.

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