That's how long ago my dear friend Heidi gave me this Stitch Sampler book.
She knew I loved vintage embroidered items and after the little pumpkin was born, I developed a new love for hand embroidered vintage inspired boutique clothing.So finally, this past Tuesday, I gave it a go! Armed with this great tutorial by my friend Angel, I dug through my stash of Aunt Martha's transfers and looked for the one that seemed the easiest to tackle...Saucy Suzy.
I worked on it a little at a time over a couple of nights and here's what I came up with:
Not too shabby for a first timer, right?Her hair and dress were my favorite parts.
Her skin my least favorite.
And those apples were pretty cute...even the "bruised" ones falling out of the basket...that's what I'm calling those with the wonky stitches. *wink* This pattern made me think of going back to school to a little red one-room school from years long ago...hmmm... maybe I'll turn it into something for the little pumpkin for the new school year.
And here's what I learned in the process:1. Embroidery is A LOT easier than I thought.
2. It's kind of addicting...once you get going on a design you want to see it finished NOW.
3. Those little strands of embroidery floss can get tangled FAST...must figure out a better storage option.
4. French knots are NOT my friend! Yes, even with the glossy zoomed pictures in the book, mine were a big mess. Need more practice with fancy stitches.
5. I must work on getting my stitches closer together and my transfer pattern lighter.
Can't wait to tackle a new project involving this:
and this:
Isn't this vintage inspired goldi & the 3 bears fabric so sweet for little girls???!
Yes, that pattern and that fabric were my motivation to tackle hand embroidery right now!And a quick question for all of you hand embroidery gurus...do you flip back & forth between looking at the hoop from the front to the back side as you're stitching or do you blindly insert the needle from the back to the front and just happen to land in the right place from experience???
Hope you're having a great weekend!!
You did a great job! I'm pretty sure I just lost my best customer in the process. *sniff*sniff*
ReplyDeleteYep, I just blindly insert the needle from the backside. It can take several pokes sometimes, but it will become easier with practice. You'll also want to start your next stitch in a new hole and come back down in a previous hole. Because to come up from the backside in a whole you've already been through, can make the threads not lay as nicely. I think I need to update my tutorial with that bit of info.
Her 3 bears dress is going to be just darling. Love the fabric you found too.
Oh no, not at all! It's just made me appreciate your work that much more! Christmas collection...I'm ready! I just wish for Fall too *wink*
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the tips!!
Oh, whew!!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh and another tip: if you use the purple transfer pencil and draw your own, the purple lines wash out. I didn't know that until one of the gals that took our sewing class told me. So even better for beginners and little girls that want to try their hand at it too. ;)
Looks adorable!!! Good job! I was going to say exactly what Angel did :) And I too blindly poke from behind. I think it gets easier each time. Can't wait to see the Goldi dress!
ReplyDeleteGreat job Jessica! Can't wait to see how the goldilocks project turns out.
ReplyDeleteJessica, that looks great! I was never really interested in vintage, or embroidered stuff, but after reading your blog for the last year, you've totally got me in love. Where does one get their hands on such cute patterns? I have two little girls, I may need to learn... :)
ReplyDeletehe he he...thank you all! I've just about completed the Goldilocks embroidery - my 2nd embroidery project - and it looks SO much better with the tips Angel left above!
ReplyDeleteMelanna~ The embroidery & vintage stuff is so much fun!! Most of my embroidery patterns are Aunt Martha's hot iron transfers (ebay, etsy, hobby lobby, joann's, hancock's) but the Goldilocks one is a vintage Vogart one - I found that one on ebay. Good luck! You're going to love it! :)