The Gift of Birds for You

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I’m a bird lover. They are delightful to watch and so cheerful to have in my garden with their colorful feathers and busy lives. And I want you to enjoy them as much as I do!

So from now until the end of December I’m giving away these jolly fellows. Receive a free bird ornament like these on orders of $20 or more when purchasing from the Artfabrik store.

Or, you could make your own bird ornament. I call them New Birds from Old Favorites and your can see the directions on how to make your bird here. In any case, enjoy your bird!

Simple Stitches that Surprise: French Knots

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What would we do without the French Knot? Throughout this series of simple but surprising embroidery stitches, the French Knot awaits in the wings for its glamour shot. And here it is.

What a difference that pop of orange color makes when you scatter French Knots between the spikes of the Fern Stitch! I’m using a size 12 Oranges thread that gives high contrast with the green background to liven up the design.

The lower parts of my design are stitched and I’m moving on to the upper part. It was so entertaining making up stitch combinations and playing with color, pattern, and texture using thread. Stay tuned to see what I have in store!

Simple Stitches that Surprise: Lazy Daisy

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The Lazy Daisy stitch is often used to create flowers but it has the potential to create pattern on the surface of fabric too. Here you see rows of the Lazy Daisy separated by lines of the Stem Stitch. I’m using a size 12 Lettuce thread. Lettuce is a fresh green, turquoise, and chartreuse variegated thread.

If you make the loop of the Lazy Daisy stitch wide enough you can fill it in with a French Knot. This builds even more pattern on the fabric surface. These knots are made with a size 12 Oranges thread that offers high contrast with the dark green background fabric and fresh greens in the Lazy Daisy stitches. Isn’t this a beautiful pattern created with the Lazy Daisy stitch?

A Note about Fusible Web

The fusible web I’m using for all the silk fabrics in this design is Misty Fuse. Misty Fuse fusible web is a very lightweight mesh of glue. When you apply it to shear fabrics the glue does not penetrate the silk and appear on the other side of the fabric like the heavier fusible webs used on cotton fabrics.

Misty Fuse does not come with paper. So you must use silicone release paper or parchment paper to transfer it to fabrics. (Please test parchment paper before using.) An added advantage to using Misty Fuse is that it is easy to stitch through. I recommend it highly.