Category Archives: embroidery

Free-Form Design Step #1

Posted on by

Welcome to a new free-form embroidery design!

This stitch project began with a step-out from the Nut House embroidery found in my book Playful Free-Form Embroidery. On the left you see the image used in the book directions and on the right is a detailed image from the finished piece. The step-out swatch only measures about 5” x 9” and has a few elements stitched to the felt background fabric. It the Nut House design, these elements are leaves on the tree branch and a flying tire swing that the ladybugs play on.

What can I do with this step-out swatch? The ladybugs aren’t the only ones who are having fun. I’m going to have some fun too by improvising a new design using the step-out swatch. Whoohoo!

My first step is to turn the swatch horizontally. By turning it in this direction it no longer relates to the tree branch and tire swing in the Nut House project. Now it has new life and I can imagine a potential design. Can you guess what I have in mind?

Beginning a new embroidery project is so invigorating! And to improvise a design is even more energizing. I recommend it to everyone.

What We’re Stitching 5

Posted on by
Mi Cas es Su Casa #1 by Laura Wasilowski

My classes at the Asociación Española de Patchwork festival  are complete. The Spanish quiltmakers are delightful and I had a wonderful time! Thank you to all who made my visit possible.

One thing I discovered during this trip is that the love of hand embroidery translates easily across languages and borders. We all love color and pattern and texture. It’s an artform for all!

What We’re Stitching 4

Posted on by

Now that their felt fabric pieces for the design are in place my students in the Mi Casa es Su Casa class at the Asociación Española de Patchwork Festival will begin to add decorative details with thread. I know it is sometimes difficult to make color decisions when adding hand embroidery. But remember, you can always remove the thread if you don’t like it!

One tip is to repeat colors throughout the piece. Here you see blue French knots added to the V shapes of the fly stitches around the roof top. The blue house and blue threads in the grass repeat that color. And I’ll be sure to add more blue to the design elsewhere as it progresses.