Good morning, stitchy friends! This Friday we're featuring @plaidlovethreads. Valerie creates bright and colorful embroider. Valerie is based in the Bay Area, and - fun fact - used to be a Disneyland Tour Guide! I really like her necklaces where she layers lace and adds pretty embroidery. You can find out more about Valerie and Plaid Love Threads on her Etsy shop and Instagram!

These colors, whoa!!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/09/friday-instagram-finds-no-68-with-plaid.html

Good morning, stitchy friends! This Friday we're featuring @plaidlovethreads. Valerie creates bright and colorful embroider. Valerie is based in the Bay Area, and - fun fact - used to be a Disneyland Tour Guide! I really like her necklaces where she layers lace and adds pretty embroidery. You can find out more about Valerie and Plaid Love Threads on her Etsy shop and Instagram!

These colors, whoa!!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/09/friday-instagram-finds-no-68-with-plaid.html

This sweet Cactus Study PDF pattern by Gulush Threads has fascinating details and gorgeous colors - and at my last check, is on sale.

I first found Gulush Threads through her lovely Instagram feed, @gulushthreads and fell in love with her unique sense of bright color and texture, I highly recommend following her feed to see what she's up to.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-16-gulush-threads.html

This sweet Cactus Study PDF pattern by Gulush Threads has fascinating details and gorgeous colors - and at my last check, is on sale.

I first found Gulush Threads through her lovely Instagram feed, @gulushthreads and fell in love with her unique sense of bright color and texture, I highly recommend following her feed to see what she's up to.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-16-gulush-threads.html

The technique is very easy to learn - if you know satin stitch you can do this!


Done with the first layer.


I repeated two more layers of the same wool.


After I cut all the layers I removed the plastic template.


Here is the finished plushwork flower!


See how fluffy! It reminds me of turkey work.


Here it is with one layer of light blue and adding my second layer of dark blue.


Added another layer of dark blue - for a total of three wool layers.


Cut through the layers and remove the template...



I definitely like the end result with the thicker DMC wool. What do you think?

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/mooshiestitch-monday-plushwork.html

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/friday-instagram-finds-no-67-with.html

This sweet PDF pattern by Lilipopo on Etsy is filled with adorable details and tiny, tiny stitches.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-15-lilipopo.html

Susie Vickery's textile art incorporates a unique blend of hand embroidery, machine embroidery, collage and animation. Her work is illustrative and often holds a story.

Crow 2 - Watch the animation here.

Vickery is inspired by her work with communities on rural and refugee development projects in Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar and India and she 'draws on issues of iconography, identity, gender and Asian art'.

Baby Krishna - ICONS OF THE ORDINARY & EVERYDEITIES

Initially working as a costumier in film and TV for more than twenty years, Vickery's needlework skill is fundamental to her work.

ON THE MELANCHOLY OF TAILORS

My favourite piece is from the 'Sweatshops' collection and it's a row of animated machinists. Cotton reels and rulers are used to create the models. The piece is so beautifully crafted and it presents such a powerful message.


Please visit Susie Vickery's website to find out more about her work.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/stitchy-snippets-susie-vickery.html

Good morning - today's post is brought to you by floresita, as Amy is recovering from a bug! Today we are featuring @lady_scrib on Instagram.

Lady Scrib Design & Embroidery is the brainchild of Kassie Scribner, a designer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. I am loving the creativity of her style, her use of bright, happy colors, and the beautiful detailed quality of her stitching, especially on lettering, which can be so hard to do.





Beautiful work, Kassie, and get well soon, Amy! You can find more of Kassie's work on her site, Lady Scrib Design & Embroidery and on Instagram @lady_scrib.

Want to be featured in Friday Instagram Finds? Tag your best stitch-related photos with #feelingstitchyig!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/friday-instagram-finds-no-66-featuring.html

This Flanders Poppy Kit by Maggie Gee Needlework looks like a wonderfully complete kit - with linen, flosses, needles, backing, and stitch glossaries included. As if that were not lovely enough, according to her Etsy page, 10% of the sales of this kit go to the UK charity 'Help for Heroes' until 2018.

This definitely looks to be advanced needlework, so if you're looking for an extra challenge, this could be a perfect kit for you.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-14-maggie-gee.html

This Flanders Poppy Kit by Maggie Gee Needlework looks like a wonderfully complete kit - with linen, flosses, needles, backing, and stitch glossaries included. As if that were not lovely enough, according to her Etsy page, 10% of the sales of this kit go to the UK charity 'Help for Heroes' until 2018.

This definitely looks to be advanced needlework, so if you're looking for an extra challenge, this could be a perfect kit for you.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-14-maggie-gee.html

Today's tutorial is a guest post by needleworker Catherine Thomas - enjoy!

Supplies

• 10 cm embroidery hoop
• A piece of cotton fabric about 20 x 20 cm
• A piece of interfacing ironed onto the cotton fabric for added support
• Two colors of DMC 6 strand embroidery floss (two different colours will make it easier to distinguish each type of stitch while learning! I have used red 3801 and blue 798)
• Size 9 sharp needle
• Size 24 tapestry needle

Step One
Begin by drawing your circle onto your fabric. I have used a HB pencil, as you will cover the line with stitching. My circle is 5.5cm in diameter. Take your first DMC and cut a length of thread approximately 45cm. Then take one strand of thread from the six to begin your work. Only one strand of thread will be used throughout the tutorial. Thread this into your size 9 sharp needle.

You can begin with a waste knot to the side of your work. This is created by placing a knot at the end of your working thread and coming down from the top of your work to the bottom with your needle. The knot should sit to the outside of the shape with a tail (to the back of your work) that is long enough to be cut and wound into your work once your stitching line is complete.



Step Two
Next you will begin your outline around the circle. The outline is stitched with backstitch. To make a backstitch I come from the back of my fabric and go down into the top of my fabric on the line with my needle and thread. The next stitch is made by coming up approximately 5mm from the last stitch from the back of my work and then going back down again with my needle and thread sharing the hole with the end of my first stitch.

Step Three

Backstitch around your circle until it is complete. Take your needle and thread to the back of your work and wind your ends into the stitches on the back for about 1.5cm. Then cut off your thread as close to your stitching as possible.

It is at this point you can also cut your waste knot off and wind your thread end into the back of the backstitch outline.

Step Four
We are now going to bring in the thread that you will use to stitch the needlelace stitch. Cut your working thread to approximately 45cm in length. Come in from the back of your work and weave your new thread with your needle around the backstitch threads to begin (this is so you will not need a waste knot).

Step Five
Bring your needle and thread to the front of your work through the fabric onto the backstitch outline. You want the thread to be at the top of your circle. Once you have done this lay your needle across the circle top. Put a mark on the other side so you get an idea where you will need to travel to with your stitches. You will not always have to do this, it is just for teaching purposes so you can find where you will end up with your stitching line and help keep your lines of stitching straight.

This is the only time that you will move the working thread from the back to the front of your work (unless you are bringing in a new thread, which is explained latter in Step 12). You work your lace stitches on top not into the fabric. Use your size 24 tapestry needle which is blunt on the end and will not easily pierce through your fabric or the stitches you are about to create. You will use this needle to create your needlelace stitches.

Step Six
Let’s begin the really fun part, making our needlelace stiches. Begin by making a button hole stitch through your backstitch line. You want to go under this line to anchor your stitch. You will come out a little from the side of your backstitch line to create a small loop from the side. Don’t try and make the buttonhole close to the edge. Let the loop form.

Although this backstitch line is made up of little tiny stitches, I want you to forget about this and pretend that it is one solid line that you are stitching into. Use your eye as a guide to where your stitches should go, don’t try and follow the tiny stitches.

Step Seven
Once you have made your first buttonhole stitch I want you to make a buttonhole stitch very close to the next one. Once again you will need to make your stitch under the back stitch line to anchor it. As the diagram shows you have a loop with two buttonhole stitches close together.

Step Eight
Your next step is to leave another little loop, simply by leaving a small gap between the next pair of buttonhole stitches and so on. This pattern consists of a loop then two buttonhole stitches stitched closely together then another loop. It is called a Double Brussels stitch. You will continue the pattern until you reach the right hand side of your circle.

Step Nine
Once you have reached the end of your line of stitching you must now anchor your thread. You do this by taking your needle and thread under the backstitch line through to the outside of the shape.

Step Ten
The needle and thread must then come back inside of the shape to begin the next row of stitching. Bring the needle and thread back under the backstitch line about 3mm down the edge of the outline. Roughly the same width as the stitching line made above.

It is at this point that you do have to be a little mindful of the small backstitch stitches. If you have not made your back stitches small enough, and take the needle and thread in and out of the one stitch (red), you will not be able to anchor your working thread (blue).

Step Eleven
To make our next line of stitching, make the pair of buttonhole stitches into the loops that were formed in the previous row. By doing this we will create a large enough loop between the pairs of buttonhole stitch so that we can complete the pairs of buttonhole stitches in the following rows and so on.

Once you get to the left-hand side of the row we again bring your needle and thread under the backstitch line to the outside of the shape. You will then come back under the line with the needle and thread to the inside of the shape to complete the next row.

Step Twelve
Occasionally you may not be able to complete the entire pattern. You may only have room for part of a pattern as your shape increases or decreases in width. The trick then is to complete as much of the pattern as you possibly can. For example this may mean only one of the two buttonholes from the pattern can be stitched (as in the picture above). With needlelace it is often about the complete pattern created by your shape, not just an individual line, so get as much of the pattern in as you can in one row but don’t worry if you can’t get it all!

Also, you cannot begin a new thread in the middle of the line of stitching with needlelace, so it is important to make sure that at the beginning of each row you have enough thread to get across. If you are unsure, lay your threads across your work and if you have approximately enough thread to get across your shape three times you will have enough thread to complete a row.

If you do not have enough thread to finish a row, bring your working thread and needle to the back of your work by piercing the fabric and wind your end into the backstitch outline then cut thread close to fabric. To bring in a new thread repeat step 4 making sure that when you bring the working thread and needle to the front of your work you have left the right width (width of the rows above) to start the next stitching row. Remember to change your needle to the size 9 sharp to bring the working thread through your fabric, but return to the size 24 tapestry when lacing.

Step Thirteen
Now you have worked your Double Brussels stitch to the end of your shape and have a gap between the end of your shape and the stitching row that is approximately the width of the stitching rows above. You can now finish off your shape.

To finish, take the working needle and thread under the backstitch line to the outside of your shape and then bring the thread and needle back into the inside of the shape. This time you go over the top of the backstitch line not under the line as you have previously. As you do this you want to catch the bottom of the loop of the pattern and wind your thread over it so it pulls in down to the backstitch line. You are whipstitching the lacing stitches to the outline of your shape.

You then take the working needle and thread that is holding the loop back down under the backstitch line and out of the shape. Come back into the shape and catch the loop a second time so it is caught twice and repeat the process.

Why do you anchor your loops down twice? By catching that loop twice you are continuing to create the ‘look’ of the pattern even though you are finishing off. It helps the work to sit nicely.

Step Fourteen
Once you have caught each of the loops twice, run your working needle and thread to the outside of the shape and take the needle and thread to the back of your work.

Wind then the working needle and thread (blue) into the backstitch line (red) to finish off and then cut your working thread (blue) close to your work.


Congratulations you have just created a shape filled with needlelace!

So what can I do with this stitch you may ask. Well, how about working your circle shape onto paper and repeating the steps above to create some beautiful cards. You can create a card like mine below by painting the back ground of your card and using contrasting threads to work your needlelace (or different threads like metallics) to create interesting effects.


Why stop at a circle! Oval shapes make for beautiful flower petals, fairy wings or the wings of butterflies. Go on and see where this beautiful form of lace making can take you.


My work is often three-dimensional which means that I create an outline that can be removed from the background that I am working on and then wire is added creating a supporting frame for my stitches. This I will leave for another tutorial if you are interested!

Thank you, Catherine, for this wonderful guest tutorial on Needle Lace! To see more of Catherine's designs, please visit her at catherinethomasneedlelace.weebly.com or follow Catherine on Instagram @catherinethomasneedlelace.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/tutorial-double-brussels-needle-lace.html

Lynne • 6 days ago

Yes I love stitching on wool! Mug rugs. I really like variegated floss a d pearl gotten. Sullivan brand. Very silky cotton. Lynne

This giveaway was funded by our Amazon Associates account - our links to Amazon include a bit of code - whenever you purchase a book through our link, we get a bit of change in our account to fund more reviews and giveaways!

Thanks to everyone for reading Feeling Stitchy and we hope you enjoy your book, Lynne!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/winner-of-simply-stitched.html

TGIF! On today's Friday Instagram Finds we take a look at @pyrodogpins and her Instagram account. Emily is a cross stitch pattern maker who creates and stitches up fun designs. Her patterns are pop culture-inspired, and so much fun! Here are some of my favorites from her Instagram feed. Emily used #feelingstitchyig, and I am glad she did so I could discover and share with all of you her fun and creative work.

While you're on Instagram checking out Emily's work at @pyrodogpins make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We'd love for you to stop by and say hello. You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @feelingstitchyish. You can find Amy at @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/friday-instagram-finds-no-65-featuring.html

There is something so elegant and beautiful about these chain-stitched horses by Pumora. At least, I'm assuming it's a chain stitch - what do you think? Her stitching is impeccable, and the PDF pattern includes directions for sewing the final cushion, if you'd like to trot out your sewing skills.

By the way, I highly recommend a visit to Pumora's blog, where you'll find loads of beautifully photographed tutorials and stitch guides for embroidery and knitting.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-13-pumora-embroidery.html

Karen Nicol is a well known, established artist with over 25 years of experience working in gallery, fashion and interiors. She works from her London based studio and her clients include: The King of Qatar, The Pope, Chloe, Vera Wang, John Rocha, Julien Macdonald, Givenchy and Chanel couture.


Specialising in a variety of free hand machine embroidery, beading and hand embroidery, Karen Nicol's style is unique and densely textured, incorporating a plethora of mixed media.

Last week I visited 'The 'Wit' of the Stitch' exhibition at Ruthin Craft Centre in Wales and saw a selection of Karen Nicol's fine work. Her art really speaks for itself and I was fortunate to be able to fully appreciate it up close and absorb every detail. It was breathtaking! To find out more about Karen Nicol and her work see her website here.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/stitchy-snippets-karen-nicol.html

The author, Yumiko Higuchi, is an amazing embroidery artist. You most likely have come across her work somewhere on the Internet - I know I have seen her embroidered pouches all over Pinterest! So I was very excited to have the opportunity to check out her latest book.

In Simply Stitched, you will find 20 modern and unique embroidery motifs to stitch (plus projects) using a combination of wool and cotton thread.


There are projects for everyone - including a teapot cozy (above), pillow, zipper pouch, and a holiday stocking. There are even a few no-sew projects in the book - such as stitching the designs on a hat or sweater.

All projects include materials list with suggested thread colors, motif template with stitches, and clear, easy to understand instructions.

All stitches used are included in the Stitch Guide at the end of the book.


The book has beautiful color photos of all the stitched designs and completed projects. How cute are those roosters??



So I tested that theory when I decided on a project to complete from the book.

I wanted to make the needle case which has a thistle embroidery motif. But I really wanted to stitch the bumble bee motif from a different project.

So I made the needle case and embroidered the bumble bee instead...


I think the end result turned out great! What do you think?


I have never stitched with wool before either. This book is great for embroiderers who want to try out stitching with wool.

Here is the inside of the needle case. I used white cotton fabric with grey felt for the inside and black ribbon to tie it shut.

As I mentioned before, the project instructions were very easy to understand - I have very little sewing machine skills and was able to sew up this little case no problem!


I love the use of wool and cotton together. The wool really adds texture and dimension.



Giveaway Time!!!

To win a free copy of Simply Stitched, please leave a comment on this post by 9 PM US CST, August 12, 2016 and please tell us: Do you ever stitch with wool? What is your favorite thread/floss to stitch with?

** This giveaway is open to the US and Canada only **


P.S. My favorite floss to stitch with is good old DMC cotton 6 strand floss - although, I may start to stitch with wool more often now!! :)

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/book-review-simply-stitched-and-giveaway.html

Happy Friday, stitchy fans! On today's Friday Instagram Finds we take a look at @destinycitythreads and her Instagram account. Mo's designs are detailed and beautiful! She's created some fun pop culture-inspired hoops like her "Stay Golden" (Pony Boy) hoop. I also think her plant leaf hoops are terrific. Here are some of my favorites from her Instagram feed. Danielle used #feelingstitchyig, and I'm glad she did so I could discover her fun and creative work.

While you're on Instagram checking out Mo's work at @destinycitythreads make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We'd love for you to stop by and say hello. You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @feelingstitchyish. You can find Amy at @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/friday-instagram-finds-no-64-featuring.html

I really love the delicate, bright colors in this cute Cactus Embroidery pattern on Etsy by Na Nee Hand Embroidery. There are so many opportunities for lovely details, and the PDF pattern includes a color and stitch guide.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/08/wonderful-wednesday-12-na-nee-embroidery.html

Hello all! Today, I have the lucky task of writing a floss review for DMC Coloris floss. Seriously, I was over the moon when the nice people at DMC Commonthread sent me this:


Yes, that's all 24 colors of new DMC Coloris floss. I think I took a million photos of them, then slowly moved on to crafting with them.

The floss is 6 strand embroidery floss, which is variegated in 4 shades of DMC colors. These colors are not always complementary, as in the traditional DMC variegated floss or Color Variations floss you may have used before - instead they are bright, contrasting colors that are very lively and fun.

In addition to numbers, each color has a name, which is an especially nice touch. Here is the full color card, from the DMC site:


I cross stitched one line of each floss color to give you an idea of how many stitches you can do before the color changes. Next to each line is the remaining 4 strands of each color :


I chose a few of my favorite shades and embroidered a small 5 x 9 in. hoop with a design I made up as I went along. I used 2-4 strands of floss, using as many stitches as I felt like experimenting with.


I stitched each flower with a different color, so I could see how each color changes...


For the lettering, I traced a free font I found online and used 2 strands of floss to do a tiny split stitch.

I used a finer needle than I normally use, and that helped to keep my stitches tiny:


Here is the final design - it's a bit wonky, but lots of fun to stitch. Some colors show up better than others on the pink quilting fabric I chose, but it was mainly a learning exercise for me.


Here's a free pattern I made, if you'd like to stitch along with me!



I tried to mark all the stitches I used, but feel free to do your own thing! If you print the design on 8 1/2 x 11 paper it "should" fit into a 5x9 in. hoop, but I'd test it out first to be sure.

I would definitely recommend giving DMC Coloris floss a try - it gives a lovely pop of color to even a basic project like mine. That's my two cents, and thanks again to DMC for sending this floss to me to try out!

What do YOU think of DMC Coloris floss? Have you seen it in your local stores? What kind of project would you stitch with it?

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/07/floss-review-free-pattern-dmc-coloris.html