http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/mooshiestitch-monday-kamal-kadai-stitch.html

Happy Friday (The 13th!), Stitchers! I hope you've had a terrific week so far, and are looking forward to a fun-filled weekend wherever you are. The Editor-in-Chief of Feeling Stitchy, Floresita, has created a Pinterest board with all of the Friday Instagram Finds posts, and you can find it here. It was so fun to scroll through and see all of the wonderful stitchers we've featured!

@makikoart
Today we'll take a look at Makiko's Instagram feed @makikoart! Makiko lives in Vienna, Austria and creates the most adorable embroidery, mainly featuring dogs and cats. I'm an animal lover (I have two dogs and one cat), so I especially appreciate her artwork. I get a smile on my face everytime I see her artwork. I especially like the confused pug wearing a tutu! Thank you, Makiko, for using #feelingstitchyig! Take a look at her beautiful work!

A photo posted by Makiko (@makikoart) on Apr 23, 2016 at 11:32am PDT

A photo posted by Makiko (@makikoart) on May 2, 2016 at 8:32am PDT

A photo posted by Makiko (@makikoart) on May 3, 2016 at 2:14pm PDT

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Makiko's work at @makikoart 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 @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/friday-instagram-finds-no-52-with.html

We have a winner in the 10 Year, 10 Item giveaway!

Jill • 5 days ago

I've been reading for about a year, but I can't remember how I found it...I might have been searching for a technique. My favorite tool is an embroidery hoop I inherited from my great-grandmother. It's a perfectly ordinary hoop, but I like knowing that it was hers.

We sent out lots of wonderful prizes to our winner, thank you for all of your comments and for sharing your favorite stitching tools!




Thank you everyone, for taking part in our giveaway and for reading us and enjoying our Flickr Embroidery group for the past 10 years!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/winner-of-10-year-10-item-giveaway.html

I am so excited because today we get to take a look at The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden by Yuki Sugashima! We received a free copy of the book from the publisher and will be giving away 1 copy at the end of this post!


The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden is a beautiful book of nature inspired embroidery motifs and 20 awesome projects including an egg cozy, a cell phone cover, and jewelry (just to name a few).

The first thing that caught my attention (other than all the gorgeous photos) was that the embroidery designs and projects are organized by season - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter - so you can stitch something all year long!

Here are floral examples from the "Summer" section.


I especially like how the book not only includes surface stitches, but also dimensional stitches, and beading.


Each of the 20 projects includes:

- suggested color palettes with DMC floss #'s
- list of embroidery stitches used
- list of all materials needed
- detailed step-by-step instructions with photos


The book also includes: a stitch directory with photos, 7 pages of actual size templates, and a tools and techniques section.


Since we are currently enjoying Spring here in my neck of the woods, I chose something from the "Spring" projects to stitch - a cute little butterfly pin cushion (as seen in an earlier photo above).


I knew immediately I wanted to stitch the pin cushion because it includes two techniques on my list to learn: the long and short stitch and dimensional stitching (those wired wings on the butterfly).


The project instructions were so easy to follow and guided me step by step from stitching to assembly.


I referenced the stitch directory to learn the long and short stitch for the butterfly and the "Techniques" section of the book showed me how to stitch the wired wings.


I love how my butterfly turned out and am already trying to decide what to complete next from the book!


The Hand Stitched Flower Garden is for any stitcher who loves floral inspired embroidery. There are designs and projects for all levels of experience - with motifs that can be stitched with a few easy stitches for the beginner to dimensional stitching for someone who wants to take their stitching to the next level!


Check out Yuki's blog for more of her beautiful stitching: https://yhandmade.wordpress.com


Giveaway time!!

To win a free copy of The Hand Stitched Flower Garden - please leave a comment on this post by 9 PM US CST, May 13, 2016 and please tell us: What season (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) is your favorite time to stitch and why?

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

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/book-review-hand-stitched-flower-garden.html

Here's a little something extra for you today - Friday Instagram Finds was featured on the Mollie Makes blog! I was contacted by Editor Karen Dunn about #feelingstitchyig we use on Instagram. She was writing an article on the hashtags stitchers used on social media and saw that ours was quite popular. I was pretty excited since Mollie Makes is one of the premier crafting magazines out there.

#feelingstitchyig is the first hashtag mentioned, and you can read the post here.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/friday-instagram-finds-on-mollie-makes.html

On today's Friday Instagram Finds we're featuring Beth of @forestchorusstudio. I just love Beth's work! It's beautiful and colorful and so precise. You can tell that Beth takes great care in her embroidery. The way that Beth stages her pictures is lovely, too. She uses creative props to make her embroidery the star of every picture. Take a look!

@forestchorusstudio

A photo posted by Beth Stackhouse (@forestchorusstudio) on May 4, 2016 at 3:00pm PDT

A photo posted by Beth Stackhouse (@forestchorusstudio) on May 1, 2016 at 1:59pm PDT

A photo posted by Beth Stackhouse (@forestchorusstudio) on Apr 28, 2016 at 7:14am PDT

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Beth's work at @forestchorusstudio 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 @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/friday-instagram-finds-no-51-with.html

Just in case you missed it, we are doing a 10 item giveaway, in honor of the Flickr Embroidery group turning 10 years old in April!

Items will be reader's choice, based on your comments - up above are just a few of the many items that have been suggested so far. To enter the giveaway, please visit our post!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/10-year-giveaway-update.html

Amsterdam based embroiderer Alexandra Drenth creates vibrant and mystical textile collages. Taking inspiration from music lyrics and poetry, Alexandra combines old and new to create timeless pieces.


Re-cyling and re-working is often the starting point for her work; many pieces are appliqued with old, vintage fabrics adorned with embroidered line drawings and detailed cross stitch designs.


Drenth says she often retells stories of childhood memories, expressing themes of love and relationships entwined and enriched with elements inspired by nature such as flowers and birds. Her work takes one on 'a journey through time where no sense of time exists'.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/05/stitchy-snippets-timeless.html

I didn't want to let April go by without pointing out that our beloved Flickr Embroidery group turns 10 years old this month! Feel free to click through all 99,372 photos uploaded over the years for a trip down memory lane.

Many things have changed over the years, but one thing that has not is our common love of embroidery, fascination with all things thread and textile-related, and our celebration of color, friendship, uniqueness and camaraderie.


I was tickled to see a connection in the first photo that was ever uploaded to our group, and a lovely photo added to the pool this week (above) - we've begun and ended 10 years with cherry blossoms! Surely a sign of good luck and blessings.

Time for a Giveaway!

To celebrate our momentous 10 years as a group, I'd like to do a very special giveaway. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell us two things:

1. How long have you been a member of the Flickr Embroidery Group (or, tell us how you found Feeling Stitchy, if not through the Flickr group)
2. What is your favorite, go-to embroidery tool (a special hoop, a specific brand of needle, your favorite floss, a treasured book)

I'll leave the comment thread open through Friday, May 8, 9 PM CST, when I will close it, and choose 1 random winner who will win... 10 prizes! The prizes will be a surprise, but here's a hint - I'll be using your comments as inspiration when I put the goodies together. Every prize will be craft-related and crafter-approved. This giveaway is open to all of our readers.

Are you ready to celebrate with us? Hooray for 10 years of the Flickr Embroidery group!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/10-years-in-flickr-embroidery-group-and.html

I didn't want to let April go by without pointing out that our beloved Flickr Embroidery group turns 10 years old this month! Feel free to click through all 99,372 photos uploaded over the years for a trip down memory lane.

Many things have changed over the years, but one thing that has not is our common love of embroidery, fascination with all things thread and textile-related, and our celebration of color, friendship, uniqueness and camaraderie.


I was tickled to see a connection in the first photo that was ever uploaded to our group, and a lovely photo added to the pool this week (above) - we've begun and ended 10 years with cherry blossoms! Surely a sign of good luck and blessings.

Time for a Giveaway!

To celebrate our momentous 10 years as a group, I'd like to do a very special giveaway. To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell us two things:

1. How long have you been a member of the Flickr Embroidery Group (or, tell us how you found Feeling Stitchy, if not through the Flickr group)
2. What is your favorite, go-to embroidery tool (a special hoop, a specific brand of needle, your favorite floss, a treasured book)

I'll leave the comment thread open through Friday, May 8, 9 PM CST, when I will close it, and choose 1 random winner who will win... 10 prizes! The prizes will be a surprise, but here's a hint - I'll be using your comments as inspiration when I put the goodies together. Every prize will be craft-related and crafter-approved. This giveaway is open to all of our readers.

Are you ready to celebrate with us? Hooray for 10 years of the Flickr Embroidery group!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/10-years-in-flickr-embroidery-group-and.html

Can you believe that April is almost over? We only have one more day, and it will be May - how did this happen?! Goodness...the time is flying by so quickly.

On today's Friday Instagram Finds we're featuring Cathy of @stitchyfox. Cathy has such nice looking stitches! I love her "Haters gonna hate" purple unicorn with, is that an eye patch?? So cool! I'm pretending that the horse piece is a mini horse :) Do you love cats? Cathy has two, and they are featured in Cathy's pictures too. Take a look!

@stitchyfox

A photo posted by Cathy (@stitchyfox) on Apr 12, 2016 at 6:46pm PDT

A photo posted by Cathy (@stitchyfox) on Feb 18, 2016 at 10:43am PST

A photo posted by Cathy (@stitchyfox) on Mar 29, 2016 at 11:47am PDT

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Cathy's work at @stitchyfox 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 @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/friday-instagram-finds-no-50-with.html

There are so many lovely tutorials on the web right now, I thought I'd do a roundup to point them out!

Those gorgeous florals above come from Down Grapevine Line and include a free pattern and stitch guide. Click through the images for the free pattern!

This lovely Bullion Knot Rose tutorial comes to you courtesy of Mollie Johanson, on the About.com site:

If you're on the lookout for another knotted stitch, how about this lovely Danish Knot, as stitched by Kimberly Ouimet:

This gorgeous sashiko leaf pattern can be found on Radiant Home Studio:

There's also an adorable free pillow pattern on the DMC Commonthread site, to use with their new Coloris threads:

Hope you enjoyed this roundup!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/tutorial-tuesday-internet-round-up.html

Hey there! Remember when I showed you the woven picot stitch? Well, it got me thinking about stitching the woven picots a different length...


You see, the blue flower above from my previous post was stitched with a 1 1/4 inch pin.

I went to my local fabric store and found the longest pins available - which are 1 3/4 inch quilting pins.

See the difference below.

Here I used the longer 1 3/4 inch quilting pin for my woven picots.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/mooshiestitch-monday-longer-woven-picot.html

Hey there! Remember when I showed you the woven picot stitch? Well, it got me thinking about stitching the woven picots a different length...


You see, the blue flower above from my previous post was stitched with a 1 1/4 inch pin.

I went to my local fabric store and found the longest pins available - which are 1 3/4 inch quilting pins.

See the difference below.

Here I used the longer 1 3/4 inch quilting pin for my woven picots.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/mooshiestitch-monday-longer-woven-picot.html

Happy Friday!! I hope you've all had a wonderful week, and are looking forward to a fun-filled weekend! Weather permitting, I'm going to spend much of it outside planting flowers and herbs and finding inspiration for embroidery patterns.

@siwooinparis
Today on Friday Instagram Finds we're featuring Siwoo whose Instagram handle is @siwooinparis. Siwoo is a Korean living in Paris. Her photos have multilingual captions, many in French, English, and Korean. Siwoo creates beautifully detailed and colorful hand embroidered pieces. And her feed is filled with beautifully staged photos. Take a look!

A photo posted by @siwooinparis on Mar 29, 2016 at 1:42pm PDT

A photo posted by @siwooinparis on Mar 15, 2016 at 11:34am PDT

A photo posted by @siwooinparis on Feb 12, 2016 at 12:14am PST

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Siwoo's work at @siwooinparis 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 @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/friday-instagram-finds-no-49-with.html

Canadian based artist - Amanda McCavour creates beautiful, dreamlike, large-scale embroideries. Her basis in drawing led her to experiment with various mediums to create line and she was intrigued to incorporate embroidery in her drawing. Shading and colour are worked into her embroideries as one would do with a paint brush or pencil. Drawing and line remain fundamental to her work 'I would describe my work as being drawings that are made out of thread. I am interested in thread as both drawn and sculptural line.'



Amanda uses a sewing machine to create her pieces and embroiders free-hand onto water soluble fabric. Once the fabric is dissolved in water only the thread is left and these thread lines form the structure of the installations. Amanda 'is interested in thread’s assumed vulnerability, its ability to unravel, and its strength when it is sewn together.' The embroideries appear delicate however the countless, layered stitches create a new fibre and the pieces hold strong without a base cloth.


Amanda's knowledge and experience of printmaking is also apparent in her work. One particular installation is influenced by doodling. Amanda explains 'I made more than 400 neon orange thread "scribbles" and hung each from the ceiling with a pin and a piece of thread. I was hoping that this repetitive imagery and action would create a mass of thread, a giant scribble. It was all of these similar repeating parts that created a larger whole. Some of the repetition in my work relates back to these ideas which are present in printmaking.'


Amanda talks about the impact of fibre in contemporary art. 'It seems to be that the possibilities for fibre in contemporary art are endless and that the role it might play is one of expanding and broadening the boundaries between art, craft and design.'

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/stitchy-snippets-dreamlike-embroidery.html

Happy Friday, Stitchers! I hope you've all had a fabulous week with big plans for the weekend. I checked the weather for where I live, and it's supposed to be beautiful. I have plans to work in my yard this weekend.

@StitchCulture
On this week's Friday Instagram Finds we take a look at Devin of @stitchculture. Devin creates clever embroidery that features pop culture sayings and graphic fabrics. My husband loved this first hoop. I had no idea what it meant until he saw it (Any Billy Madison fans out there?). I just love the Holly Hobbie-esqu fabrics. It reminds me of my girlhood years in the 1970s :) Take a look at a few of Devin's pictures, then head over to her Instagram account @stitchculture

A photo posted by Devin W. (@stitchculture) on Apr 9, 2016 at 12:17pm PDT

A photo posted by Devin W. (@stitchculture) on Apr 6, 2016 at 9:00am PDT

A photo posted by Devin W. (@stitchculture) on Mar 30, 2016 at 9:38am PDT

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Devin's work at @stitchculture 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 @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/friday-instagram-finds-no-48-with.html

To start, I drew a small basket outline.



My basket is a simple rectangle but your basket can be any size or shape.

Let's weave the basket....

First the vertical stitches (warp threads).


Then start weaving the horizontal stitches (weft threads).




All finished weaving the bottom portion of the basket.


I stitched the handle of the basket with chain stitch.


My flowers are simple lazy daisies and the leaves are detached chain stitches.



The flowers can be any stitch you like.




I hope you stitch your own basket with flowers! If you do, leave a comment, post your photos in the Flickr group or tag your photo on Instagram with #feelingstitchyig!

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/mooshiestitch-monday-woven-basket-with.html

Hello Stitchy Friends! I hope you're all having a fabulous day so far, and you have some fun stitchy plans for the weekend.

@heartoftheheartembroidery

Take a look at @heartoftheheartembroidery by Vanessa. I absolutely adore her whale and narwhale mini hoop necklaces! They are quite detailed, and look perfect in Dandelyne mini hoop necklaces. She also used a mini hoop necklace to create a lovely bolo tie, which is very clever! I found Vanessa's Instagram because she used #feelingstitchyig. Take a look at Vanessa's work.

A photo posted by Vanessa Blackier

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/friday-instagram-finds-no-47-with-heart.html

Floating, intricate, lace sculptures cast vast shadows which expand across the wall. Dorie Millerson first developed this inventive technique and approach to sculpture some ten years ago. Millerson works predominantly in needle lace forming her pieces one loop at a time thus creating chains of thread and fibre to build the detailed structures.


The practice of creating the sculptures from needlelace often influences the subjects of Millerson's collections such as attachments and connections between people and places.


These themes are reflected in her choice of medium; creating links in thread and through the 'making' one experiences a journey. Millerson explains "The thread, as it loop by loop creates a bigger piece is a bit like the experience of travelling and the experience of remembering visiting a place. I often look at themes like memory or travel or relationships with people in the past in my work."

http://www.feelingstitchy.com/2016/04/stitchy-snippets-needle-lace-sculpture.html