Progress Report

I just got a great email from my new gal pal Jaime of Sew She Sews. She wrote to tell me about a project she just finished, and she was able to incorporate the stem stitch, thanks to my tutorial!

I'm so proud of her! She's a natural.

Photo courtesy of Jaime Young.

I am seriously swooning over this piece. I adore her color selection, and the little violet sequins kill me. I haven't even covered the French knot, and she's already got it down. She even painted her wooden hoop a lovely shade of green to match the fern stitch. I die!

The pattern she used is one from Embroidered Effects, and she's done it justice.

Another progress report came in from reader m0relia. Here is what she made after watching my tutorials:

Photo courtesty of m0relia.

I love it! So sweet and pretty.

It really does make me happy to see your projects and to know that so many of you are benefiting from these tutorials. This is the information that fuels me to keep going, and the reason why I do this. :-)

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Lesson 4: Split Stitch

You're getting a double whammy of stitchy lessons this weekend, because you're all such fast learners and you've got projects to make! Let's keep things going today with the split stitch. :-)



I've blogged previously about my love / hate relationship with the split stitch. But since so many of you may have missed out on that post, I'll talk about it again.

The first stitch I ever learned was the split stitch, and I thought that was the stitch I had to use for embroidery projects. It seems like everything I made was adorned in split stitch. Now the split stitch is one of my least favorite stitches to work with.

Sure it has charm and beauty, but it's moody. (Just like me!) If you don't get the split just right, or if you go a little bit too far to the left or too far to the right when following your line, it can look wonky.

Oh split stitch, you're so unforgiving, but I forgive you, and we can still hang out sometimes.

I've come to accept the reality that I just don't get a clean and even split every time I make this stitch. You'll see that in the video. One stitch might only have 2 strands of thread on one side and 4 strands on the other. That's ok with me!

Remember, pictures & written instructions first, followed by the video.

Now the video!




See? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Over time, I've developed little habits that seem to help with my split stitching. I find myself placing my fingers (of my hoop hand) very close to where I'm stitching, and holding the thread that hangs underneath in the direction that I'm stitching. You can kind of see what I'm talking about from the pictures and the video. Even though I'm actually pushing my fabric up a little bit when I do this, for some reason it seems to help keep the stitch straighter.

I feel like I should mention that it's totally normal for your fabric to get a little loose when you're stitching. Just take a minute to stop, pull the fabric, and tighten your hoop again.

So now you've learned over half the stitches on our 5 stitch lesson plan! You are awesome. If you're working on a project now, I would love to see your progress!

Next up: French knot. Ooh la la!

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Lesson 3: Stem Stitch

I know you're all ready to learn a new move, so let's get right to it! This lesson is all about the stem stitch. I avoided this stitch in my early days of embroidery because it seemed complicated, and my results never looked pretty like the pictures I admired. Mine just looked wonky and like I had been embroidering while wearing an eye patch AND dark sunglasses.

So I just gave up on it. I told myself, 'Nope. Can't use that stitch. It's too advanced for me.' Then I decided to brave it again, and thank goodness I did. I disregarded traditional instructions, because that's what was complicating me, and had a complete and total "A-ha!" moment.

If you can do the back stitch, you can do the stem stitch. The way I do it is just a slight variation of the back stitch.

Again, I'll post photos with written instructions, followed by a quick video.

Step 1: Basically, this step will always be the same. Pick a starting point, and poke your needle up from the back side of your fabric. You can see I've already started a line of stitches, so the last complete stitch you see behind my needle is where I'm starting the instructions from. ;-)

Step 2: When you bring your needle down, you want to insert it right next to the outer edge of your previous stitch. This is the move that I do that differs from traditional instructions, and my method is just a slight variation of the back stitch.

Step 3: Repeat step 1. This photo is just a visual reference for you to see the rhythm.

Step 4: Repeat step 2. Again, more visual reference. ;-)

And now for the video!
Disclaimer: I have the shakiest hands EVER, and sometimes you might hear little ones in the background. ;-)




For just a brief second, I demonstrate the alternate way to do a stem stitch, but for some reason, it just never clicked with me. I realize that my method uses up a little bit more floss, but that's the price I choose to pay for the beauty of a stem stitch.

Stem stitch is just lovely for well, stems, and other foliage, hair, animals with spiky or textured fur, and recently I've been using it when embroidering words / letters. If I'm using it for letters, I like to use only 3 or 4 strands of floss. I think this tends to give a more delicate appearance.

I hope you're inspired and ready to try the stem stitch! I just might surprise you and post another lesson this weekend, since I fell behind this week.

Next up: Split stitch.

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Lesson 2: Back Stitch

Welcome to Lesson 2 of Embroidery 101!

I apologize for posting this so late in the day, but it's been non stop crazy around here.

Enough of that, let's get on with the show, shall we?



Today it's all about the back stitch. In my opinion, this is the perfect starter stitch. It's very simple and beautiful. Don't underestimate the simple beauty of the back stitch. Some of my favorite projects have been those worked almost entirely in back stitch.

Pattern source: Krazy Kitchen transfers from Sublime Stitching.

Pattern source: Baby Bib Embroidery Kit by Jenny Hart

I'll post the written instructions, accompanied with step by step photos. Here we go!

Step 1: With your fabric hooped & ready to go, insert your needle, coming up from the underside of your fabric & pull your needle until the knot catches. (It's a matter of personal preference when it comes to knotting your thread. I prefer it.)

Step 2: Reinsert your needle about 1/4" ahead of where your needle came up previously.

Step 3: Again, coming up from the underside of your fabric, insert your needle about 1/4" ahead of the previous stitch.

Step 4: Reinsert your needle in the hole that meets the previous stitch.

Hopefully the photos help give you a clearer vision on how the moves are made. Again, let me know if you have any questions and comments are always appreciated. That's the only way I can learn to make things better for you.

Also, to make up for being so tardy today, I'm going to give you a bonus lesson Monday! Get ready for the stem stitch, and another exciting announcement!

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Lesson 1: Transfer Techniques

Welcome to Lesson 1 of Embroidery 101!

So you've taken the time to shop around & you've found the perfect pattern for your embroidery project, right? Great! Now let's figure out the right transfer technique.

If you're using an iron-on transfer pattern, like the one pictured below from Sublime Stitching, just follow the instructions that came with your pattern.

But just because I love you, I've taken a few photos to show you how to transfer a Sublime Stitching pattern.

Pattern example is from "Unicorn Believer."

When cutting out your pattern, be sure to leave enough room around the image, so you can hold it securely during the ironing process.

When you have the image cut out & you know where you want to place the image, PRE-HEAT YOUR FABRIC FIRST. This is a very important step & should not be skipped. This is almost always the first question I ask when troubleshooting, "Why didn't my pattern transfer?"

After pre-heating your fabric, put the transfer face down on the fabric, and iron. Hold on to your image securely, & press your iron on top of your image for about 10 seconds. Try not to move your iron, because you just might "ghost" or smudge the image, and that's not fun. The image will be permanent.

Be sure plenty of fabric still surrounds your image, so you can allow for hooping.

An embroidery hoop has 2 pieces. The adjustable ring will be the top piece.

Once your fabric is hooped & you've got the fabric tight like a drum head, you're ready to start embroidering! That's all there is to transferring an iron-on pattern. By far, this is the easiest way to go.

But perhaps you've found an embroidery pattern on Etsy, or you've found another image online, or you want to embroider one of your own drawings. That's what we'll talk about now.

Pictured above: various transfer tools.


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Method 1: Carbon transfer paper

Materials:
*Pattern - freebie from Jenny Hart
* Carbon transfer paper
* Tracing stylus
* Ballpoint pen or pencil
*tape

If your design has lots of fine lines and details or if it's a large pattern, I would use the carbon transfer paper method.

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Method 2: Iron-on Transfer Pen

Materials:
Pattern of your choice
Iron-on transfer pen

When you first get your Sulky transfer pen, the tip will be white. Each time you use the pen, you'll need to press the tip down about 3 times to get the ink to flow in to the tip. Don't over do it though, because sometimes the ink tends to pool up.

That's why I recommend testing your transfer pen on a different piece of paper before you start tracing your design.

Remember to pre-heat your fabric first, and hold on to your design, to prevent smudging. This method is also permanent.

You can see the Sulky transfer pen leaves chunkier lines, so you'll need to learn not to use a heavy hand when tracing your design. I use the transfer pen method A LOT. I really love this product, and highly recommend adding it to your embroidery toolbox.

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Method 3: Transfer pencil

Materials:
Pattern of your choice
Transfer pencil (usually found at any craft store.)

I have to be honest, this is my least favorite transfer method. The lines are just too faint for me, and sometimes they don't transfer at all after ironing. But I will use it if I'm in a pinch.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The above photo shows all three of the transfer methods I just discussed. You'll have to play around and decide what works best for you!

Please feel free to leave your questions in the comments. If you do leave a question, be sure to leave your email address, or check back in the comments for my response.

I think I'm going to make Thursdays our lesson days. So be sure to come back next Thursday, April 15 for our first stitch lesson, the back stitch!

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

Get Your Stitch On

I have a special and exciting announcement today. I've decided to host a virtual embroidery class right here on the Early Bird Special blog!

Basically what this will consist of is a series of posts covering five basic embroidery stitches to get you comfortable and started on your own embroidery projects.

I hosted a class in person a few months ago, and it was a lot of fun. But I want to share the knowledge with all of my out of town friends too.

Here's what you'll learn:

I will try to keep instructions as clear as possible as well as post a video of each of the stitches, to make it feel like I'm right there with you.

Don't worry, this is a free series, so all you need to do is show up to class with your supplies in hand!


Fabric: I recommend using a white cotton fabric for embroidery, but feel free to use what you like. Just make sure it's a quilting quality cotton.

Hoop: I like to use a hoop that is between 5" to 7" in diameter, simply because this is most comfortable for my hands.

Needle: I often get asked what size needle I use for embroidery. I think I use an embroidery size 5 or 6 most often. The main thing is to make sure that the package says it's especially for embroidery, because this means the eye of the needle will be large enough to accommodate all 6 strands of embroidery floss.

Floss: DMC floss or Presencia is what I like to use. Try not to buy the off brand cheap rainbow packages of floss. These really do tend to tangle and shred quite easily, only frustrating things. Go ahead and splurge on the good stuff.

Scissors: Embroidery scissors are preferred, but not required. There will be times when you might need to cut some stitches out, due to a mishap or if you want to change the stitch color or stitch style and tiny, sharp embroidery scissors are perfect for the job.

I'm going to show you the stitches on various projects, because I want you to have the freedom to choose what pattern you like.

Here are some resources for my favorite patterns for purchase:

Sublime Stitching
Kitschy Digitals
Follow the White Bunny
Penguin & Fish
Badbird
Wee Wonderfuls
September House
Wild Olive

And here's a list of my favorite free patterns:

Sublime Stitching
Follow the White Bunny
Badbird
doe-c-doe
Hoop Love Vintage Patterns
Vintage Transfer Finds

Take a look around, I'm sure you'll find more than enough patterns to keep you busy for a while.

You know what they say about assuming, right? I hate to assume that you already know the ins and outs of transfer techniques, so please tell me, do I need to cover this topic before getting started on the stitch lessons?

Who's ready to learn how to embroider or freshen up your skills?

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy

**Update: I decided to add "Transfer Techniques" to the lesson list. Once this topic is covered, we'll get to stitching! ;-)

Chain Chain Chain

Tonight while working on the bunny snuggly, I decided my favorite stitch right now is the good ol' chain stitch. I came to this realization while stitching the bunny's hair.

When stitching hair, I usually like to use either a stem stitch or a chain stitch.

Stem stitch hair:

Above photo: Tea towel made for The Urban Housewife.

Chain stitch hair:

Above photo: Floral fantasy tote bag.

You can see, both stitches create a great effect for hair, yet they each give such different textures.

The first stitch I learned was the split stitch, and I thought that was the stitch I had to use for every project, if I wanted to classify it as embroidery. Silly girl. That's SO 2002.

Now, the split stitch is one of my least favorite stitches. Sure, it still has charm and beauty, but it's very moody. If you don't get the split just right, or go too far to the left or too far to the right when following your line, it tends to look wonky. Oh split stitch, sometimes you're so unforgiving, but I forgive you, and we can still hang out sometimes.

I tweeted my love of the chain stitch, and my pal Dani asked, "What gives, Aims? They're practically twins." (Ok, so I'm paraphrasing her tweet.)

Yes, it is true. The split stitch and the chain stitch do look very similar. But I like to think of Chain as Split's chubby sister. They look a lot alike, but they are both so different. In my opinion, Chain is more forgiving with her curves, filling in more space and giving a little chunky appeal to your design.

Don't be fooled by their similarities though. The chain stitch and split stitch are acheived in two very different ways. You have to do a slightly fancier move with your needle to acheive the chain stitch, but it's not anything you can't handle. Sublime Stitching has a nice little diagram showing you how to create Chain & Split.

Hopefully this gets you in the mood to try some chain stitching for an upcoming project. Please let me know if you have any questions or need advice on making the right moves.

Hugs & Stitches,
Amy