I guess it was only a matter of time before I stuck my toes into another crafting pool. This little lady kept me company over the weekend.
Isn’t she adorable? There is something so incredibly satisfying about pulling a needle and thread back and forth, over and over, as you watch a picture emerge.
Embroidery is something I’ve wanted to try for years but the hurdle for me was getting the image onto the fabric. I was stumped and most of the instructions I’d read were vague and potentially “messy”, meaning it would make too heavy a line that could show through or bleed or rub/smudge…YUK.
Then one day I made the most delightful discovery on (guess what) Pinterest.
This lovely woman’s blog, work, designs opened a whole new world to me. Before I continue, did I mention that a lot of the embroidery images out there were, to be blunt, boring. Puppies, kittens and Santa Claus…
But after an afternoon playing and running through rabbit holes on-line I found embroidery can be fun, whimsical and even naughty (if that’s your cup of tea).
One of my biggest issues with craft blogs is a lot of time you mainly see the finished project. I want the process. Tell me how you got there, what tools you used and why. That is what Lili Popo does and I’ve learned tons!!
As per her instructions, this has been my/the process.
Tape the image to be transferred to a light box. She also recommends using a window as your light source. Lay the fabric over the paper.
Grab a Pigma Mircon pen (You can also find these at Staples. This is the exact set I bought). These pens come in packs with different colors, have super ultra fine points and can be “removed” when heat is applied. For this purpose that is great but if you’re using them on everyday documents be careful. I’ve read that people have experienced fading just from leaving papers in a hot car.
Then trace. I traced the design very lightly onto a piece of cotton fabric. I actually used a 10×10″ piece from a solid white layer cake (a pack of 40-42 pre-cut 10″ squares of cotton fabric used for quilting). I have a plan…tell ya later.
And that’s it. Start stitching. I also have something to say about embroidery hoops and frames but I’ll save that for another post.
There are 2 more little ladies in this collection. I can’t wait to have them all stitched…
Another wonderful form of therapy. What on earth do people do who don’t craft in some form or other?
Adorable! You keep showing me the most tempting new crafts. Hmmmmm, embroidery thread is so pretty.