a preponderance of gnomes

from Sewsew-a-Gogo

free gnome pattern by Andrea Zuill available here


Do you ever wonder what starts a worldwide cultural trend? I do, and often - for instance, what's up with all the adorable gnomes?

Was it Amelie's charming gnome that started this whole deal? (Although I could have sworn I'd seen a travelling garden gnome before that....) Or was it the cute, perky, and occasionally annoying Travelocity gnome? I just need to know, do you guys know?

Inspiration notwithstanding, in the Flickr Embroidery pool, gnomes are here to stay:

Gnomes courtesy of merwing, my paper crane, oipom, and krakencrafts

Longing for a gnome of your own?

• Try the Sublime Stitching Gnomes and Fairies patterns:
• Or, stitch up Hillary Lang's Mr and Mrs Gnome PDF pattern:
  
• Or, for zero moolah - embroider this cute gnome pattern, courtesy of Badbird (Andrea Zuill):
  

There was love in the pool

Valentine's Day was not overlooked in the Embroidery Pool. Here's some of the love that people shared.


Felt hearts by ChicaCraft


'Perfect pairs' cushion by myweddedbliss



Sweet Valentine tea towel by Sweet Jessie

Love to everyone in blogland - especially our embroidery friends!

pretend you didn't forget...

Are you like me and procrastinate, drag your feet and feel like holidays sneak up on you? This post is for you, my friends! Make these Valentine's Day crafts in a matter of minutes, and you too, can pretend you didn't forget... :)

Quick Valentine's Day Crafts

• easy handmade valentines from purl bee


• sweet valentine's cards to print and embellish with ribbon and embroidery


• fabric heart garland (that would look extra cute with some embroidery)

If You Sew Super-Fast (or if you have a sewing machine)

• make a sweetheart softie (make me one, too!) :)

Embroidery on knit

I've had a lot of success with this stuff:


I found it at Joann. About $11 for 20" x 3 yards. It's transparent, so you can trace your design. I like to use a ballpoint pen, as marker (even permanent) tends to smear.

I have found its best not to have any straight corners; cut your shape in more of a circle or shape with rounded corners and then iron using medium heat and no steam. Iron for about 5 seconds and check to see if the stabilizer and fabric are fused. If not iron a few more seconds until fused.

I don't usually use a hoop to stitch knit, because I feel like I have better control without one. Totally Stable isn't fool proof. If you pull too much it will release from the fabric. I learned simply by trial and error. Be sure to use a sharp needle and take your time.

To remove Totally Stable, peel it off. But be really careful around your stitching or you'll pull out the stitches. I think it works best to hold an area of stitches with my left thumb and forefinger and then carefully tear away the stabilizer. I use tweezers to remove any small pieces that stick under the stitches.