Ode on a French Bulldog

crafted by Kaparoff (magda)

OK, I didn't write an actual ode. But I'm sure you'll agree that this embroidery is poetry itself. Great work, Magda!

Hamster Dance

crafted by Kittyzilla

I struggle to think of any ills which cannot be cured by a brief Hamster dance. This, and other internet meme embroideries, can be found on Jennifer's blog, Handmade Stuffs.

Embroidering "Cutter Quilts"

Maybe you have seen the term "cutter quilt" and don't know what that is. A cutter quilt is usually a vintage quilt that has been seriously worn. However, there are pieces of it that are still in great shape and need only a project to keep them around. Here are some good "embroidery" ideas for them.

This was a completely hand-stitched quilt and very fragile, so I re-inforced it by doing a herringbone stitch over each seam. I added an applique with Lite Heat N Bond and then stitched around it and did the embroidery inside. Then I made the piece into a book cover that I can use to document my quilting projects and keep swatches or templates for the future reference. Anything quilt related---but this could be an embroidery book, also.

You can also cut out shapes and use them as your base for your embroidery. The batting acts as a nice anchor for your stitching. Here are some examples of using cutter quilt pieces:

Hope this gives you some inspiration.

I just stitched to say "Hello"

I found Melissa on etsy who made some unique "Hello" embroidery. She uses watercolor to enhance the muslin that she embroiders on. I would suggest an acrylic wash would be more permanent and especially if you ironed it after it dried.


I love her "Hello Critter" as she calls him. The little seed stitches give it a nice dimension and texture. Melissa also does some wonderful watercolors and plush creatures of her own design.

These little stitcheries inspired me to think of a past post on Feeling Stitchy about leaving little embroideries in public places for others to discover. I couldn't find the post, so if you do, will you leave a link in comments?

I googled "how to say hello in different languages" and came up with quite a few reference places, including this one. It would be fun to embroider "hello" in different languages and leave them places....

Here are some " hello's" in other languages: Buon giorno; Konnichiwa; Bonjour; Guten Tag; hej; salut; hallo; aloha; shalom; Yow Wah Gwaan; hei; oi; hoezit; hola; tja; jambo...........



Wouldn't that make your day should you discover one of these little hooped stitcheries in some unexpected place?

Embroidery Diagrams for Lefties

Hey you southpaw stitchers! I've added some diagrams designed for left-handed embroiderers on Sublime Stitching. I plan on adding more, so please let me know if they make sense to you!

Stitching Diagrams for Lefties

Red Riding Hood Tea Cosy

Crafted by elbooga

I'm not sure what I'm adoring more here - the tea cozy itself, or the fact that it's a tea "cosy" with an "s". As a child, one of my favorite books involved a tea cosy. Spelled with an s. :)

Or maybe it's just Red I'm adoring, as she is indeed, quite adorable:

Nice work, Louise!

Madewell Denim After Dark: Valentine's Day Edition

Hey all! Just wanted to invite all peeps in the NYC area to Denim After Dark at Madewell tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009). We'll have supplies on hand to create a denim present with a Valentine's Day theme. But, hey - come even if you hate Valentine's Day - we'll let you create an anti-Valentine's day gift with us. And then you can enter it in this contest.

Here's your chance to de-lurk in person, have a free drink, and do a bit of embroidery with yours truly.

Madewell is located at: 486 Broadway (at Broome), NY NY (Google map)

Sputnik Embroidery

My good friend Mr. Jalopy (who's also a man-broiderer!) sent me this picture of a stitched linen he recently unearthed. It's a Russian teddy bear riding Sputnik! I've never seen this design before- any of you vintage pattern collectors have it?

For Feeling Stitchy readers who live in LA, you simply must visit Mr. J's cute and cool shop in Silver Lake, Coco's Variety -where you can buy my embroidered Mexicana Tea Towels, along with darling dishware, oilcloth, bike parts and inner tubes!