Tutorial Tuesday

Hello Everyone! Happy Tuesday!

I have a Spring themed roundup of tutorials for you today. I have had Spring on the mind, have you? These tutorials are sure to put you in the mood for Springtime, and give you something to enjoy while winter falls away.

Head over to Martha Stewart's Crafts Dept. for Brett Bara's (of the Mahattan Craft Room) tutorial on how to make embroidered eggs.

This is a great project for kids because they can learn embroidery and recycle those styrofoam trays that we sometimes bring home from the grocery store. You can find the tutorial courtesy of Creative Jewish Mom. 

The embroidered faces on these bunnies are enough to make me happy, but a plushie bunnie is even better! The complete tutorial for the bunny and their embroidered faces can be found over at Dandelions and Lace.

This adorable embroidery pattern of birds holding a bunting is courtesy of Hayley from Welcome to the Mouse House. She placed the embroidery on a blouse for her daughter, and I think it's such a great way to use embroidery to accent clothing. 

Hope you enjoy these tutorials and give some, or all, of them a try! 

Have a great Tuesday!

Interview with Margaret

Today I have a special and inspiring treat for all of you stitchers - recently on Flickr I stumbled on some breathtaking needlework photos by Maria Blackstone, who is currently working on a photo documentary project of her Great Aunt Margaret. The photos and the needlework were equally breathtaking, and I'm happy to say that Margaret was kind enough to answer a few interview questions for us. 

Let's all say hello to and meet Margaret!



Your work is so exquisitely detailed, especially your landscape piece. Is this worked from a pattern or did you create this design yourself?

The landscape is worked from a postcard. I enlarged it to the size I wanted, then traced the outlines, pin pricked all the outlines. Laid that on to the material, rubbed ground charcoal over all the holes, which made marks on the material. Then joined up all the dots with pencil.

The stitched reflection in the water is amazing. May I ask how you achieved this look?

Having done the embroidery I covered it with a chiffon material and now I am embroidering the weeds, and have now put the duck house over that.



Your threadwork is so finely detailed - what kinds of threads do you use in your embroidery?

It is mainly done in single thread DMC stranded cotton.

How long have you been embroidering? Can you recall your first embroidery piece? Or your favorite?

I have been doing cross stitch for many years, but have only been to classes over the last 12 years, which is where I do silk shading, as in the landscape, Gold Work Black work (method) as it is now done in colour as well as all black. I can’t remember my first piece. My favourite I think is a blue iris. This idea came from the Gardening Section of the Daily Telegraph.

In the photos we see you doing cross stitching and freehand embroidery - do have a preference for one or the other?

I enjoy doing both. The cross stitch I can get on with on my own from a chart. The other methods I do at the classes, as I need guidance, then get on with at home. I go to classes once a month, this gives me time to do homework. I also embroider greeting cards for people who have special birthdays or anniversaries.



Do you have any other artistic habits - painting, drawing, or other sorts of crafts you enjoy to do?

I do Calligraphy, and various paper crafts to make greeting cards.

Do you have a favorite place to stitch?

In my lounge, as the light is good.

What do you think is the best way to learn embroidery?

I think you want a friend to start you off, say with cross stitch which is most people's starting point, and after that attend a class. I am not creative, I need to be given the inspiration, then I can do it, or adapt it.



Well, I think we must disagree with you, Margaret - your projects show that you are indeed VERY creative and a gifted needleworker! Thank you, Maria, and thank you Margaret, for sharing your talent with our readers!

For more on Maria, visit:
http://www.mariablackstone.tumblr.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariablackstone

For more photos of Margaret and her needlework, visit:
http://mariasdocumentary.tumblr.com/

Portugal - a living museum of embroidery part IV

Olá! This week I remembered that I had some photos that I've not showed yet.

So... come with me and accept my invitation to continue our visit to a very special museum... to Portugal, a living museum of embroidery...

As I told you in our first visit it is very common in antiques and flea street markets to find someone selling vintage embroidery. These photos are from a street market in Estremoz, but all around Portugal you'll find the same... from the North to the South of our country... this happens in the street... but indoors it is no different. I believe you'll find a piece of embroidery almost in every single home.

And this makes me think of all the women that embroidered these stitches that lasted until today... Can you imagine so many hours? So many women...

If it is still possible to have all these in our days, I can't avoid thinking of how different life was those days when these treasures were stitched...

I really would love to know if in your countries it's as easy to find a piece of embroidery as it is here, in this very special living museum of embroidery.

Patterns: State Flower Quilt

Missouri State Flower Quilt Square - Finished - Close Up by nuttnhoney

Ooh this is pretty! Check out the Turkey Feathers blog for the pattern and information on how to complete the whole quilt!

Happy V Day!

Photo by prosodialab

Isn't this work in progress by prosodialab adorably gorgeous? The finished work is even more gorgeous!

Hope you all have a wonderful V Day, surrounded by those you love, your hands occupied with the crafty projects you love. Enjoy!

Challenged by embroidery with Portuguese soul - Margarida

Olá! As love is in the air, today I bring you very beautiful images that I was saving for a special occasion... And that day has come...

As you may know I write on a weekly basis showing "stitches with Portuguese soul". Usually discovering the history and tradition of embroidery in my country or showing the work of Portuguese embroiderers.

But this year I decided to try something different, too. Although embroidery is deeply rooted in our culture, it is not so present in recent craft trends... so I decided to challenge some of my favorite Portuguese crafters that usually don't use embroidery in their works, to change that at least for a day. And I'll be showing their embroidery stitches.

Pastel palette instead of traditional colors

And I definitely have to begin with Margarida. Some years ago, when I was starting my project, she was the first that gently decided to present it to the "blogosphere"... I can say that I debuted in her blog pano pra mangas...

Her blog is very popular among Portuguese crafters (but not only...) and as we would say in Portugal: she is a mulher dos sete ofícios - something like "jack of all trades". In her blog everything looks beautiful and charming... and her words are always kind and inspiring.

I'm very happy that Margarida accepted my challenge and what I like the most about her embroidery is that it says a lot about her... the colors, the motifs, inspiring words and everything planned to detail...

I asked Margarida if she could create something inspired by Portuguese embroidery but doing it "her own way"... She says that she was inspired by the hearts from Viana do Castelo and by the tradition of using words in Lenços dos namorados. But no doubt she has done it her own way...

This is my turn to present Margarida... and I leave you with her own words...

Sweet stitches

"When I think about myself and who I am, I always end up with a question mark. Not that I am a question without an answer, it's the other way around - I AM too many answers. Lately, the best way I find to describe me is by comparing me to a department store!

I'm a happy person. I'm happy wherever I am, as long as my family and friends are at a two hours flight distance and I'm surrounded by hundreds of crafty materials that can ignite my imagination.

I learned to knit when I was 6. My first embroideries are dated from when I was 7. And I made my first crochet chain when I was about 8. Yarns, fabrics, embroideries, hoops or anything else imaginable are part of my life just like carrots or peas... I'm a very lucky person to have a very talented mother and grandmothers who taught me what they know.

Many details

I love everything crafty! And as I'm also a very curious person I'm always jumping from one thing to other, trying new techniques and bringing to life what I dream of when I'm sleeping.

And then, my blog... I've been blogging for nearly 9 years. My blog is where I love to share my crafts, other talented crafters, places I visit, books I read, beautiful tutorials and some of my personal achievements. In 2011 I gave up my long term job. In January 2012 I moved to London and last August I decided to return to Portugal in order to begin another project: to be a Life Coach! Oh, and I cannot forget my plans of growing rhubarb in the hot sunny Algarve...

When Gabi challenged me to do embroidery there was one thing I knew: it had to have a heart (I've got a crush on hearts and I find them everywhere). First I thought I couldn't do it because it had been a long time since I had embroidered anything, but then I sketched directly in the fabric, chose the colors and started doing it. It was easy. I loved it and I'm thinking about repeating this experience as soon as possible."

Inspired words

Maybe Margarida forgot to say that she is romantic, too... Her embroidered words don't lie:

Amo-te no silêncio do teu sorriso... 

This time I won't translate... try by yourself to find the meaning of these words...

Have a happy Valentine's Day, inspired by stitches with Portuguese soul.

Tutorial Tuesday

Hello everyone!

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching and, if you are anything like me, you want to give your loved ones more than just a store-bought card. I decided on embroidering and assembling muslin treat bags to add some handmade love to my Valentine's Day gifts and goodies.

I used negative space embroidery for this treat bag, but I think any little hearts or embellishment would look adorable. 

To make this Valentine's Day treat bag you will need the following supplies: 

- unbleached muslin in two 8x7-inch pieces

- embroidery floss, needles, scissors, and related supplies

- iron and ironing board

- sewing machine and related notions

- scissors

- safety pin

Step One: Transfer a heart shape onto one piece of muslin. I free-handed this heart, but if you prefer to follow a pattern, there are various heart shapes available here. 

Step Two: Use a running stitch to out line the heart with 3-stranded floss. 

Step Three: Using a seed stitch, fill the space outside of the heart. Overlap the stitches close to the heart, and space them out as you move away from the main heart shape. 

Step Four: Press the two pieces of muslin and place them right sides together. Stitch an 1/4-inch seam allowance around the three sides of muslin, leaving one edge unsewn 2-inches from the top.

Step Five: Keeping the treat bag reversed, fold the top down 1/2-inch and press. Fold down another 1/2-inch and press. Sew along the bottom of this fold to create the area for the drawstring. I changed the bobbin thread in my sewing machine to red to create a contrasting stitch once I reverse the bag out. 

Step Six: Turn the bag inside out and tuck the unsewn edge of the drawstring fold into the bag and press. Take six-stranded floss, knot the end, and attach the safety pin to the knot. Use the safety pin to pull the string through the top of the treat bag. 

Step Seven: Knot the end of the string and your treat bag is ready. 

Step Eight: Add treats and goodies and your treat bag is ready for Valentine's Day!

Hope you enjoy and have a great Valentine's Day!

Patterns: Valentine Roundup

L to R, top to bottom - (1) Frankenstein Valentine by Bridgeen, 

(2) Fox Hand Embroidery Pattern by teentinyhappythings, (3) Pick A Heart by DonnaBroidery, 

(4) Kaleidoscope Love Embroidery Patterns by littledear , (5) Fox With Hearts by Kinderling, 

(6) Love is Love by Carina (free! - thank you Carina)

With Valentine's Day this coming Friday, it's not too late to start stitching!

A great student and a proud teacher

Olá! This week I'm taking a break in my traditional embroidery choices... Sometimes it feels good, too. And the photos I'm showing bring me good memories...

I love to teach. Since I was a child I dreamed of becoming a teacher. And, fortunately, my dreams came true... But I never, never thought of teaching embroidery... It never crossed my mind, for many many years. But teaching is teaching... Whether you teach complex formulas (as I used to do) or embroidery stitches... It's an experience that requires the use of mind and heart both for those who learn and those who teach... And these are the kinds of experiences that you keep in your memories...

These photos are my memories!! Some years ago I was in a craft show and, as happens frequently, I taught the colleague in the stand next to mine her first embroidery stitches.  And we were there embroidering together for some hours... She was a great student!! And very creative, too...

Afterward, she took both our pieces of embroidery and decided to use them creatively to decorate these t-shirts, adding some crochet details. As I like to say: embroidery out of drawers!!!!

T-shirt decorated by Leonor Rodrigues

First stitches by Leonor Rodrigues - paisley pattern

T-shirt decorated by Leonor Rodrigues

Hibiscus pattern

Shouldn't I be a proud teacher?

And these are great ideas to inspire us when we don't know how to use that special piece of embroidery... 

Sublime Floss Winner!

We have a winner in the Sublime Stitching floss giveaway:

Amy Molica Lazzaro 

• 3 days ago

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I chose Peacock! 1. They are beautiful 2. A peacock feather was my first stitch project I did!!

Amy, hope you enjoy your new Laurel Canyon floss pack!

Also, here are the results in our totally unscientific survey of your favorite colors:
Batchelder - 9
Bougainvillea - 18
Joni - 12
Lilac Wine - 46
Mandolin - 26
Peacock - 43
Peyote - 16

It was a narrow win for Lilac Wine over Peacock. Also, some of your comments on the floss were hilarious, so I suggest a readthrough. A couple were, shall I say, "That's what she said" moments... ;)

Thanks, all, for putting up with commenting technical difficulties - everything should be back to normal now. And thanks again, Jenny!

Patterns: Coats

One for your bookmark bar today! UK stitchers, like me, probably have a whole collection of Coats products in their craft stash. They make Anchor embroidery floss and Coats sewing thread, amongst many other things. What I learned recently was that they also have a really great website! They have inspiring moodboards, interesting articles and reviews and free projects. Even if Coats isn't a familiar brand to you, it's worth checking out their website just for the content. As well as embroidery projects, they also have crochet, knitting, sewing and quilting projects.

Craftsy Hand Embroidery Class with Jessica Marquez

Photo courtesy of Jessica Marquez and Craftsy

When Jessica Marquez contacted me about her new Craftsy class on embroidery: Design It, Stitch It: Hand Embroidery, I was beyond excited. I've been a fan of Jessica's clean, elegant style for some time now - you can see her work in her book Stitched Gifts, and in her lovely shop, Miniature Rhino. She was kind enough to let me preview the entire class!

This Craftsy class was everything I expected from such a wonderful stitcher, and even more. I've been embroidering for years, so I'll admit I didn't expect to learn anything new. I was so wrong!

As proof of all that I learned, there are my stitched lessons, up above. Jessica's instructions were so inspiring, I found myself re-learning basic stitches, and trying new stitches I never thought I'd ever use.

The Craftsy class is a series of video lessons, and it actually feels like you are sitting and stitching with Jessica in a big, bright studio. Jessica is so calm, relaxed, and positive - I've decided that she's the Bob Ross of embroidery. :) You can ask questions at any time for Jessica to answer, (the video immediately pauses, so you never lose your place) and you can see all the questions other classmates have asked her.

If you want to get a feel for Craftsy, try these wonderful free mini classes on Craftsy.

In Jessica's class, you'll learn all the stitches you see above, learn to make a mini quilt, learn to stitch on a t-shirt, and learn how to draw your own embroidery patterns. I would definitely recommend this class to all levels of stitchers - if you're a fairly old hand, like me, you'll be surprised at the new stitches and techniques you'll learn, and if you're brand new to embroidery, Jessica does a really good job of making your first start non-intimidating and fun.

If you're on the fence about the cost, here's how I think of it - for the same price as 2 basic embroidery books, you are purchasing 3 hours of hands-on training with a skilled teacher. Books don't have that interactive learning component, you can't exactly ask the author questions, and as we all know, there are few things more inspiring than sitting down and stitching with someone.

Here's the most awesome news - as a special gift to Feeling Stitchy readers, Jessica is offering a 25% discount to all of you who sign up via this link!

Photo courtesy of Jessica Marquez and Craftsy

Thank you Jessica, and thank you Craftsy, for creating such an inspiring hand embroidery class!