Friday Instagram Finds, No. 3

Today I'm going to share with you three amazing hand embroidery artists from Down Under...Australia!

@dandelyne
Sonia Lyne of Dandelyne is one of my favorite people in the world, and we've never even met! She is the brains behind the mini embroidery hoops that have made stitchers like me so happy. She's one of the happiest and upbeat people out there, and 100% genuine. She is incredibly generous to the stitching community, and frequently shares the work of others who make art with her mini hoops.

Sonia's mini hoops are so fun and versatile. Here are a whole bunch that she stitched up. She used a variety of mediums and designs inside the hoops, like embroidered designs, pretty fabrics, and felt with stitching.

A photo posted by Sonia Lyne (@dandelyne) on Mar 15, 2015 at 4:54pm PDT

In addition to her mini hoops, Sonia is known for her sweet custom portraits. She blends fabric, felt, and embroidery stitches to create one of a kind keepsakes.

A photo posted by Sonia Lyne (@dandelyne) on Mar 25, 2015 at 6:58pm PDT

You can buy her mini hoop kits to create your own fabulous necklaces, brooches, and she now even has 1" hoops for earrings! Each kit comes with really neat patterns for motifs you can stitch inside the mini hoops.

A photo posted by Sonia Lyne (@dandelyne) on Mar 22, 2015 at 5:15pm PDT

@suosaaribymariafeaton
Maria Featon is the reason I applied to Feeling Stitchy to be a contributor! She saw the blog post, and sent me a message letting me know that she thought I'd be perfect for it. I probably wouldn't have applied, thinking I would never be accepted, if it hadn't been for her. I'm starting to sense a trait amongst Aussies! They must be the nicest people on the planet! Maria's embroidery is bold and beautiful. She uses vintage bedsheets and patterned fabrics to create gorgeous pieces.

This bird (is it a peacock?) is my favorite of all that Maria has done! It's understated, yet has a huge impact. By stitching a small portion of the scene, she's made the bird pop off the fabric.

A photo posted by Maria Featon (@suosaaribymariafeaton) on Apr 1, 2015 at 4:44pm PDT

Here's an example of how she uses vintage bedsheets as the perfect backdrop to the embroidered text.

A photo posted by Maria Featon (@suosaaribymariafeaton) on Mar 17, 2015 at 5:34pm PDT

I just can't get enough of the vintage bedsheets as fabric for embroidery! This picture also has fabric from a vintage nightie.

A photo posted by Maria Featon (@suosaaribymariafeaton) on Feb 28, 2015 at 6:38pm PST

@candykinscrafts
Candy Barnes is another Aussie whose kindness and sincerity comes across in her interactions. She creates the cutest, sweetest, most adorable portraits based on your children's artwork. She has even managed to stitch children's artwork onto mini hoops by Dandelyne!

This adorable scene was drawn by Candy's daughter, then stitched by her onto this mini hoop!

A photo posted by Candy Barnes (@candykinscrafts) on Apr 3, 2015 at 2:14pm PDT

Here's one of Candy's hoops of a child's drawing. She stays true to what the kids draw, and then transfers their visions onto fabric using needle and floss.

A photo posted by Candy Barnes (@candykinscrafts) on Dec 11, 2014 at 1:50pm PST

Here's another custom piece she did based on a child's drawing. In this one, Candy added felt to fully represent the original piece. This is just so sweet, and becomes an heirloom piece that can be kept and handed down for generations to come.

A photo posted by Candy Barnes (@candykinscrafts) on Mar 9, 2015 at 4:26pm PDT

I hope you've enjoyed edition number three of Friday Instagram Finds on Feeling Stitchy! Please leave comments below to let me know what you thought. If you find a great embroiderer or stitch-related needle worker who you think I should feature, be sure to tag one of their pictures with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll take a look!

While you're on Instagram, make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We're @feelingstitchyish. We'd love for you to stop by and say hello :)

Friday Instagram Finds, No. 4 will be published Friday, May 1, 2015.