Wonderful Wednesday #29: Brighter Industries

This sweet Christmas A to Z cross stitch pattern by Brighter Industries looks just adorable. And if the shop name Brighter Industries is new to you, as any loyal reader of Feeling Stitchy, the name Jo should be very familiar, indeed.

Jo Stafferton was a wonderful contributor to our blog for quite some time, featuring new Etsy patterns and online shops in a weekly Sunday feature. So it is such a pleasure to feature her brand new Etsy shop and pattern on this Wonderful Wednesday!

Stitchy Snippets - The Material Of Cloth

Whilst queuing politely on the escalator down to the London Tube and recalling that 'I need to mind the gap!', I was struck by the beautiful embroideries by U.S.A based artist Lauren DiCioccio. Commissioned to promote Royal Ascot, a prestigious, annual horse racing event in the U.K., Lauren had created detailed embroideries exhibiting her vibrant and distinctive style.

I particularly enjoy her collections exploring the 'tangible beauty of commonplace mass-produced media-objects' such as newspapers, plastic bags and bottles. They highlight the brevity of everyday objects and capture their essence. 'These media are becoming obsolete, replaced by the invisible efficiency of various technologies. In some cases, this transition is a good thing- faster transmission and distribution of information, streamlined systems, openness to user input, less waste. But a hole is left behind by the disappearance of these everyday objects. What will happen when we no longer touch information? When newsprint does not rub off onto our fingertips? When we no longer write longhand?'

Drawing from her fine art education and experience Lauren's embroidery resembles a lush oil painting.

Discussing her passion for textiles and its power to evoke emotion, Lauren comments: 'We have a similarly strong emotional response to the material of cloth and to the recognition of time, labor, and care found in a hand-sewn object. Cloth is one of the only textures our body touches and feels so intimately twenty-four hours a day. Its specific tactility and ability to provoke an emotional response is extraordinary, and I have found it an extremely effective and rewarding material to use in my art practice.'

Some of her latest work includes intuitive textile sculptures which she has been exhibiting in her collection 'Familiars'. To find out more about Lauren DiCioccio take a gander at her website here.

MooshieStitch Monday: Puffy Couching (and Stitchable Cork!)

Have you ever heard of puffy couching? 

I was looking through one of my embroidery stitch books (The Embroiderer's Handbook by Margie Bauer) and saw it in the couching techniques section.

Essentially, a bundle of threads is puffed up between each couching stitch. 

To practice: I cut three 12 inch lengths of DMC floss and then pulled apart all 6 strands to create my bundle of threads below.

Smooth out the bundle of threads as best as you can. Fold the bundle in half and secure it to the fabric with a straight stitch.

Bring your first couching thread up and over the thread bundle.

Use your needle to lift and puff the thread bundle section.

Continue to couch down the thread bundle and lifting each section to desired puffiness.

To finish, bring your thread bundle through to the back of the fabric and secure. 

Here is the finished puffy couching.

DMC sent me a sample of their new stitchable cork fabric, so I decided to stitch a puffy couching project with it.

To give it a little different look, instead of bringing my thread bundle through to the back of the fabric to finish each color,  I left a little tassel on the end.

You can see my puffy couching has gaps in my thread bundle sections. I think it is because I didn't take as much time to smooth out my thread bundles, compared to above when practicing with the red thread.

So, it is important to get the bundles as smooth as possible. (But I still think they turned out ok!)

I liked stitching on the cork - it has a cool texture and it is similar to stitching on a thicker fabric.

I used the natural cork fabric for this project, but they also have a gold flecked cork.

Have you ever heard of puffy couching? It's definitely an easy stitch to give dimension to your embroidery. The tassels and puffy couching could be a good technique for stitching hair ... it reminds me of pony tails! :)


Thanks again to DMC for sending the stitchable cork!!

FYI - if you are interested in purchasing the book Michelle mentioned, here is an affiliate link to Amazon: The Embroiderer's Handbook. Clicking through this link to buy a book on Amazon is one way to support Feeling Stitchy and keep our all-volunteer work going. We use funds in our Amazon account to do new reviews and giveaways!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 80 with Honey and Blueberries

Happy Friday! You're in for a treat today with some itty bitty florals made by Em of @honeyandblueberries. That's a Dala horse in the picture above, made up entirely of little embroidered florals - love! Take a look at some more beautiful pieces created by Em.

No matter how difficult or stressful things might be in my life (the past week has not been one of the greatest, I'll be honest), one of the things that always manages to perk me up or let me forget life for a little while, is my creativity. I've always been a creative person, but only now am I really thinking about what that means to me and what I really get out of it. For creative people, being creative (making, writing, whatever it may be) is as essential as breathing. And in those moments when I am down, it's amazing what a pick me up it can be to reflect on something I've created that I'm truly proud of. This pic is #onefromthecuttingroomfloor of my most recent completed embroidery. 🌸💕🇸🇪🐴

A photo posted by Em (@honeyandblueberries) on Oct 19, 2016 at 12:08am PDT

Finished this dala horse embroidery the other day, finally found the time to take a shot of the finished piece. This one is reserved though (not that I have my shop up and running yet!) 💕#embroidery #embroideryart #embroideryartist #embroideryhoop #embroideryfloss #embroiderersofinstagram #stitchersofinstagram #makersofinstagram #makersgonnamake #makersvillage #makersmovement #craftsposure #creative #dalahorse #dalahäst #scandinavian #scandinaviandesign #scandi #swedish #tinyfloralsanonymous #embroideredflowers #embroideryinstaguild #honeyandblueberries

A photo posted by Em (@honeyandblueberries) on Oct 2, 2016 at 10:39pm PDT

Wore my new embroidery today - mini hoop necklace from @dandelyne 😍💕 #embroideryflowers #tinyflorals #tinyfloralsanonymous #craftsposure #embroidery #embroideryart #embroideryhoop #miniembroideryhoop #miniembroidery #miniflowers #dandelyne #dandelynehoops

A photo posted by Em (@honeyandblueberries) on Aug 25, 2016 at 4:28am PDT

Wonderful Wednesday #28: Modern Folk Embroidery

This lovely free cross stitch pattern was tweeted to us by Modern Folk Embroidery - and I think it couldn't be more fitting as we come together this week in the US to unite with our families and friends and to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Wherever you are or may be, I'm hoping you all can let your light shine. Thank you for this beautiful pattern, Modern Folk Embroidery - be sure to check out their shop for more cross stitch loveliness!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 79 with Thread Counted

Hello Stitchy Friends! Can you believe there are only six Fridays left in 2016 after today? It's true! Today we're going to take a look at the Instagram feed of @thread_counted. Aren't Emily's bullion knot roses in the above picture amazing? You can see in the pictures below how Emily uses fill stitches to create beautiful pieces of embroidery. Emily also has an Etsy account.

My biggest and most detailed piece yet! A surrealist landscape of my cousin's childhood home. As a kid I used to visit this home in Massachusetts quite often.  I'll never forget running around her yard playing "orphans and bandits" with the rest of our cousins 🏡🌲🌳🐎🐎

A photo posted by m-ly ☾ (@thread_counted) on Nov 7, 2016 at 7:01am PST

Another happy whale, this time for @aliabessi :) ALSO I SHIPPED MY FIRST SOLD ITEM ON ETSY so like OMG. My etsy is pretty barren right now, but when I get back in September I'll be uploading new pieces. Right now I'm still focusing on commissions 🐋

A photo posted by m-ly ☾ (@thread_counted) on Aug 17, 2016 at 6:41am PDT

No new completed hoops today, so here is the sight of my inspiration for the Cliffs of Dover hoop! Perhaps I'll go back and add some clouds...

A photo posted by m-ly ☾ (@thread_counted) on Jul 17, 2016 at 2:17pm PDT

Wonderful Wednesday #27: Clementine Patterns

In the past week, with all that has happened, I find myself taking comfort in the qualities I see in those that I respect and admire. I don't have to listen to the voices that speak the loudest - if I can filter through and find the voices that speak the truth in love.

So this Fruit of the Spirit pattern by Clementine Patterns really speaks to me this week.

Stitchy Snippets - Bold and Beautiful

Here in London the nights are drawing in as a winter chill spreads through the city. It may no longer be sunbathing weather (although I'm not sure if we really even have that in our summer!) but it is perfect weather for stitching! Liz Payne's gloriously colourful embroidery has brightened our day and I hope you find it inspiring too.

Bold and bright patterns of colour and shape are integral to Liz Payne's work. Her work is densely textured with hand embroidery, beading and fringing, which all form additional pattern within her designs.

Commonly, Liz will start out by painting fabric and canvas which are next adorned with embroidery. Known widely for her art pieces, Liz also embellishes shoes and designs her own range of bespoke jewelry.

Liz talks about her work: 'I’m not shy of using colour in my work (sometimes every colour!). Using stitch I’m able to introduce a textural dimension to my work, drawing the viewers eye into and across the intricacy of the details.'

Take a look at her Etsy shop 'Flirting with Yellow' to see more of her work.

Friday Instagram Finds No. 78 with Making Jiggy

Happy Friday! We're going to take a look at the feed of @makingjiggy today! I just love Jessy's pictures. There are some naughty words on some hoops, so if you're easily offended, you might want to keep that in mind.

Jessy's embroidered medals for those adulting skills we all have to do, but secretly wish someone would reward us for - like making our beds or putting on pants crack me up!!

In addition to her embroidery, Jessy is an Instructables teacher, and you can sign up for her embroidery class here. You can also check out her Etsy shop. Let's take a look!

I love how embroideries look when they're drying 😚

A photo posted by jessy ratfink // embroidery (@makingjiggy) on Sep 7, 2016 at 4:23pm PDT

mawage details 🙌

A photo posted by jessy ratfink // embroidery (@makingjiggy) on Aug 29, 2016 at 4:19pm PDT

Wonderful Wednesday #26: Plastic Little Covers

This Be Brave Pattern in the Plastic Little Covers Etsy shop says everything I want to say today. For our families, friends, country, and our neighbors - be brave.

Vote 2016

I'm loving the colors and stitches Michelle used on her version of the free Vote pattern! You can still get the free Vote pattern here - if you've stitched it up, we'd love to see it! Tag us on Instagram or send us a pic!

Here are a few inspiring photos for today's very historical vote in the US, as a reminder that voting is a right and privilege we have not always enjoyed...

This wonderful post on Selvedge talks about Prison Embroidery by Suffragettes, 1905 – 1914.

A medal from the Birmingham Museum's collection, commemorating British Suffragette Nellie Hall’s hunger strike, 1913.

This post on The Women's Rights Movement in the US provides a nice history, and some background on that photo above.

Embed from Getty Images

I love this one. :)

Embed from Getty Images

I know we're not all ladies reading this blog, but if you're out there voting today, we're all with you! :)

Friday Instagram Finds No. 77 with Bloom Threads

Hello Stitchy Friends! Today we are going to take a look at the feed of @BloomThreads. Through her Etsy shop, Jackie raises funds for the Semper Fi Fund.

It's so great that Jackie uses her skills with needle and thread to give back to assist wounded, critically ill, and injured men and women in the United States Armed Forces. Let's take a look at Kacjie's work!

Plan for the day:  Get strings on these Christmas ornaments and take product photos for the shop and for the #hookingforhaiti auction. . . . Mother Nature's plan for the day:  Be totally rainy and grey and refuse to cooperate with picture-taking. . . . Plan B:  Strings on ornaments.  Hot tea.  Couch.  Blankets.  Project plotting.  #365daysofcraftingkindness

A photo posted by Jackie (@bloomthreads) on Oct 28, 2016 at 11:44am PDT

Things making me happy on Monday morning--shipping out this diaper cover (this is one of my favorite EGA pieces!), knowing that I'll be able to make another donation to @semperfifund this month (thanks to my awesome customers!), that big red dahlia (I need to find an excuse to stitch up another one of those!) #365daysofcraftingkindness

A photo posted by Jackie (@bloomthreads) on Oct 17, 2016 at 6:47am PDT

Wonderful Wednesday #25: Sew Jenaissance

What a gorgeous little Wreath Pattern this is, courtesy of the Sew Jenaissance Etsy shop. I like that this pattern gives you three different text options, so you can make this pattern a little bit more your own - choose from: "Give Thanks", "Harvest Time", and "Our Harvest Home". There is also a stitch and color guide - and so many sweet details in this pattern!

Stitchy Snippets - Miniatures

Brilliant miniature jewellery fashioned by Russian artist Julia Gorina a.k.a Fly Fenix. Intricately detailed, richly textured,complimented with hand embroidery and beadwork; I think her jewellery is irresistible. See more of her work on her website.