Hello all! Today I am reviewing the new DMC Stitchable Mesh - and for all of you who follow me on Instagram, this post comes as no surprise, as you already saw "sneak peeks" of my thoughts and progress while working with it. Thank you, first of all, to DMC for sending me the stitchable mesh to work with - it was a treat!
The stitchable mesh is thin enough to put in a regular embroidery hoop - I fit all of mine in an 8 inch hoop. The mesh is very sheer (as you see above), and has two sides - one with a silver-white finish, and one with a gold finish. I chose the gold finish for my project - and it has a very nice sheen.
The edges of the mesh, once cut, unravel very quickly. One of the most important parts of your project, when working with this fabric, will be to secure the edges. If I had it to do again, I would do a quick running stitch around the edges. The raw edges feel like tulle, and are scratchy on the hands, so you may also want to line them with bias tape, if possible.
I initially tried tracing my design using a fine-tipped black marker - don't repeat my mistake. :) Instead, try a permanent ink marker, or you will literally have a bit of a mess on your hands. :)
Also, be aware as you stitch that the luster is quite fragile - if you pick out your stitches, you'll be able to see where exactly you did that. Squint at the photo above and you'll see where I picked out my stitches. There's a ghostly line, where the gold luster was removed from unpicking.
Another thing to consider as you stitch is that once you remove your fabric from the hoop, it will be stretched and bent - as above. So I'd suggest leaving your project in the hoop, or avoiding a hoop, if you don't want this issue.
As I mentioned before, the mesh is very transparent, and will reveal whatever is behind it. I think this is a plus, though - as it gives you an extra dimension to play with in your stitching!
By layering a taupe fabric underneath, I achieved a really lovely 3-D effect, which made it look like the stitches were floating on top of the fabric:
I really enjoyed stitching on this fabric! I won't lie, I was intimidated when I saw it, but once I pulled the needle through, I found that it stitched the same as your average Aida cloth. For some reason, I actually found it easier to stitch French knots on this surface. But I used all of the same stitches I normally use - split, chain, knots, woven wheel, and couching, and I never had any issue - see above for a sampling.
Here's another closeup of that nice mesh surface.
Here is my finished project - a lovely wedding hoop:
Overall, I found this new stitchable mesh very enjoyable. If you keep in mind the caveats I listed above, and plan your project carefully, I'm sure you can achieve some really lovely and unique results with this fabric. Thank you again to DMC for sending this to me, to try!
Free Custom Pattern Giveaway!
Now, I always like to do a giveaway when I do a review, but this time I thought I'd do something a little different, since I don't have any extra mesh to give away... How about a free pattern? I'll create a free customized pattern with the names you supply!
To enter this custom pattern giveaway, leave a comment on this post, and tell me who you'd like to stitch this pattern for, and why. Please leave a comment on this post by Friday, Dec. 9, at 9 PM US CST, when I'll draw 2 winners!
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