Don't you just love the look of hand embroidery? Me too, and I've been wanting to embroider something but just couldn't figure out what exactly. When I saw the embroidered toile tea towel in Roberta Rose's kitchen, (see photo in the post here) well that was all the inspiration I needed! What a great idea for a simple and not so time intensive project, I thought to myself, and here are the results of my first effort. I have to admit, I had such a wonderful time embroidering this that I hope to do a whole collection of them to hang on a wall together. (And of course if I actually do get around to this, you can rest assured that you'll be the first ones to know about it!)
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention one of the best parts of this project! When you're finished embroidering, simply trim off excess fabric and you have yourself a ready to hang work of art. Nice right? And the wonderful thing about embroidery is that it's quite easy to take along with you for crafting on the go (highly recommended for commuters, travelers, and waiting in long lines!) and you can also pick it up and work on it for just a few minutes here and there. Keep something like this in your purse, and you'll be surprised how often you'll actually find a few moments to pull it out!
You'll Need:
- a wooden embroidery hoop (I used a six inch diameter one)
- patterned fabric
- embroidery thread
- embroidery needle
How To:
- For your first project I recommend choosing a piece of fabric that has lines or patterns that would be simple to embroider over. (like the example here)
- Insert fabric into hoop and start embroidering using simple stitches such as running stitch, satin stitch and chain stitch, which is what I've used here. (Lots of info on embroidering is available every where)
- Make sure to use colors that contrast with the fabric so that your hard work doesn't get lost in the pattern
- Don't go overboard on the embroidering, very often simpler is nicer!
If you teach yourself some novelty stitches and stock up on a few colors, there's a whole wonderful world of simple embroidery projects out there that are simply delightful. Happy embroidering!
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