valentine sachet

I just finished this little heart sachet. I am loving the all white floss on red I think it makes a really nice combination.

Here is what the sachet looks like. I already had this white silk ribbon trim and a bunch of pink and white daisy flower trim. I cut off two of the little flowers and glued them to the ends of the ribbon. This is a nice drawer sachet and I could also make it into a closet sachet by adding a nice hanger made from ribbon!

I think I will fill this with dried lavender - my mom dries all the lavender
from her garden every year and I love the scent - it lasts for such a long time!

valentine trims

I am organizing some of my ribbons and trims...


I just love how these reds look together. The gorgeous red ribbon with the white stitching on it is my newest and maybe my favorite :) I think it might be because of the white running stitch it has down each side! The embroidery in the hoop in the background is a wip I am just finishing. I would like to make it into a small pillow or maybe a sachet?

100 Stitches - Heavy Chain Stitch

Before I show off my latest stitch, I want to show a picture of this book - I have been enjoying looking at this old sewing and embroidery book from my grandma. It was published in 1949. It is a soft bound book and the price on the cover says 25 cents. Besides profiling embroidery stitches, it covers sewing basics, pattern alterations, fabric facts and a very handy needle and thread guide!
And now back to the on-going struggle :) through the 100 Stitches book. The latest stitch is the heavy chain stitch. Here it is in one look from start to finish:

The first step is to come up through the fabric and back down making a small vertical stitch. Then come up again a little below the bottom of the vertical stitch and pass the needle under the stitch without grabbing any fabric - just slide the needle under the stitch.

Next, go back down through the fabric right where you came up. Then

come back up a little lower...

and again, pass the needle under the FIRST vertical stitch. Again, don't grab any fabric with the needle, just pass under the stitch. Now go back down where you just came up and then come up again a little lower and this third stitch and every stitch after always pass under the two preceding loops - until you have a nice "heavy chain stitch" :)

This stitch is very easy and very fun to do - I used six strands of dmc #907 floss. I love this color! This is stitch #44 in the 100 Stitches book. It is in the "Linked stitches" section.

Be Mine - Valentine Embroidery Pattern Packet

I love these beautiful floss colors...

They are just the colors to use for Valentine's Day stitching projects! I have a new pattern packet called Be Mine and it features all kinds of beautiful hearts, doves, embellishments, borders and also - lazy daisies - my favorite now that I know how to do this stitch!




This is what the pattern packet looks like - I will be posting more of my finished projects made from this packet - they have been so much fun to stitch!

100 Stitches - Wheatear Stitch

Ready to go on the next stitch in the 100 stitches project!

I am using six strands of floss - DMC color #3843 - I love this color!

The stitch I am attempting :) is called the "wheatear stitch". That is the name that 100 Stitches calls it but another embroidery book I found calls this stitch the "wheat stitch". A Google search shows results for both names but the most results for wheat stitch. However, since I am working through 100 Stitches, I will use the name they do. The first step is to make two single straight stitches forming a chevron shape. Bring the needle back up through the fabric a little below the point of the chevron.

Now, carefully slide the needle under the chevron stitches - between the stitches and the fabric, not picking up any fabric at all.

Pull the thread through, and bring the needle back down through the fabric right where you came up.

Thats it! So simple - now you bring the needle back up through the fabric and start the whole thing over again!

Continue to form a beautiful stitched line:

Here is another view -the line ends with a final two straight stitches forming the last chevron.

This was such an easy to do stitch that I even took a picture of the back of my fabric to demonstrate how clean and simple this stitch is to work.

This stitch is #51 and is in the "Linked Stitches" section of the 100 Stitches book.

100 stitches - Twisted chain stitch

The next stitch on my list of stitches to learn is the twisted chain stitch. This one I found to be complicated. The instructions said to begin the stitch like the ordinary chain stitch but do not re-insert the needle back where the thead first comes out - basically, the thread comes up along the pattern line then, the thread goes down a little to the left and a little below where the thread first came up:


So far...so good. Then the needle tip comes back up slanting towards the pattern line:

This is where I found it getting complicated - I was having trouble keeping the thread in the right place in relation to the needle but apparently, the thread now goes under the needle and you carefully pull the needle all the way through...

ending up with a nice loop.

Then you start the next stitch a little to the left and a little below the bottom of the loop:

and repeat the process!

I started having a little trouble keeping my loops the same size and tension and laying flat on the fabric! I need a lot more practice.

I went ahead and finished stitching the line and here is what the final result looks like:

I think this is correct! Mine doesn't look as even as the diagram but I don't really know what I am doing wrong.

This stitch is #41 and is in the "linked stitches" section of the 100 Stitches book.

Merry Christmas printable place cards

I LOVE these new Christmas place cards! I have just finished a new packet of printable place cards - and listed them in my etsy shop. I had so much fun making these place cards.

After printing them and cutting them out, I decorated a few of them with glitter glue. To write the names on these cards, I am going to use decorative and my favorite - metallic pens!

Here is what the printable packet looks like: