I used a lot of french knots for the lollipop trees and roof details:
and I also used a lot of red floss!
I love this little house! Now I am off to finish stitching my gingerbread border.Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Gingerbread Townhouse...
I just finished stitching another gingerbread house. This one happens to be a gingerbread townhouse!
I used a lot of french knots for the lollipop trees and roof details:
and I also used a lot of red floss!
I love this little house! Now I am off to finish stitching my gingerbread border.
I used a lot of french knots for the lollipop trees and roof details:and I also used a lot of red floss!I love this little house! Now I am off to finish stitching my gingerbread border.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
100 Stitches - Chained feather stitch
I love this new stitch! It is called the chained feather stitch and it is the latest stitch I have learned from 100 Stitches:
This stitch looks beautiful from any angle and I am already thinking up ideas of where to use this stitch on my various projects.
This is an extremely easy stitch to actually stitch but it takes a little extra thinking and planning to insure that the stitching line will come out evenly spaced and symmetrical.
So with that in mind, I would recommend drawing some parallel guidelines. After some experimenting, I drew my lines 1/2" apart. This wide of a space really shows off the beauty of this stitch and makes it a little easier to form the diagonal zig-zag shape of the stitch.
The first step is to come up through your fabric on one of the parallel lines.
Pull your floss all the way through and then go back into the fabric right where your floss emerged
and then come back up through the fabric at a diagonal slant about half-way between the parallel lines. Keep your floss under your needle tip - you are actually just making a single chain stitch here:
now pull the floss through to make the chain stitch loop:
tie down the chain stitch loop with a slanting stitch:
That completes the first stitch, now come back up through the fabric at the opposite parallel guideline. Bring your needle up about even with the tie down stitch on your first chain stitch:
Pull the floss through:
Form another chain stitch, slanting toward the center of the two parallel lines:
Make your tie down stitch:
Head to the opposite parallel line for the next stitch:
Make the next slanting chain stitch:
That is all there is to this beautiful stitch!
This stitch is #31 and is listed in the looped stitches section of 100 Stitches.
This stitch looks beautiful from any angle and I am already thinking up ideas of where to use this stitch on my various projects.This is an extremely easy stitch to actually stitch but it takes a little extra thinking and planning to insure that the stitching line will come out evenly spaced and symmetrical.
So with that in mind, I would recommend drawing some parallel guidelines. After some experimenting, I drew my lines 1/2" apart. This wide of a space really shows off the beauty of this stitch and makes it a little easier to form the diagonal zig-zag shape of the stitch.
The first step is to come up through your fabric on one of the parallel lines.
Pull your floss all the way through and then go back into the fabric right where your floss emerged
and then come back up through the fabric at a diagonal slant about half-way between the parallel lines. Keep your floss under your needle tip - you are actually just making a single chain stitch here:
now pull the floss through to make the chain stitch loop:
tie down the chain stitch loop with a slanting stitch:
That completes the first stitch, now come back up through the fabric at the opposite parallel guideline. Bring your needle up about even with the tie down stitch on your first chain stitch:
Pull the floss through:
Form another chain stitch, slanting toward the center of the two parallel lines:
Make your tie down stitch:
Head to the opposite parallel line for the next stitch: 
Make the next slanting chain stitch:
That is all there is to this beautiful stitch! 
This stitch is #31 and is listed in the looped stitches section of 100 Stitches.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Two projects and tomatoes
I am working on more gingerbread projects! I am currently stitching up this gingerbread house and this gingerbread border. First, notice that I am actually using the couching stitch and the satin stitch! The couching stitch is the stitch I used for the sides of the house. The satin stitch is used on the hearts on the shutters and the door. Now, notice the colors of the grass in front of the house and the lollipop on the left side of the door:
I am mixing individual floss strands to create a swirly color effect. On one of my last posts, I was asking about color suggestions and Annie commented that I should try mixing floss together to come up with the right look. I took her suggestion and I mixed red (dmc #349) with white (dmc BLANC). I used three strands of each color:
For the grass, I mixed green (dmc 910) and my favorite bright green (dmc #907) 
I also have a garden wip to share - my tomatoes are finally ripening!
I have been picking them as they turned color but now I am picking the green ones and bringing them indoors to ripen. Here is my harvest so far. Yum!
I am mixing individual floss strands to create a swirly color effect. On one of my last posts, I was asking about color suggestions and Annie commented that I should try mixing floss together to come up with the right look. I took her suggestion and I mixed red (dmc #349) with white (dmc BLANC). I used three strands of each color:For the grass, I mixed green (dmc 910) and my favorite bright green (dmc #907) I also have a garden wip to share - my tomatoes are finally ripening! I have been picking them as they turned color but now I am picking the green ones and bringing them indoors to ripen. Here is my harvest so far. Yum! Friday, September 10, 2010
100 Stitches - straight stitch
The petals of these free form flowers are made using the straight stitch. The straight stitch is the easiest embroidery stitch I have learned so far from 100 Stitches! 
For this demonstration, I am using 100% cotton medium weight fabric, a #24 chenille needle and pearl cotton thread (dmc color variations # 4240) and of course, my 7" plastic hoop!
To start this easy stitch, you bring your needle up through your fabric: 
then go back down through your fabric at your preferred stitch length:
Then pull the floss all the way through and you have just completed the straight stitch!
Now you are free to do the next straight stitch by coming back up through the fabric:
then back down through the fabric:
and you have two straight stitches completed:
That is all there is to it. I think you could use this stitch for free form flowers or any other design you like.
So quick and easy. These flowers were a little plain so I added french knots to the centers. I think they give a nice finishing touch!
The straight stitch is stitch #8 and is in the flat stitches section of 100 Stitches.
For this demonstration, I am using 100% cotton medium weight fabric, a #24 chenille needle and pearl cotton thread (dmc color variations # 4240) and of course, my 7" plastic hoop!To start this easy stitch, you bring your needle up through your fabric: then go back down through your fabric at your preferred stitch length: Then pull the floss all the way through and you have just completed the straight stitch! Now you are free to do the next straight stitch by coming back up through the fabric:
then back down through the fabric:
and you have two straight stitches completed:
That is all there is to it. I think you could use this stitch for free form flowers or any other design you like.
So quick and easy. These flowers were a little plain so I added french knots to the centers. I think they give a nice finishing touch!
The straight stitch is stitch #8 and is in the flat stitches section of 100 Stitches.Saturday, September 4, 2010
Little lion with his new colors
Thank you everyone for your color suggestions for this lion!
I finished stitching him up and I am so happy with these new colors!
For the mane and tail I used the cotton pearl color variations orange variegated -dmc #4124.
For the body I used the cotton pearl color variations tan variegated - dmc #4128 and for the text I used regular floss - dmc #976
Here is a close up view of the lion's nose. Notice the stitching? This is another way to do the satin stitch. When I was learning this stitch, 100 Stitches mentioned that you could just do straight stitches across your shape instead of outlining the shape first. I tried it on the lion's nose and I am very happy with how it looks!
I finished stitching him up and I am so happy with these new colors! For the mane and tail I used the cotton pearl color variations orange variegated -dmc #4124. For the body I used the cotton pearl color variations tan variegated - dmc #4128 and for the text I used regular floss - dmc #976Here is a close up view of the lion's nose. Notice the stitching? This is another way to do the satin stitch. When I was learning this stitch, 100 Stitches mentioned that you could just do straight stitches across your shape instead of outlining the shape first. I tried it on the lion's nose and I am very happy with how it looks! 
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
100 Stitches - satin stitch
This little baby rattle has several examples of the latest stitch on my 100 Stitches odyssey, the satin stitch:
I have realized that this stitch is an easy stitch to learn and do, but a difficult stitch to do well! So here goes. I started with 6-strand embroidery floss and a #24 chenille needle:
I wanted to do this stitch over a small shape so that my stitches would look smooth and even and have less chance of looking out of line. I also wanted the shape to be a circle. I first traced the outline of a nickel - too big, then a dime - still too big. I finally found this knitting-needle gauge with a perfect circle in a perfect size. This largest circle has a 1/2" diameter:
I drew the circle and then threaded my needle with the six-strand embroidery floss. This is dmc color 827, a really pretty powder blue:
Now according to 100 Stitches, for the satin stitch, you can just work straight stitches across your shape. Or you could make padding under your stitches by outlining the shape with chain or running stitches. Apparently this gives a really nice raised effect. Instead of the chain or running stitch, I just outlined the edge of my circle with backstitch. Once this was completed, I switched to a single strand of the six-strand embroidery floss. After some experimenting, I found that using the single strand gives the smoothest satiny look. 
So to do the straight across stitches, 100 Stitches clearly shows that you work from the outside of the outline stitching. First, come up through the fabric on one side:
and go into the fabric on the opposite side:
After some more experimenting, I started at the widest part of the circle because it is easier to establish nice straight lines. Just keep working back
and forth
until you have covered the whole shape
with this beautiful satin stitch:
This stitch works so well on circle shapes. I haven't tried it on any other shapes but I definitely plan to. I still need practice on keeping the edges of the circle clean, and making even straight across stitches. It is really obvious if they are not straight and even!
This stitch is number 6 and is categorized in the flat stitches section of 100 Stitches.
I have realized that this stitch is an easy stitch to learn and do, but a difficult stitch to do well! So here goes. I started with 6-strand embroidery floss and a #24 chenille needle:I wanted to do this stitch over a small shape so that my stitches would look smooth and even and have less chance of looking out of line. I also wanted the shape to be a circle. I first traced the outline of a nickel - too big, then a dime - still too big. I finally found this knitting-needle gauge with a perfect circle in a perfect size. This largest circle has a 1/2" diameter: I drew the circle and then threaded my needle with the six-strand embroidery floss. This is dmc color 827, a really pretty powder blue:Now according to 100 Stitches, for the satin stitch, you can just work straight stitches across your shape. Or you could make padding under your stitches by outlining the shape with chain or running stitches. Apparently this gives a really nice raised effect. Instead of the chain or running stitch, I just outlined the edge of my circle with backstitch. Once this was completed, I switched to a single strand of the six-strand embroidery floss. After some experimenting, I found that using the single strand gives the smoothest satiny look. So to do the straight across stitches, 100 Stitches clearly shows that you work from the outside of the outline stitching. First, come up through the fabric on one side:and go into the fabric on the opposite side:
After some more experimenting, I started at the widest part of the circle because it is easier to establish nice straight lines. Just keep working back
and forth
until you have covered the whole shape with this beautiful satin stitch:This stitch works so well on circle shapes. I haven't tried it on any other shapes but I definitely plan to. I still need practice on keeping the edges of the circle clean, and making even straight across stitches. It is really obvious if they are not straight and even!
This stitch is number 6 and is categorized in the flat stitches section of 100 Stitches.
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