02.26.10
Posted in Free Patterns at 10:01 am by deRomilly
The flower as it stands now
This was a difficult step for me. And it shouldn’t have been. The original plan was to stitch the petals in long and short stitch, but for some reason, whether it was an arthritic flareup, or the weather, or the particular embroidery floss I used, it didn’t stitch smoothly. I ripped it out three times before changing stitches and getting to this point!
Step 3
Fill in the larger petals.
- Begin by extending the petal lines down to the flower center. You can draw these in, or just extend them when you outline them.
- Using 2 strands of floss, outline the petals in either split stitch or backstitch. I used split stitch.
-
Detail of the stitches - click for closeup
Fill the petals in with one of the following options:
- Using 1 or 2 strands of floss, use long and short stitch from the center of the flower out to the edges of the petals.
- Using 3 strands of floss, fill the petals using Roumanian couching. This is what I did in the end. I came up at the center of the flower, brought the thread down over the split stitch border, and then couched it through the middle with one stitch. Mary Corbet of NeedleNThread.com has a very good video tutorial for Roumanian Couching stitch. Fill in all the petals. I still need to finish the lower two, and then it’s on to the wired stumpwork!
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02.22.10
Posted in Finished Projects at 2:53 pm by deRomilly
The full dragon banner. Has tab hangers at the top.
FINALLY!
My godson/pseudo-nephew turned 13 yesterday. In honor of the event, I made a point of finishing his dragon banner – that he still doesn’t know he’s got, since he spent the weekend at his father’s. After I post this, I shall be delivering it to him.
Dragon Detail
Remember the banner? This has been a LONG year for me. While I finished the stitching back in the summer, I still have a phobia of ruining my embroidery during my attempts to really finish things. So it took me until this weekend, when, in a fit of “I feel much better after a week of being sick, thankyouverymuch” energy, I just went and DID it. I’m proud of the results. The EO says if the kid doesn’t like it, he’ll take it himself. 
Click the images for more detail!
Edited 2/26/10 to add – Well, when he opened it he hugged it to his chest and went dancing around the room with it, so I guess it’s a success! 
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02.19.10
Posted in Free Patterns at 12:24 pm by deRomilly
I want to apologize for not getting comments approved more quickly this week. Sinus infections turning into bronchitis stink. Even more so when your husband gets it at the same time — and his wants to become pneumonia!
We’re both doing much better, thank you. And now for Step 2!
Supply Notes:
I was asked how much floral wire you need for this project. Eep. I haven’t measured yet. Floral wire comes either on spools or in packages of cut pieces. One of either will give you plenty of wire to do this project a couple of times over. About 1 1/2 to 2 yards will be more than enough.
I also neglected the small pieces of yellow felt you will need for the flower center. If you can match the color to the thread you’re planning on using, that’s even better. 2 pieces of felt, each large enough to cut the circle out of. (I’ll edit the supply list with both these notes today as well.)
Step 2
Stem Stitch finished!
Note: When putting this into the hoop to start embroidering, I realized that my chosen fabric really wasn’t sturdy enough to support wire and padding on its own. If you even suspect this is the case, please get a second piece of muslin and when you put the embroidery in the frame, put the muslin onto the back of it to provide more support. I used a piece of polyester/linen blend that I had lying around that was the right size.
Again, you can click the pictures to see more detail of what happens to my stitching when I do it when sick!
And a slightly different angle and light source...
- Once in the frame, use three strands of the green embroidery floss and stitch the stem in stem stitch. (Link goes to Sharon Boggin’s wonderful stitch dictionary!)
- When you have stitched the main stem, use TWO strands of the green to stitch the tendril, also using stem stitch.
Note: Remember when stitching the stem stitch, that the tighter the curve you have to go around, the smaller your stitches need to become.
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02.12.10
Posted in Free Patterns at 1:52 pm by deRomilly
I’ve been planning on this for a long time, but haven’t managed to stitch on it to continue the series. So. Here’s the plan.
I’m going to start this today, and post the instructions as a stitch-a-long. You can stitch it with me, or wait for the end when I’ll post all the directions along with the crewel work instructions for the same design.
Supplies
- Tightly woven fabric of your choice, 9X9 inches square.
- DMC or silk embroidery floss in the following colors:
- red
- blue
- green
- yellow/gold
- 6 inch embroidery hoop
- 9X9 inch square of muslin
- One package or spool of wrapped floral wire in 32 gauge. You’ll want white. That way if it shows, you can use a permanent pen to color it into the right color – I often use green for the leaves, but we’ll be wiring the smaller petals on this piece as well.
- Embroidery needle – crewel or embroidery #9.
- Tapestry needle – #26
- OLD scissors or wire cutters to cut the wire Do NOT use your good embroidery scissors for this. Or even your not-so good ones!
Edited to add:
- 2 small pieces of yellow felt to match your yellow floss – about 1 inch square each.
Pattern - click for full-sized printable version
Step One:
Print out the design. Note: the image to the left may be HUGE. If it prints at a full 8.5X11 sheet of paper, you will want to reduce it to 40%. OR, Click FlowerPattern for a pdf version that you can open with Adobe Reader.
Transfer it to a tightly-woven fabric of your choice, with the following exceptions:
DO NOT transfer:
The leaves.
The four small petals
My flower drawn on my chosen fabric. It's centered on the 9" piece of sateen.
I’m transferring it by tracing it onto a piece of polyester/cotton blend sateen that I have in my box (I collect scraps from interior designer friends who are getting rid of them for just this sort of purpose) with a permanent micron pen. You can also use the blue pens ones that wash out with cold water, but they sometimes feather into the fabric. Once it’s on my fabric, it doesn’t look like much, but this will show you what to leave out in more detail. Click the image for a larger version, if you really want the details!
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11.13.09
Posted in Stitching Genres at 7:00 am by deRomilly
- Use the best materials you can afford.
- If you can, use a hoop or frame that’s big enough for the entire design.
- If this is not feasible, try to use a slate frame or other framing method that rolls the embroidery rather than crushing it. Or remove your hoop when you stop stitching for the day.
- Use SHORT lengths of wool. I can’t stress this one enough, though I often forget it myself. Wool stretches as you stitch with it, no matter how careful you are with your tension. Just the friction of drawing it through the fabric will stretch it. If your wool thread gets thinner this way, it just doesn’t look good when it’s stitched.
- If you are transferring a design to your fabric, try to use either a removable ink, or a transfer method that can create a line thin enough to completely cover with your stitching.
- Did I mention use the best materials you can afford?
- Make sure your needle is the correct size — it should be large enough that the wool doesn’t “drag” when you pull it through the fabric, and small enough that the hole in the fabric will close back around the yarn when you are done.
- Use a needle that isn’t discolored or worn out! Discoloration can sometimes rub off on your fabric, and burrs on a worn needle can wear the fabric or the thread, or both, depending on their location!
- Clean hands = clean and not grungy final project. Washing and blocking will still do amazingly wonderful things for your project, but a black grimy fingerprint is a LOT harder to remove than just doing a cursory wash. Especially since wool can felt if you rub it too much! ask me how I know this one. I may not admit to it, but I’ve done it.
- Always use the best materials you can afford!!!
Yes, I know I listed this three times, but it really is that important, especially if you are just learning. The inexpensive kits often have yarn that is inappropriate for the fabric or the size of the design, and sometimes just poor quality materials in general. This all adds up to a really frustrating experience. And stitching shouldn’t be frustrating over the long term (we all have our moments!), it should be relaxing!
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