Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope all of you are wearing green, otherwise you get a big ol' pinch from yours truly! Here are just a few of the great  St. Paddy's day projects to get you in the spirit.

1. Septemberhouse. 2. thehomebird 3. apparentlyjessy 4. cupcakeguru

Get Your Stitch On

Neato 70's-looking illustration all embroidered up. I think this gal is fretting to a friend about feeling "fresh". I especially love that it's stitched over a pink check in stark black and red. Do you think that hair is solidly stitched or if theginchiest appliquéd fabric? Maybe she can tell us. Reminds me of "Get Your War On"!

Link

Hello, Hedgies!

How could you not love this pair of machine-embroidered hedgehogs framed in some fun springtime fabrics? Eagle-eyed quilters might recognize some of Denyse Schmidt's hard-to-find Flea Market Fancy prints in the mix. This pillow was made by Flickr user pinkpaisley.

How about you? Have you featured any of your embroidery in your home decor items? Post your links in the comment thread!

I heart this ghost

Stitched by Katie Aaberg

Need I say more? I don't think so. Thanks, Katie!

Embroidery Project - - - roll up carry alls

This is one from the archives but I thought you might enjoy.

Embroidered carry alls & then a very basic construction.

Knock yourselves out with the...

PDFs ready to trace & stitch.
Blogroll
Chicko Roll
Rock n Roll
Stitch n Roll

How To Make An Embroidered Carry All

View more presentations from kootoyoo.

Patterns: Andwabisabi

I first came across Andwabisabi's charming designs in the Flickr pool; with this cute alligator / crocodile stitched by Sarachung.

So, I just had to get some cross stitch action for myself and amongst the patterns I bought, was this lovely TV design, perfect for making up into a cushion for the sofa, where we, well, spend all our time watching TV.

Andwabisabi carries an astonishing array of different, colourful cross stitch patterns, ranging from the simpler to the more time consuming. I have the .pdf of her large Dream City pattern waiting, ready to go. Definitely a shop I will keep checking back with.

Sweet tweets

' Birdcage' - embroidered button brooch by knittinjo

I fell in love with this tinted linen birdcage as soon as I saw it! And I think I may have found the little bluebird that escaped from the cage on this wonderful sheet of wip buttons by BrooklyneChaos ...
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Something for the weekend -

Check out this sweet freebie birdcage embroidery pattern by Aimee Ray!

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SWAP - Just a little reminder that the post date for the Embroidered Button Swap is next Friday (19th)! I can't wait to see what you've all been stitching!

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Have a lovely weekend x

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Dandelion Fluff in a Square

What can I say, I just love embroidered Dandelion Fluff! This Dandelion looks like it's made with tiny (tiny!) cross stitches and french knots and fly stitches for the fluff. Emily's cute embroidered squares are part of the 39 squares Stitch A Long. The good news is that you can still join in and embroider along.

MST3K Love

Stitched by vegkat

I just can't get enough of the MST3K crafts! Thanks, vegkat. :)

Stitchy Woman: Laura Amiss

Hello friends!  It's been such a very long time since I've shared an interview with a creative woman - but I was so inspired by the work of Laura Amiss, that I couldn't help but ask her to do a mini interview!  So please get comfy and join me as I get to know a little more about this wonderfully talented textile artist!

Laura, Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

LA: I am English but for nearly seven years I have been living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands with my husband and slightly wild but lovely children.

I graduated in Textiles from Goldsmiths College at the University of London in 2003. After graduating I moved to Amsterdam and started working in the costume Atelier of the National Ballet and Opera house, which was both amazing and daunting (not speaking that much Dutch at the time).

Then life became pretty busy with babies and toddlers, although I have always made things, whether that be my wedding dress, paintings, gifts or clothes for my kids.

Here in Amsterdam I am surrounded by incredible fabric stores, which are a constant source of inspiration. I often draw inspiration from very ordinary things, I love simple lines and subtle color combinations. My two passions are textiles and illustration and I have endeavored to combine the two in my work.

So has working in this medium always been your passion?
LA: I have always enjoyed mixed media art work. It was whilst doing an Art and Design Foundation course that I really became hooked on textiles which then lead me on to my Degree. I love the physicality of working with textiles and have always been interested in it's language and history.

Wow, I see that you worked at the Costume Atelier at the National Ballet and Opera House!  What was that like? 
LA: It was pretty nerve racking! In London I used to work on the West End show MammaMia so I did have experience of working in Theatre wardrobe departments, but the Atelier at the Opera house really put my sewing skills to the test. I was working with amazing seamstresses in a very traditional environment, the amount of work and skill that went in to the costumes was incredible. I learned a lot while I was there, including a lot of useful Dutch words that make my Dutch sound more impressive than it actually is in my local haberdashery shop.

Let's talk a bit about your textile canvases.  I just love the color palettes you use in your work, and the imagery itself (I'm a huge fan of the umbrellas)!  Where do you find inspiration for your pieces?
LA: I really enjoy putting colors together, often a piece can begin with color rather than an image. I love 1950s fashion illustrations and have recently been interested in exploring old proverbs and poetry and seeing how I can translate them visually. The titles of my pieces are important, I sometimes think I should stitch them on to the canvas. Drawing forms a crucial part of my work and inspiration, I have been trying to dedicate half an hour to sketching before I go to bed. Above all, for my most recent set of work I wanted to make people smile and be able to relate to the image easily.

I read that you layer fabric to create the muted colors we see in the finished pieces - do you want to talk at all about your process?
LA: My canvases are mostly made up of three layers, I cut shapes, layer other material in between and finally machine stitch the detail on top. The top layer is a cotton muslin which mutes the colors and pulls the image together. Often the cottons and laces that I use in the lower layers are very bright, the muslin gives them depth and texture.

Your textile canvases are so beautifully detailed - how much time do you spend on each piece?
LA: This can really vary, it also depends on how many cups of tea I decide to have! Plus I get distracted by trying out different colour combinations. The cutting and sewing on a smaller piece is usually a few hours work, I then mount them on wooden frames which I finish off with fabric on the back and add a hanger.

Being the mother of "slightly wild" children, when do you find time for your creative pursuits?
LA: Hmmm yes time is not bountiful when you have a 3 year old and another verging on 2. I work from my studio at home, I am lucky enough to have a little designated 'work' time and a very supportive husband. I like that my children are growing up in a creative house and they are used to my work being around. My daughter simply loves routing through my button collection and my son thinks I am Bob the Builder when I am making my frames.

Where can we see more of your work?
http://lauraamiss.etsy.com
www.flickr.com/photos/lauraamiss
www.lauraamiss.com

Thank you, Laura!

Quilting Bee Stitchettes Mini Quilt

I wanted to share this beautiful mini quilt made by Liz, which I am sure all of you fellow quilting stitchers will appreciate.

The embroidery pattern is a favorite from the Wee Wonderfuls store. So do you participate in a quilting bee? I'd love to hear about it!

Great job, Liz!

Hope you're all having a wonderful week.

Tract embroidery

Stitched by snarkypants

Oh, you guys can stitch a masterpiece out of anything. This latest is an embroidered panel from a scintillating tract entitled Dark Dungeons. Bravo, snarkypants!

We have winners!

I decided to go old-school for this drawing and write out 28 little lime green strips of paper, shuffle, and draw....

And the winning commenter, for the $50 gift certificate to Pom Love, is.....

Devora! Her favorite posts were: Darth Vader drinking a Pop, and The Man From Another Place. Congrats! Please email me at unafloresita AT gmail DOT com to claim your prize!

Next up, the FS blogger winner of the $50 gift certificate to The Peach Tree....

Our winner is....

One of our brand-new bloggers on Feeling Stitchy, Kirsty! Hope you enjoy this wonderful treat!

Thanks again, to everyone, for commenting, showing your love, and just in general making my day every time I log in!

Embroidery Project - - - soap saver shower mitt

I guess by now you've done your embroidery & made your twisted cord?

Hooray...you're ready to whip out the machine then.

How To Make a Soap Saver Shower Mitt

View more presentations from kootoyoo.

If you do make a "scrubber" maybe you could add it to the flickr pool? I'd love to see your take on the shower mitt. To make sure I don't miss it maybe you could add the tag scrubber.

Patterns: Balloon Boys and Leaves

I love how colourful these two little boys are by Novamade, you can read more about these patterns here.

Balloon Boys

I think I must be attracted to lots of colour this week because I also love this lovely free pattern by Colorfuldayz, aren't the little upside down heart shapes in variegated floss gorgeous?

Leaf Pattern

You can find the free pattern here.