February 1, 2012

February Stitchalong - All You Need Is Love

Hi! I'm Camilla from the DIY home decorating blog, Family Chic and I am so thrilled to be writing this guest post for Feeling Stitchy! I've had a soft spot in my heart for embroidery ever since the age of 5 when my mom sat me down with a square of burlap and some yarn and taught me the basics. I was hooked at that very moment!

One thing I love to do is experiment with my stitches; I get a kick out of adding embroidered details to almost anything. For this project I tried something different and combined sculptural wire with a simple couching stitch to make a Valentine for my kids. I hope you enjoy it!

February Stitchalong on Feeling Stitchy!

For this project you will need:
- Embroidery floss
- An embroidery needle
- Sculptural wire (I use Twisteez Brand - available at Blick for about $6.00 a bag)
- A piece of rough linen and a piece of cardboard; both of the same size
- A glue gun
- A metal clip

step 1 - cut fabric and cardboard

Step 1: Cut out a piece of fabric and a piece of cardboard - both of the same size.


step 2 - use Twisteez wire

Step 2: Grab a bag of Twisteez Brand Wire and select your color.


step 3 - shape your sentence

Step 3: Shape your sentence by bending the wire.


step 4 - tack down wire with embroidery floss

Step 4: Using embroidery floss in the same color as your wire, tack down your sentence with small stitches spaced about 1-inch apart.


make sure all loops are tacked down

It is especially important to tack down all the loops so your sentence stays flat against the fabric.


step 5 - dot the i with a french knot

Step 5: Using red embroidery floss, dot the "i" with a french knot.


step 6 - fill in heart with satin stitch

Step 6: Fill in the heart with a satin stitch in red.


step 7 - attach linen to cardboard using a hot glue gun

Step 7: Using a hot glue gun, attach the linen to the cardboard. I like easy and unusual ways to hang art so, I hung my work from a metal clip.


finished close-up

This is so easy - you can get it done in less than 30-minutes. Happy Valentine's Day - Enjoy!

I have over 200 easy-to-make projects on my blog, Family Chic. Be sure to stop by and take a look at my sewing and embroidery section!

Thanks Feeling Stitchy!

****
Thank you, Camilla, for this wonderful guest post, and for kicking off our February Stitchalong. I love how well this ties in with last month's stitchalong - this is basically couching, but with wire - feel free to use yarn, pipe cleaners, or anything bendy to complete your project!

To join in, add your projects to the pool and tag them "Feb2012Stitchalong". I'll be checking in later this month with your progress, so have fun with it!

February is going to be extra-special here on Feeling Stitchy. I've decided to celebrate "love" this February - love for this community, blogs we love, artists we love, books we love, businesses we love - in short, there's gonna be a whole lotta love this month. And, giveaways! I've worked extra-hard to shower you with love this month, so think of us as your Valentine!


love, floresita :)

Hi, I'm floresita, editor of Feeling Stitchy. I'm an avid stitcher, knitter, and crafter. You can see more of my stitching on Instagram and my blog. My vintage transfer collection is on Vintage Transfer Finds.

Feel free to email me with any ideas for the blog!

10 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this!! Not only is the bended wire so original, so is the way it's hung! It's simple but so pretty at the same time <3

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  2. I love this idea! I'll try to come up with something to actually play along this month!

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  3. Yay~! Love this guess post! Like the stitched wire!

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  4. this is simply genius! i wish it wasnt snowing or i might actually feel like going to the store right now...

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  5. WOW! I don't think I'd have ever thought of doing this. I really like it!

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  6. I can't find any Twisteez in the UK. Is there an alternative I can use?

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    1. I would try anything bendy - like pipe cleaners, jewelry or craft wire.

      I found a good guide to craft wire here: http://reviews.ebay.com/Guide-to-Craft-Wire?ugid=10000000001687114

      It tells you all about the different kinds of wire you could use... hope this is helpful! :)

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  7. This is fantastic hang art work. Thanks for the tutorial.

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