Friday Instagram Finds on the Mollie Makes Blog

Here's a little something extra for you today - Friday Instagram Finds was featured on the Mollie Makes blog! I was contacted by Editor Karen Dunn about #feelingstitchyig we use on Instagram. She was writing an article on the hashtags stitchers used on social media and saw that ours was quite popular. I was pretty excited since Mollie Makes is one of the premier crafting magazines out there.

#feelingstitchyig is the first hashtag mentioned, and you can read the post here.

Friday Instagram Finds No. 26 with Homestitchness

Hello Stitchy Friends! Can you believe that October is almost over? One more week until Halloween, which is my second favorite holiday (my first being my birthday, of course :p ) I'm going to tell a little story that will perfectly tie in to why I chose Jenny of Homestitchness as our feature today.

Five years ago my husband (boyfriend at the time) moved from my (adopted) hometown of Rockford, IL where I had lived for over 30 years to a Chicago suburb. We moved here for my job, and didn't know anyone. We're only 1.5 hours away from Rockford, but we may as well be on the moon! Few friends want to travel out this way, and a three (or more, sometimes) hour car trip in one day is a bit taxing. I had a particularly hard time being separated from my adopted hometown, family, and friends. I had a large social circle, and there was always something going on in Rockford - bands, hockey, art, or just hanging out with friends. Even after five years, we have not found that here in the southern Chicago suburb where we live. That means I do end up taking frequent trips back to Rockford, and, even five years on, my homesickness is real.

Jenny is a New Zealander living in the United States, and her business name, Homestitchness (Get it? homesickness, but with stitches.), says it all to me, and I feel her longing for all that is familiar to her.

I'm convinced that every single person who lives in New Zealand and Australia is an amazingly nice person, and Jenny helps to continue that perception. We met on Instagram, and she is incredibly supportive and kind, with a sunny outlook on life. She creates beautiful cross stitch patterns and samplers featuring New Zealand and Australia. Take a looks at her beautiful art, and make sure you check her out on Instagram.

@homestitchness

Image by @homestitchness

Image by @homestitchness

Image by @homestitchness

Image by @homestitchness

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Jenny's work at @homestitchness , and make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We'd love for you to stop by and say hello. You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @feelingstitchyish. You can find Amy @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

Want to be featured in Friday Instagram Find? Tag your best stitch-related photos like Jenny did with #feelingstitchyig!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 9

On this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds I'm introducing you to one of my first embroidery friends on Instagram, Kristen of @heypaul. She has done so much for bringing hand embroidery into the public eye through public events called Eat, Drink, Stitch @eatdrinkstitch, and the video tutorials of stitches she creates. She's a dog lover, and has the cutest Puggles (Pug and Beagle mix) named Briscoe and Lollipop!

@heypaul

This piece that Kristen did of chromosomes is awesome on so many levels! First and foremost, the chromosomes shown bring Fragile X Syndrome to light, which is a great way to start a conversation about this syndrome. Framing it in this big frame (and painting it pink!) beautifully showcases Kristen's amazing stitches! It looks to me like the chromosomes are made of expertly stitched satin stitches in a variety of great colors.

Not the same piece, and it looks like a smaller scale, but here's a closeup of chromosomes that Kristen's working on.

It was seeing what Kristen was making with stumpwork that got me interested in trying it. (In fact, 2015 is the Year of 3D Embroidery for me.) Take a look at all of these French knots! Built up like this, the French knots make this look like boucle.

This last picture is of Truman and Clinton Lakes in Missouri. I'm glad this picture is a closeup because we can see her teeny, tiny stitches.

Okay, so I bet you've figured out by now that I'm a pet lover, especially dogs. So I'll leave you with this adorable picture of Briscoe and Lollipop. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

I hope you've enjoyed this edition of Friday Instagram Finds (FIF) on Feeling Stitchy, which is now brought to you weekly! Please leave comments below to let me know what you thought. If you'd like to be considered for FIF, or if you find a great embroiderer or stitch-related needle worker who you think I should feature, be sure to tag their pictures with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll take a look!

While you're on Instagram, make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We're @feelingstitchyish. We'd love for you to stop by and say hello.

Friday Instagram Finds No. 7

It's Friday - hooray! I don't know about you, but even though I LOVE my day job as a library manager, I do look forward to my weekends off so I can stitch. Since it's Friday, that means it's time for another installment of Friday Instagram Finds!! I have a question for you at the very end, and I'd really appreciate it if you would comment on this post or over on our IG account @feelingstitchyish with your thoughts. This week I'm featuring...

@daisyeyes
Daisy Eyes, aka Aimee, used the #feelingstitchyig to make sure I saw her work. I've been following @daisyeyes on my personal account for quite some time, and I like her style. Did you read a few lines back how I mentioned I'm a librarian? Well, among the pieces that @daisyeyes creates are these very lovely bookmarks that utilize @dandelyne mini hoops as a dangly bit on the end!

A photo posted by aimee d (@daisyeyes) on Jun 1, 2015 at 6:25am PDT

A photo posted by aimee d (@daisyeyes) on May 12, 2015 at 9:47am PDT

Aimee also uses black colored fabric accented with white stitching and buttons - BUTTONS - as stars to create this uniquely beautiful hoop. This is the second verse from the song In Western Lands sung by Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings. Look at those teeny tiny stitches!

A photo posted by aimee d (@daisyeyes) on May 31, 2015 at 10:31am PDT

This custom birth announcement Aimee created is a beautiful piece of art that will always be treasured. That's one of the things I really love about embroidery, if well taken care of, it can last for centuries. What a legacy to leave!

A photo posted by aimee d (@daisyeyes) on Apr 1, 2015 at 2:42pm PDT

I hope you've enjoyed this edition of Friday Instagram Finds (FIF) on Feeling Stitchy, which is now brought to you weekly! Please leave comments below to let me know what you thought. If you'd like to be considered for FIF, or if you find a great embroiderer or stitch-related needle worker who you think I should feature, be sure to tag their pictures with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll take a look!

While you're on Instagram, make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We're @feelingstitchyish. We'd love for you to stop by and say hello.

Here's my question to you: Do you like the way the pictures come across? I'm using Instagram's embed feature to insert them into the posts. I noticed that my Feedly blog reader was not showing the pictures, just a caption that said, "This is a picture of____ on Instagram." I had to click the user name and get transferred to IG to see the pictures. The whole point of this post is to see the pictures, and I don't want it to be too much work for you to see them. I could always save the picture and link it to the featured artist's IG account instead of using IG's embed feature.

Friday Instagram Finds No.5

Welcome to the fifth edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Today I am sharing with you three very talented embroidery artists who I think you need to check out. First up is...

@ladyjanelongstitches
Jessica and Hannah are co-owners of their Etsy shop, and are self described, "Hand Embroidery Artists/Goddesses", and I wholeheartedly concur with their assessment! Every time I see a finished custom portrait, my mouth just drops open in awe. You need to follow their feed to see the pictures their works are based on, and their works in progress.

Like this amazing scene! This embroidery piece is based on a photograph, and it is absolutely fabulous!!

A photo posted by Jessica Patterson Pambianco (@ladyjanelongstitches) on May 5, 2015 at 4:55am PDT

The attention to detail that's put into each custom portrait is fascinating. Take the sand in this one, for instance. If you check out the in progress photos, you'll discover there's so much more than some tan floss stitched out for the sand. There's layering, and depth, and dimension.

A photo posted by Jessica Patterson Pambianco (@ladyjanelongstitches) on Apr 22, 2015 at 11:54am PDT

In addition to the custom pieces, they create pieces like this that stretch themselves creatively. The hand tinting used on the jar gives this hoop a bit of oomph that you wouldn't see in it otherwise. And the flowers are beautiful, and add another layer of dimension.

A photo posted by Jessica Patterson Pambianco (@ladyjanelongstitches) on May 12, 2015 at 9:51am PDT

@tuskandcardinal
Lindsay creates eye catching embroidery pieces with fantastic iconography and bright colors.

I cannot even get over how incredibly clever this whole hoop is! This stand of trees is beautiful in its simplicity. And can you even believe the clever way she attached rope to the hoop for hanging?!? This is seriously the most unique way I've ever seen someone hang a hoop.

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀tusk + cardinal (@tuskandcardinal) on May 4, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

The attention to detail in this buck portrait is amazing! I love the unexpected polka dot background and the roses in the buck's antlers.

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀tusk + cardinal (@tuskandcardinal) on May 13, 2015 at 2:49pm PDT

What can I even say about this bunny? Again, the attention to detail, and the way that Lindsay used lazy daisies to form the bunny is so unique and clever!

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀tusk + cardinal (@tuskandcardinal) on Feb 17, 2015 at 1:19pm PST

@beaujardin
Sachi creates exquisitely detailed pieces in both embroidery and cross stitch. Her stitches are so small and precise, and you can tell how much care she she puts into each piece.

This is a fun piece she created for a restroom. That border looks like metallic floss, and, if you've ever worked with metallic floss, you know it can be pretty fickle! This piece makes me want to label each of the rooms in my house with a beautiful bit of embroidery.

A photo posted by Sachi 幸 (@beaujardin) on Apr 10, 2015 at 11:12pm PDT

Sachi created this pretty bead embroidered collar for issue number 51 of Mollie Makes. The flower motif she created out of sequins and beads is absolutely dreamy.

A photo posted by Sachi 幸 (@beaujardin) on Mar 9, 2015 at 11:47pm PDT

Sachi also makes tiny embroidered necklaces and pins using a mixture of embroidery and beading. Her work combines great colors and designs into a little space.

A photo posted by Sachi 幸 (@beaujardin) on Mar 7, 2015 at 1:14am PST

I hope you've enjoyed edition number five of Friday Instagram Finds (FIF) on Feeling Stitchy! Please leave comments below to let me know what you thought. If you'd like to be considered for FIF, or if you find a great embroiderer or stitch-related needle worker who you think I should feature, be sure to tag one of their pictures with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll take a look!

While you're on Instagram, make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We're @feelingstitchyish. We'd love for you to stop by and say hello :)

Friday Instagram Finds, No. 6 will be published Friday, May 29, 2015.

Friday Instagram Finds, No. 1

Welcome to the first edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Every other week I'll bring to you a curated list of embroiderers and stitch-related needle workers found on Instagram whose works are ones you need to check out.

@CinderandHoney
Caitlin is the hand embroiderer behind Cinder + Honey, a shop that focuses on hand embroidered hoop art and necklaces. I really like the bold statements she makes with text, and the whimsical nature of her art.

Caitlin's stitches are so neat and tidy, and check out the satin stitching on the flower! Doesn't this cheerful hello hoop make you smile? The colors are so bright and happy.

A photo posted by Cinder + Honey (@cinderandhoney) on Feb 17, 2015 at 10:01am PST

Check out these mini embroidery hoop necklaces with tiny, dainty flowers, and a monogram! These took a lot of skill to get the flower and leaves that small and perfect, and the letters so neat.

A photo posted by Cinder + Honey (@cinderandhoney) on Mar 7, 2015 at 11:00pm PST

This last hoop from Cinder + Honey is a message that could either be sweet or romantic (or both). This would be such a sweet hoop to hang in a baby's nursery, little girl's or boy's room, or even given to the love of your life as a daily reminder of your love. Sigh...

A photo posted by Cinder + Honey (@cinderandhoney) on Feb 28, 2015 at 5:04pm PST

@ThreadHoney

Jenn is the hand embroiderer of Thread Honey, and she creates, "hand-stitched embroidery for the 90s child." I adore her bold style and mono floss color stitching.

All hand embroiderers know that hands (eyes and lips) can be very difficult to do well. Jenn has this mastered in this extremely clever piece featuring a peek between two hands into outer space (and a UFO!). The next piece with two hands in a flirty state of touching each other just has to have a story! Is it just me, or did you also make up a story in your head about who those hands belong to?!

A photo posted by threadhoney | @thejennriggs (@threadhoney) on Feb 5, 2015 at 1:48pm PST

A photo posted by threadhoney | @thejennriggs (@threadhoney) on Jan 22, 2015 at 1:39pm PST

In true 90s girl style, here's a flashback to the Spice Girls and Girl Power! Her block letters and color blocking make the text on this hoop pop, and the fill stitch has such a great texture, that I want to run my fingers over it.

A photo posted by threadhoney | @thejennriggs (@threadhoney) on Mar 16, 2015 at 1:42pm PDT

@CabinFeverGoods

Jillian is the maker behind Cabin Fever Goods. She creates beautiful and clever cross stitch designs in hoops and necklaces.

My favorite from her Instagram feed is her Sideshow Series. She has designed cross stitch patterns based on the performers you'd find in old time sideshows. Aren't they just so neat?!

A photo posted by Cabin Fever Goods (@cabinfevergoods) on Feb 23, 2015 at 6:02am PST

A photo posted by Cabin Fever Goods (@cabinfevergoods) on Feb 22, 2015 at 10:57am PST

She also creates tiny, yet intricate cross stitch necklaces, like this bunch of lavender below. The French knot accents to the lavender give the piece texture and depth.

A photo posted by Cabin Fever Goods (@cabinfevergoods) on Jan 23, 2015 at 1:46pm PST

I hope you've enjoyed edition number one of Friday Instagram Finds on Feeling Stitchy! Please leave comments below to let me know what you thought. If you find a great embroiderer or stitch-related needle worker who you think I should feature, be sure to tag one of their pictures with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll take a look!

While you're on Instagram, make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We're @feelingstitchyish We'd love for you to stop by and say hello :)

Friday Instagram Finds, No.2 will be published Friday, April 3, 2015.