Stitchy Snippets - On The Button

A real master of buttons, artist Ran Hwang, constructs awesome art works made up of hundreds of buttons, pins and yards of threads. Hwang takes something so ordinary and turns it into something extraordinary by manipulating and arranging these common household items into stunning, colossal images.

Ran Hwang likens her artistic process to meditation as she labors for many hours with intricate precision which requires focus, calm and fluidity. Each button is accurately attached to the flat surface with a pin, also many of these buttons are handmade from paper.

Subtle meanings are key to Hwang's work which she explains: "pins hold buttons that remain free to move between the surface of the wall and the pinhead. The constricted movement of the button, an everyday object as numerous and “ordinary” as people, as it is caught within the confines imposed by the wall and the pinhead, suggests the tension between the human desire for freedom and the limitations imposed by society."
Hwang's incredible collection of work is displayed worldwide and can be seen in many international museums. See more of her work here.

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.

Inspiration: Up Hoop

So many people love the Disney movie, Up. At our house, we still use the line, "cone of shame," when we see a pup in a medical cone. QueenNinjaMonkey at Craftster.org created this hoop based on the movie as a treat for herself. I am dying over the clever use of buttons as balloons. The blue felt background is a perfect contrast to the stitching. 

Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I am really getting into Spring right now and thought it would be good to bring back a tutorial for embroidered button covers that can be used as pins! I love that these covered buttons can be totally customizable. I created some Springtime sketches of a bee, flower, and ladybug to share with you here, but I know these button covers would look great with monograms or even the year and school logo for the students who will be graduating in the next couple of weeks. These don't have to only be used as pins or buttons either! If you add this to the end of a bobby pin, it can be worn as a hair pin.

This tutorial might be a refresher for some, but I think it's a fun and easy way to infuse embroidery into very unexpected places!

In order to make these Springtime button covers you will need:

- button cover kit (found them for under $10 at the local fabric store)
- embroidery hoop, scissors, floss, and supplies
- Muslin or fabric of your choice
- Water soluble marker
- Scissors
- Safety pins
- Springtime pattern

The kit comes with everything you need to cover buttons with fabric of your choice. There is also a template on the back of the package that serves as a cutting guide, to ensure fabric is the appropriate size to cover the button and be secured at the back.

Step One: Using a water soluble pen and the template from the button kit package, transfer the template to the fabric. Place the button front in the center to measure out where the pattern should go. There should be about 1/2 and inch of space between the edge of the button front and the cutting line.

Step Two: Transfer the pattern to the center of the circle. Place in an embroidery hoop and stitch. Repeat for all patterns.

 

Step Three: Once your stitching is complete, cut the fabric. Trim any excess floss from the back. 

Step four: Place the fabric face down in the large part of the attachment tool. Then the backing over that. Make sure the button back covers the edges of the fabric. Then use the plastic cap attachment tool to snap the button back into the button front. You'll be able to hear and feel the back snap into the front.

 

Step Five: Repeat the process to attach the stitched fabric to the buttons. 

Step Six: Take a small safety pin and thread it through the loop at the back and attach it to your blouse or place of choosing. This can also be tacked in place with needle and thread, if you prefer not to use a safety pin.

 

Step Seven: Enjoy the Springtime critters and blooms all day long!

Hope you enjoy and give this tutorial a try!

'Patterns': Buttons

Embroidered buttons by vvvanessa

Not so much a pattern this week, as more a kit. Vanessa embroidered these extremely cute buttons using a kit from Tako Fibers. It looks like Tako Fibers are on vacation right now, but definitely worth checking back on them when they return I think.

Patterns: Button embroidery

Embroidered button display hoop - originally uploaded by doe-c-doe - inspired by Haylie Waring for Design*Sponge

Buttons and blackwork are possibly a perfect combination. doe-c-doe, who stitched this beautiful piece, was inspired by an original piece of artwork by Haylie Waring for Design*Sponge. The original piece of artwork was for a rectangular frame and was a print out on card, as opposed to doe-c-doe's embroidery. I think both versions are beautiful, you can download Haylie Waring's here and doe-c-doe's here.

Christmas Countdown #10: Button Tree

Stitched by 14countess

Lovely cross-stitched button tree!

fs embroidered button swap

Hand stitched Liberty print fabric buttons by teasemade

__ Embroidered buttons by Adaiha
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FS Swap Nest with Robins Eggs by craftydill
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Backstitch embroidered button by TheCraftyLibrarian
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And finally, how could you not love these sweet little bees that crafty mcgee has stitched for her partner craftydill -

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FS Swap Received - Bees & Flowers

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This is just a small selection of my favorites so far from the embroidered button swap. Aren't they great! To see more of the buttons and goodies being swapped link here

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If you're taking part please remember to tag your Flickr photos 'fsswap' so we can find you!

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Embroidered Button Swap

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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More Button Finds

Heart Buttons by Deep Indigo

I just had to share this bowl of sweet hearts with you! You can see more of Deep Indigo’s rainbow heart embroidered buttons here.

___I hope to add a few work in progress photos next week from some of our button swap members (if they are willing to share with us!), but for this week I leave you with this sweetly stitched wip photo by Birthine -

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Work in progress by Birthine

Button sweetness

Stitched by incywincystitches

I love stumbling on tiny, gorgeously simple things like this. They only seem simple - because it takes a wonderfully creative mind like incywincystitches' to make them. Bravo!