Learn the Eye Stitch

Thank you, readers, for joining me on yet another new stitching adventure! Today we'll be learning the Eye Stitch, only we'll be cheating, because technically this stitch is just made up of two stitches we already know - satin stitch and back stitch. So let's dive in!

Today I'm working on some linen fabric instead of my normal tightly woven cotton. I like linen for this stitch because of the big "hole" in the center of the design that forms as you go, but if you don't like that, you could stitch this on anything. To get a truly symmetrical design, use any even weave fabric and count the threads. As you will probably be able to see from my examples, I just eye balled it.

To begin, find the center of where you want your eye stitch to go. You're going to make a total of 16 satin stitches in various lengths from the center. To make mine a little more even looking, I first made a cross of stitches, and then went back around my circle adding in the others.

First a cross

Then long diagonal stitches in between

Then finally shorter diagonal stitches in between each of those

Make sure you always end (or begin) each stitch in the same spot, and you'll see how the threads surround the hole for a nice eye catching center. 

Once you have all 16 of your stitches in place, just make a box around them using the back stitch. I made my box touch each stitch of my original cross, which helped me keep everything even. 

And there you have it, an Eye Stitch! These look especially nice next to each other in little rows, either touching or spaced out evenly. I made my finished design into a mini ornament, which I hung from my bulletin board at work. 

You could whip up a bunch of these in various colors SO FAST. They would make great additions to the outside of your holiday gifts or as ornaments, or just as decorations year round. 

I hope you enjoyed learning the Eye Stitch with me today! Upload your own designs to the Feeling Stitchy flickr pool for everyone to see, and comment below if you have any questions for me, or suggestions on what to stitch next! 

Happy Stitching!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 15

Can you believe it's already the last day of July??! I can hardly believe it. It seems that the older I get, the faster time passes me by. 2015 is already over halfway over, and next thing you know the holidays will be here!

Today I'm introducing you to Sarah from @iheartstitchart. Sarah creates beautiful hand embroidery art, designs, and kits. I enjoy her Instagram feed so much because her pictures are very well done and beautiful! And, of course, the subject of each of her photos is beautiful, and gives us a sneak peek into her world.

@iheartstitchart

I don't know about you, but this bicycle with a basket full of flowers makes me think of bicycling through a quaint little town where my husband and I have a little picnic in the town square, then pick some flowers to bring back home with us. I think that's the kind of thing that all artists look for - a reaction to their art. The all black outline of the bike against the riot of colors of flowers in the basket make this a striking piece. And Sarah's stitches - each a work of art in their own right!

I want to run my fingers across this dragonfly hoop! That nubby fabric is calling my name. I cannot say enough about Sarah's stitches. They are so precise and tiny, and flow so well together. I don't think this hoop would be as pretty, either, if it was done in full color. I think the black stitching against the fabric says so much.

This ombre melon feather is beautiful! Again, Sarah's stitches are so beautiful, and the progression of darker to lighter melon gives the feather an airy feel. Something I enjoy about Sarah's IG feed is that she will often give us a portion of the whole picture, as in the pictures I've shared so far. 

I'll add this bonus picture in here of this Great Big Ball 'O Floss, as I'm calling it! Please tell me I'm not the only person who saw this and thought, "I want to separate this floss and untangle it!" I am pretty good at untangling floss, and it's such a rewarding task, too.

Great Big Ball O'Floss

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 Sarah's work at @iheartstitchart, 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 with #feelingstitchyig!