Billions of bullions

stitched by kasienka_krolewna

Have any of our readers attempted the bullion stitch? These beautiful bullions make me almost want to try... There's helpful instructions and a video tutorial on Needle n' Thread if you're so inclined - view the tutorial.

Spring

stitched by Hareanddrum - Her Etsy store

Isn't her work beautiful?

Thanks again to everyone who's been chiming in on the previous post. You have all been super honest, kind, and up front with your opinions - to me, that's what the indie craft movement is all about. Thanks, everybody!

Fancy a cup of tea?

stitched by KnitStorm

Keeps your tea cozy? Sweet!

Floss porn

picture by Whitebutton

I am introducing a new label to our blog (you guessed it) - floss porn. Because I think I'm not the only person who loves to stare at pictures of embroidery floss. And covet them fiercely. :)

Or, am I the only weirdo here? ;)

Free PDF Pattern

Mollie just keeps whipping out the cute free stuff! Visit her blog for a free PDF that walks you through how to create a fabric cover for your sewing basket. Best of all the cute pattern for that smiling sewing machine is included. Woo-hoo! Get the Pattern!

Ring around...

stitched by aurapim

Beautiful!

Chinese acrobat

stitched by glazedangel101

Oh these Chinese acrobats! Awesomely stitched by Angie from the new pattern by Sublime Stitching. Want to try it? Pattern available here.

Earth day freebie

Check out this sweetness from Mollie (wild olive)! 2 freebies in one day... my fingers can't keep up! :)

Felt sachet corsets!

Free pattern from rectangel

Erin is offering this free pattern in our pool - sheesh, thanks Erin! Just looking at these cute corsets makes me want to stitch up a thousand. And boy, do my drawers need it. :)

How I Roll

stitched by pepperstitches

If you squint, you can see your sushi roll is smiling at you...

Penny Leaver-Green

I for one love art, embroidered or otherwise, that tells a story, has lots of interesting details and also is lovely to look at. Penny Leaver-Green definitely ticks all those boxes. She explores diferent topics in a very poetic way. For anyone in those necks of the woods, she will be exhibiting at the Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Fair in Devon, England 5-7th June.

Who or what inspires you?
My children, my friends, the news, the fabric and thread

How long have you been stitiching? What got you started?
I was taught to stitch in a very conventional and thorough way at school by a very strict teacher called Miss Lax- I loved it, but only really began to explore it as a medium when I had my first child -7 years ago.

Do you have a favourite stitch? Why?
Not really- I could do with experimenting with many more - although I find that couching stitch makes a bold impression and for that reason use it often.

Tell us about your subject matter...
My subject matter is diverse- I recently produced a body of work which sought to explore our relationship with birds- from the way we exploit them to our admiration and reverance of them- I also often return to children's stories and try to represent moments of danger or dischord within them. I want to make a viewer think about the subject matter and so hope to provoke rather than just satisfy.

What perceptions of embroidery do you encounter?
I use embroidery to create pictures and so consider it an art form- as well as a craft. I like to think of the needle and thread as a brush or pen and line. I have found people increasing receptive.

Why is embroidery worth spending time on?
The process is extremely satisfying - as a piece of work develops and grows the progression happens at a controllable pace- mistakes can be rectified and the end image is invariably a reflection of this process.

Are there any other embroiderers in the group pool that you have noticed?
I love Quinn 68 who uses embroidery in her beautiful dolls and also contemporaryembroidery who has a real handle on the craft.

Imagine

stitched by icedgrandesoylatte

No more wire hangers

stitched by Mrs Gibson's Atelier

I'm telling you, you people are hilarious. It would be just like me to crack up laughing every time I saw that on my wall (if I was fortunate enough to have it on my wall). Truly golden, Mrs. Gibson.

Today's program was brought to you by the letter:

stitched by What Delilah Did

Is it just me or is cross-stitch getting more beautiful?

The sky isn't the limit

"reading the stars", originally uploaded by miniature.rhino.

Not in embroidery anyway. My goodness, these are amazing. I love astronomy, but I never thought of embroidering constellations or other nightly 'creatures'.

Although, maybe I should, after all there is a constellation named after me. Okay, maybe not, but it does have the same name as me. ;-)

And can I just say again how much I love these? They are (excuse the pun) stellar!