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. 28 with Stitcherinny

Hello! Welcome to another edition of Friday Instagram Finds! I just cannot believe how quickly the year has flown by! There are only seven Fridays left in 2015, with the last Friday falling on Christmas.

Today I'd like to introduce you to Erin of @stitcherinny on Instagram. Erin is from Madison, WI, which is a great town I used to hang out a lot in when I lived in Rockford, IL. Erin creates, "pretty and witty hand embroidery" with clever pop culture references. Her Instagram feed is colorful, and fun - take a look at some of my favorite pics!

@stitcherinny

Image by @stitcherinny

Image by @stitcherinny

Image by @stitcherinny

Image by @stitcherinny

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 Erin's work at @stitcherinny, 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 Erin did with #feelingstitchyig!

Stitchy Snippets - Mister Finch's Faeryland

The fabulous Mister Finch's enchanting hand-sculpted creatures were exhibited earlier this year in New York in his first solo show at the Steven Kasher Gallery. If you haven't seen his collection of fairy tale curiosities already, I warn you it is hard not to fall in love with them.

A predominant theme in his work is nature: rustic fungi that look like they belong in the natural history museum, quaint rabbits, masked birds and bees the size of your head!

“My main inspirations come from nature and often I return to certain ideas again and again. Flowers, insects, and birds really fascinate me with their amazing life cycles and extraordinary nests and behaviors."

The mystical textile sculptures range dramatically in size and are intricately hand-sewn using an array of materials; many of which are recycled. Mister Finch's creatures are born straight from his colourful, imaginary wonderland. He recalls that growing up with Beatrix Potter books and other childhood classics has influenced his textile art.

"British folklore is also so beautifully rich in fabulous stories and never ceases to be at the heart of what I make: shape-shifting witches, moon-gazing hares and a smartly dressed devil ready to invite you to stray from the path. Humanizing animals with shoes and clothes is something I’ve always done and I imagine them to come alive at night, getting dressed, and helping an elderly shoemaker and a tired housewife.”

I had never considered before that an eclipse of moths could be so stunning!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 27 with The Mason Bee

I hope you're having a spooktacular Friday today! Halloween is tomorrow, and here in the United States, it's a very popular holiday, right up there with Christmas and the Fourth of July. I've included some information at the end about an auction on Instagram I've donated two pieces to, the proceeds of which go to the Van Drie family.

@themasonbee

I've followed Laura for a while now, and just love her work. She's trained in hand embroidery, and her skill comes out in every piece she makes. Laura also has a blog called Mason Bee where she chronicles what she's making and posting on Instagram. Laura's work is intricate, and beautifully detailed.

She's one of those hand embroiderers whose work makes me want to be a better hand embroiderer! Remember to use #feelingstitchyig, like Laura did, to make sure I see what you're making. Let's take a look at Laura of @themasonbee!

Image by @themasonbee

Image by @themasonbee

Image by @themasonbee

Image by @themasonbee

Image by @themasonbee

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 Laura's work at @themasonbee, 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 Laura did with #feelingstitchyig!

I'm so sorry to have to tell you that the cutie in the picture above, 6 year old Kaylee, passed away suddenly and tragically early last week. Kaylee is the daughter of one of my stitchy friends, Kristen, who you know as @kaymaboutique on Instagram. As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult time for Kristen and her family. A group of us stitchy girls thought maybe an auction on Instagram would be a good idea to help raise money for Kristen's family, and Kayla, who you know as @knottydickens cleared it with Kristen and ran with the idea.

All I can say is, boy is our Maker Community a great one!! As of right now when I write this post, when you go to the official @candlesforkaylee Instagram page, you'll see there are over 150 posts. That means that there are over 150 items that makers from around the world have donated to be auctioned off. I don't know about you, but it makes my heart swell.

The auction officially starts this Sunday, November 1st at 7:30 pm EST. I hope that you will take a look, open your heart, and open your wallet to help out Kristen and her family in their time of need.

MooshieStitch Monday: Halloween Ghosts Pattern

Halloween week is upon us and I have one more spooky project to share.

I have a pattern for you! It's a vampire ghost and a Frankenstein ghost.

I decided to use the pattern to make little hanging decorations for Halloween!

I traced the ghosts with a water soluble pen and stitched them up.

For the vampire, I added some "blood" on the teeth :)

Using my pinking shears, I cut the ghosts fabric and black felt into rectangles. 

Then, I attached the ghosts onto the felt rectangles with straight stitches around the edges and trimmed the felt down a bit - I thought the felt rectangles were a little too big...

I attached a piece of black ribbon with french knots onto the felt so I could hang them!

Up close!

If you don't want hanging decorations, you can stitch these ghosts however you like! 

I was thinking maybe stitched onto little fabric treat bags? 

Or stitched on a pillow case that will be used for trick-or-treating? 

(Or maybe I am the only one who used a pillow case as my candy bag for trick-or-treating as a kid?) 

Print the pattern, stitch up these ghosts, and share your photos on the Flickr Embroidery Group!

Happy Halloween!

Patterns: Mushrooms

Mushrooms stitched by Sew Jenissance

Sew Jenissance has stitched up this lovely vintage pattern provided by Doe C Doe, isn't all the different stitches used on this one gorgeous? I particularly love the fill stitching.

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!

Stitchy Snippets - Stumped

Lesley Turpin-Delport and Nikki Delport-Wepener

Stumpwork or raised embroidery fascinates me. The three dimensional aspect of this type of needlework perfectly demonstrates the versatility of embroidery. I've collated a few fantastic examples to show you today.

Firstly let's take a look at Mary Corbet's adorable pumpkin which is built from boullion knots. Mary has created a handy tutorial for this festive pattern. Her site is well worth a visit and full of helpful tutorials!

Mary Corbet

Cakes, biscuits and all manner of patisserie are currently popular themes for stumpwork.

Kaoru Sato

Kaoru Sato

Yacmii

Can you spot which match is embroidered?

Yacmii

Yacmii's shading work is incredibly realistic. These leaves and berries would make a beautiful autumnal table or wall decoration.

Yacmii

Have you found any great examples of stumpwork on your cyber travels?

Patterns: Stitcharama

Japanese Embroidery Bookmark PDF from Stitcharama 

A company worth checking out for some interesting embroidery patterns is Stitcharama, they've partnered with embroidery designers around the globe to create some interesting folk art pattern .pdfs such as the Japanese embroidered bookmark above.

They've also started offering an interesting service where, if you send them your artwork, they can create an iron on embroidery transfer for you, which could be something useful to remember.

Let's meet: Joelle Gebhardt

Today I have the pleasure to introduce you to the beautiful work of artist Joelle Gebhardt, who reached out to us recently to share her portfolio...

Recently featured in the magazine Daphne's Diary, Joelle is a talented illustrator who is currently based in Berlin, Germany.

I adore the tiny, fascinating scale of her work, and of course, her preliminary sketches - it's always a treat to see sketches, as they reveal so much of the artist's process...

Learn more about Joelle Gebhardt:

http://www.joellegebhardt.com/

http://blog.joellegebhardt.com/

All photos are courtesy of Joelle Gebhardt, and used with her permission.

It's a pleasure to meet you Joelle - thank you for introducing us to your lovely work!