Saudade

Olá! This week my Portuguese soul is full of “saudade"... Do you believe our stitches can talk about our feelings?
Do you? So let me say you that saudade is a word that, as far as we know, has no equivalent in other languages... A single word whose meaning is complex, of great depth and culturally significant. And one of the hardest to translate in the whole world…
Longing and nostalgia are commonly used to explain saudade... Saying that my heart is full of saudade means that I’m missing someone or something... But it’s far more than that... I believe that what “Portuguese soul” adds to this sentiment is a feeling that the return of that thing or person is unknowable and entirely left to fate...

Embroidered on burel, my own simple stitches

Although identified in ancient documents since 13th Century, “according to some historians, this word came to life in the 15th Century when Portuguese ships sailed to Africa and Asia. A sadness was felt for those who departed in the long journeys to the unknown seas and disappeared in shipwrecks, died in battle, or simply never returned. Those who stayed behind -- the women, children and old folks -- deeply suffered from their absence. There was the constant feeling of absence, the sadness of something that was missing, the yearning for the presence of the loved ones who had sailed.” (1)

Embroidered burel necklace, french knots with wool

This week I tried to choose some photos of my stitches that could talk about my feelings… I’m feeling sad… So I’m not in a colorful mood… But at the same time I feel strong and strangely warm… As if the pain of the loss was calmed and caressed by all the good memories and the confidence in a future gathering, which has just been delayed a while… As so the natural colors of wool and the rude softness of its texture are perfect to express these feelings...  Because saudade is natural, rude and soft too...
"The feeling is also sugar-coated, you remember it with a grin, laugh about the memories and your heart is filled with this great intoxicating feeling.”(2) "Although it relates to feelings of melancholy and fond memories of things, people and days gone by, it can be a rush of sadness coupled with a paradoxical joy derived from acceptance of fate and the hope of recovering or replacing what is lost by something that will either fill the emptiness or provide consolation".(2)

Burel key ring, many hearts - one heart

I believe our stitches have the gift of speaking for us… And I hope that the stitches I’ve chosen can translate into images a word that has no translation…
Some say that the richness and uniqueness of language create realities and feelings... That would imply that only Portuguese people could feel saudade. I truly do not share it: The saudade felt by the lost of a great friend is as universal as friendship…

A final and I hope inspiring note... Wherever the Portuguese Language is spoken the word saudade is sung with different accents and rhythms… You can hear it in Portuguese from Portugal, from Cape Verde or from Brazil… I hope these songs maybe an inspiration for your stitches...

Winner of the Reader's Choice Stitchalong

Winning by a teensy margin of 3 votes is the pattern suggestion : Narwhal with a tattoo scroll! With 288 total votes - it was a close race, and an extremely fun one, in my opinion. :)

Final Results:
Narwhal with tattoo scroll
82 (28%)

Circus train car
51 (17%)

Angler fish
23 (7%)

Origami
79 (27%)

Chameleon
53 (18%)




That means that a whole lot of floss - 100 skeins of Anchor floss, to be precise, will be going to the contributor of the winning suggestion, Lissa!

To everyone who contributed suggestions, thank you for your creativity, awesomeness, and just plain weirdness. :) And to Tala, who devised this whole idea of a Reader's Choice pattern, to be drawn by her, especial thanks! Anybody else super-excited about next month's stichalong? I know I am! :)

Way Back Wednesday

 
I love when new patterns have that retro feel to them. This is the case with Sew Lovely embroidery patterns. I adore them! They are the sweetest people ever and their patterns are super cute. I love the pin up girls and don't even get me started on the cowgirls. Swoon!

Snifferooski's take on this stitching beauty is so over the top adorable. The retro flowers on her shorts are beyond perfection. How can you resist it? I can't!

You can check out Sew Lovely on Facebook, Etsy and Flickr.

Tutorial Tuesday

This week's tutorial was inspired by two things: 1) the FS April Monster Cupcake Stitchalong and 2) my best friend's recent decision to purchase a bakery. I love a good cupcake as much as anyone else. So, instead of wearing a heart on my sleeve, this is a cupcake to take its place.

It's a cupcake badge! It could also be considered a brooch, but I am sticking with it being a badge. Now, it isn't a monster cupcake like the stitchalong. It's a cupcake I free handed on a piece of scrap fabric. You could use any image you wanted and turn it into a badge. I think it would be fun for parties, or bridal and baby showers. I am going to use this one to celebrate my best friend's baking adventure.

To get started, you'll need the following:

-embroidered design of your choice 

-a 4-inch embroidery hoop

-two 6x6-inch pieces of scrap fabric (it can be larger than this, if you have it)

-scrap trim ( I used lace ribbon, but you can use pom fringe or any trim of your liking)

-pins

-one 6x6-inch piece of batting or a handful of poly-fil

-thread in different colors of your choice

-embroidery and sewing needles

-one safety pin

-scissors

-a sewing machine (this can be hand sewn, but if you want to use a machine, get it fired up!)

Step 1: Embroider your design of choice onto the fabric. I free handed my cupcake, but you can stitch anything you might want.

I let the hoop guide my design size. I followed the edge of the hoop to create the stitched border around the cupcake.

Step 2: Trim the fabric to 5x5 inches. Don't cut the fabric in a circle, leave it in a square for now.

Step 3: Place the fabric with your stitched design on top of the batting. I used a running stitch to attached the batting to the fabric by following the border I had stitched while the fabric was in the hoop.

NOTE: If you decide to use poly-fil, you will skip this step and continue on. 

Step 4: I used the base of the embroidery hoop as a measurement guide for the lace ribbon that I used as trim. I cut just a little extra overlap. 

Step 5: Arrange the trim on top of your design with the ends or outside edge facing inward. We are going to stitch the other piece of fabric on top of this, then turn it. Once we turn the badge, your trim will be right side out.

Step 6: Once you have your trim placed over your embroidered design, cover it with the blank piece of fabric and stitch around the edge in a circle. Make sure to leave a little space open to turn the badge. I was able to see through my fabric and used the stitched borders as a guideline.

Step 7: Now you can trim around the edge you just stitched and flip your badge. I left a little extra fabric on the opening I'll used to flip the badge so that I have enough to slip stitch it shut.

Step 8: Fold in the opening you used to flip the badge and slip stitch it shut. 

NOTE: If you decided to use poly-fill, this is when you would stuff the badge, and then slip stitch it shut.

Step 9: Your badge should look something like this now. Stitch the safety pin to the back and it's ready to wear.

I love the idea of this as a brooch or badge, but if you like, you could pin it to a tote or handbag. If you're feeling really adventurous, you can swap the safety pin out for a bobby pin or hair clip and wear it in your hair. 

I hope you enjoy making your own badge. I am off to see if I can trade this badge for some sweet treats from my best friend.

I hope you enjoy this badge. Please stay tuned in the coming weeks for more tutorials and, on occasion, a tutorial roundup with more fun and colorful projects for you to try.

Bell Room Four

Design by Bell Room Four

"I'm Bell, I'm from Thailand, I'm just a little bit crazy and I love hand embroidering." Here's work by one of the stitchers-I-stalk via Instagram. Everything is solidly stitched (chain stitches?) and so neatly done. I'll let you discover the rest of her unique work for yourselves! 

Bell Room Four on Facebook

@bellroomfour on Instagram

Reader's Choice Top 5!

Ok peeps, the results are in - Tala looked over all your incredibly diverse, odd, and fabulous suggestions, and has chosen her top 5!

Here's what Tala had to say:

It was really difficult to narrow my choices down; I picked things based on what I thought my artistic abilities could do justice to, but I also tried to lean towards patterns that readers wouldn't be able to find anywhere else. And, dear readers, if you're sad that I didn't choose yours, don't give up yet: these wonderful suggestions have definitely set my brain to churning- there may be some comment-thread-inspired patterns popping up on my own blog over the next few months.

1) Narwhal
...which was suggested in various incarnations five times in the comments. I particularly like the idea of "A Narwhal! ... maybe with a tattoo-ey scroll/legend to go with" as suggested by Lissa - it makes me think of a vintage tattoo flash inspired narwhal.

2) Circus Train car
("I'm fascinated by old-fashioned circus train cars, with all their bright colors and decorations." from Nora) Though I doubt I'll be able to keep to traditional animals- watch out, those of you who wished for dragons and monsters and such.

3) Angler fish (possibly with bowtie or general bow)
as suggested by Ehme ("I would like a creepy deep sea fish, like the ones with the gnarly jaws and the lantern over his head. I guess he could be all cute and stuff for the general public, with a bow tie or a nice cummerbund on his way to the fish prom or something. ") Though I feel the biology pedant's need to point out that the big creepy angler fish with the teeth and the little glowing lure sticking out of their foreheads are all female- if you ever feel a hankering for some weird science, look up the sexual dynamics of angler fish.

4) Origami
from Maya Matthew

5) Chameleon
(which I plan to make a great opportunity to use all those bright colors- nothing does color quite like a chameleon), as suggested by Sussieg. Seriously, google image search "panther chameleon". Rainbow madness!


So there you have it - the 5 finalists for next month's Reader's Choice Stitchalong pattern, to be drawn by the talented Corvus Tristis! And one of those 5 peeps will win 100 skeins of floss! I think you should get to voting for your favorite entry!

Poll closes promptly on Wednesday evening, 10 PM US Central time. And if you're looking for the poll it's on the top right hand corner of the blog, which means you feed-reading peeps will have to click over. Let the voting begin! :)

Patterns: Epic Alphabet Sampler

Stitched by handmade is heartmade

Samplers of all sizes and shapes are gorgeous but I particularly love this one as it's so modern. Stitched very ably by handmade is heartmade, from a pattern showcasing typefaces by House Industries over at Sublime Stitching.

Reader's Choice Stitchalong!

Earlier this week, John showed you this month's stichalong pattern - A Little Curtsy by Isewcute - if you haven't yet, be sure to check that out and get stitching!

But we're already planning next month's stitchalong, which is going to be extra special because... you're gonna pick the pattern! The wonderfully talented Tala (or Corvus Tristis, as we know her on Flickr) has volunteered to create a special pattern for our June Stitchalong. She designed the wonderful March Stitchalong pattern last year (including the cute watery alphabet above), to give you an idea of her awesomeness...

Here's how it works - leave a comment on this post with whatever you want Tala to draw. It can be as simple as "puppy," or "kitten" or as elaborate as "skateboarding ninja cat stitching whilst playing the harpsichord." Ok, maybe not that elaborate. But Tala's so awesome, I bet she could draw it. :)

Anyhoo, Tala will look at all the comments on this post and select her top 5 favorites. On Monday I will post a poll with the top 5 choices and you'll get to pick next month's custom stitchalong pattern! Sound fun and awesome? I thought so! I mean, really, how often do you find a talented artist with pen in hand, willing to create the embroidery pattern of your choice? We are so lucky, you guys!

As a thank you for all the love you've shown our new Feeling Stitchy bloggers, the contributor of the winning suggestion will receive a very special prize! It was a mystery, but....



It arrived at my doorstep this afternoon, and I can't keep it to myself any longer! :)

The commenter with the winning suggestion will receive 100 skeins of Anchor floss! This, in case you're curious, is what 100 skeins of floss looks like - awful pretty! :)



I've always been curious about Anchor floss, which is not readily available in the US, so I ordered up this batch to inspect it myself. It looks pretty gorgeous to me!



And it's all yours if you leave the winning comment! I will pack them up and ship them anywhere, so just a reminder that international entries are welcome, too.

Comments are open until 9 PM, US Central time on Sunday, May 6 when I will close them and Tala will choose her 5 favorites. Want a chance to win a whole lotta beautiful floss? It's as easy as leaving a comment here! Can't wait to hear your ideas! :)

Book review - Traditional Embroidery of Portugal

Olá! This week I bring a review of a very special "livro"... More than sixty years ago Anchor begun publishing a book series that came to have at least 837 numbers. The numeration is not easy to understand and I believe there were not 837 books!! But I do know that Clark & Co., Ltd. (at the time not yet merged with J. &  P. Coats) made the right choice regarding the first number!

Cardboard slipcase, back cover and three design sheets, my photo

The publishing date seems to have been 1950, but I'm not sure as it is not printed... The name of the series was "Anchor Embroidery Book" and the first being published was "Traditional Embroidery of Portugal". Surprised?? You shouldn't be...
Now I'm becoming unbearably smug!!!

I bought it some weeks ago while I was doing the research for my first post and the moment I received it I decided to write on it.
There are more second hand copies, so run if you want to buy one!


It's a beautiful book that comes inside a cardboard slipcase with three design sheets. The cover illustrates the traditional embroidery of Castelo Branco and the pattern is exactly the same, although in different colors, as the one I showed on my first post. The back cover is wonderful, so colorfully showing many different Portuguese motifs. But color remains outside the book... Unfortunately it's a black and white book. That's why I decided to balance the lack of color... I've searched my drawers to find some embroidery pieces that could colorfully illustrate some of the embroidery types described in the book. I hope you like it...

Madeira embroidery - my photo 

The book author is Maria Clementina Carneiro de Moura, a renowned painter, that developed important literary and educational activities in textiles, teaching and publishing her works that became significant for the understanding of Portuguese textile handicrafts history and technique. She was also a political activist and always attentive to social problems that Portugal was facing at the time.

Castelo Branco embroidery - my photo

The ideia of this book was to show how traditional embroidery could be adapted to "modern times". In her words "The country from north to south was scoured to collect material which (... ) could be considered suitable for adaptation to modern needlework, which is cultivated by all Portuguese women to beautify their homes."

Viana do Castelo embroidery - my photo

As far as I understand, valuable specimens were collected in order to inspire the design of new ones. The execution of the new pieces, while many times forced to give a simplified version of the original specimen, respected the style and the stitches of the old ones. As argued by the author: "they must be decorative, practical, simple and easy to execute".

Azores embroidery - my photo

The book goes through many traditional regional embroideries and for each one there is: a brief explanation of its main characteristics, sometimes a photo of  the original specimen collected, the new piece inspired by the old one and the instructions for its execution - material required and working instructions. All embroidery patterns are printed in the design sheets.

Viana do Castelo Embroidery, my photo

Let me show you... Inspired by Viana do Castelo costumes a table cloth was designed and executed as shown in the black and white photo. The list of the material required, the working instructions and the drawings are provided.

This photo also shows an even "more modern" piece also inspired by the same motifs. It is a napkin-bag that came from my mother's drawers...



The regional traditional embroideries represented in the book are: Viana do Castelo, Azores, Castelo Branco,  Caldas da Raínha,  Guimarães, Tibaldinho,  Madeira and Nisa. Some important stitches are also illustrated: chain stitch embroidery, cross stitch embroidery, shaded embroidery, net embroidery and "dove's eye" embroidery.

Although they seem many, I assure you that some more are missing... And I'll try to review all them throughout this year...

I could not end this long post without highlighting the impressive "backstage" work involved in this book. We can find around twenty eight modern pieces reproduced and that´s why it is fully understandable the reason why the author expresses her deep gratitude to the embroideresses...

In addition to the word "livro" (book), and after such a big post, I have to teach you another Portuguese word that expresses my feeling in case you've reached here... Obrigada - thank you!

May Stitch-Along: Week 1

Happy May Day, everyone!  As we kick of the start of the new month, we also kick off a new stitch-along here at Feeling Stitchy.  I'm excited to share an original embroidery pattern by June Jessie, a very talented artist and embroidery designer also known as isewcute on Flickr.

"A Little Curtsy Goes a Long Way" is a precious little pattern that reminds us all not to forget our manners.  This pattern was originally published in Fat Quarterly, the popular e-zine for the modern quilting and crafting community.  We're so excited that both June and the Fat Quarterly team are happily making this pattern available for all Feeling Stitchy readers.

Click on the image above to access the pattern in Flickr, where you can download and print it in a variety of sizes.

While this pattern would look adorable simply framed in a hoop for hanging, I also can't help but think of its many other possibilities -- imagine it stitched onto a little girl's skirt, a tote bag for carrying ballet slippers, a nursery pillow, or a doll quilt.  Let's challenge ourselves this month to not only stitch the pattern up, but to use it in a finished product.  What do you have in mind?

Don't forget to tag your photos MayStitchalong2012 and add them to the Embroidery group over on Flickr.  In-progress shots are OK!  We'd love to see them, and I'll be featuring your photos throughout the month.

To see more of June's original embroidery patterns, be sure to check out her Etsy shop.  Now let's get stitching!

--

About the artist


We are so pleased to offer this adorable hand embroidery pattern designed by June Jessie, aka isewcute to her Flickr and Craftster friends. June is a prolific crafter, embroidery artist, and jewelry designer. Be sure to visit June's Etsy shop where she not only sells the 'cutest' resin jewelry, but also some of the most amazing original hand embroidery designs we've seen. June even offers custom listings where she'll recreate any photo into a useable pattern for you to stitch up! June welcomes custom requests and guarantees that her customers will be pleased with the results.


June also blogs at isewcute.blogspot.com, where she chronicles her other crafty pursuits, from kids' crafts to cooking recipes. And when she's not on Crafster, you're sure to find her spreading the good word about the platform -- she's a major Craftster fan!


You can find June and her awesome handmade goods in one of her many online outlets.
Blog: isewcute.blogspot.com/
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/isewcute

Meet our guest blogger: John

John is no stranger to you if you've been reading Feeling Stitchy. He's a marvelously talented quilter who does some wonderful stitching, too. Last year he hosted the super-popular August and September stitchalongs, in addition to being a regular contributor here.

A little bit more about John:

John Adams is a hand stitcher, quilter, sewist, husband, dad, and all around crafty guy (not in that order!) His blog, Quilt Dad, has become a popular destination for modern quilters, largely because of his inspirational projects as well as his down-to-earth, approachable style.

John is also a founder of Fat Quarterly, an e-zine for modern sewists and quilters that is chock full of original patterns, project ideas, articles, and interviews with fellow members of the online crafting community. John is a self-taught embroiderer and organized the popular Hoop Up! Stitch & Send Swap on Flickr. John is inspired by the work of the many talented stitchers that follow Feeling Stitchy and is proud to blog here!


Look for John this month on Feeling Stitchy - he'll be guest hosting the May Stitchalong and bringing you lots of awesomeness. Thank you, John! :)

Beeton's Book of Needlework: 154. Sandwich Case Pt. 3

Hullo! The chain-stitching is all done and I have started on the Overcast Stitch. It's my first time to do this stitch to tell you honestly, and as you can see, the lower part of my B came out a little wonky. Oopps.  Otherwise, it was fairly easy and pretty quick to do once the momentum got started.

I ended up using 4 strands for the laid threads and 3 strands for the threads that go over it. Black was the color suggested by Mrs. Beeton, and right she was as it does look lovely with the red, grey and ofcourse the steel beads! The beads are anchored down with 3 strands of black as well.

All in all, it is progressing smoothly and thank you for all your kind comments! Next up will be to finish it all neatly (I HOPE!) with some scallops and get this Sandwich Case all done and ready for use.

Download the PDF.

I hope these instructions can be understood! I will show the assembly on Part 4 so hopefully I can let this pattern make sense. For those who want to make this Sandwich Case, please visit: Part 1 and Part 2 and kindly read the comments as there are so many great inputs from our lovely readers (specially with regards to the "kid" material!). 

Have a wonderful week ahead everyone!

Patterns: Earth

Earth Day by  MadameUgly

Madame Ugly stitched this Wild Olive pattern to celebrate Earth Day recently. I love how Madame Ugly has stitched this pattern on corduroy and I love the different direction fill stitching using variegated thread. 

Right now I can't spot this particular pattern in the Wild Olive store, however Wild Olive's Solar System set is listed and that has an Earth pattern, although viewed from a different angle.

Bunting Bounty Hunt Brings Bountiful Discovery!

A mystery solved! Last month, I blogged about a captivating image of embroidered bunting that floated across my Instagram feed. I contacted Linni, who posted the image, to see if she could tell me who made them. She quickly wrote back that she didn't know -the image was found on tumblr.

So, by saying "I don't know where this image came from but I'd be interested to know" sleuthy stitchers started searching. And the original project has been found!

The photo and project was made by Mary, aka The Vintage Cottage, and originally posted on Flickr. Flor asked Mary about the project:

As for the idea of the bunting, I have enjoyed sewing in all forms for many years now, and had a stash of vintage table linens with all sorts of bad blemishes, but couldn't bear to throw them away. (You know how it is when you have something that will "come in handy one day"). Then I had a eureka moment because my daughter is having a vintage inspired wedding and wanted lots of bunting. So I took my scissors to the embroidered bits and cut the pennants out, then because I like to embellish, thought I would add the ric rac to give an extra vintage twist. Et voila! I could go into business making similar bunting due to the requests I get, but there wouldn't be enough old linens to go round!

Mary credits Jenny, aka The Custards on Flickr, with the idea. And it's clear that Jenny is the source of a lot (a lot) of beautiful bunting. A bounty of bunting. Okay, I'll stop.

Doesn't it feel great when you know you've gotten down to the source of things? Curiosity can't be quelled.

Meet our guest blogger: Jenny

It's truly my pleasure to introduce our guest blogger - Jenny Hart. Her updated embroidery patterns, full-on talent and artistry have inspired an entire generation of new stitchers. Visit her personal blog, Embroidery As Art, for even more inspiration.

A little bit more about Jenny:

Jenny Hart is an artist, designer and author. After first trying embroidery in the summer of 2000, she founded Sublime Stitching "This Ain't Your Gramma's Embroidery" to introduce alternative patterns and resources for stitching. Hart is the author of Embroidered Effects (Chronicle Books) and seven additional titles on embroidery.

Her work has been published and exhibited internationally, most recently with a solo show of embroidery-inspired drawings at Galerie LJ in Paris, France. In 2012, her embroidered work La Llorona will become a part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Collection. After ten years in Austin, Texas, Hart relocated to Los Angeles, California where she plays with her 2 year-old niece every chance she gets.


Look for Jenny when she drops in from time to time, and I promise that every time you'll see something fascinating. It's an honor to have someone with such expertise and experience sharing here! Thanks, Jenny!