MooshieStitch Monday: Winter Woven Trees

Happy New Year!

Since some of you readers may be experiencing snow - here is a little "winter" themed project.

I have become slightly obsessed with the woven trellis stitch. I wanted to use it to stitch something other than a flower so I decided to try stitching little pine trees.

I practiced a few trees by drawing some triangles and followed the same steps as the woven trellis stitch.

Once complete - turn the triangle around and it looks like a little pine tree ... right?

To make a little wintery tree scene, I roughly drew some trees on linen inside a little oval hoop - something different since I always use round hoops.

For the snow covered ground, I cut a piece of white felt and whip stitched it to the fabric.

Then added the tree trunks with straight stitches.

Now time to weave the trees!

I added some french knots and little eye stitches for snow flakes.

If I would have finished stitching this before the holidays, my plan was to decorate the trees by stitching little ornaments on them, or adding a star on top each tree. Maybe next year.....


P.S. To finish the back of the hoop - I followed this excellent tutorial.


See you next time!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 35 with Pixie Craft Handmade

Hello Stitchers! I hope you've had a fabulous week and your January has been awesome so far! Today I am sharing the Instagram account @pixiecrafthandmade with you all. Katy is a hand embroiderer in the United Kingdom, and she creates bright and happy pieces. I love the embroidered quotes she creates because they have such inspiring messages. And her mini hoop necklaces are absolutely adorable! I came across Katy's work because she tagged some of her pictures with #feelingstitchyig. Take a look!

@pixiecrafthandmade

Image by @pixiecrafthandmade

Image by @pixiecrafthandmade

Image by @pixiecrafthandmade

Image by @pixiecrafthandmade

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 Katy's work at @pixiecrafthandmade 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!

Stitchy Snippets - Drawing Threads

Recently I visited the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester to absorb the beauty of the textile art exhibition on display. One of my favourite pieces was the work of Do Ho Suh, a Korean artist working from London and New York. Suh's brightly coloured thread drawings were molded and stitched onto lush paper creating many textural elements. Originally stemming from 'doodles' Suh produced this body of work whilst working on his residency at Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI).

Do Hu Suh talks about his inspiration for the work. 'It also suggests the life before me, which is the heritage, the history, the culture and the knowledge that has been passed on to me from generation to generation which you cannot visualize ... This is the human relationship I try to visualize with the lines.'

These drawings began as research for sculptures that Suh produced some ten years earlier and through his thread drawings Suh develops those concepts further. 'I was thinking about how we are all interconnected and also the idea of reincarnation and karma. I was thinking about people I would meet or I have met throughout my life ... when you think about it, they are entangled threads. A web of relationships' explains Do Ho Suh. In the work below - Paratrooper-I - Suh has hand-stitched 3000 names and signatures onto linen and draped the drawn strands over the stainless steel paratrooper figure.

Do Ho Suh is well know for his intricate architectural sculptures which are made from transparent fabric. They capture the story of his nomadic adulthood; moving to various continents and cities.

His work reflects his personal journey, the spaces he has occupied and the memories that reside there. Talking about his studio Doh Ho Suh says 'There are so many artists that come and go, and everyday many times a day they touch these things – to flip a switch, to turn the lights on. There are probably many layers of history on the surface of these objects. I want to bring these invisible connections or memories that these daily objects possess.'

Friday Instagram Finds No. 34 with Tubaville

Hello Feeling Stitchy readers! Friday Instagram Finds is back! I hope that you had a pleasant holiday season, and are ready for a fabulous 2016.

Today's feature is Torina with the Instagram handle @tubaville. Torina creates beautiful cross stitch pieces and gorgeous quilts. The detail in her cross stitch is so lovely! And her quilting is wonderful. I've started English paper piecing, so it's nice to see such beautiful work to be inspired by. I came across her work because she tagged some of her pictures with #feelingstitchyig. Take a look at Torina's beautiful work!

@tubaville

Image by @tubaville

Image by @tubaville

Image by @tubaville

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 Torina's work at @tubaville, 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!

Thimblenest Thursday (well, Wednesday): Last-Minute Gift Card/Cash Holder

It seems to be a new Christmas tradition with me to need to pull together a creative way to give a gift card/cash at the last minute. I find myself in the same position this year and thought I'd share it with Feeling Stitchy readers, too!

These mittens can be left plain or embroidered/embellished in any number of ways: initials, random designs/embroidery stitches, Christmas motifs, etc. A holly motif is included with the mitten template.

MATERIALS

Most likely you'll have the materials that you need on hand. Here's what you need to gather:

• 1 sheet of felt
• freezer paper
• embroidery thread
• 4" length of ribbon
• Mitten template
• chalk or other fabric marking tool
• scissors
• ruler

TUTORIAL

Print the mitten template onto freezer paper. Cut out both mitten templates and iron onto the piece of felt. Be careful not to iron for too long--I'm not sure how well non-wool felt holds up to heat. Cut out the mitten piece that will be the back of the holder and remove the freezer paper. 

Trace around the front mitten piece. My rotary chalk marker was the only thing I had on hand that left a visible mark on the felt; unfortunately, it also snagged/scuffed the felt.

Mark stitching lines or other motifs on the front of the mitten. I used 4 lines, spaced 1/2" apart for the running stitches I made.

Embroider the motif or design. Then, cut out the mitten front around the outer edge.

Fold the ribbon in half and stitch in place at the inside middle top of the back mitten piece.

Align the top embroidered mitten piece over the back mitten piece. Hand or machine stitch the outside edges together, leaving the top (mitten cuff) edge open.

Insert your gift card or money and hang it on the Christmas tree!

Friday Instagram Finds on a Brief Hiatus

Hello! Friday Instagram Finds is going to take a break for a few weeks and come back Friday, January 8, 2016.

Remember to tag your stitchy photos on Instagram with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll see you again in 2016!

You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @feelingstitchyish. You can find Amy @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

Stitchy Snippets: Woolly Christmas Tree

This winter an unusual Christmas tree was on display at the Crafts for Christmas Show in Birmingham, England. The tree measures in at 25 feet tall and is entirely knitted, making it the biggest woolly tree in the world. Along side the breathtaking tree stood a winter wonderland with a fairy tale gingerbread house, snowman and Santa.

Alison Murray started making the tree some years ago, enlisting support from some 1000 knitters to complete the project. The idea behind the project was 'to encourage people to take up the craft of knitting and show that knitting can be fun' says Alison. Knitters from four to one hundred years old took part, sending their knitted squares from different corners of the world. The tree weighs a colossal 0.87 tons and has recently returned from an exhibition in Bangkok.

'The Christmas tree has 5,633 rectangles sewn on to it and I am proud to say it has already raised £17,000 for Great Ormond St Hospital, London.' - Alison Murray

Friday Instagram Finds No. 33 with Merriweather Council

Hello! I hope you've had a great week, and have a fantastic weekend coming up! Here in Chicagoland, the weather is unseasonably warm (it's supposed to hit over 60º F this weekend!), and doesn't feel much like December.

Today I bring to you Danielle of Merriweather Council! Danielle is an embroidery powerhouse who has turned her passion of creating handmade items into helping other people be successful handmade entrepreneurs. She has an Etsy e-course that has been an invaluable tool to people around the world (including me), and an eBook packed with her wisdom. For the holiday season she busted out her needle and floss and stitched up what she's most famous for: initial necklaces and embroidering clever words and images onto fun fabric. As if that wasn't enough, Danielle is also one half of the podcast She Percolates, which offers up a fresh perspective on success that's targeted towards women.

Danielle posts the best pictures and images that are bright, fun, and cleverly styled. Take a look!

@merriweatherc

Image by @merriweatherc

Image by @merriweatherc

Image by @merriweatherc

Image by @merriweatherc

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 Danielle's work at @merriweatherc, 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 with #feelingstitchyig!

December Craftster Hoopla Along

This month's Craftster Hoopla Along is Winter!

Do you love the snow? The holiday season? How about stitching by the fire? If all these things appeal to you then show your winter pride in Hoopla form! This month's theme is all about winter and the reason you love it or hate it. Are you stitching presents for the holiday season? Show those off too! 

Now for the details:

• You have until December 31st to post your project and be eligible for the random drawing. 
• Prize: 20.00 gift card to Amazon
• Post your hoopla HERE

See past entries and join in the fun on Craftster.org. 

Patterns: Cherry Blossom Festival Sampler

Cherry Blossom Festival Sampler - very ably stitched by Jorie Slodki

Are you already tired of the winter months (if you're in the Northern Hemisphere)? Fed up of just stitching Christmas patterns? Then why not look forward to the spring with this Cherry Blossom Festival Sampler from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery? The sampler above was stitched by Jorie Slodki for a sushi loving friend, lucky friend!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 32 with Random Acts of Amy

Hello Dear Readers! Well, I goofed today and didn't have a post scheduled to go out early this morning so readers around the world would see Friday Instagram Finds first thing. I also hadn't contacted anyone to let them know I'd be featuring their Instagram account. I didn't want anyone to feel shafted, so I thought I'd let you know what I've been up to lately.

I have been making, making, making for the two holiday markets I'm in this year. Last night was the first, Rockford Handmade Market at the Prairie Street Brewhouse. It was so much fun! I got to see so many old friends (I'm from Rockford, but now live two hours away), and meet so many new people.

A week from tomorrow, on Saturday, December 12th I'm in the first annual Sugarplum Market at North Main Studios. Between my full time day job at the Library, and this market coming up, I am going to be super busy stitching nights and this weekend away for the foreseeable future! Here are some of my pictures from Instagram.

@randomactsofamy

This is me at Rockford Handmade Market last night. Image by: @randomactsofamy

This is my Black Friday haul - 300 skeins of DMC floss! Image by @randomactsofamy

This is one of the larger ornaments (4") I made this year. Image by @randomactsofamy

Snowflake ornaments on navy linen fabric with vintage bugle bead accents. Image by @randomactsofamy

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. 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!

Magna Carta (An Embroidery)

British artist, Cornelia Parker has produced a 13 metre-long embroidery of the Magna Carta Wikipedia page to celebrate the document's 800th anniversary.

“I love the idea of taking something digital and making it into an analogue, hand-crafted thing” says Cornelia Parker. Due to the evolving nature of Wikipedia the artist chose last year's version of the page as a basis for her work, fixing this version in a tangible form.

This epic embroidery incorporates contributions from over 200 people. The majority of the text was stitched by prisoners which was lead by the social enterprise Fine Cell Work. Hand & Lock, the Royal School of Needlework and the British Embroiderers' Guild were also major contributors.

Many other individuals were invited to embroider a few words including judges, lawyers, civil rights campaigners, members of parliament, artists and musicians. “I thought carefully about the words they should stitch. For instance, Baroness Warsi, Eliza Manningham-Buller, Julian Assange and numerous prisoners have all stitched the word ‘freedom’, but all have different relationships to it.”

“I wanted the embroidery to raise questions about where we are now with the principles laid down in the Magna Carta, and about the challenges to all kinds of freedoms that we face in the digital age. Like a Wikipedia article, this embroidery is multi-authored and full of many different voices. ”

The work is currently on tour across the UK.