Winner in the Silk Mill Threads giveaway!

We have a lucky winner who will be receiving some beautiful threads from The Silk Mill!

Herbs and Spices themed set from The Silk Mill

Our winner is:

Vivienne Crudeli • 3 days ago

to best show off these gorgeous threads, I would make a cover for my embroidery machine and place some embroidery on the front. That way I can see the beautiful threads on show every day

Thank you to Amy for doing such a lovely review (and our first ever Facebook Live post!)

Thanks especially to The Silk Mill for so generously sending us their beautiful threads for review and a giveaway - and thanks of course to all of you who read Feeling Stitchy and commented! :)

The Silk Mill Thread Review and **GIVEAWAY**

One of the perks of my job as a blogger for Feeling Stitchy is that I sometimes receive products to try out. I was excited to be the recipient of 20 skeins of silk embroidery thread from The Silk Mill in France! The Silk Mill is...

"...a small family run business located in South-West France, specialising in Chinese silk threads, silk needlepoint kits, and vintage needlework tools,"

As a bonus, The Silk Mill has kindly agreed to send out some of their silk thread to one lucky Feeling Stitchy reader! All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment on this post explaining what you'd make with the silk thread if you won.

Yesterday I made a Facebook Live video on the Feeling Stitchy Facebook page that gave a sneak peek of this luxurious silk thread. You can check out that video below.

The first thing I noticed about this silk thread is that it is so soft and shiny! I will admit to totally geeking out and petting the thread before unwrapping it :) The second thing I noticed is that it's wrapped in the skein differently than how I'm used to floss being wrapped. Instead of being able to pull the floss out while keeping the wrapper on, I needed to unwind this thread.

The texture is different than DMC floss, which is what I usually use. The strands separate easily from each other. This meant that I needed to have more control over keeping the thread on my needle, and once I got the hang of it, it was a piece of cake. The thread slips so beautifully through fabric - it was like butter!

 

When I saw the gorgeous greens and bright yellows, I knew right away what I would make. On May 4, 2016, a dear family friend, Conni, passed away from MS. She told us that when we see a white butterfly, it will be her coming back to say hi. I decided to make necklaces for Conni's daughter Kaiti (who is a sister to me), her daughter Elay (who is my niece), and Conni's granddaughter Elsa using a Dandelyne mini hoop. I wanted to stitch some grass, flowers, and a little white butterfly. This silk thread makes this mini embroidered piece pop with color and texture! (Note: The white of the butterfly was stitched with DMC floss because white wasn't included in the packets I received.)

The Silk Mill silk threads get two big thumbs up from me! I'm excited to unwrap the other skeins and create fun projects to embroider. 

Now it's your turn - leave a comment on this post by Sunday, June 12, 9 PM CST letting us know what you would create with The Silk Mill silk threads, and you could be our lucky winner of a prize pack of silk threads, generously provided by The Silk Mill! This giveaway is open to all of our Feeling Stitchy readers.

Here's some more information about The Silk Mill silk threads:

And here is a photo of the gorgeous threads that will go out to the winner - a beautiful selection called "Herbs and Spices."

What would you create with these threads?

Friday Instagram Finds No. 56 with Handmaid Stitch

Hello, Stitchers! It's Friday again, and that means another Friday Instagram Finds! Today we're going to look at Cristina's, aka @handmaidstitch, Instagram account. Cristina creates gorgeous hand embroidery that has a lot of detail and color. Her stitches are so pretty! Take a look! (In order to go right to each picture on Instagram, just click either the account name in the top left-hand corner of each photo, or the bottom border of each picture.)

@handmaidstitch

A photo posted by Cristina | Handmaid Embroidery (@handmaidstitch) on May 10, 2016 at 5:05pm PDT

A photo posted by Cristina | Handmaid Embroidery (@handmaidstitch) on May 11, 2016 at 9:31am PDT

A photo posted by Cristina | Handmaid Embroidery (@handmaidstitch) on May 9, 2016 at 8:17am PDT

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 Cristina's work at @handmaidstitch 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!

Wonderful Wednesday #4: Jenny Blair Art

Bear and Mountains Embroidery Kit by Jenny Blair Art

I love the whimsical quality of this pretty pre-printed kit by Jenny Blair on Etsy. It's so imaginative and her choice of colors is subtle and spot-on. The kit includes floss, pre-printed fabric, needle, hoop, and wonderfully detailed instructions.

MooshieStitch Monday: Padded Satin Stitch Flower

The padded satin stitch is an easy way to add a raised effect to your embroidery. There are different ways to add the "padding", but I decided to try it with felt first.

Here is how I created the flower:

I roughly drew simple flower petals on felt. I chose a felt that was the same color as my floss so it would be more forgiving in case I had any gaps in my satin stitch.

Cut out the flower petals and attach to your fabric. I stitched a small little straight stitch on each petal to keep them in place.

Satin stitch over each felt petal.

Cut felt leaves and attach onto the fabric.

Satin stitch each leaf.

Once complete, I added some yellow french knots in the flower center.

Up close you can see the puffy raised effect of the padded stitch.

Don't know the satin stitch? Check out this how-to.

This video tutorial is another method for the padded satin stitch.

And finally - I had to share this blog post of amazing felt padded embroidery I found on the Hanging by a Thread blog!!

Friday Instagram Finds No. 55 with Adam Pritchett

Happy Friday, Stitchers! I'm so happy to see you back here again :) I hope you've had a wonderful week, and I hope that you have a fantastic weekend planned! Can you believe it's already June? Half of the year has already come - where did the time go?!

Today we're going to take a look at Adam Pritchett's Instagram account. Adam lives in the Lake District of the United Kingdom. He embroiders lovely and detailed pieces that feature a variety of stitches. His bullion knot roses are on point! Take a look! (In order to go right to each picture on Instagram, just click either the account name in the top left-hand corner of each photo, or the bottom border of each picture.)

@ajpritchett

A photo posted by Adam Pritchett Needleworks (@ajpritchett) on May 14, 2016 at 7:35am PDT

A photo posted by Adam Pritchett Needleworks (@ajpritchett) on Apr 29, 2016 at 6:38am PDT

A photo posted by Adam Pritchett Needleworks (@ajpritchett) on May 21, 2016 at 11:19am PDT

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 Adam's work at @ajpritchett 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!

Wonderful Wednesday #3: Abigail Cecile Design

Postmarked: Italia PDF Pattern by Abigail Cecile Design

What I love about this PDF Pattern by Abigail Cecile Design is the simple hand-stitched elements combined with delicious little bits of fabric scraps. So many possibilities with this gorgeous and minimal design!

Stitchy Snippets - Cable Treasures

Bella May Leonard creates vibrant, sculptural embroidery using common electrical wires, other found cables and textile assortments. The firm yet malleable properties of the cable add a tremendous 3D effect to her embroidery and allow the viewer to see a different perspective to embroidery. Bella explains that 'The sculptural aspect of textile art for me is intriguing; three-dimensional, interweaving threads that build up structure with colour and texture is exciting'

The wires and textiles are often stitched and entwined onto a clear, perspex surface juxtaposing her use of colour and transparency. Bella's love of cables initiated when she discovered a pile of discarded, electrical cable in a junkyard as a young girl. The excitement for it's creative possibilities continues and her experimentation with this medium.

Bella refers to her work as a 'collaging technique' and her creative process is led intuitively: 'Making decisions with colour combinations, scale and shape are made intuitively as I work until I feel a piece is resolved and balanced.'

Bella completed a residency in Mexico at the end of last year and has started to showcase this new work. To find out more about Bella Leonard's work and upcoming exhibitions see her website here.

Friday Instagram Finds No. 54 with Victoria Matthewson

Happy Friday, Stitchers! Here in the United States, this is Memorial Day Weekend which, for many, means a three day weekend. Memorial Day, which is Monday, May 30th, is a day in which we remember the people who have died while serving in the armed forces. It's traditional for family and friends to get together and have picnics, cookouts, and enjoy time together.

On today's Friday Instagram Finds we're going to take a look at Victoria Matthewson's Instagram feed. She used #feelingstitchyig, and boy am I glad she did! WOW - Victoria's work is intricately detailed and beautiful! Take a look below. (In order to go right to each picture on Instagram, just click either the account name in the top left-hand corner of each photo, or the bottom border of each picture.)

@vkmatthewson

A photo posted by Victoria Matthewson (@vkmatthewson) on May 17, 2016 at 5:00am PDT

A photo posted by Victoria Matthewson (@vkmatthewson) on May 23, 2016 at 5:52am PDT

A photo posted by Victoria Matthewson (@vkmatthewson) on Apr 21, 2016 at 5:07am PDT

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 Victoria's work at @vkmatthewson 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!

Wonderful Wednesday #2: Crafty Like a Fox

Awesome Alpacas Kit by Crafty Like a Fox

Today I'm featuring this adorable Alpacas cross stitch kit on Etsy by Crafty Like a Fox. I love all the little details in this kit, from the bag to the adorable fox floss sorter. It's almost too cute to use up!

If you only want the cross stitch pattern, that is available, too:

Awesome Alpacas pattern by Crafty Like a Fox

Tutorial Tuesday: Internet round-up

There's a sweet new Perler Bead Embroidery tutorial by Eva Monleon on Handmade Charlotte. I love her whimsical, adorable details.

This Pom Pom basket tutorial on Hello Splendid is a great way to display your favorite embroidery floss colors (that you haven't stitched with yet)! Floss hoarders, I'm looking at you. :)

This lovely Bullion Knot tutorial can be found on Red Brolly.

Kristen is doing a lovely embroidery series on Craftsy, and her 4 Decorative Stitches for Hand-Embroidered Letters is definitely worth a visit.

Lastly, I am loving these gorgeous free Illustrated floss bobbins on Freubelweb:

Friday Instagram Finds No. 53 with Marg Dier Embroidery

Happy Friday, Stitchy Friends! I hope you've had a week filled with stitching and a fun weekend planned. I've had some problems with my ulnar nerve in my left hand and am a bit sidelined from stitching at the moment, but I've been hatching all kinds of plans for when my hand feels better.

@margdierembroidery
Today we're taking a look at Marg Dier Embroidery's Instagram account @margdierembroidery. I just love all of the ribbon embroidery she creates! And her floral necklaces are delicate and intricate, and oh so beautiful - take a look! (In order to go right to each picture on Instagram, just click either the account name in the top left-hand corner of each photo, or the bottom border of each picture.)

A photo posted by Marg Dier Embroidery (@margdierembroidery) on May 13, 2016 at 9:34am PDT

A photo posted by Marg Dier Embroidery (@margdierembroidery) on May 8, 2016 at 10:30am PDT

A photo posted by Marg Dier Embroidery (@margdierembroidery) on Mar 17, 2016 at 7:53am PDT

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 Marg's work at @margdierembroidery 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!

Wonderful Wednesday #1: Sarah K. Benning

May Flowers PDF Pattern by Sarah K. Benning

Hello all! Today, I thought I'd start a new series called Wonderful Wednesday, that features wonderful patterns and kits I find on Etsy and the web.

First up is talented artist Sarah K. Benning, who just listed a lovely May Flowers PDF Pattern in her Etsy shop. In addition to her talented stitching, I love her unique embroidered style and her beautiful choice of botanical colors.

Stitchy Snippets - Scenic View

Iris Hutegger creates beautifully expressive, embellished landscapes.

The landscape photographs are originally captured in colour and then developed, the old fashion way, in black and white to reduce detail. The details and colour are then added with free-hand machine embroidery and a dense and more realistic scene evolves.

At distance the artwork looks like a drawing, painting or coloured photograph. The eye is drawn into the view and upon closer inspection the handwork and embellishment is evident.

Winner of The Hand Stitched Flower Garden

We have our winner for the giveaway of The Hand-Stitched Flower Garden by Yuki Sugashima!

Margo • 7 days ago

I like stitching best in the winter. There is no gardening to do and the Christmas gifts are all done, so I have time to be creative. I take a stitching staycation every January to get my juices flowing for the new year. Margo Brooks

Thank you to everyone for entering our giveaway, to Michelle for her wonderful review, and to the publisher who so generously sent us a copy to review and a copy to give away!

Just so you know, our links to Amazon contain an Amazon Associates code, so if you purchase a book through one of these links, that's another small way to support our blog and future giveaways. Thanks everyone!