Wonderful Wednesday #43: Namaste Embroidery

We've featured the lovely patterns of Namaste Embroidery before, and I suspect we'll be featuring them again, if this lovely Nevertheless She Persisted kit is any indication.

I love the colors, textures, and sentiments in this gorgeous kit! The kit includes a link to Youtube videos that will walk you through your stitching - sounds super helpful. The kit also includes 10 skeins of DMC embroidery floss, hoop, fabric, needles and design - sounds like everything you'll need.

Twitter Tuesday #5: Angela Snape

Isn't this butterfly series by Angela Snape just beautiful? From her Twitter bio, Angela is a stitcher from Liverpool, England, and has a shop on Folksy, if you'd like to check out her crafty wares: https://folksy.com/shops/CoverStory. You can also find Angela on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coverstory_craft/.

Would you like to be featured in our Twitter Tuesday series? Then follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/feelingstitchy and tag your embroidery photos with #embroidery or #feelingstitchy so we can find you!

Wonderful Wednesday #42: Belinda Marshall Kits

Well I suppose by now it's fairly obvious what my favorite colors are - and you can see them all in play in this wonderful Printed Fabric Pattern by Belinda Marshall Kits on Etsy. I thoroughly appreciate the creativity in this abstract piece, and how restful it would be to work at such a pleasing form. I can't wait to see more kits in this exciting new Etsy shop!

Belinda in her own words, from her shop description:

"I am a visual artist {abstract painter} and designer {surface, embroidery} living in Melbourne and working from my studio in Brunswick."

Belinda also sells her fine art prints, cushions, and wall hangings on Etsy, don't miss that inspiring shop as well: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/BelindaMarshallArt

You can see more of Belinda's kits on Instagram: @belindamarshallembroideryworks.

Stitchy Snippets- Unusual Suspects

Check out these charming, embroidered pins by Coral and Tusk! These Merit Badges really appeal to my inner child. They certainly deliver cheer on those rainy days with an array of lovely characters and designs. Which one do you like?

Inspired by a love of animals and adventure, Coral and Tusk design a broad range of embroidered home textiles and gifts including endearing, animal pocket dolls!

Wonderful Wednesday #41: Quarter Inch Mark

How lovely is this Forest Hill Embroidery Pattern in the Quarter Inch Mark shop on Etsy? I love the attention to detail and the lovely colors that have been used to create this pattern!

Look at the beautiful whitework embroidery on this knit bag, a pattern which is also included:

If you'd like to learn more about this pattern - visit this blog post by their creator, Chase: http://quarterinchmark.blogspot.com/2017/05/forest-hill-embroidery-pattern-knit-bag.html

For more on Chase, visit -
Instagram: @quarterinchmark (https://www.instagram.com/quarterinchmark/)
Twitter: @quarterinchmark (https://twitter.com/quarterinchmark)
http://quarterinchmark.blogspot.com/

Twitter Tuesday #4: Sparkly Mouse

Sparkly Mouse is the handle of Louise Marie Jones, who has an Etsy shop of the same name (https://www.etsy.com/shop/sparklymouse) selling embroidered wares.

I first found Louise on Twitter via her the Old Bag Project (#theoldbagproject) which features photos of tons of cute hand-embroidered designs on an old backpack:

If you'd like to see more of what Louise is up to, be sure to follow her on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/sparklymouse

Louise is also on:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparklymouse/
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sparklymouse

Would you like to be featured in our Twitter Tuesday series? You don't have to be an Etsy seller, just someone who enjoys embroidering is fine, too!

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/feelingstitchy and tag your embroidery pictures with #embroidery or #feelingstitchy so we can find you!

Review: Colour Confident Stitching by Karen Barbé

It is a pleasure to review this fabulous new book, Colour Confident Stitching: How to Create Beautiful Colour Palettes by textile artist Karen Barbé. If you are at all curious about expanding your use of color and texture in your embroidery, this is the book for you!

Just so you know, the book link above is an Amazon Affiliate link - clicking through the link and buying is one way to support our volunteer reviews - we use funds in our Amazon account for new giveaways and reviews.

When I received this book from the publisher I was in the middle of planning some of my own projects, and I found reading this book and taking in the way Karen approaches color to be very inspiring. I had already started making little color cards of my own to keep track of my embroidery threads from project to project - Karen's approach of lining up colors as inspiration before you begin stitching is marvelous, too!

I find Karen's stitching within the book very inspiring - I am reminded of the loveliness of designers like Yumiko Higuchi, Irona Happa, and one of my favorite embroidery books ever, Handbook of Lettering for Stitchers by Elsie Svennas (read a wonderful overview of it on Pintangle).

Color Theory - The majority of the book is about color theory - and I love the way Karen writes about color. Her analysis of different color palettes, and how to develop them, is very inspiring. In particular, I love that she talks about how having a different color background can change the entire mood of the piece.

Color Palettes - I really enjoyed this section - there are 9 example color palettes drawn from a variety of different sources - fabric, collections, images, home, and places, just to name a few. They are all quite beautiful and could be a wonderful springboard for anyone who is intimidated by choosing a palette of colors for a new project.

Patterns - there are 5 projects in this book, so it is light on patterns. But I will say the patterns are versatile and they inspire you to think deeply about color.

Here are the patterns included and the stitch you will learn / practice with it:

• Sleeping Mask: Laid stitch, couched cross stitch, sewing, embroidery floss
• Embellished Knitted Sleeves: Duplicate stitch, crewel or tapestry wool
• Tea Towel with Woven Patches: Weave stitch, pearl cotton
• Framed Embroidery: Chain stitch, satin stitch, embroidery floss
• Cross Stitch Tea Party: Cross stitch on cardboard, embroidery floss

My favorite project was the framed embroidery, because it included 2 types of stitching I've been wanting to practice: densely packed chain stitches as outlines and geometric satin stitches.

Following along with the pattern was tricky for me since the pattern is quite small and thus requires for absolute precision in drawing and stitching.

Beginners, take note that you will feel less frustration if you enlarge the pattern on a copier and practice the intricate chain stitch. Tiny details are key in this project.

I broke up the large design into two parts, first a few chain-stitched motifs:

I would have loved to have a larger image of the stitching so I could decide how to tackle the project.

Second, I tried the satin-stitched circle, and practiced making woven patches:

My satin stitching is very far from perfect - but this small project was a great way to practice it! I used 4 strands of floss for the woven patches. You can see more of my process photos on my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nyfloresita/)

One of my takeaways after reading through this book and trying out the projects is just how detailed, meditative, and slow Karen's creative process is - it makes sense that she is a textile artist, because you can see how she is willing to take a time-consuming task and make it into an art piece.

Crafters who would love to add new stitches to their repertoire, learn to think about color in a new way, and appreciate detailed patterns and projects will love this book.

I highly recommend this book for all levels of stitchers, with a caveat for beginners - the stitches and processes in this book are not simple, but if you approach your work slowly and meditatively, you will be rewarded for your time.

To see more of the inside of this glorious book - visit Karen's blog for some lovely images:
http://www.karenbarbe.com/blog/colour-confident-stitching-book-is-here/

I also highly recommend a visit to Karen's blog - I spent hours happily scrolling through her gorgeous posts: http://www.karenbarbe.com/blog/. You can also find Karen on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/karenbarbe/

Stitchy Snippets - Translucent Exploration

Mariko Kusumoto works in several mediums, above all it is her fibre sculptures and jewellery that leave me awestruck. With a strong focus on craftsmanship and exploration of materials, Mariko's stunning fibre art is colourful, dynamic and radiates 'a playful, happy atmosphere'. A lot of her beautiful Fibre Art is wearable jewellery such as brooches, rings and necklaces. In Mariko Kusumoto's words: 'I always like to leave some space for the viewer's imagination; I hope the viewer experiences discovery, surprise, and wonder through my work'.

Wonderful Wednesday #40: Diana Watters

This Sea to Sky cross stitch pattern by Diana Watters Handmade on Etsy is just fabulous. I love the minimal textures and colors and modern look to this piece!

From Diana's bio on Etsy, this Toronto artist is: "a designer, and metal fabricator, that has a serious penchant for cross stitch and colour." I'm really looking forward to seeing more from her!

Follow Diana on Instagram: @dianawatters_handmade
(https://www.instagram.com/dianawatters_handmade/)

Twitter Tuesday #3: Well Embroidered

Today's feature is a gorgeous crewel work piece in progress by Well Embroidered (https://twitter.com/Wellembroidered), a Royal School of Needlework trained embroiderer.

It's been a joy watching this piece grow day by day - follow Well Embroidered on Twitter or on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wellembroidered/) if you'd like to see more!

Would you like to be featured in our Twitter Tuesday series? Be sure to follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/feelingstitchy), and tag your embroidery with #embroidery, #handembroidery or #feelingstitchy so we can find you!

Stitchy Snippets - Smocked Jewels

Check out this really unusual jewelry by UK based textile artist Tinctory. Luxurious silks are beautifully hand dyed using natural dyes from plants. Smocking is used to transform the fabric into wonderful shapes, textures and patterns. This traditional embroidery technique involves gathering fabric and holding the pleats into place with patterned stitches, which provide further adornment as well as being functional. Taking much inspiration from the world around her, Tinctory's jewellery resembles natural elements and appears as if it has been plucked from an English garden.

Twitter Tuesday #2: Paraffle Embroidery

Hello all! Today I'm featuring a lovely tweet by Paraffle Embroidery - a set of lovely embroideries stitched for a wedding.

Paraffle embroidery is an Etsy shop by Sammy Bishop featuring lovely patterns, kits, and original embroideries - be sure to pay her shop a visit!

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/paraffle
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paraffle_embroidery/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Paraffle_/status/874257255964827648

If you would like to be featured in our Twitter Tuesday feature, please tag your tweets #embroidery and/or #feelingstitchy!

Craft With Conscience Series by Sarah K. Benning

I am blown away by the latest interview of Michelle Kingdom on Sarah K. Benning's site - her work is so consistently innovative and breathtakingly beautiful and daring. I also had the honor of interviewing Michelle for our blog - here is that post.

The interview with Michelle is part of a larger series called Craft With Conscience - in Sarah's own words:

"This series arose out of my own frustrations related to seeing my work constantly copied stitch-for-stitch, sold without permission, and credited to other people. Rather than wallowing in unproductive negative emotions, I wanted to find a way to bring this common issue to light in a positive way. My solution was to share the work of artists, crafters, designers, and makers who I greatly admire for their originality and dedication."

I love the idea of using a negative experience as inspiration to share something positive and inspiring with the world. Definitely an idea I come back to, again and again, and my main source of inspiration as I write my posts for Feeling Stitchy.

I highly recommend a visit to Sarah K. Benning's site, and the Michelle Kingdom interview!

Wonderful Wednesday #39: Velvet Pony Design

The colors and textures in this Geometric Bear pattern by Velvet Pony Design on Etsy are amazing!

This Geometric Owl pattern is also quite adorable, with a similar woodsy palette. These are both fabulous intermediate cross stitch patterns!

Twitter Tuesday #1

Hi all, today I'm starting a new feature called Twitter Tuesday on Feeling Stitchy - on it I feature lovely embroidery I find on Twitter.

Click the photos or links to see more of the marvelous Twitter handles I'm featuring today - @omgembroidery, @margdier, and @messymaura .

Beetle embroidery by Marg Dier, @margdier on Twitter

Floral embroidery by The Messy Brunette, @messymaura on Twitter

Would you like to be featured in our Twitter feature? Be sure to follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/feelingstitchy or @feelingstitchy.

Tag your embroidery on Twitter with #embroidery and/or #feelingstitchy so we can find you!