For months I’ve wanted to create a little project that combines my two favorite crafts: hand embroidery and boutis quilting… and ta-da – here it is! This will eventually be a top – so you can see where I drew in the neckline.
I did a backstitch on the lettering….
and french knots in the center of the flowers.
I absolutely LOVE how this looks and can’t wait to try the same concept on a more complicated piece.
One of my favorite embroidery activities is making a sampler. I use samplers to try a new stitch, or to see how certain colors work on a specific background or just because I want to “doodle” without committing to a large project.
There is no right or wrong way to make a sampler, but my favorite way is to divide a piece of fabric into a series of squares and then fill in each square with a doodle or sample. Filling the square gives me a good feel for the stitch or idea, and sometimes I end up with a little design that can be incorporate into a craft or sample book. Here is one sampler that turned out nice:
One of the ideas I wanted to test was my ability to stitch “freehand” writing. No pattern, no predefined font – just my writing on the cloth. The cloth I used was a scrap of linen from a previous project so the weave was large and loose:
I think it turned out perfect, and I plan to use this in a larger project.
How do you test your ideas? Do you have a preferred layout for samplers or do you just stitch wherever their is space? Do you have a sampler book where you keep all your samples?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
A Slower Season 