Machine Embroidered Doodle Art

Ive always been a doodler of epic proportions, im not very good at keeping still and doodling lets me fidget without loosing my focus for some reason! So i knew a doodle had to be included on the picture wall :)

Originally it was just a black and white doodle as thats whats my doodles normally look like but it stood out for the wrong reasons - being too plain. So i knew it needed an injection of colour

So, inspired by the woodland for my origami foxes, i decided to do some free hand machine embroidery on the paper. The embroidery is very rustic and irregular as i wanted to keep the doodle theme going but i do love how its turned out, the colour has really elevated it to another level :)

Origami Foxes and Machine Embroidery Woodland

When i saw this post by How About Orange i knew i needed some origami foxes in my life! The post comes with a free printable background but i knew i wanted something different. So i decided to free hand machine embroider the background woodland scene. I really like how its turned out but i might change the frame its in, its squishing everything too much, but thats a job for the future!

Dopamine Embroidery

Making my cute little bird embroidery gave me a bit of an embroidery bug so i wanted to make something else. Id seen a few molecule embroideries (like this one by itsastitch) in the blogosphere and they definitely resonated with the scientist in me! But i wanted to create something a bit more personal to me. So, as two of my close family have battled Parkinson's Disease, i knew that Dopamine was the molecule for me! Although PD suffers lack their own Dopamine, synthetic Dopamine can give them their lives back so it really is a wonder molecule in my eyes. And the key to synthesising any molecule is knowing its chemical structure. Dopamine replacement therapy doesnt work forever, PD is degenerative and there is no cure, but this is my little thankyou for the extra time that knowing this structure has given me with the people i love

Bird Crewel Embroidery

I bought this crewel embroidery pattern months and month (probably years TBH) ago from June Craft. I fell in love with this cute little guy the minute i saw him and ive been trying to find time to make him ever since. And im so pleased i finally did - isnt he just the cutest! It was really easy too. I havent embroidered anything since i was a teenager but the pattern is really simple and comes with instructions for all the stitches you'll need.

Once i was done making him i trimmed the backing fabric and mounted him in the frame i made him in. He's now up on the picture wall in the kitchen

FYI As im not an embroider im not sure what makes Crewel embroidery different but it seemed very similar to the embroidery ive done before so don't let it put you off

Embroidery Hoop Bags

I think these embroidery hoop bags from always a project were one of the first things i ever pinned so im so pleased to have finally made them. Theyre really easy as long as you get you measurement correct or they dont fit over the hoops!


I added another rail to the craft room wall which these bags, and my scissors, will hang from.


They're just so bright and colourful and such a great idea. I plan to use them for ongoing projects, so i can tuck things out of the way while im working on something else or possibly use them as a scrap fabric/thread bag when im sewing. I get thread etc everywhere so if i can just tuck it straight into this bag to empty at the end it might make me a bit tidier!

Embroidery Wool Storage with Pegs

Organising week is in full swing! First off i wanted to organise my supplies themselves better, then once thats done i'll look at the overall set up of everything.
First up - embroidery wool.

This is how my wool currently lives, it totally puts me off doing any embroidery immediately :(
Ive seen lots of people use pegs to wind their thread/wool onto so i thought id give that a go.

 
Does it look gorgeous now! Its such am improvement, easy to find the colour, easy to use, easy to store and looks pretty cute too! The pegs are pretty sturdy soi think they'll just live in a box all together.

Blanket stitch embroidered baby blanket - baby boom!

George Digby Thomas was born on 26th March, a very welcome little addition for Neil and Adriana, and this is his blanket
 

Its a double layer of brushed cotton with white topstitching, a blue blanket stitch edge and a little G embroidered at the bottom corner
 

Simple but made with lots of love :)


 

Embroidered photos

Ive seen lots of amazing embroidered photos which i love but the skill and the detail of the embroidery is entirely beyond my basic experience! But i thought i might give a more basic version a go.
I printed off some free stock photos i found online and then stitched shapes onto them.

I think in the back of my mind they were for Valentines day (hearts and kisses etc) but as lovely BM is not a fan of V-day they were never going to get given so i need to think of what to do with them. I might just add them to birthday cards or possibly frame them, i like how they look when theyre 3 in a row... so this one is to be continued!

Embroidered Handwriting Card v2.0

I had another go at the happy birthday embroidered card this week. I tried to glue a border on it first but had a major glue fail (spray adhesive everywhere!) and nearly ruined the whole thing. I managed to get the glue off the embroidery but the card above and below was all messy. I couldnt bear to redo the embroidery so i cut around it and glued in on a Moroccan tile background i already had. Im quite taken with it, but im not sure its up gift standard so it might just stay with me for now.

Bunting gift tags

Following on from yesterday's embroidered tags, i also made some bunting gift tags - aren't they cute!! I think i prefer this style, with some applique instead of just embroidery, but maybe i just need a bit more practice at my embroidery...

Embroidered gift tags

I fell in love with the gorgeous machine embroidered gift tags at Mud and Twig on Etsy and i wondered if i could make something similar, but far less perfect, myself. They're really cute, i especially love the one with the presents. I got the tension all wrong with the hearts though and the back is just a knotty, thready mess but you live and learn!

Embroidered card

On a bit of card making session at the moment! I love embroidery but im not very good at it so i figured even i couldnt mess up something where i selected and made the holes myself first! I drew the words very lightly in pencil and then used a sharp needle (must be sharp, i runied the first version by using a blunt needle and bending the card!) to poke holes about 1cm apart, or closer on a curve. I then back stitched from one hole to the next in this beautiful coral thread i had. I think it needs a bit more embellishment before i can give it to someone, maybe a border.. i'll have a think and get back to you!

FYI A normal stitch goes up through hole 1, back down hole 2, up through 3, down through 4. Backstitching goes up through 2, back down 1, up though 4, back down through 3 etc

Needlepoint Clutch - finished!!

Ta-da!!! Finally my needle point clutch is finished and i love it, its going to be my favourite going out handbag thats for sure :)
Its a pattern by Purl Bee and I first blogged about this in January and then updated you the other week so im really pleased i finally finished it. It was a labour of love but it'll get loads of use out of it so i dont mind all the hours of hard work. Might be laying off the embroidery for a while though!

Embroidered clutch update...

Well im getting there with this project.... its only been 4 months since i posted about it! But i finally feel like ive broken the back of it. Fingers crossed, and life permitting, i might even get it finished in the next week. Just need to finish the last three rows, add in the contrasting colour areas, add the lining and the bind the edges and it'll be done - i'll keep you posted

Makes i like this week 23-April-12

Gorgeous quilt at sirbubbadoo

Hand printed tote at V&Co

Applique chevron hearts at sewing in no mans land

Beautiful thread pictures at Running with Scissors

Makes i like this week 10-Apr-12

Amazing thread installation by Anne Lindberg

Knitted easter bunnies at Mollie Makes

Star hair clips by Refinery 29

LED embroidery at the zen of making

Genius party punch wall at celebrate the big and small

Diy twists ties at u-create - why didnt i think of this!!

Needlepoint Clutch Bag

I love this needle point clutch bag over at Purl Bee. I've never done any needlepoint before but my gran was an excellent tapestry maker and embroiderer so maybe I will have inherited some of her skills! The tutorials over at Purl Bee really are excellent, you'll see that i post quite a few on here. I love the beautiful things they make and the clear way the explain them, all for free as well! Photos to follow once I get round to making it...