Put A Bird On It

I spent most of the evening trying to learn a bunch of sophisticated stitches for my embroidery class. I'm making a sampler of sorts. It went.......okay. I think I left my StitchinBrain at work under the desk. I was having trouble following directions. I have to rework some of it later this week.

So, at the end of the evening, I used one of the new stitches I feel confident I learned. It is the Coral Stitch and I used it to make this bird. The stitch makes little knots along the line of stitching and works up pretty quickly. The bird is small enough it could go on a onesie like my little sheep from a few days ago.

Why a bird? Watch this video.... it gets totally odd at the end...I like the beginning part best

Sheep for a Onesie

I'm combing two of my classes for this week into one piece of art. I'm making clothes fancier (class 1) while learning more complicated embroidery stitches (class 2). This sheep pattern is specifically for a onesie from the class and the pattern is by Mollie from Wild Olive. I just need to get a onesie this week to stitch it on. Maybe I'll use another new stitch I learned as the decorative border around the sheep's circle.


I used split stitch on his wee face, backstitch on his ears and legs, french knot for his eyes. The brand new stitch from class for his fluffy floofs is called the Pekinese Stitch. It starts out with a backstitch and then gets bumpy curly. I somehow made it stand up a bit on a few of the sheep floofs, but I like it that way! I should figure out how to do it again.

Squishy Little Shiny Bluejay

Back on June 1st, I drew a Squishy Little Bluejay and here is his shiny cousin! As you can see by my thumb in the corner, he is quite tiny!

I sewed the large sequin on first and then winged it for the rest. Winged it....hee hee hee. 

And the inspiration for this.

Beading Practice Kitty Noggin Part 2

Class this week taught me how to add shisha embroidery to my art. Adding shiny objects like mirrors and sequins to embroidery like they do in India.


Now my kitty has shiny sequin eyes and a small smile. I practiced a few times on scrap fabric and the sequin kept falling out. Then POOF I got the technique all of a sudden. It's kind of like backstitching. Worked up pretty quickly :)

The sequin's package says they are washable so I am going to attach a few to a t-shirt for fun soon.

Beading Practice Kitty Noggin

I decided to go back and redo the lesson from yesterday's class instead of the cute hummingbird. To quote myself from yesterday "The actual lesson called for using a simple shape like a heart to practice beading techniques". My simple shape is a kitty noggin. I sketched a noggin on my twill fabric and then winged it.


It was soothing to be able to improvise as I went along while watching "So You Think You Can Dance". I ended up making a sequin ear and a bead ear, sequin whiskers and bead whiskers. Fancy kitty noggin!


I did have an actual kitty noggin in close proximity to this project so there are kitty hairs stuck to it in the photograph :)

Andrea Zuill's Hummingbird

I have been wanting to make this hummingbird pattern since Andrea Zuill posted it as her free pattern in April on her blog. And then today's lesson for my embroidery class was about adding beads and sequins to embroidery. I immediately thought of shimmery hummingbirds and their jewel toned feathers. The actual lesson called for using a simple shape like a heart to practice beading techniques on but I bit off a bit more tonight. And finished just under the wire for bedtime.


It's a magenta-throated hummingbird! I learned how to attach the eye bead with a french knot - tricky and cool looking!


So, I learned two new ways to attach beads. Also, even though I love sparkle and shiny, I don't regularly attach sequins to things so it was good to learn a few ways to do it. I used more of the variegated colored thread from Monday and last Friday's critters. I need buy more! And first write down the DMC number for them so I can get more. I tend to tear the labels off the thread before recording it somewhere.

Does someone have a good tip for photographing embroidery in the evening? I liked to photograph it with natural light but sometimes I'm finishing projects at 10 or 11 at night.

Let It Glow Lantern - Super Mario Style

Tonight's critter is the cute Invincibility Star from Super Mario games. He's all gussied up with some red and blue streamers in preparation for the Fourth of July.


He is embroidered on canvas using backstitch and split stitch with various glass beads attached.


And he is attached to a mason jar. Why is he attached to a mason jar?


So he can glow! There is an cinnamon apple scented tea-light in there :) I need to make a few more for the deck railing someday soon!

This is from my embroidery class that started today - I think there's still time to join in here!