Embroidery Week :: A Whale of a Good Time?

Whew..  where has the time gone?!?!?!  I feel like we have hardly done anything for embroidery week!!  Wait...  it can't be Wednesday already can it?!?

I have some small project shares today and a few patterns...oh and some other projects you guys have sent me!

When I saw the card from Becky yesterday (the one at the bottom of the post with the Lolly Bird)... I called MomChops eeee-mediately to tell her we NEEDED Wonder Under ASAP!  Being her crafty cool self she calmly informed me that she already had some and would drop it by.  I told her that it could wait till this weekend and not to make a special trip.

The next day...
I called her on my way home from work and she had finally seen the bird on the card pic that I had posted and guess what...that cool-as-a-cucumber-calm-exterior was GONE!  She was egg-cited as pie!  She started asking me all sorts of questions about how it was done, was it really ironed on to paper, etc...  so then I of course started to get excited too and the next thing you know she was at my house with the world's oldest roll of wonder under.  Ever.  It might have even been older than me.  I cannot be sure.  I should have the carbon dating results within a week.

She peeled off some for herself and then we started planning what we could do with it.  She kept asking me..  "...and you can really iron your fabric to paper?  Really?  I never knew.  Wow..  and you can really iron the fabric onto paper..." on and on (oh heck... who am I kidding... we were both gushing at this point)!  Me thinks I am going to have to do a little demo here soon..  Ok now is a good time right????  Wrong..  I can't.  No time!  But I'll do a test and share the results tomorrow.  What I really want to test this stuff with is felt (swoon)...gulp.  The coolness of that just overwhelmed me.  Hang on.  I need a breather.  Deep breaths Lolly.  Deep.

Ok..  back to embroidery week..  sorry about that little segway!

I decided that circles were in order today.  I did not try any fancy stitches..  just some chain, french knots and straight (really long criss-crossed straights).  I saw in a book where you outline your shape with chain stitches and then do straight stitches over them to give the shape that smooth yet ever-so-puffy look and wowsers..  it works like a CHARM!  Examples are below!

I traced some buttons onto fabric.
Nothing fancy at all.


I outlined the circles with a simple chain stitch.


Then I started to do long stitches over the edges and top of the circle...
to get it all filled in.


After I had two done I decided it was time for something new.


I did a chain stitch with some criss cross lines over the top
(using the same simple straight stitch as the outside border)
and then another border of chain stitch filled in with tiny french knots.

I have some bunching going on - but I think that's because I did not have my fabric on the hoop properly.  My bad...  I'll have to learn how to manage that as I go along!

So what else have I got?
Well I wanted to start to share how you can finish off those flower stems and leaves from yesterday with something other than straight embroidery... so... how about some bead embroidery?!?!?!  I just got a few stitches in (but I wanted to share where I was headed with this anyway).  I loves me some bead embroidery.  I shared a bead embroidery cuff bracelet I did a few months ago.  It's something I am the very most proud of.  Hands down.  You can check it out HERE if you want to take a peek.  I'll be back with more of this later.  I think you are going to like it!

How about some patterns?

Flower Stems and Leaves
 

AND


A Whale of a Good Time


AND

Some Trees


Ok just two more things...
Sarah G. of Missouri Star Quilt Company sent me another picture of the work she's been doing using my patterns..  and she managed to bust out a pack of mushrooms!!  YAY for rabid mushroom packs!

 

AND...
When MomChops came over last night with the World's Oldest Wonder Under she brought her version of Hank the Tree Stump and I wanted to share that too!  She says to tell you guys that she's a beginner..  so go easy on her (I think she's doing fabulously myself)!!!



Well..  that's all I gots for today!  I'll be back tomorrow with more patterns and more of my mad embroidery skillz (mostly mad - not so much embroidery)!!

If you have any pics to share send em'on!

Wednesday HUGS & Twig Kisses from Lolly and Hank!



P.S.  Sorry I have not written so many of you back.  I have been super busy at work and just super busy over all.  I am reading every single solitary one of your comments and I honestly love each and every word!  Please don't stop sharing the love.  It means a TON to me!  xoxoxox