Stitch Showcase: Brick Stitch

Brick stitch is simply rows of back stitch next to each other and staggered, like bricks in the wall.

• Start by creating a row of backstitch (see here for a tutorial on backstitch)

• To create the next row, start the stitch about half way along the first (B)

• Complete the stitch, making sure the length of the stitch is consistent with the previous row (A)

• Create the next stitch again about halfway along the row above (C) and complete the stitch (B)

This canvas work sampler shows tow different examples of brick stitches, the light brown shows a block of bricks using longer stitches. Whilst the grey section the bricks are stitched in a diagonal direction.

The close up of one of my intuitive embroidery pieces shows two further examples of brick stitch. Can you spot them? A light green section in the centre of the photo shows three long, thin rows, whilst just below this there is a mustard coloured triangular section where brick stitch is used more as a filling stitch.

Want to try this stitch? It’s one I suggest as part of my monstera kit.

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12 Crafts of Christmas: Needle Felted Robin

Needle felting involves knitting fibres together using a serrated needle. The motion of stabbing the needle up and down tangles the fibres together and the shafts on the wool interlock to make the fibres into something more solid.

I’ve tried needle felting a few times, and like any craft it takes practice - I’m still not very good at avoiding stabbing my fingers at the same time as the wool! As Im still a novice, the needle felting projects I’ve tried have been from kits. If you are more experienced needle felter you can source the wool roving and other materials yourself and create your own robin design.

For all the materials and full instructions this is the kit I used to make the robin.

12 Crafts of Christmas: Beaded Stars

I love traditional German style wooden decorations and these beaded stars fit in with that theme but you can use any type of bead from plain wooden to the sparkliest shiniest beads you can find. The smaller the bead, the fiddlier it will be to make them, but the bigger they are you may need to add some support such as wire through the bead holes to support the shape.

There are different styles of star that you can make, at the end of the tutorial for this star, I’ll point you in the direction of a couple of other tutorials for different shaped stars.

You will need …

• Thread, bead elastic or wire - I use perle cotton as this allows me to create enough tension to stop the star getting floppy

• Beads - the size, shape, colour and material are up to you but bigger beads will need more support/thicker thread

• Needle - the hole needs to be big enough for the thread to fit through while the needle (and thread) need to fit through the hole in the bead

• Scissors - to snip the thread

How to …

• Take a length of thread (I tend to leave it attached to the skein/reel so I can get extra length if needed)

• Thread on 5 beads and then thread the needle through the first bead to create a loop

• Now to add the first layer - this is worked in the gap between the beads in the centre circle

• Thread on 4 beads and the thread the needle back through the first bead you threaded on, pull tight and arrange into a diamond shape

• Be careful not to pierce the thread with the needle as it will make it difficult to get the tension needed

• Repeat this so you have 5 diamond shapes, you could stop here if you wished!

• Now to add the long points of the star, these are worked either side of the top if the diamonds you created in the previous layer

• Bring your needle up through one side of the diamond and thread on 7 beads.

• Pass the needle through the 4th bead to create a diamond shape at the top of the point, pull tight to avoid the arm going floppy

• Thread the needle back through the other side of the diamond on the previous layer and make sure the beads lie as you want to

• Pass the needle through the centre circle to the next small diamond and repeat

• When you’ve created all 5 arms, make sure you are happy with the tension and then tie off both ends of the thread by knotting between beads and threading the ends though enough beads to keep it secure, trim the ends

• Cut a length of handing thread and pass it through the top bead of one of the arms and knot the ends together

Here are a couple of examples of two other star shapes you can make with this technique, for tutorials on these shapes, take a look at this blog and this blog for tutorials.

12 Crafts of Christmas: Rudolph Candy Canes

For the third Christmas craft, I’ve selected something nice and simple. There are different ways you can create these candy canes eg using paper or pre-made eyes or pompoms so this is my take on making Rudolph.

You will need …

• candy canes

• brown & red yarn (you could replace yarn with coloured paper)

• stickers & black pen

• scissors & glue

How to …

• Lay out two candy canes so the curved parts are facing away from each other. Take the brown yarn and start wrapping around the canes to create the body of the reindeer. Once it has been wrapped tie off securely

• Make a red pom pom by wrapping yarn around a fork. Then take a length of red yarn and tie tightly in the middle of the fork. Trim the mini pompom to create Rudolph’s nose. Stick the nose in place on the brown body using glue.

• On the white stickers, draw eyes as shown in the picture. Cut out the eye shapes and stick them on the body above the nose. Use some extra glue if needed. You could you googly eyes in place of stickers.

12 Crafts of Christmas: Crochet Penguin

The second project to be featured in my 12 crafts of Christmas is this crochet penguin. This is a great project whether you are a beginner with crochet or more experienced. It’s good for beginners as there is just one stitch and all of the elements are based on a circle.

It can be made with DK yarn which you can find in many pound shops, a 4mm hook and a darning/tapestry needle.

And best of all it is a free pattern! Which can be found on the Lion Brand website. I didn’t use the toy safety eyes, instead I created them using a French knot.

If you’ve never crocheted before there are tons of free tutorials out there, this is a great starting place.

Stitch Showcase: Stem Stitch

For a long time I didn’t really bother with stem stitch, I preferred using plain old backstitch or occasionally split stitch but I gave it another go recently and it’s grown on me, but I have to admit I only really use it when stitching plants! This is basically a back stitch but with the point at which we start the next stitch in the sequence altered.

• Bring the needle up through the fabric

• Take the needle down through fabric about 5mm along, but don't pull the thread completely through - leave a small loop.

• Bring the needle back up equal distance from each end of the stitch and in line with each hole. Gently pull through the loop until the stitch lies flat on the felt.

• Create another stitch a few millimetres along so that the total stitch length from start to finish is the same as your first stitch. Again create a loop and push the needle back through in between and in line with the previous holes

• It is important that each time you bring the needle back up you keep the loop of thread on the same side of the needle to create the wrapped effect of stem stitch.

The leaves in the header picture show that varying the number of threads for different parts of leaf stems gives strong centre vein but the rest of the leaf has a more delicate look.

Want to try this stitch? It’s a stitch I suggest using in my monstera kit, flamingo flower kit, floral sampler and sunflower sampler.

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12 Crafts of Christmas: Stitched Christmas Card

In 2014 I set myself a challenge of sharing a Christmas craft project every day during December. ⁠It was tough to craft something everyday alongside work, socialising, shopping and other things making my life so busy. But it really helped to get me into a Christmassy mood!

⁠Christmas 2020 is going to be different to most years, if you need something to get you in the Christmassy mood or to keep you busy because you’re not out at Christmas parties then I’ll be showcasing 12 of my favourite Christmas projects every other day during December.

Day 1 is this stitched Christmas card, it’s such a quick make and is great for sending a something personal and handmade to a friend or family member.⁠

What you need …

• Card (I used A6/C6 sized)

• Thread

• Needle (if using beads it will need to fit through the hole)

• Beads & sequins (optional)

• Scissors

• Scrap paper, pencil, ruler (to make the template)

• Paperclips

How to …

• Start by creating a tree template using scrap paper, a pencil and ruler. The size of your template will depend on the size of your card. I made my template by folding the paper in half and drawing a line about 4cm at a right angle to the fold, then measuring up 11cm and drawing a line to create a triangle 8.5cm by 11cm. I then measured notches 1cm apart as this would indicate where I made my holes in the card. Cut out the template

• Open the card out flat and place the template in the centre of the card, once you are happy with the position, use the paper clips to hold it in place.

• Using the needle (or a pin) start making holes in line with the notches. Make sure that you have the card open so you don’t pierce the back of the card. The easiest way to pierce the holes is to lay the card on a surface such as a cushion.

• Take a length of thread and thread the needle, make a neat knot in one end. Bring the needle through the bottom left hole you have just made from the back to the front. Thread on a bead and then take the thread across the card and pass the needle through the bottom right hole to the back. Make sure the thread is pulled tight, but no so tight that the card bends

• Bring the needle through the next hole up on the right hand side (being careful with tension). Thread on a bead and then pass the needle through the next hole depending on the option you want to stitch - you can either use parallel lines or zigzag lines.

• Continue stitching in this way until you’ve reached the top. If you have a sequin then attach this at the centre top point (I used a small bead to attach this, but you could use a smaller sequin or a French knot.

• Before you fasten off check the tension across at the threads is OK then tie a knot as close as possible to the card as you can. Trim off the tails of any knots. If you can’t get the knot secured as you want then a bit of tape can be used.

Five needle types you need to know about for hand embroidery

My favourite pin cushion isn’t a pin cushion but a ‘needle’ cushion. I’ve accumulated many needles over the years and in this pin cushion I can sort them into their different types (I also love that they look like the spines on a cactus).

I find that most of the time it doesn’t matter what type of needle I use (as long as it has a decent point, a big enough eye and isn’t too thick) but it’s well worth being able to tell the different types of needles apart.

Here are the five different types of needles I use for hand embroidery (shown from left to right in the picture below):

• Sharps - are used for general hand sewing, they have a small eye as generally only one strand of sewing thread is used at a time

• Crewel - this is the needle to use for hand embroidery it has a slightly longer eye than a sharps needle to allow threading of multiple strands of thread

• Tapestry - has a large eye & blunt end to pass thick tapestry yarn through canvas without splitting it, thinner versions are also used for cross stitch

• Chenille - is a cross between a sharps needle and a tapestry needle in that there is a large eye and a sharp point, it’s great for stitching with yarn on fabric (rather than canvas)

• Beading - the thinnest needle so that it can fit through the smallest seed bead hole it is long and thin and can be very difficult to thread, it’s also really flexible.

Each of these comes in different lengths or thicknesses and if you want to read more about different needle types, diameter, lengths and what those numbers mean in terms of sizes then John James have a great needle guide.

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Stitch Showcase: Needle Weaving

If you’ve ever woven with a loom then needle weaving is a version of this just on a much smaller scale. It’s also the same technique you’ll use if you need to darn a sock or jumper.

• To start you need to create the warp threads, these should be long, parallel stitches in one direction (A to B).

• The steps for satin stitch here can be used for creating the warp threads

• The warp threads don’t have to be laid tightly together, but if they are spaced, make sure the spacing is even

• The weaving can be done in the same thread or a different one, the weft thread is passed over and under the warp threads (C to D)

• On the next row it is passed under and over ie the opposite way.

• Different textures can be created by passing over or under different numbers of threads or using the same pattern on multiple rows.

Normally all the weaving is done above the surface, but I’ve found that I maintain tension better and don’t get a pulling effect if I anchor the end of each row with a tiny stitch through the fabric.

The blue sampler shown in the header picture uses two different thicknesses of thread with the weft thread the thicker one, this creates a much tighter weave and didn’t need to anchor at the end of each row because of this.

Want to try this stitch? It’s one I suggest using in my elephant ear plant kit.

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Roman Ruins Inspiration

For the past few years I have made my partner a calendar from photos I take on our Summer holiday. As we didn’t get to go away this year due to the pandemic, I had to choose pictures from my archive. My two choices were ‘romans’ or ‘football’ as I have to live with this calendar too I chose ‘romans’.

When browsing the pictures to select them for the calendar, I also came through a few that have got me thinking about how I can incorporate these into my embroidery work. These are all from Pompeii and Herculaneum which I visited in April 2017.

Stitch Showcase: Lazy Daisy Stitch

Lazy daisy stitch is also known as a single chain stitch, and that’s all this stitch is - one chain stitch. It’s great to use to create the petals of flowers.

• Bring the needle up through the fabric at the point where you want your stitch to start (A)

• Take it back down as close as possible to the original hole (B)

• Gently pull the thread through until you have a small loop - don't pull fully tight at this point

• Push the needle up through the fabric at the point where you want the stitch to end, 5mm is a good length (C)

• Create a tiny straight stitch over the loop so it can’t come loose (D).

Lazy daisy stitches can be worked randomly, but commonly they are placed in a circle to form a flower.

Want to try this stitch? It is one I recommend using in my lavender embroidery kit.

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How to gather the fabric at the back of an embroidery hoop

Once you’ve finished your embroidery and want to put it on display the easiest way to do this is to display it in the hoop you stitched it in. 

Many of the different techniques to finish off the back of an embroidery hoop for display require the fabric to be gathered first so that none of the excess fabric peaks out and so it also lies flat on the wall. 

• Before you start you may need to straighten up the embroidery in the hoop and make sure the screw fixture is at the top of the hoop as this is how you will hang it on the wall. Don’t forget once you have straightened it up to re-screw the fabric as tight as possible.

• Trim any excess fabric, but don’t trim too close to the hoop - you need some fabric to be able to overlap to the inner hoop for all methods about 1.5-2cm is perfect (it doesn’t need to be trimmed in a perfect circle but just make sure you get as close as you can). 

• Take a long length of normal sewing thread - long enough to go round the circumference of the hoop twice (to give some nice long ends to pull on to gather).  

• Tie a BIG knot in one end - it doesn’t have to be neat as it will get the chop later - but you do need to make sure that it won’t pop through the weave of the fabric as you sew

• Stitch around the fabric in a running stitch - each stitch should be reasonably long (around 1cm). Your stitches should be about 5mm from the edge of the fabric but don’t worry if it isn’t even from the edge all the way round.  

• Once you’ve stitched all the way round and get back to the starting point, gently pull on the knot end slightly whilst holding the other end so you have two tails.

• Then pull on one of the tails while holding the other to gather the fabric. Once it is gathered maintain the tension and tie the two tails together. It is tricky to maintain the tension so do a single knot first and then pull to tighten before doing the second (double) knot. Don’t pull too hard otherwise you risk breaking the thread.

• You can either leave it like this or pull the fabric at the back extra tight by stitching across the back from opposite side to opposite side.

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Stitch Showcase: Whipped Backstitch

Whipped backstitch is a stitch that I’ve used for a lot of projects, it’s great for creating a line of stitching where you don’t want to see the individual stitches for example, plant stems or lettering.

• Backstitch is the foundation and then floss is wrapped around each of these stitches to create a cord effect

• Start by backstitching the complete length of the line you want to embroider (see here for how to create a backstitch line)

• To wrap the backstitch, bring the needle up at the end of the backstitch length (A)

• Pass the needle under the first backstitch from right to left (B)

• Repeat on the next backstitch again passing from right to left (C to D)

• Continue until the floss is wrapped around all the backstitches

• To finish push the needle back down through the fabric.

You can vary the number of strands used for the foundation and the wrapping part of the stitch. This in progress shot shows the foundation backstitch with one strand and the wrapping thread is all 6 strands. In this banner the script writing is done in whipped backstitch and you can’t see the stitches just beautiful raised texture writing.

Want to try this stitch? It’s one I suggest using in my elephant ear plant kit.

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Stitch Showcase: Long and Short Stitch

Long and short stitch is a great way to fill large areas if satin stitch isn’t suitable or you want a more textured look. It is a variation on satin stitch, where the area is covered using one long stitch, but instead of covering the whole area with one stitch you are breaking that one stitch up into several sections of random lengths. It is the different lengths that add the texture.

• Starting at one edge make stitches of varying lengths (A to B).The aim is to make sure that stitches next to each other don't start and finish in line.

• Once one side of the area has been stitched then move on to fill the next section (C to B)

• It is easiest to work long and short stitch in sections. Try to divide the area to be filled into two or three sections. The header picture is stitched in two sections, the light green and the dark green

• If stitching in three sections then stitch the outer and inner edges first before filling in the middle.

The picture below shows long and short stitch in progress and shows the texture that can be created when using one solid colour.

Lucy Freeman uses a lot of long and short stitch in her colourful botanical embroideries. This is a piece I stitched from one of her kits. It is stitched with all 6 strands of embroidery floss using long and short stitch. The green outer edge and light pink inner edge are stitched first before the central bright pink.

Want to try this stitch? It is one that I recommend using in my crocus embroidery kit.

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Stitch Showcase: Split Stitch

When I first encounter split stitch I wasn’t a big fan but as I’ve used it in more projects it’s one I now love. At its basic level it is a backstitch with a bit of variation in where you bring up the needle to start each stitch. It’s a great stitch for any botanical based embroidery, so if you are a plant lover then this is one to practice.

• Create a stitch as if you were starting running or back stitch (A to B)

• Then bring the needle back up through the fabric about 1mm along the stitch you just made (C)

• Carefully poke the needle through the fabric and through the thread so that you 'split' the strand/strands evenly

• Complete the stitch (D) making it the same length overall as the first stitch.

• This method can be a bit tricky so an alternative method that I find a bit easier is to create the first stitch, then bring the needle up through the fabric at the point where you want the next stitch to end (D). Then poke it back down through the thread to split the strand/strands into two even parts (C).

• This stitch can be worked with just one strand of thread. If working with multiple strands it is best to have an even number otherwise there is a slightly lopsided split

Split stitch can be used in different ways in the same piece. In this tree blossom embroidery there are some parts stitched using one strand and split stitch, other parts use two-stranded split stitch and other parts has lines of split stitch next to each other to create a thicker branch.

Split stitch can works well with single strands of thicker thread to create a plaited effect as shown in this word art embroidery.

Want to try this stitch? It’s a stitch I recommend in my elephant ear plant kit, spring blossom kit, snowdrop kit and crocus kit.

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One rule for picking the right thread for your embroidery project

When you are first starting out learning embroidery the default recommendation is to use six-stranded embroidery floss. This thread is great for the traditional styles of hand embroidery but don’t assume that this is the only thread you can stitch with. If you want to start experimenting more with embroidery, changing up the thread you are using is a surefire way to get a different look.

But the one rule I wan to share if you are going to experiment in this way by using different threads is …

“The type of thread you use should match the project that you are making”

‘Of course’ you may be shouting at your screen right now but let me explain a bit more.

There are so many different types and styles of embroidery - gold work, Hardanger, canvaswork and not to mention modern embroidery artist such as Elizabeth Pawle artists who work with yarns rather than floss.

Some of the more traditional styles of embroidery use particular threads for very good reasons:

Gold work

This technique uses thicker threads so that you can see the beautiful gold detailing that this style is based on.

Hardanger

Size 5 & 8 perle cotton is used for this type of embroidery because you need this thickness of thread to hold the warp and weft threads when you cut out the holes.

canvas work

When working on canvas then using tapestry wool is best to make sure the larger holes in the canvas are covered up appropriately.

Modern embroidery

I like to use yarn (I have a big stash from knitting and crocheting projects). The main reason for this is that the yarn fills up the larger space much quicker than floss would. But it also creates a different look and feel to the piece.

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Stitch Showcase: Seed Stitch

Seed stitch is basically a running stitch but stitched randomly rather than in a line and is a great decorative stitch especially when you want to fill a space but still see the backing fabric.

• Bring the needle up from the back of the fabric (A)

• Take it back down a few millimetres along (B)

• Repeat this at different angles (eg C-D) and with different spacing between the stitches.

• The stitches can be of the same length or differing lengths.

• Seed stitch can also be layered up with the ‘seeds’ overlapping and this works particularly well when using different threads that overlap.

The light blue section of this sampler shows how seed stitches can be layered over each other and how different thicknesses of thread and stitch length can also add variation. It’s also really effective when used to emphasise colours in the fabric. Seed stitches were added intuitively to this hand dyed piece of fabric to highlight areas of colour.

Want to try this stitch? It’s a stitch I suggest using in my heart stitch sampler kit and floral sampler kit.

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Andy Warhol Inspiration

In between lockdowns I was able to visit Tate Modern to see the Andy Warhol exhibition. Normally, I avoid exhibitions at the Tate Modern as they are crowded and I feel I can’t take the time I want to read the captions or enjoy the pieces. With social distancing measures in place, I had the time and space I normally crave.

I’ve seen several Andy Warhol exhibitions before, the first was in Vancouver in 1995, and a number of the pieces from that exhibition were included in this one (Coco Cola bottles, Soup Cans, Marilyn’s) but these were either pieces that I hadn’t seen in the intervening 25 years or new takes on them - such as the Marilyn lips.

There was also a focus on this exhibition of Andy’s sexuality and his links with queer culture. There was one room full of his work that I’d never seen before, screen prints of drag queens and transsexuals he had met and invited into his studio.

The last room held his huge final work, repeated images of the last supper, the immense scale of this piece was impressive and impactful.

Stitch Showcase: Chain Stitch

Chain stitch is one of my favourite embroidery stitches as it can add some wonderful texture to a piece of work. It can be stitched in a single row or closer together to create a basket effect. A single chain stitch on its own is know as a lazy daisy stitch.

• Bring the needle up through the fabric (A) then back down as close as possible to the original hole (B)

• Gently pull the thread until there is a small loop - don't pull fully tight

• Push the needle up through the fabric where the stitch should end (C) when pushing the needle back up make sure it goes through the centre of the loop

• Gently pull the needle all the way through so that the loop ends up the same length as the stitch and lies flat

• To create the next stitch push the needle back down as close as possible to the spot it came up (D), this should be inside the stitch just created

• Repeat until the chain is the desired length

• At the end of the chain, secure the final chain by stitching the last stitch over the end of the loop rather than inside it (E & F)

Chain stitch can be used as a filling stitch and looks great when several rows are stitched together, each row in the opposite direction.

It can also be stitched as a single chain to create an outline such as in this free kit from Mollie Makes designed by Zeena Shah. In this example, I also filled the chain stitches with a straight stitch in a contrasting colour to fill the centre of the chains.

Want to try this stitch? It’s a stitch I suggest using in my flamingo flower kit.

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To knot or not to knot when hand embroidering

In the ‘old days’ the quality of the back of the embroidery was as important as the front as it showed a lady’s skill in embroidery.

I’m a real advocate of knotting the thread when starting or finishing my embroidery. Why? Because I’m a bit lazy and I don’t always pay attention when starting off a new thread and have ended up pulling the thread completely through after one or two stitches (and roll my eyes every time I do this).

But there are certain occasions where even I will not knot:

• when the back does need to look identical to the front such as in Hardanger

• when the embroidery needs to lie completely flat such as for pieces that are framed

• embroidering on clothes where a knot in the wrong place could be irritating

• where the fabric just won’t take a knot as the holes are too big

• when you are stitching on thin fabric and everything going on in the back of the work shows through

The photos below show the difference between a piece where knots were used and a piece where they weren’t used, but no-one is going to see these when these pieces are on display.

Do you knot or not knot?

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