Instruction Sheets for Hydrangea and Geraniums, and the Rose

Lets try this. I hope it helps you while Google decides to undo the blocking of my PDF files.
Here are the instruction sheets in JPEG form. The size may be off, but if you freehand your design, it should allow you to continue with your stitching.
If you print them off in a standard 8 1/2" by 11", the size should be right.
Have fun!





Here are a few more variations you may try in one of your sections. I do not have a template for you. I think it may be fun to sue these as inspiration when designing new designs for your pincushion.

How about sweet peas and a hummingbird? The sweet peas are lazy daisy stitches.


I am not sure I like how I created this queen annes lace, but I love the addition of a little butterfly. I used mainly straight stitches to create the flower.


Here is the poppy flower. It is made with small straight stitches.


Finally, I am showing you my version of hollyhocks. I used a blanket stitch in a circle to create the flowers. You can find the blanket or button hole stitch (same stitch, different name) on my blog on my stitch tutorial page. Mary Corbet's Needle N Thread will walk you through just about any stitch in video form. Find them here.


Good luck. I'll keep working on getting those PDF instructions to you. Hopefully that will happen soon.

I want to wish you all a Very Happy and Creative New Year!
I hope it brings you many new projects and ideas. Lets all create a wonderful new year!

Jill

Summer Garden Pincushion Tutorial, Part 6 and a Bonus Flower

Its time for the final 2 flowers! Here are the instructions for the Hydrangea and Geranium Flowers.
They are quite similar. If you would like a bit more variety, I am also giving you instructions for a Rose section.

Here are the downloadable instructions for all of these flowers. The geranium and hydrangea are together since they are nearly the same in stitches and shape.

Summer Garden Hydrangea and Geranium Instructions
Summer Garden Rose Instructions

Here are a few images to show you how they look. I want you to notice that I did not stick to any specific colors or patterns for each example. I think variety is the spice of life! Go for it.
Hydrangea



Geranium



Roses


Here are today's stitches.
I think you will see that you have used all of them so far in other flowers, so for the hydrangea and geranium you are ready to stitch!




The most common stitch to the hydrangea and geranium flowers are tiny lazy daisy stitches.


You may choose to wrap your stem stitches for the hydrangea, since it is a woody stem in nature. Geraniums are a bit thinner. I kept the leaf pattern vague. I think you should decide how you would like to approach them. I like a simple fly stitch. For larger leaves, I may use a satin stitch and add a second color, one on each side of the leaf.


When you get to the Rose, you may need to learn a new stitch. The Bullion Stitch is so wonderful! I just love it. It has texture, it can be made as short or long as you like. It is really fun to do. Just think of it as an extra long french knot!
I do not have a tutorial up for this stitch on my blog. I am going to send you to see a wonderful and very expert stitching expert, Mary Corbet. She may be responsible for teaching thousands of people how to embroidery. Not only does she teach you how, she shows you in both a picture form and a video form! She also has created The Hand Embroidery Network. Its a wonderful place for stitchers to learn and share their work. She inspired and taught me much of what I know about embroidery. She speaks to both the beginner and the expert. She is so very talented and generous.

Every thing you wanted to learn about Embroidery, is here- Needle N Thread.
Her Videos can also be viewed on U-Tube at her channel- Needle N Thread
Her Stitch videos on her Web Site, Needle N Thread are here.

Here is her Bullion Stitch video tutorial.

Once you have your 6 sections of flowers embroidered, all you have to do it put it all together!
Tutorials for the final steps are on my blog.

First, you should Block your Embroidery. This gets all the stitching nice relaxed. it will lay flatter and any imperfections will seem to disappear.
Find out how to Block your Embroidery Here

Next, follow the Classic Pincushion Tutorial to sew the top and bottom pieces together. Use linen for both. Use green or cream Perle Cotton, Size 5 to tie off each section.
I recommend that you use Emery, but you don't have to. You can learn more about Emery Here.
You can add a bit of lavender to the stuffing for a surprising aromatherapy session each time you use your pincushion.

Finally, create an Embroidered Button. You will find that tutorial here. You can use a standard button if you like. I really think that the embroidered version is perfect for this project!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial. I have received so many wonderful comments along the way.
I am so sorry that I did not get all of the patterns up in time for you to give this pincushion for Christmas. I really tried.
Better late than never. Finish your pincushion and give it anyway! I have a feeling the recipient will not be too upset.


Thanks for all of your support and kindness. I love my blog because of you! I love to share my ideas and I am always thrilled to know that you are sharing your talents as well. I am trying to make time to visit your blogs. I have enjoyed getting to know you very much. It is such a joy to be a part of a creative family such as our own!


I'd like to post some of your pincushions. Please send me your images and a bit of info about yourself to my email address, jillverbick@gmail.com. I'd love to see how you are doing!

Happy Stitching!!!

Joy to You Today and Always!

I don't know why, but I completely fell apart this Christmas. It was the most disorganized, discombobulated and all around dizziest of holidays. Whew! I'm not quite sure what happened. I was a crazy year. However after a very lovely day with my amazing boys and their wonderful families and I have come to the conclusion that its all good in the end. Its not about the all the wrappings of the season, its love.

To be so loved and to love so deeply is the greatest gift of all.

I do have to tell you how dreadfully sorry I am to have not finished my pincushion tutorial for you by Christmas. Please accept my most sincere apology. I just don't know what to say. Do know that I really tried. With the new baby coming, my mom's passing and a recent family upheaval, the last few weeks literally left me with not a moment to spare.

I will try to get those last flowers up by this weekend, just in case, you have an understanding gift recipient or a late holiday gift exchange. The final touches are not too hard. In fact, if you go to the Classic Pincushion Tutorial, it will walk you through the final construction of this pincushion.

I would love to extend a holiday discount to you all in my Etsy Shop.
You may take 15% off any Ready To Ship Item from now until December 31st.
Just use the coupon code FiberSanta15.

Here a just a few items you may choose from. You might recognize some of the textiles from a recent post.
Pretty Vintage Doily on Cherry Red Felted Wool

A Round Patchwork Pincushion in fun 1930's reproduction prints.

A Sweet Vintage Embroidery with Red Rick Rack Trim


Here is my newest little Owl Pin Assortment. The owls were so darn cute I just had to give them a special little home.


I wish you all the Happiest of Holidays and a very creative and wonderful New Year!

Summer Garden Pincushion Tutorial Part 4 and 5

I hope you haven't given up on me! My life has been so crazy busy these days. I have been struggling with everything lately. Whew its been a tough year. The good news is that I am going to be a grandma for a second time! The challenge has been that this little one is giving his poor mom a bit of trouble. She is healthy and fine, but poor mom has needed lots of rest. I have been blessed with taking in my 1st grand daughter more than usual. She is the love of my life but her enthusiasm and energy keeps me hopping.

I promise to give you the final flowers in the next week. Here are 2 fun flowers. I put them in every pincushion I make. I also get requests for pincushions with nothing but sunflowers. Here is one of them-


One of my favorite flowers is the daisy. I gave this one a bit of flair. It may be more of a Gerbera Daisy which has so many fun color possibilities. As with all of the flowers in this tutorial, please feel free to mix up your color choices. If you do, I suggest that you do a little test flower on a scrap of linen, just to see how things will look when different colors play together.

You won't have to learn any new stitches this time. We will be using a few old favorites for both flowers.
The Lazy Daisy is the perfect petal stitch. When you add them together, one after another you will be making the Chain Stitch.
That same stitch can take on a new look just be opening up the base of the stitch. That is called an open Lazy Daisy. When the stitches touch at the base, it is called a Closed Lazy Daisy Stitch.

Here is a simple illustration. (please check back for photos)


I think you will find that most of the embroidery you may do involves just a few stitches. The variation comes in how you place them and the size and color you choose.
here are some examples how the Sunflower looks just by changing up the colors.



The daisy is just as easy. (I'm having a bit of a problem getting photos to load. Check back soon to see examples)


If you shrink and simplify the daisy, use a variety of blues, you suddenly have a Forget Me Nots. How fun is that!?!


I love them all! Even the pincushion on top is another variation on the same flower using a different combination of stitches. It can be just that easy.

I have 2 downloadable instruction sheets for you.
Summer Garden Sunny Sunflower Section
Summer Garden Dearest Daisy Pincushion Tutorial

Here are a few larger photos of the sunflower and daisy. Its hard to see each stitch when showing 3 strands of embroidery floss. I've used Perle Cotton in size 5 to show you how I've created these flowers.




I am having a bit of problems getting my photos to load so I am going to end for now. Please check back in a day or so. I hope to have all of the illustrations up soon.

The next post will have our final flowers. In the interest of giving you enough time to get your stitching done, my posts may be a bit more brief than I had hoped. I will be giving you at least 2 more flowers. The last post will include Hydrangeas and Geraniums. They are incredibly close in how they are stitched, so you will find them to be very easy to make. In fact, you know the stitches. If you are impatient, give them a try by looking at the completed pincushion on the top of the page. Use a bit of practice cloth the first time you give them a try. They have such tiny stitches!

I know you would love to have the roses on your pincushion. They involve one last new stitch. I'll be tackling that flower next. The rose involves a bullion stitch center, surrounded by open lazy daisy stitches. They will be easier than you think.
If you are adventurous, there are many rose tutorials on-line using a wide variety of stitches.

I hope you had a very wonderful Thanksgiving. I know that I am very grateful for your support, your kind comments and the creativity we share.
I'll be back soon!

Lots of Goodies...

Hello to you all! I have a feeling we are all busy as the holidays approach. Anyone who gives hand made gifts knows what I'm talking about. I believe that those are the best. I can't remember the last time I gave my mom a gift from a store. She treasured every one of them from warm blankets to cuddle up with to little warm little stitched messages of love. It doesn't take much to show someone you care. I hope you all find time this year to give a bit of yourself to those you love.

I wanted to give you an update on the next section of our Summer Garden Pincushion. I'll be posting 2 flowers in the next post. They use the same stitches. Better yet, there will be nothing to learn. The daisy and sunflower use stitches we already used. The way they come together is what makes them so pretty and different from each other. Check back early next week for that lesson. I will also be showing you some progress on a custom order I am working on. Occasionally I get a request for a new flower. This time its the Poppy. While I don't quite have the time for an instruction sheet on this flower, I'll show you how I designed it. I hope that gives you the inspiration to play with some ideas you may have in adding your own touch to your pincushion!

Between orders and tutorials I'm trying hard to squeeze in some new items for my Etsy Shop. Here are two new additions I added today. I have so many new fabrics and trinkets on hand. Its hard not to take some time to play now and again. This one is a double decker doosy! Its bigger than most, but that print and the large ceramic button just begged for some room to play. Find it here.



This pincushion is a variation on my tomato design. I've been admiring some fussy cut quilts lately. I picked up a sweet paisley print and I wanted to do a bit of experimenting. There will be more versions on fussy cuts soon. Its fun to let the fabric work every once in a while! If you saw my stash you would be itching to play with fussy cuts too! You can find this pincushion in my shop here.



I always have something in progress. I encourage you to take 10-30 minutes a day just to be inspired. Look at your new or old fabrics and let them tell you what to do. If they are quiet, just start cutting! I have a stash of strips in measured widths and some wonky pieces at the ready at all times. When I have a few moments I pick up a book and give a block or a stitch a try.


Here are a few of my current adventures. I actually have a box of blocks and embroideries! Some are dead ends and some are gems just waiting for a debut. If I didn't play now and again I think I would suffer from boredom burnout. You can only make the same thing just so many times before it gets stale and totally non-fun.


I have been so busy with custom orders that my playtime has been limited to a few minutes here and there. I feel total guilty the whole time because I know people are waiting for their orders. It is getting so hard that I finally had to decide to not take custom orders until after the holidays! That has not been well received. I am not good at saying no, but the requests continue so for now I've been able to say, "Can you wait till January?".

If my customers could just see all the pretty things I have in my head just waiting for uninhibited playtime, I know they would have more patience!
Then it dawned on me. If they could see what I see, maybe they would be as excited as I am to see what is coming if I only had time to play.
So here is a glimpse into the goodies I have been adding to my stash. When I can finally sit down with them and let them talk to me, there is going to be a creative party like no other!
I have so many ideas in my head I'm about to burst! So if you have seen my "No Custom Orders" note in my shop, please be patient.

The best is yet to come!

Just look at these....








These are just the fabrics! Did you see those lovely feed sacks! They are to die for. I'll be sharing a tutorial next year on how to design with prints. If you want some of your own, I got most of these feed sacks from Vintage Notion on Etsy. Jeong is lovely to work with, the service was outstanding and her selection is truly amazing.
I have new books with lovely wool felting ideas, patchwork books, applique books and then there is my brain.. just brimming with ideas.
I have sooooo many pretty buttons, crazy quilt embellishments, vintage doilies, buttons, laces and rick rack in a rainbow of colors! Its nearly impossible to be surrounded with these and not be able to play with them! Could you?

Well, now that I am drooling once again, I better stop. I have some work to get done. Maybe there will be an end in sight to my responsibilities and play time will be here. I'm hoping to fill my shop with holiday goodies featuring some of these wonderful materials.

I just finished a pear using these fabrics. I won't be taking orders for them till February. I just wanted you to see what I've been working on and how these fabrics inspired me to be unique in my work. This was just a joy to make. I hope the person who receives this is thrilled. I think it is one of my best yet!


In the meantime, I can't wait to share my new flowers with you. I think you will enjoy your play time with these pretty posies!

And remember.... its essential to find your own adventure. Take time to do the things that inspire you. Be sure to set a few boundaries. Yes dinner may be late, but you will whistle when you cook if you take time to feed your soul first!


And..more importantly... share your creative spirit with those you love. If you think your work isn't good enough, you are very wrong. A gift from the heart and from your hands is more precious than gold. You will touch those you love when you give a bit of yourself.


Talk to you soon!

Summer Garden Tutorial Part 3 - Mums for Mom!

I would like to dedicate this Pincushion series to my mom, who recently passed. It has been hard and I so appreciate your kind comments and your patience in waiting for this next step. She was my mentor, my best friend and my greatest supporter. It just seems so appropriate to create the Mum flower this week. How perfect! I know she is looking down on us and enjoying the creativity we share. Here is to you MOM! I love you!

This project has been chosen by DMC in the Mid-Summer Inspiration Feature! That makes all of us stars! How exciting is this. It is such an exciting year for Fiberluscious and all of my fellow fiber artists. I had 10 followers for the first 2 years of my blog. I've been growing fast and I am so grateful for all who have joined me. We've come along way baby!


Lets create some mums!
This is such an easy section. The new stitches to learn are the straight, stem and fly stitches. The french knot was created in the Lovely Lavender section.


You can find great videos on the web to learn these stitches. I have a page on my blog showing all of the embroidery stitches we will be using on this pincushion. Find them here.

The illustration below will show you the steps for creating the Mums for Mom section. I'll also talk you through them.
I have a Downloadable Instruction Sheet for the Mums for Mom Instruction Sheet you can use to create this section. It includes the DMC colors used along with a stitch legend and step by step instructions. Find it here.
If you need help with how to create each stitch, go to my Stitch Tutorial Page. Just follow the steps. If you would like to print the below image, you can just click Here.


Step 1
The tutorial download has the pattern for this section on it. Here is the actual size image. I recommend that you sketch this one out freehand. It can be hard to sketch on bumpy fabrics. So, loosely sketch your flower design onto your linen. Be sure to use a water soluble or friction (heat erasable) pen. You don't have to be exact.
As you can see here, I actually made a few adjustments as I stitched so each part of the flower fits in with the leaves, stems and buds.


Step 2
Begin by stitching the deep orange petals using a straight stitch. Its one of the easiest and most commonly used stitches in all of embroidery. Be sure to leave a small opening in the center of the flower to allow for more petals and french knots. I used a deep orange color - DMC 900.
Stitch with 2 strands of floss for this section.

You will need to stitch all of the large flowers first. Don't forget to tie off your threads before you move on to each flower.


Step 3
Next add the inner, lighter orange petals to each mum.
These should be shorter than the deep orange. Again, you need to preserve a small spot in the center for your french knots.
I used a golden yellow for this demo so you could see them better. For the actual mum use DMC 921
Just a thought- you don't have to create orange mums. You can even add a few more layers and make this flower a zinnia. Its all up to you!

Step 3
Add about 3 french knots in the center of each flower using a bright yellow floss. Aren't they cute?


Step 4
I used a bright green, DMC 904 for the stems, buds and leaves. It is easiest to start from the bottom and work your way up to the top of each stem. That way you won't have to tie off so often.

Use a stem stitch for the main stems. Use a few back stitches before you add each leaf or flower buds. Here is how it should look and a fast tutorial for the stem stitch.



When you get to the leaves attach them with one back stitch. The leaves are created with a fly stitch. I'll show you a bunch of fun leaf stitches at the end of the tutorial.
Here is how to make a fly stitch and how it should look when you stack a few fly stitches together to create a leaf. As you work up the leaf shape, start small. Gradually wide your stitches. The last few stitches should get narrower quickly. To create the point, add one straight stitch to the tip of the leaf. Easy peasy!


Next create the base for each bud. This is accomplished with 3 lazy daisy stitches. Start with one center stitch. Then add one stitch on either side of the center stitch. Keep them small.
We learned the lazy daisy stitch in the lavender section. If you need a reminder just go the stitch tutorial section of my blog.

Step 5
Finish the bud by adding a few lazy daisy stitches to the green base stitches from the last step.
You will simple add 3 or 4 lazy daisy stitches as in the base in green. Use the deep orange floss, DMC 900.
Here is what it should look like.


You are finished with this section! I use the some of these same stitches to create my other embroidery works.
For landscapes, the straight stitch is essential in creating grass, short stems. Put them together to create the satin stitch. Line them up one after another and you have the back stitch.
The stem stitch is perfect when your stems curve. The tighter the curve, the smaller your stitches should be. The stem stitch is often used in lettering.
If you want your stem stitch to look thicker of if your curves look choppy, wrap your stem stitches. Just bring another strand of floss up at the beginning of the stitch line and wrap each stitch. Don't pierce the fabric again until you get to the end of the stem.

I stitched a little sampler to show you how to create other types of leaves. I labeled each stitch used. Look them up on the web and give them a try.


If you are just starting today with this pincushion, here is what you missed. Click on each section to find the original post or PDF file.
Past Posts
Embroidery Floss Basics
Part One Pattern Template, Tools and Tips
Lovely Lavender Section


Click on these downloadable sheets (PDF files) to tie it all together.
Embroidery Floss Basics
Summer Garden Pattern Pattern Template
Lovely Lavender Section Guide
Mums for Mom Section Guide



Tip
Be sure not to float your threads across blank spaces as they will show from the front. To avoid this I just weave the floating threads into existing stitches on the back of my work.
When I create knots I use a quilter's knot at the start.
When I am at the end of a section I just make a knot with one loop. Before I cut my strands I weave a few stitches after my knot into existing stitches. I've seen this done on vintage linen towels and I think it makes the knot less likely to work its way out, especially when the stitched article will be washed. It also makes the ends invisible from the front.

Thanks for stitching along with me. I promise that the next step will not take as long as this one did. I have a busy Etsy shop right now so I'm guessing it will take 2 weeks for the next section.
As we repeat some of the stitches these will be easier for you and I.
Lets try the Sunflower Section next! Its so pretty. It is a bit more time consuming to create, so we will start it before the holidays start creeping up on us.
Have fun with your mums! See you soon!