Hand Embroidery With Cheap Thread.

Some time ago on Ebay I bought a bumper amount of embroidery thread at a low price in various shades and colours and I was pretty chuffed with my purchase... until today! When I washed away the soluble paper after I had stitched the design ( I had spent many hours stitching whilst watching Olympics this week), the bright blue dye on one of the threads bled uncontrollably like a broken fountain pen. It has stained my material. Argh! Two technical blunders in as many projects. Perhaps fate is telling me to give up!

 It doesn't look too bad, I suppose, but it is annoying.

 I like Meagan Ileana's hand embroideries. She uses clean lines with painted watercolour to shade parts of the background. I'm not sure how she stops the paint from getting out of control and bleeding all over the cloth, maybe it's something to experiment with.

fisherman embroidery

Here is the finished fisherman embroidery from the sketch I posted before. I love the way his eyes and beard have been stitched out. The thread is so shiny but my camera isn't great! I took the pictures in natural light, but the colour and depth of the textures have been lost in these images. If my aim is to avoid using computers to illustrate during my 'out-of hours' work time, it's no surprise that something created without the screen needs to be seen in 'real-life' without a screen. Next problem is to work out how to frame these pieces in the right way.

Hand-Stitched Embroidery

I had this week off work, so I decided to avoid technology and get hands-on with some sewing. I had a whole list of things to do, but I got some amazing art books for my birthday and they were so inspiring, I could not resist the lure of the hoop.
For my birthday I received Push Stitchery by Mr. X Stitch. A collection of contemporary fiber artists. I was so impatient to pick up my needle and thread after reading through the book.
After two days of stitching I finished this embroidery of a girl's face. A self portrait really, but she's miles prettier than the real me. This piece has been influenced by Jenny Hart, who is an amazing embroiderer and illustrator. I love the way she mixes up the way she stitches. Chains for hair strands, knots for textures in the background.
Also, Catalina Estrada for her use of symmetry and cuteness that echoes throughout all her painted and graphic work.

Bear Embroidery

This is my second attempt at some hand-stitched embroidery. I've used some little blue beads to embellish parts of the bear. I used the colonial knot to make the eyes and I think they have come out too big, so will have to use a smaller knot in future.

Baby Blue Lion Cub

I made some more lions recently. One got sold at a recent show, but this little chap has just been listed on Etsy. He's only 3.5 inches tall, but I got a new camera last week and it's been taking some great close ups of my various crafty critters, even the small ones.

Handmade Dinosaurs

Oh no! The weather forecast for Saturday is thunder storms! Not very good for my craft stall at the summer fayre. I hope they've got their predictions all wrong.
I've photographed some of my newest critters, so I'll have lots of pictures to post over the next few weeks. I've decided to slow down with the sewing now, it's wearing me out and I think I have plenty of things for the weekend. It was a big worry for me... Not having enough items to sell. Now the problem is if people decide not to turn up because of rain! Grrr. At least if nobody shows or buys anything then I can list them on-line at my Etsy shop. I've been neglecting that for a bit, but normal service will resume by August.

Another Lion!

Still scruffy. I ran out of fluffy purple trim before I got a chance to make a tail, so I'll have to plan that better next time. Also tried to improve the ears, better than sticking two pieces of triangular felt to the mane I think. Oh, and he has little freckles too.

Hare Plushie

Using the same material from the jumper that I made my newest dragon with I decided to have a go at making a rabbit. I used the same pattern as the fox but change it slightly. I really should have sketched more profiles of rabbits to use in the pattern before I rushed into making the toy though. His head turned out to be very fawn-like. His nose is too long, but the triangular felt shape I've sewn on the tip hopefully makes it recognisable enough for this critter to be the bunny I intended.

Handmade Hearts

With so much scrappy bits and pieces of yarn and fabric, lonely buttons, lace and broken necklace beads cluttering up the crafty corner of our miniscule flat, I thought I'd try putting these things to good use. A heart shaped decoration seemed appropriate as Valentine's Day is on the horizon. I suppose these little stuffed hearts would make pretty nifty things to put on a wrapped gift.

More Squirrels

Another batch of squirrels have been made. The grey one is slightly lighter in colour and the red one is now standing upright like the grey one as I originally intended. Not sure what to make next... I'm so tempted to make a badger. Badgers are the best. Brock and roll.

Two Felt Squirrels

These two squirrels are very small. The red one is 2.5 inches and the grey upright fella is about 3 inches tall. Our neighbour works for the RSPB and always put nuts and seeds out for the birds. This attracts LOADS of squirrels but I think they're really cool, I like watching their little circus. Their tails are so twitchy and furry. I have no idea why so many people dislike them.

I'm knitting a scarf for Jack too and it's almost finished, so I can post a piccie when that's done, then I intend to make some more birdies.

Experimental Owl Toys

Owls are everywhere in the new DIY arts and craft scene, try looking up "owls" on Etsy! Probably because the individual parts of a pattern are so easy to figure-out and they're quick to sew. Once constructed though, they look pretty kooky. That's their charm. I found it fun to try different colour cominations and patterns. These owls are of my own pattern and are hand-sewn. They took about 4 or 5 hours to make each. I want to try making different birds wearing different styles of hats in the future.