Finishing your embroidery - quick tutorial.

   

 

I am really loving these little cross stitch patterns!  I have purchased the PDF patterns from andwabisabi a cute Etsy shop that I cannot stop browsing!  Find it here.

I also decided to finish the back without using my glue gun.  I find it so messy and often get it stuck all over my work.  Here is how I do it:

- Cut out a circle of using the inside of the outer ring as a guide. 

- Place this on the back of your stitching.

- Put fabric glue on the outer edge of the inner ring, and place this on top of the felt and stitching.

- Put fabric glue of the inside edge of the outer ring.

- Carefully turn your piece over and line up the outer and inner rings, with your work sandwiched    between.

- Screw the fastener as tight as it will go.  I use a hair clip to finish tightening!

- As you have used fabric glue you can spend a little time lining the piece and the rings up. 

- Trim the excess fabric with scissors close to the edge of the rings.

 I always found that I didn't have enough time to line the piece up properly with a glue gun as it always set too quickly so making a fabric glue sandwich works much better for me!

Let me know your best ways to finish a piece.  I would love to hear your ideas.  Leave a message in the comments box :)

Stitching Away!

I have recently taken up embroidery and cross stitching.  I have found it a nice easy way to fill that creative outlet without taking up too much energy.  After having a period of illness at the end of last year, plus creating for the holidays I found stitching to be a really good way of relaxing in the evening.  So I have been busy with my new found hobby and cannot wait to show you what I have made!

Firstly, I wanted to show you the piece I created for the Wild Olive Stitch Swap.  The amazingly talented and inspiring Mollie set up an around the World swap!  You had to produce a 4inch hooped embroidery piece and send it off to your partner.  Here's what I came up with:

My swap partner wanted something colourful and fun, so it just had to be a rainbow!  I have used the fill stitches tutorial by mollie that you can find here.  It was nice to practice doing the different fill techniques.

I finished the piece with felt and a cute label!

Hopefully my swap partner likes it!  I also sent a sweet little robot zipped purse that I had made too!  These are both on there way to the USA!
I can't wait to show you what arrives in the post for me!


Thank you so much Mollie for all the time and effort that you put in to organising the swap.  It gave me a much needed boost of confidence :)