Stitching

One little sample I tried recently - I used machine stitching on linen with standard polyester thread, and dissolvable backing to sew over the edge.

Stitch Tutorial

Bullion stitches are similar to french knots, but more elongated.  

Bullion Stitch

Begin with a threaded needle.  Bring the needle up through the work from the back. 

Wrap the thread around the needle several times.  I've done so four times in this example. 

Hold the thread slightly taut, and thread the needle back through the work a small distance away from where it was brought up previously. 

Back to school?

Happy back to school if you're among the students out there!  It feels pretty strange, not going back.  Good, having graduated a few months ago, but strange.  What better way to acknowledge students' first day back than with a little tutorial!

French Knots

Thread a needle with your chosen thread.  I used cotton embroidery floss.  You can tie a knot near the end of the thread if you need to, otherwise just leave a tail on the wrong side of your work.

Begin by pulling needle and thread through the cloth from underside to topside.  Wrap the thread around the needle twice.  

Gently hold the thread slightly taut and pull the needle and thread back through the fabric near the point it was brought up before. 

Once the thread is pulled back through, you have a finished knot. 

Thursday Post

I've managed to get a couple of good things done today:

1.  Made a little coin purse, with lining.  I goofed the stitching a little so around the zipper is a little lumpy and the lining isn't an ideal fit.  Still, I learned a couple of things while doing it and it should go better the next time I make one.

2.  A loaf of banana bread!  Another experience, since I had to look up the conversions for using a different type of flour than the recipe called for.

3.  I've been making more cards and including some hand embroidery on them.  The results are pretty cute.

You might also have noticed that I added a labels cloud to the bottom of the blog page the other day.