Lovely Little Embroideries: 19 Dimensional Flower Bouquet Designs for Hand Stitching

By Beth Stackhouse

Lovely Little Embroideries is an inspirational guide to creating 19 stunning, small, and easy embroidery hoops, accessories, ornaments, and more, all featuring every stitcher’s favorite subject – flower bouquets! Opening with overviews on basic supplies, transfer methods, and how to finish the back of a hoop, also included is an illustrat

• Language: English
• Publisher: Landauer
• Release date: Apr 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781607659235

Book preview

Introduction

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When I finally got up the courage to try hand embroidery many years ago, it didn’t take me long to figure out that this activity was something special. Not only did I delight in the rich colors of the floss and fabric and the tactile quality of the embroidery process, but the rhythmic act of passing the needle back and forth through the fabric was a sort of meditation, a comfort. I also loved that embroidery had the appeal of drawing or painting, but I was creating pictures with fiber on fiber. And the fact that hand embroidery is an ancient craft, one that has been passed down from one generation to the next for centuries upon centuries, also made me feel a special connection to humanity’s shared history of creating art with a needle and thread.

So many aspects of the craft also seemed to fit with my busy modern life. I very much craved a creative outlet, but I didn’t always have a solid chunk of time in which to do it. An activity like painting was out of the question; by the time I set up and mixed my paint, it would be time to put everything away. With embroidery, I could pick up my needle and stitch for 10 minutes, then quickly put everything in a drawer until the next time I had a few moments to myself. And not only that, it was portable. On long car rides, in doctors’ waiting rooms, or any place where I would have a little downtime, I could pick up my work, slow my breathing, and zone out as I fell under the spell of rhythmic stitching. In short, once I discovered how much I loved hand embroidery, I was very disappointed I had waited so long to try it!

I absolutely loved designing the floral compositions in this collection. The projects in the book range from small, pendant-sized designs to 6" (15.2cm) hoop art and will give you ideas for using your embroidery in a variety of fun applications. While the stitches I teach are both versatile and popular, they also happen to be the ones I find most enjoyable to execute. It is my fervent hope that you will enjoy learning these stitches and find as much comfort in practicing them and applying them to these designs as I have.

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CHAPTER 1

Basic Embroidery Supplies

FLOSS TYPES

I am a fiber enthusiast. Playing with the different types of threads and yarns that you can use to create embroidery is one of the best parts of the craft for me. While many people first learn to embroider using stranded cotton floss (a fantastic choice and what we’ll focus on in this book), there are many other types of thread to try. Silks, wools, silk-and-wool blends, ribbon, linen floss, bamboo, metallic—there are just so many options. It’s thrilling to see how much texture and complexity can be added to a design simply by using a different type of floss or a combination of them.

If you are fortunate enough to have a specialty needlework shop in your area, I highly recommend that you visit to see some of these less commonly found threads in person. If you don’t have a shop nearby, many of these stores offer online shopping. Or, the next time you’re on vacation, try to find a shop in that area; to me, there’s no better souvenir than a handful of threads, a bundle of fabric, or a pair of pretty scissors to use when you return home. In my experience, the owners and staff at these stores are a joy to chat with because they are very knowledgeable—and very enthusiastic—about needlecrafts!

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TIP: When working with any type of floss, be sure you know whether it is colorfast.

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Clockwise from top: Petite Very Velvet™ by Rainbow Gallery; one strand of Splendor® 100% silk by Rainbow Gallery; twelve strands of Splendor® 100% silk by Rainbow Gallery; one strand of Soie d’Alger by Au Ver à Soie®; seven strands of Soie d’Alger by Au Ver à Soie®; one strand of DMC® Cotton Embroidery Floss (#25); six strands of DMC® Cotton Embroidery Floss (#25); Rainbow Linen by Rainbow Gallery; crewel wool by Appletons; Soie Ovale by Au Ver à Soie®; Silk & Ivory® by brown paper packages®; DMC® Pearl Cotton (#5).

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Some vintage treasures found by my dad at estate and yard sales. Just look at those beautiful labels and prices—three for 10 cents!

Note: For the projects in this book, I give the exact color numbers for DMC Cotton Embroidery Floss (#25), but you are welcome to use any brand of floss or colors you prefer.

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TIP: Always be sure to wash your fabric before embroidering so it doesn’t shrink later on if it becomes wet.

FABRIC

My favorite types of cloth to embroider