Currently Stitching: Valentine's Day Embroidery
We've been looking for some winter projects to add to our roster at the shop! It can be a bit of a "deer in the headlights" moment when someone asks you about winter holidays and you know they're not talking about Christmas or New Years. I sort of slip into a fog in the beginning of January where I'm focused on tax paperwork, cleaning the house, and trying to figured out what day it is. And then I remember that Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day are coming and I need some decorations for these holidays! It adds some variety to the snowflakes and snowmen that last through the season.
In a previous episode I made some embroidered Valentine's cards! As fun as they were, I've been looking for a garland project. There's lots of ornament, towel, and pillow designs, I wanted to try something else! Then I stumbled upon this In the Hoop Candy Heart Bunting from OESD. We have a lot of fun discovering and trying out new patterns at the shop!
We got started by picking fabrics for the heart backgrounds. This would be a great stash busting project! We took cuts from leftover KONA solids. Some of them had been mistakenly cut or a customer changed their mind about a color, or there wasn't enough on the bolt to put back on the floor.
Next was choosing matching color threads for each heart, and a strong red color for the words. The pattern lists the measurements and recommended colors, but we went with what we had, and what we liked!
After making our choices we collected the necessary stabilizers and whatever else the instructions called for. Because it's not my pattern I can't share all the details, but as with most OESD projects it's clear and thorough. They have a ton of resources on their website. If you're ever unsure about what you're doing, just ask them!
I gathered everything I needed to get through the first set of hearts. I chose to do two of each and hoop them two at a time. They have a pretty quick stitch time so I think this project should come together fairly quickly **knock on wood**
I had to be careful to make sure I got the correct phrase on the right heart color. You could really do it any way you want. I don't remember what the actual candy hearts candies say by the color. (It's not gonna keep me up at night, either way).
Now I know I'm repeating myself when I say this... but here is yet another project using stabilizers, tools, hoops and methods that I haven't tried yet! Embroidery is an endless learning opportunity!
This project has several steps which require trimming and adjustment of the parts of the project before you get to any long stitch-outs.
Another thing I'd like to note. When I do a repetitive project like this, I like to ungroup the steps and put them in order to increase efficiency. Not all machines can do this, but a lot of the newer ones with computerized settings will allow you to modify a design order. Always check your manual before attempting modifications!
Here are a few more sets that we got knocked out over the week!
I want to make them over and over. It's an approachable project for many levels, in my opinion. It's also very fun and rewarding to watch come together!
Like I said earlier, it would be a nice way to work through some scraps if you wanted too! You could do any sort of color coordination that appeals to you. Another idea would be using metallic fabric or thread, or vinyl! So many options to choose from!
After removing the completed hearts from the hoop, we rinsed out the water soluble stabilizer and punched holes for the thread. You could choose any ribbon or thread you'd like but we went with sparkly!
They looked so perfect once they were on the string! I realized later I forgot to put the orange hearts on there as well. There's 12 total candy hearts, and they look adorable! I'm still trying to decide where to hang them up!
Have any of you ever made garland before? Embroidered or otherwise? This was my first time! If you have, please share your thoughts and tips with me!
Next on the embroidery agenda was a Valentine's Day bag!
This was another OESD pattern! It's a whole pack of seasonal ghost friends! I think I'd like to figure out how to make it into a garland too! But that means changing the pattern so it can essentially be a patch or free standing lace.
I tried to size them so I could make them into a bag. I used some Valentine's fabric from my stash to do the backing and bag lining. And I had this maroon red zipper I used, along with some pink thread.
I didn't take enough process pictures. But I used SF101 and a secondary, non-fusible woven stabilizer to get the pattern stitched out. Then I added batting like I normally would for a bag. I'm sure you could use fusible fleece.
I learned a lot while working on this project, about embroidery and bags. I can't wait to make it more embroidered bags. There are also some really cool in the hoop bags out there if you've never tried one.
Check in next week to see more Valentine's Day projects! And more embroidery! I hope you all are making some fun seasonal projects! Be sure to share them with me on social media or through my contact me page. Or leave me a note in the comments below!