This is Now a Blog About a Thing!

...and that think is embroidery.

Late last year, I started doing embroidery - or at least started doing it for real. I had done a few pre-printed projects in my day - some coasters when I still lived with my parents, and a few pillowcases which my husband and I use occasionally. I was unhappy with the limited selection of patterns at the craft stores, and didn't want to spend the money on books of iron-on patterns.

So I thought, "Why not do this on my own?" I am very glad that I made that decision. The satisfaction I get from working on projects that are entirely my own creation has been a really nice addition to a life where previously a well cooked meal or a clever use of Microsoft Excel was the highlight. It's also given me an excuse to make nice gifts for my family, rather than just slipping a five into a greeting card. I thought it would be nice to document my progress, and since I already had this blogger account, I figured this would be an appropriate outlet. Even if I don't have any followers, it would be great to have a record of my progress that I can look back on later.

So, let's start at the beginning. I had a rudimentary understanding of how to embroider when I made the decision to strike out on my own, but I didn't really feel like I had the artistic flair. When I was in college, I tried to start a webcomic...with somewhat disastrous results. I didn't know how to draw, so the process not only took too long, but the results were not quite right, for reasons which alluded me. I was not eager to repeat that humbling experience with this new artistic endeavor. So, I got help early this time.


So I purchased this book, Colorful Stitchery by Kristin Nicholas (For sale at Amazon.com). I picked this out of the wide variety of craft books on sale because it was well reviewed, looked more modern than other books, and was reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend this book to other people that want a good primer. Ms. Nicholas goes into basic color theory, shows step by step instructions for several basic stitches, and provides the patters for the projects that illustrate the book.

There are a lot of very good qualities in this book, but I want to emphasize that price was a factor, just to give a little more insight into myself. I had been looking for a hobby for a while when I finally decided on embroidery. I have a set of charcoal pencils and a very toothly pad of paper. I have markers, and pencils, and crayons in all of the colors of the rainbow. There is a jar of calligraphy ink in my desk drawer, which will surely spill someday. When I decided to start a new hobby, I knew that there was a good chance that it would be something that I left behind eventually, so I didn't want to sink too much into it right away.

I was also very thrifty when I started buying materials for my first projects. These were definitely going to be practice - not something that I was going to give away, or even necessarily keep around the apartment. So I went with some off-white felt, and maybe 5 skeins of embroider floss. I can't remember what the total bill was at the time, but I don't think it was more than $10.

Here is a picture of the first things I designed myself - a pair of bookmarks (pictured with The Great Shark Hunt by Hunter S. Thompson). I drew the basic pattern onto the cloth with washable markers, then stitched over it. I had already cut out the strips, so I didn't use a hoop, which presented surprisingly few problems.

I learned quite a bit when making these. One, it is very difficult to cut out square shapes with just a pair of scissors. I would like to make more bookmarks later, so this is something of a problem. I think that I might invest in one of those pizza-cutter-for-cloth things and a plastic mat the next time. I also learned that using all six strands of thread gives a project a chunky, crayon like feel, where using only a few threads gives a sharper, more pen-like feel. I also learned that I am not terribly good at eyeballing things, as is obvious in the geometric pattern.

After the bookmarks, I made my first pillow. All of those little dark spots in the picture are pills. Note to self: felt is fine for applications that will get little friction, like the bookmarks. But something that is constantly going to be rubbing against the couch and a person's back will fall apart very quickly. In addition to learning about the limitations of the fabric, I found out that a 10" square pillow is not nearly big enough. this picture doesn't really show the scale, but believe me, this is not something that I am ever going to cuddle up with. Again, that is why I did my first projects on the least expensive material I could find.

So, now you know how I started off. Next week, I'll go over my first big project, and a little more about why I thought that this kind of hobby might suit me.

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