You and I know that embroidery can be so many things, an heirloom (
don’t forget to put your name and date somewhere), a humorous thought, a commemoration of a special event, or a very special gift to someone very special to you among other things. Embroidery is an art form with many facets. You can make a very small detail stand out with using metallic or glow-in-the-dark thread. You can cover a large area with just a hint of what the design represents, such as a bean stitch that creates a leafy tree or a satin stitch which gives the outline of your design strong definition.
This is one of AnnTheGran's Freebies and I like the definition of the design. It is not entirely covered with stitches and the openness of the design gives a very light and airy feeling despite the heaviness of the cloth, wood, and denotation.
I am going to work with this design to get just a little more color into it. There are actually 7 colors but there are too many similar colors. I am going to use my double thread method on it.
Here are a couple of tips about doubling the thread.
- Use high contrasting threads - on the sun, using yellow with white or gold won't give the 'kick' I am looking for. I would use yellow and orange be giving it more life.
- Expect that you will experience a few breaks along the project. Your machine is set to use various sizes of thread (40 or 60 weight for embroidery) but when you put two '40' weights together, you get a bit more than 80 weight due to the small amount of space between them. Some thread in the 40 and 60 weights are 2 ply and some are 3 ply.
- I personally don't use the variegated threads because as you sew, they tend to create their own pattern. There are a few variegated threads that are truly random. They can be difficult to find. I do own a "King Tut" in green that is great but packed away until I find a permanent place to live.
This is an example of a variegated thread that creates a 'pattern':
Here is the example of the
King Tut variety:
This particular thread really is random.
In my sewing of the above design, I did use the two separate
threads. In the 'sun' area, I used yellow with a light beige, it did not
give much of a color change. After that, I did use strongly different
colors.
Threading a needle with two threads was not easy until I devised this trick. With both threads cut evenly, dip the ends into a container of water. I was surprised that using water gave the thread adherence, they clung together (you may need to pinch them together). Additionally, they were easier to get through the eye of the needle.
I felt that the design did not need the outline because the defining shapes and colors were enough to make the design very clear.
Here is your Freebie and I hope you like it. I strive to do things that I have not yet seen (it is probably out there), and I used strong colors for the butterfly. You can use pastels if you prefer. I would love to see how you translate this design with color. I can see using just a single pastel, a pastel in a variety of shades, bold colors mixed with pastels, metallic threads, etc.
If you sample this design or use it in a project, please upload it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram (wherever you like to post). Copy the URL/address and paste it to this or another recent blog so we can see your work. I love to see what you are doing, and I mean all of you. It does not have to be this design, we want to see your work. Sharing is one of the treasures of embroidery, plant a treasure.
This would be so striking on a sheer fabric curtain that gently blows with a small breeze. Just put one, or as many as you like.
Coloring:
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Black
Pastel of your choice