The travelling Sketchbooks from Skipton Embroiderers Guild are on the move again and as our meeting is a week early this year to accommodate Christmas, I thought I’d better crack on with it!
The book I’m embroidering for this month is on the theme of garden birds, I’ve actually stitched for this book before, it was the first one I did, a little wren. There’s fewer of us doing it this time round so we’ve all got one repeat. I like doing birds so I’m happy to stitch another.
As it’s nearly Christmas I decided to stitch a robin. I had a look on Pinterest and found a basic shape I liked. I drew a simple outline on paper and cut it out. The fabric is a bit heavier than quilting cotton and coarser, I chose it because I like the snow effect from the gentle spots and the little tuft of grass the robin could stand next to. The fabric actually has hares on it but I could just get a big enough square out without cutting near the hares.
I drew round my outline with a pencil and then painted the fabric with watercolour to give a bit of depth to the embroidery.
I chose a few DMC threads,both variegated and plain and started with a simple stem-stitch outline. I then just started embroidering various areas, making it up as I went along. I used feather stitch and fly stitch interspersed with lots of french knots for the red and cream areas. The head is stitched with a lazy-daisy flower with the lower half in red and the top of the head in brown, the bead for the eye just nicely went in the centre.
I used some of my stitch sample pages for ideas, which was reassuring in that I am now happy that once the stitch book is finished it will get used! I’m particularly pleased with the back of my robin, this is fly stitch embroidered very close together, I started with a basic zigzag and then filled in the triangles.
The wings are embroidered with four rows of buttonhole stitch, the tail was simple straight stitches, these were too long on their own so I couched along the thread, it still needed a bit more so I whip stitched the straight stitches together, giving a sort of lattice sffect.
I like to embellish these little embroideries with a few beads, so I stitched some brown ones to the wings. I wanted to add some red ones too but I couldn’t work out where to place them, then I dropped three on the area by accident and the random effect just worked, so they were stitched where they landed!
I really like doing these little embroideries, it does make me think outside the box as I have to think up a design, rather than just seeing a pattern and stitching it. They only take a couple of evening maximum, I keep thinking I ought to stitch two, one for me and one for the books, I just never quite get round to it! Maybe next year…
thecraftycreek 
So cute ! Great choice of stitches !
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Thanks Isabelle, I’m gradually learning a few more stitches 🙂
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Your little birds are so intricate, and looking at them just makes me smile!
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Thanks Kathy, I do like stitching these little birdies!
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I love this technique. Your birdy is wonderful! (And it looks like it was fun to do)
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Thanks Valerie, I did enjoy stitching it, just making it up as I went along!
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So very pretty
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Thank you, I’m pleased with this one
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Such a gorgeous way to stitch a Robin – my favourite little garden bird!
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Thank you, I love seeing our robin around the garden.
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A lovely festive little piece – everyone loves a robin. Love the texture the embroidery gives.
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Thanks Kate, they’re such happy little birds 🙂
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A very fitting bird for the current season! This is so cute, a lovely range of stitches to create a very cute little bird.
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Thanks Catherine, it just had to be a robin 🙂
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This is so cute! You did a great job!
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Thank you 🙂
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Loved your wren and your Robin is gorgeous and the background is perfect
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Thanks Jane, I enjoy stitching these little birds, the background worked better than I could have hoped 🙂
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Lovely – really like your robin
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Thank you 🙂
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Sweet little birds, lovely stitching!
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Thankyou, I’m pleased with my robin 🙂
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Your embroidery is so sweet. Here in Canada we won’t see robins now til April or May!
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Very pretty and delicate / what a great project !!
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Your embroidery brings your little bird to life.
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Your robin is gorgeous as is little wren!
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Love your embroidered birds! You make me want to stitch!
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Lovely. Thanks for showing us the process. Really interesting.
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I love that little bird, wonderful work.
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These are wonderful. So unique.
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