In my attempt to sew some of my stock of kits this year I decided to stitch a little embroidery I bought probably over two years ago at Yarndale. It’s a design by Anne Brooke, I love her designs, especially Harold the Hare, I saw him first at an Embroiderers Guild meeting, he is amazing. At Yarndale she had some little kits of pre-printed cotton just waiting to be embroidered.
I have to be honest and say |I was a little disappointed when I got home to find there wasn’t any instructions, or even a picture suggesting ways to embroider it, all there was with the printed design was a hoop, grey and ecru floss and a few mini buttons. Hence it has sat in my to do box ever since! To be fair to Anne, looking on her website these kits are no longer sold, her current kits include suggestions of stitches and a photo, they generally look a lot more comprehensive… and mine was just a little inexpensive one!
I decided to bite the bullet and start! I chose a few variegated DMC threads which I thought would give a pretty but more muted effect. I started to stitch the grass seed heads first, I used fly stitch, making it a bit bigger than the printed area to make it look feathery. The stalks are stem stitch. Both are stitched in DMC 4065.
Half way through the seedheads I thought I really should embroider this from the background to the foreground so I stitched the wavy lines next, I’m not sure if they are hills or clouds, but I just used a running stitch in 4020.
I stitched the tall, spindly plant next, I decided it could be like a wild lupin with tiny blue flowers. I used 4506 which is green, blue, grey and beige. Where possible I used the green and the blue for the french knot flowers and the lighter shades for the stems.
I thought the big flowers with their tall centres could be echinacea (purple cone flower) I stitched the cones with long and short stitch and just lazy-daisy for the petals. My only niggle with these is I feel the cones are a bit big, but I love the way the long and short stitch has worked out!
The buttercups were just edged in split-stitch, mainly because I couldn’t think what else to do with them! The grass along the bottom is actually buttonhole stitch made with irregular stitches.
Having stitched it I then had to decide what to do with it! A pincushion, a needlecase, a hoop picture…I decided to make a mini wall hanging with different fabrics and stitching, I’ve seen rather a lot on Pinterest and I do like the effect. This would be a bit of a practise piece too as I’ve lots of my mothers work, both finished and unfinished and I’d like to put them in a textile book made up of pages like this.
I like the ones with a mismatch of squares and rectangles, but it was a bit too random for me to try first! I started with log cabin, light at the top and darker at the bottom, using mainly bits from my scrap bin. The bee was added because my chosen fabric wasn’t quite long enough! The bottom squares was a strip left over from my Down the Rabbit Hole quilt.
Having made a two strip wide log cabin I felt it didn’t quite look right. I turned the two sides in a bit and the balance looked so much better!
I’ve stitched a little embroidery along the inner strips using feather, fly and herringbone stitch. I then stitched three flowers up the final side.
My plan now is to sandwich it with some batting, do some very simple quilting before turning the extra borders over as binding. I’ll stitch a final purple binding along the bottom. Some mini buttons, maybe some beads or a charm will just finish it off.
thecraftycreek 
that is simply a beautiful finish!
I love the way you’ve added some more flowers to one of your patchwork borders – it really does look gorgeous!
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Thanks Claire, I’m pleased with it 🙂
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Oh wow that is so lovely.
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Thanks Cathy 🙂
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Beautiful! I especially love the cone flowers and the extra embroidery on the sides -very lovely finish 💕😊
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Thank you, the cone flowers are growing on me, I think the ones on the side have helped to balance them out a bit!
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Very pretty 😍
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Thanks Debbie 🙂
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Which just goes to show what happens when you unleash your prodigious imagination. So clever.
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Thanks Prue, once I get going I enjoy it, but I can procrastinate for ages!!
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So pretty!
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Thank you 🙂
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I’m glad there were no instructions! You have created a sweet piece! You are very good with embroidery!
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Thanks Laura, I still feel I’m on a huge learning curve with embroidery but I’m really enjoying it at the moment 🙂
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I just love that piece, and the borders are perfection, especially the additional blooms in the sides!
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Thanks Kathy, I think it’s worked pretty well.
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it is so charming !! Lovely job and shows wonderful creativity that you can enjoy every time you look at your little wall hanging.
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Thanks Melody, I’m pleased with it so far 🙂
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Lovely! I really like the idea of putting your Mother’s work into a textile book and would be interested to see how it works out.
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Thanks Tialys, I’m still mulling things over on how to do it, but at least this gives me a few ideas!
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This is a really lovely piece you have created and finished so nicely! The lack of guidance in the kit may have been disappointing but you certainly made the most of it and kept your stitches in the spirit of the piece.
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Thanks Catherine, it’s probably good for me really as otherwise I would have just stitched it as she suggested!
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Really pretty, and I especially like the fabric at top and right side, it really adds to the overall effect.
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Thanks Kate, as soon as I saw that fabric with the flowers and bees on I knew it had to be included!
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What a lovely little picture your finishing off really makes it!
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Thanks Sarah, I’m really pleased with it.
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Pingback: A Field of Flowers Finish! | thecraftycreek
You do know of some beautiful designers – First you tempt me with the Faby designs and now these!
You have excellent taste!
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