Stitching on Paper - embroidery

You remember that I told you about Clair's free class? And I hoped you checked out the first two parts last weekend where she gave you lots of inspiration and know-how for where to start (here for the basics and here for machine stitching) as well as yesterday's part about using stamping for inspiration when stitching.

Well, today's part is all about embroidery and using embroidery on our pages and I was thrilled if a little daunted when Clair asked if I could contribute to this section. Gulp!

Now, I love sewing and I love sewing on my pages but I'm ever so slightly (ok, very!) lazy and don't get around to it all that often, and when I do, it's usually pretty basic. So I knew I had to get creative this time around and try out a couple of new things.

I started off my adding some mist splats (Glimmer Mist) to my cardstock and then creating a small layered photo element with pink (what a surprise) papers from my scrap box. I knew that I wanted my stitching and other elements to sort of radiate out from this point and I knew I wanted to go pretty. So, because I'm not a good doodler so I was happy to fish out my stitching template (Bazzill?) to create some swirls in cream and pink as a starting point. 

Then I decided to get knotty. I love the look of French Knots and decided to tackle them with the help of the internet. Now, the trick to these knots is that they take a bit of practice (some of my earlier attempts are not so successful!) and you need to take them slowly, but once you've cracked it, they are super fun to make and look so cute scattered around.

Once I had finished those, I added some blanket stitch to opposite corners of the page, just for a bit of dimension and because it took me back to primary school when we would create little felt needle books or something similarly "useful" items. It was a fun trip down memory lane!

At that point, I thought that I was done but while looking up a few stitches online, I saw pretty chain daisies and decided to give them a try. They were a bit more difficult to make neat and even but somehow, I felt they added the final, perfect touch.

This prompt really made me go the extra mile on the stitching and the result is just gorgeous!

It doesn't happen often that I take the time to stitch so much but I always love the end result.

Here's another one I did last year and I don't remember if I shared it here or not...

And here's the stitching template being put to good use again on a Christmas card from last year.

And one last one to share - here, the embroidery is a little more subtle and I just created those little stars freehand.

Embroidery is a great way to add something extra to your layout without making a whole lot of bulk. It may take a bit of practice and time but the end result is always worth the effort.

Make sure you check out Clair's class. I haven't been over there yet but you can bet she's got a load of tips and tricks to help you on your stitching way.