After my first sewing adventures this past fall, I started to experiment with embroidery. It was at the beginning of the Christmas season and it was almost my sister's birthday. This sister happens to like monogrammed things a lot (who doesn't?!?). Instead of ordering something that was machine monogrammed, I wanted to do something more unique and personal. I spent some time reading about hand embroidery, and ordered some supplies including this book. The book didn't teach how to sew monograms, but it had well written directions and pictures on how to do embroidery stitches - basic and advanced.
The first project I did was this monogram scarf. My first step was to create a mock-up on the computer with the design I wanted. I tried several "monogram" fonts before I found one I liked. I found this website very useful for picking out a style. My sister has a very classic style, so I wanted to stay more traditional with the design knowing that the hand-embroidery would give it a little vintage flair.
My second step was printing off the design in the appropriate size, and then transferring it to the scarf. There are several different ways to transfer designs. I traced mine using a back light and a fabric pencil. My third step was outlining and filling in the solid areas with a back stitch. This helps guide the design and keep your lines straight. It also helps to bulk-up the thread so the design sits on top of the fabric slightly.
My fourth step was doing a silk stitch on top of the back stitch. If I were to do this again, I would have traced around with a back stitch twice before the silk stitch. As you can see my lines got a little uneven, especially with the first 'M.' I did my best to straighten it out. This was my very first project, so I expected some flaws. But thats the beauty of hand embroidery, it has character! My fifth step was embroidering the frame. I used a split stitch for the "stem." You can see in the lower left frame I used my fabric pencil to plan out where I wanted the "leaves," and then embroidered them with a lazy daisy stitch. I only marked the first couple, and then eye-balled the rest. The whole scarf took me about 3 days to complete. The last step is simply to look fabulous in your scarf!
I hope you all enjoyed this post. I would still consider myself a beginner/intermediate in embroidery, but I hope to grow my skills over the years. It is something I have really enjoyed experimenting with, and it has many applications. It a great way to add a personal touch to a gift or accessory. I will be posting about my other projects (featured in the header image) in the coming days.
Laterbug Caiterbug
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