#yearofstitches

[witcheswhimsy]

Work in progress with lots of new stitches. Went off on a complete other limb in the #YearofStitches sampler. If you also want to join me in this slow meditative calming practice of stitching, you can join our community anytime and learn one new stitch a week or at your own pace by signing up with @badasscrossstitch on her Patreon. (Image: embroidered light blue sleeping bunny on a nest of green moss made of french knots and bullion knots with a fuzzy turkey stitch tail. Surrounded by various stitches of grass anf flowers) . . . #RestAndRepair #SewCrafty #YearOfStitch #MakeDontBreak #Bunny #EmbroiderySampler #StitchersOfInstagram (hier: Berlin, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdFv3xxs8Bd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[amandalyn111]

More photos of the finished Dream Catcher Wall Art Pair. Because you bet your ass I took pics from all the angles. I was too in love with it NOT to have a photo shoot.

In case you missed the work in progress post with all the gritty details: here

[terapiadehilos]

25/365 #terapiadehilos #embroidery #bordado #enprogreso #stitchaday #ayearinstitches #ayearofstitches #yearinstitches #yearofstitches #yearlyproject #stitching #threadart #hoopart #hoopartist #broderie #handmadeinspain #madeinspain #handmadeisbetter #hechoamano #hechoenespaña #handmade #inprogress #wip #workinprogress #embroideryart #embroideryartist #loveofmaking #craftastherapy

[chars-creative-corner]

Day 3: I stitched a little turtle for Yoshi! 🐢😊 I also doodled in my next stitches.

[thebusrarey-blog]

#Cross #Double #Plaited #Stitch #Week #YearOfStitch

[badasscrossstitch]

Let's Stitch Our Way Through 2015 Together!

Want to stitch with me this year?

I decided that this year I wanted to learn a new stitch each week. Then I thought it would be more fun to do this with other stitchers. So, I am going to learn + teach a new stitch each week. That's 52 stitches in 2015. 

I am still sorting out all the details but I have all 52 stitches lined up. 

Are you in? There will be free patterns and lots of tutorials. I think this will be immense amounts of fun especially if lots of us do it together.

I'll have it all sorted out next week and we'll start rocking on January 1st.

Stay tuned here, on instagram or by signing up for my newsletter. 

#YearOfStitches

[witcheswhimsy]

Only now am I getting around to posting these samplers, which are part of a whole year of learning one new stitch per week. If you've always wanted to dabble into embroidery, now is your chance. You can still join the #YearofStitches by @badasscrossstitch anytime. It's also go at your own pace, do your own thing, the community that Shannon has helped build has really saved me through many of the hard spots these last two years. So join us! PS: my samplers are hexagon shaped and will eventually join other bits for a new quilt. You can make your samplers into other things as well.... (Image 1: embroidery that says "The Patriarchy isn't going to smash itself" in red and purple on white fabric. Image 2: embroidery of an anatomical heart in blue and red, with the words "Follow Me" beside it, also on white fabric) . . . #YearofStitches #YearOfStitch #SewCrafty #MakeDontBreak #Stitcherhood #DiscoverEmbroidery #SmashThePatriachy #ChooseLove #WitchesWhimsy (hier: Berlin, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbX5saisWT3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[witcheswhimsy]

Still I dream of taking up space.... #SewCrafty holiday party challenge completed. Swipe for some details and view of the hoop guts (for those who love that). Do you also want to make things like this? Then join me for the #YearofStitches with @badasscrossstitch. . . . #SewCrafty #CraftingInCommunity #MakeDontBreak #YearOfStitches #EmbroideryWork #ChallengeYourself #JustStabIt #WitchesWhimsy (hier: Berlin, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYFoNSpIiY9/?utm_medium=tumblr

[amandalyn111]

Y.o.S. Days 12-30 The Dream Catcher Project

Here’s a look behind the scenes of my progress on my Dream Catcher Project, and how my #YearOfStitches evolved into #YearOfCrafts. 

First trip to the craft store and I came home after spending way more money than I intended (but that's always the case, isn't it?). But I had plenty of all the necessities of the project. Plus, I can never say no to another box of beads. lol

I fell in love with this etsy pattern when I saw it on pinterest. And it quickly became the aesthetic I built the rest of the piece around.

I got a lot of the cross stitch done on one of my days off (the above progress pics). The fiance was gone for the day and I had nothing better planned than to sit in my bed and cross stitch all day. It was the kind of self care I needed. :)

The colors of the DMC floss I used were: 3862 (brown), 3820 (yellow), 954 (green), 813 (blue), 553 (purple), 3801 (red--3705 was used on the dream catcher since they were out when I went back to the store to get more). And I stitched it on aida 18 count, using 3 strands of thread.

I actually don't have a lot of progress pics of the actual stitching of the middle of the dream catcher since it was a relatively easy pattern that worked up quite quickly. I could have finished it in one setting if I hadn't decided to start it right before bedtime.

I used a 3.25 mm hook and the thread was Premier Yarns--Serenity Garden Yarn in "Gems." I ended up using a 10 in diameter hoop, but I could have gone the next size up easily if I wanted a more stretched/taught finished product. But one, I was not making another trip to the craft store. And two, I didn’t want the dream catcher to completely dwarf the cross stitched piece.

Onto the feathers.

Remember back to the title of this post? The “days 12-30″? Yeah. A good chunk of those were me slowly finishing these bad boys.

I started off kind of rocky... the pattern just didn’t seem to quite work for me.  I'm not sure if it was the yarn or the hook size I used, but the number of stitches just seemed too dense for me and I did not like the way the feather was turning out. So I ripped out some stitches and improvised a pattern as I went. The first feather turned out a little wonky, but they started looking nicer after that. In the end, I was happy with my adjusted pattern.

Number two already looked better. And the rest followed suit.

With those done, I turned my attention back to the dream catcher. It was time to add all those frills--the finishing touches that really made it something special, in my opinion. 

With the ribbon, lace, and beads added, I was already loving it. 

Now I just had to plan on how I was attaching the feathers.

Then came the beading and braiding that really added those fine details.

I don’t have any progress pics of me adding the beading/feathers to the cross stitch piece. After the above picture I was in super craft mode. Which translates to me trying to get it all done before my hands cramped up.

But I was really glad I decided to pull some of the feathers and add them to the second piece. I think, in the end, it really tied the two pieces together to make them a cohesive wall art pairing.

Anyway. This post has already gone on long enough. If you want to see more pictures/angles of the finished object, see this separate post.

All the links were included in this post, but you can also check out my #YearOfStitches Pinterest board to see all the pertaining archived links.

[amandalyn111]

Year of... Crafts?

So I had to take a bit of a hiatus from the daily cross stitch project I started. Why, you ask? Because I had to turn my attention fully to the project I had started a few weeks before. A graduation present for my sister.

What started as a cute cross stitch pattern I saw on pinterest, turned into so much more, so very fast. I have a habit of doing that with projects. My plans are always grandiose and more often than not, I bite off more than I can chew--hence the pile of WIP’s I have. But I was determined to see this one through. (Spoiler alert: I got the whole thing done in a little over a month from when I started seriously working on it, just in time for her graduation party. I’m actually pretty proud of myself.)

So like I said. It started with a cross stitch pattern… the message was cute for a recent grad, and it had that boho-feather/dream catcher feel to it that is so my sister's taste. But then I decided I needed to add a crocheted dream catcher as a second piece of wall art to really seal the aesthetic. Then of course, why not just throw some crocheted feathers in the mix? And can’t forget the beaded accents and ribbons!

Remember how I said this went from simple to a whole project? Yeah. After the third trip to the craft store, I realized that was an understatement. But! It turned out better than I could have imagined and she loved it. (Plus, I made her parade all my hard work around her party so every guest could gush over it. And this girl loves her some artistic appreciation and praise.)  So, I’d have to say in the end, it was worth it.

Want to see more work in progress pics and know all the details? Or maybe you just want to enjoy more close up pics of the finished piece?

[amandalyn111]

Y.o.S. Days 6&7

Day 6 fell on a weekend, and I had some time on my hands. So I got most of my next section done: a sea colored key.

If you’re wondering why a key--I mean, other than that sweet antique aesthetic--it’s a play on how my last name is sounded out. Seemed fitting with, you know, my first name right above it. ( Colors used: (800, 597, 3809, 517) Used 3 strands for the fill in color, 1 strand for the back stitch)

Day 7: a crown. Even though I may be called “princess” I promise I’m not bitchy or that high maintenance. I’m a little particular sometimes, and a tad spoiled. But it mostly has to do with my love of Disney--especially the Disney Princesses.

( Colors used: (210, 341, 800, 504, 30415/S415) Used three strands for each stitch)

Public service warning: If you haven’t worked with DMC satin thread before… it’s very misleading. It looks so nice and shiny and it beckons you to use it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it looks lovely and is that shiny… But that silky texture? It’s a bitch to handle. You really have to be committed to wanting that color to end up dealing with that slip and slide-y thread!

[amandalyn111]

Year of Stitches

So it started with going down the rabbit hole that is Instagram. (Not Pinterest this time, so there’s a small win?) I found myself lusting over some really pretty collage style embroidery projects and discovered #YearOfStitches

It’s quite a basic concept. You have to add at least a few individual stitches to your project (which can be an overall cohesive design/picture, or just an amalgamation of smaller designs to end up with a pretty cool collage) every day.

I liked this idea of giving me an excuse to practice a craft I love and force myself to carve out some me time dedicated to creating at least a small something each and every day. It’s the kind of self care a crafter like me yearns for.  

While I may have bought a few books and put “learn how to embroider” on the long list of things I want to do... I’ve cross stitched off and on since like middle school. So it became #CrossStitchEveryDay for me.

But the task can seem as much daunting as it is exciting. Especially with my short attention span personality and perpetual fear of long term project commitments. So to really keep up with it, to not lose my dedication, I knew I’d have to keep track of my progress with daily pictures, or at least weekly updates on social media to give myself goals to look forward to.

I tried wordpress at first. But I quickly realized the whole media library size limit thing wasn’t going to work for me in the long run. So here I am. And I think this platform might be a much better fit for this project.

[chars-creative-corner]

Day 4: I stitched a camera for my love of photography and a little kitty button for my kitties :)

[amandalyn111]

Y.o.S. Days 31-33

Sadly, I don’t actually have any progress pics. 

In all truth, after that last “final stretch” all-day crafting and finishing up the dream catcher project... the next morning I discovered all the muscles in my hand were sore. I think the last minute beading really pushed me too far. It was such a weird feeling to have my fingers actually ache every time I squeezed with my thumb.

Needless to say, I took a few days off to recoup. I wasn’t quitting, I just need a break. I had--dare I say it--crafted too much.

[amandalyn111]

Y.o.S. 8-11

Next came the outline for easy fill in.Next pattern was an easy decision. Black cat for my fur baby.

Meet Estelle, my beautiful, silky, sassy, sweet, midnight inspiration. I do a good majority of my daily cross stitching at work on my lunch break, but sometimes I come home and continue. She likes to loaf on the bed with me and nap (I work third shift, so she’s gotta get those day time naps in). She’s the best shadow a mom could ask for. <3

I used DMC 310, three strands for every stitch. So that’s a very dense black cat forming there.

Started with the tail to figure out placement.

Next came the outline for easy fill in.

Then it was just a string of breaks where I sat adding a few rows to the cat. With it being the biggest individual design added so far, it took me the longest to complete--especially since, like I stated, it was just a dense expanse of black stitches.

Here’s the pattern link. See my Pinterest for more of the patterns used.

[terapiadehilos]

43/365 I've finally learned how to properly make a bullion knot! ¡Al fin he conseguido aprender hacer como toca el punto rococó! #terapiadehilos #embroideryhoop #embroidery #enprogreso #handmadeinspain #madeinspain #handmadeisbetter #hechoamano #hechoenespaña #bordado #ayearinstitches #ayearofstitches #yearinstitches #yearofstitches #yearlyproject #stitching #threadart #hoopart #hoopartist #broderie #craftastherapy #colortherapy