Modern and Traditional Embroidery Dress

These exquisite Christmas Baubles cross stitch patterns by Satsuma Street are full of bright, happy color and Christmas cheer! Again, I love the bright, nontraditional colors for a welcome twist on holiday crafting.

How about this adorable Christmas Badgers cross stitch pattern in Little Beach Hut's shop? So cute, and perfect to give as a gift or ornament.

There's also a beautiful kit version of this pattern in her shop as well!


What a lovely shop!

I'm loving the bold colors in this Joy Cross Stitch pattern by RedBear Design. There are loads of lovely Christmas and holiday patterns and kits in this shop - if you're looking for a sweet small project for the holidays, you might like to visit the RedBear Design shop!

This sweet Christmas A to Z cross stitch pattern by Brighter Industries looks just adorable. And if the shop name Brighter Industries is new to you, as any loyal reader of Feeling Stitchy, the name Jo should be very familiar, indeed.

Jo Stafferton was a wonderful contributor to our blog for quite some time, featuring new Etsy patterns and online shops in a weekly Sunday feature. So it is such a pleasure to feature her brand new Etsy shop and pattern on this Wonderful Wednesday!

This lovely free cross stitch pattern was tweeted to us by Modern Folk Embroidery - and I think it couldn't be more fitting as we come together this week in the US to unite with our families and friends and to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Wherever you are or may be, I'm hoping you all can let your light shine. Thank you for this beautiful pattern, Modern Folk Embroidery - be sure to check out their shop for more cross stitch loveliness!

This Be Brave Pattern in the Plastic Little Covers Etsy shop says everything I want to say today. For our families, friends, country, and our neighbors - be brave.

Hello my stitchy friends! Today we take a look at Zoe of the Instagram account @snowbird_artworks! Zoe creates lovely embroidery, cross stitch, and paintings. Her typography embroidery is beautifully stitched with bright colors. Her cross stitch snowflakes are delicate and gorgeous.

Zoe's Instagram account is @snowbird_artworks, and you can also find more in her Etsy shop. Take a look at some pictures from her feed, and if you read to the end, find out how you can participate in #ThankStitching.

Wildness is a necessity - John Muir

A photo posted by Zoe Hattersley (@snowbird_artworks) on Oct 10, 2016 at 3:59am PDT

Another load of snowflakes done. ❄️

A photo posted by Zoe Hattersley (@snowbird_artworks) on Oct 20, 2016 at 5:41am PDT

Hibiscus embroidery is now available through @ficklecraftroom click on the link in their profile for the full range

A photo posted by Zoe Hattersley (@snowbird_artworks) on Aug 5, 2016 at 4:34am PDT

Stitching christmas. Yep I said it!

A photo posted by Zoe Hattersley (@snowbird_artworks) on Jul 29, 2016 at 11:16am PDT

Late last October I had the idea for guest posts in November with a thankful theme. Fast forward to this year, and I remembered in time to get the ball rolling, and I call it #ThankStitching! You can read more about it here on my blog. You don't have to fill out the form on the original blog post. If you're interested in participating simply:

Email me at randomactsofamy {at} gmail.com one nice picture that represents why you are thankful for your particular needle art. Include your first and last names, Instagram name, and a paragraph about why you are thankful for your particular needleart, and what it means to you. I'd prefer that you sent this last bit of info attached as a rich text file (.rtf), but a Word or Google document works, too, as well as typing the text within the email. I know we all have different levels of comfort using technology :)

Oh! Also, just to be certain, if you'd like a specific date for your post to go live, include that. :) And feel free to discretely watermark your photos with your name.

TGIF! On today's Friday Instagram Finds we take a look at @pyrodogpins and her Instagram account. Emily is a cross stitch pattern maker who creates and stitches up fun designs. Her patterns are pop culture-inspired, and so much fun! Here are some of my favorites from her Instagram feed. Emily used #modernvintageembroiderydress.blogspotig, and I am glad she did so I could discover and share with all of you her fun and creative work.

While you're on Instagram checking out Emily's work at @pyrodogpins make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We'd love for you to stop by and say hello. You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @modernvintageembroiderydress.blogspotish. You can find Amy at @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

TGIF! On today's Friday Instagram Finds we take a look at @nerdsandneedles and her Instagram account. Redd creates fun pop culture-inspired embroidery and cross stitch projects. I especially love her Doctor Who applique hoop series! Here are some of my favorites from her Instagram feed. Redd used #modernvintageembroiderydress.blogspotig, and I'm glad she did so I could discover her fun and creative work.

While you're on Instagram checking out Redd's work at @nerdsandneedles make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We'd love for you to stop by and say hello. You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @modernvintageembroiderydress.blogspotish. You can find Amy @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

@nerdsandneedles

I love how fun the Eleventh Doctor is. His childlike wonder always makes me happy. What are you working on tonight? #mattsmith #eleventhdoctor #appliqué #doctorwho #blanketstitch #applique

A photo posted by Redd - Nerds & Needles (@nerdsandneedles) on Jul 2, 2016 at 4:58pm PDT

I love this picture by @gethammereddesigns of her Nerds & Needles collection! My custom queue is empty right now and come August I stop taking customs again until mid-September. Treat yo self! #treatyoself #napoleondynamite #allonsy #doctorwho #dontletyourdreamsbedreams #floralembroidery #llamas #customwork

A photo posted by Redd - Nerds & Needles (@nerdsandneedles) on Jul 12, 2016 at 6:29am PDT

On Wednesdays we stitch Potter! As per usual, my #wipwednesday is the #cloudsfactoryharrypotterpillowsamplersal! I haven't gotten to work on her too much today though. Show me what you're working on @stitchculture @bloomthreads & @cross_floss! What are you working on today? #harrypotter #ronweasley #hermionegranger #hufflepuff

A photo posted by Redd - Nerds & Needles (@nerdsandneedles) on Jun 29, 2016 at 2:31pm PDT

The fantastically innovative artist Katrina Majkut joins us to discuss her work and specifically her latest embroidery collection entitled 'In Control'. Katrina talks about her inspirations and work processes as well as the powerful message that she expresses and transfers through her work and the incredible impression and response it evokes.

What led you to the medium of thread and embroidery art? Was there a defining moment for you?
I was living in Berkeley, California from 2009 to 2011 and all around me was the birth of many modern activist movements: Black Lives Matter, marriage equality, Obama was pushing for free birth control, Occupy. I was also starting TheFeministBride.com and doing a lot of research into wedding tradition and how many Western social practices define women’s identity and set their status in society, which really helped me understand how embroidery did the same. I was also bound for grad school and very bored by store-bought, mass-produced cross-stitches so I started experimenting.

When did you learn to embroider?
I was around ten years old. Like most young girls, I learned from my mother.


How does embroidery best translate your idea and vision?
Embroidery as a domestic craft has almost always been a way to assert specific feminine values and identities – for example, what it means to be a woman, a mother and a wife, but it never included the physical components many use to fulfill those roles. I began to wonder whether that omission had contributed to so many social and civil politics that refused to give women full reproductive rights or even acknowledge that basic need, so I started stitching all products related to women’s reproduction, bodies and health. In doing so, my artwork is often characterized as subversive, which is insane because the reality is these health products and needs are natural and common for the majority of women. Someone once called me “brave” for doing this work, which was a compliment that caught me off guard because it’s so basic to me - it’s part of everyday life, but for me to connect the idea of bodily autonomy with women’s roles has been considered radical. There’s absolutely no reason why this should be the case.


How does feminism inform your art in particular your embroidery collection entitled 'In Control'?
The collection would not exist without feminism. Feminism is the tool that enabled me to understand how women’s health is treated in respect to social practices and equality. It also empowered me to modernize the sexism embedded in embroidery in a constructive, educational and bipartisan way. It also gave me the confidence to do this project despite the fear that it might be considered controversial; it’s a great support system. Feminism is just the means to achieving social, economic and civil equality between men and women; healthy and comprehensive access to widespread reproductive rights is crucial for that to happen. I don’t think that equality is possible if we don’t address where the inequality lies in all social and civil systems, and that includes embroidery. How can equality be possible if everyday practices, even something seemingly benign ones like stitching, reinforce obsolete gender roles and inequity?

Do you sketch your designs before you commence your embroideries? Could you tell us more about your creative working process and how you develop your idea into the final piece?
As a classically trained painter, I use observational painting techniques to create my cross-stitches. That means I essentially look at the object and translate it visually directly with needle and thread. There’s no computer program to turn the image into a stitching map and I seldom draw the object on the fabric (drawing on the fabric muddies up the final image). I will draw curves sometimes so I get the angle correct the first time, but it’s very minimal. I use a grid book to block text though as it’s more efficient to do so and helps to prevent spacing mistakes and material problems. Using observational painting techniques also lends itself to more accurate still life drawing; a computer program too often reduces the complex colors in an object to the point of color blocking. Being familiar with color theory immensely helps realistically render an object. As a result of my personal methods, I’ve taught myself new techniques in cross-stitch that include color layering through half stitches, texturing and color gradation.


Is there a particular style of embroidery that you prefer?
Definitely cross-stitch, though I’m currently learning drawn thread via traditional Ukrainian techniques, which is awesome because I’m simultaneously learning about my heritage.

Who and what influences and inspires you?
I’m really inspired by the women (and men) who see my artwork and feel confident and comfortable enough to share their own personal stories or thoughts with me. It’s something I had not anticipated happening with my artwork. So many will share what it was like to get an abortion or have a miscarriage or go through menopause or grow up in a household/school that ignored basic health knowledge and will share how that hurt them as adults, etc. These are experiences that get too often silenced in the public despite being common occurrences. For them to feel strong enough to share these stories with me or the art patron next to them (who they also don’t know) is just so powerful and inspiring. And sometimes the stories are not always easy to listen to, but it’s taught me a lot about patience, listening, empathy, kindness and how necessary lessons like these are for everyone.


Which other artists do you appreciate?
My favorite artists tend to be painters since that’s where my formal art training lies and with painters that attempt to modernize historical art tropes by including modern social and civil issues – Mickalene Thomas, Kehinde Willey, Swoon. As far as embroidery artists, Elaine Reicheck was really the first one that got the wheels turning for me, though to me, her work is much more about the Mechanics of Reproduction (Walter Benjamin) and breaking away from the domestic and gendered hand of embroidery, whereas I think the power of my work lies in connecting the handmade with ideas about bodily autonomy. Cayce Zavaglia is really an inspiration too when thinking about how thread can function like paint.


Can you tell us about the impact that your art has on the audience and what responses you receive about your work?
I’ve been very lucky in that most patrons have been extremely supportive. Once in awhile, I get the question of why would I bother to make this work, why does it matter and why should it matter to the viewer; to which I have to backtrack to basic ideas about civility and understanding other people’s needs outside one’s own and how art is a good platform for increasing this understanding. I think taking a strong bipartisan, medical (I consult with doctors, etc. on accurate representation) and educational objective helps a lot in quelling those who might not like or oppose my chosen topic. The series doesn’t just focus on one aspect of reproductive rights, like birth control or abortion as is common in a lot of feminist reproductive art; I think it’s more useful to show how those two things are connected to less controversial things like disease prevention, menstruation, pregnancy, etc.

Since I’m constantly working on creating a more intersectional perspective of needed products, I get a lot of thanks from certain demographics, who want to be represented but often feel like they are excluded – baby boomers are particularly vocal! Though sometimes people often (constructively) highlight demographics or perspectives that I’ve missed, and I’m eternally grateful when they do that because my point of view as a cis, heterosexual woman is limited. Because they were brave enough to speak up, my series becomes better rounded, humbling and inclusive, my perspective is not the only one that matters. That’s why I included essays in my In Control catalogue from women who offer a diverse personal and professional perspective regarding health and reproductive rights – I hope to get more essays over time and build out the catalogue.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions, workshops or lectures?
Yes, at Hollister Gallery at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts this fall! Opening reception and artist talk is October 27 from 5-7pm and the show closes December 21, 2016. I’ll also be exhibiting at Bloomburg University in Pennsylvania in the spring of 2018. Anyone can also check out my artwork here.

Happy Friday, Stitchers! On today's Friday Instagram finds we're going to take a look at Jess Hallagan whose Instagram account is @thegoodthingthings. Jes creates cross stitch pieces that feature families and pop culture references. She also does some pretty fabulous hand embroidery, too. Her artwork is fantastic - take a look! (In order to go right to each picture on Instagram, just click either the account name in the top left-hand corner of each photo, or the bottom border of each picture.)

@thegoodthingthings

A photo posted by Custom Cross Stitch Portraits (@thegoodthingthings) on May 12, 2016 at 2:48pm PDT

A photo posted by Custom Cross Stitch Portraits (@thegoodthingthings) on Apr 15, 2016 at 4:44pm PDT

A photo posted by Custom Cross Stitch Portraits (@thegoodthingthings) on Apr 17, 2016 at 3:23pm PDT

That's it for this week's edition of Friday Instagram Finds! Join in the conversation by commenting below. While you're on Instagram checking out Jes's work at @thegoodthingthings make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We'd love for you to stop by and say hello. You can find Feeling Stitchy on Instagram at the handle @modernvintageembroiderydress.blogspotish. You can find Amy @randomactsofamy on Instagram.

First of all, if you don't know what I'm taking about, watch this video. After you've stopped dancing and the weirdness has subsided, why not stitch this amazingly cute free pattern from Hancock's House of Happy?

Get the free fox pattern!

Olá! For the first time (Oh!!! Maybe second time...) I bring you cross stitch... One of these days I will talk a bit more about the importance of cross stitch in Portuguese traditional embroidery. This time I will only share  my happiness on returning to this technique.

Cross stitch (Ponto cruz in Portuguese) was my first "embroidery" passion. And for a long time the only one... But since I began my project, agulha não pica, I've changed my heart and mind to free embroidery... And I was happy!!! Until I found the most challenging book... I'm not revealing the name of the book today... Some suspense will be good!!!

I can say it is not a book with cross stitch patterns... But the moment I saw it my mind could not resist turning these beautiful images into cross stitch charts...

Inspiring roosters

And the first one I chose was a Rooster of Barcelos... I've already talked about how special this rooster is for Portuguese people. For many this is a unofficial symbol of Portugal. And it is very interesting, again, to see how pottery can inspire embroidery.

Unfinished work

I took this last photo so I could ask for your help... I learned to cross stitch on my own... Reading some magazines... I believe I was 12 years old. I've always finished my work on the front side... I like to turn it and see the back side only with vertical stitches. How much I love it that way!!! But recently all the books I've read teach you to finish the work on the backside using horizontal stitches under the vertical stitches... But I don't like it... This time I began that way and then returned to "my old" way...

What is your favorite technique to finish your work? I would love to hear it from you...
 

My new Portguese scissors

I could also not resist to tell you about one of my latest finds... I'm always searching for Portuguese embroidery supplies... And I was so happy to know that there still are scissors made in Portugal! And they come from the North of Portugal... like the Rooster of Barcelos!!

My finished work

This was my first work from this book, but I have some more and I'll show them soon! I'm thinking of using it to make an album to file all my posts on Feeling Stitchy... What do you think? Do you have a better idea???

Olá! Today I bring you a very simple idea to touch the heart of someone you love in a very special day... Sometime ago I was invited to the wedding of one of my goddaughters. I wanted to give her something special, so I decided to make the favors that she offered her guests.

I confess I loved the final result and they were a success... These were the favors received by the ladies, I prepared something different to the gentlemen... But they were also asked to craft :)

At some point, during the reception, men and women were crafting and that was very funny!!

Cross stitch kit, my photo

Portuguese poem, my photo

Cross stitch kit celebrating love, my photo

Ladies and Gentlemen's favors, my photo

The decoration at the reception, my photo

Embroidered hearts during the reception, my photo

At the end of the reception there were some hearts already stitched!!!

Yup, I adore this cross stitched piece by Emma Ruth Hughes. I love the fun way she's broken up her piece using color and lines, and I bet it looks super-awesome up on a wall.

See more of Emma's daily stitched words on her Tumblr blog. Great work, Emma!

The wonderful people involved with Anna Maria's Needleworks Notebook were sweet enough to share a copy of this book to review on Feeling Stitchy.

And it's been awhile, but I am finally giving a brief tour through my favorite elements of this book and... if you read to the end... a giveaway! This post is a combination of my first dive into one of the book's projects and a brief overview of the book.



What I Made: One Night of Crafting 
I am so strapped for time these days, that before I begin a project I wonder if I'll be able to finish it. It's a count-the-cost mentality I've been forced to adapt, to be realistic with my time constraints. Do you ever do this, too?

In all my future reviews on FS, I want to include a quick-and-dirty snapshot of everything I was able to accomplish in one night of crafting, which for me equals 6PM - 11:30 PM on a weeknight. And, here you have it, the results of 5.5 hours, or one night of crafting:



As you can see, this is a detailed, cross stitch project that could safely occupy at least 3-4 additional nights of crafting. But I love the gorgeous colors and lines!

Book Overview

If you're already a fan of Anna Maria Horner, you will have plenty of reasons to love this book. I was so taken with Anna Maria's color language that I made a list of all the floss colors from my favorite projects and lined them all up, to really take in a sense of her style:



Pretty gorgeous, huh? By the way, all of the floss colors are listed as Anchor in her book, so I used this Floss Conversion Calculator to convert to DMC, since Anchor is not readily available in my region.

Now, on to the book! The book is divided into two sections: Grid Works and Free Works. Each section is further subdivided into helpful Common Materials and Tools, and Stitch Know-How sections with illustrated color guides to many, many stitches.

Under Grid Works, you'll find projects for Cross Stitch and Needlepoint.


The Needlepoint section is extensive, showing 11 different stitches that can be used (as a Needlepoint newbie - I had no idea there were so many!)


Under Free Works, you'll find projects for Embroidery and Crewel. The Embroidery section also has a 4 page illustrated color guide that shows you 13 different stitches.


The Crewel section has a 3 page color guide that shows you 5 stitches. Again, I loved the colors in these projects:


Lastly, the book closes with a section on Finishing your projects, and the Project graphs:


I love the graphs for their color and creativity, but they are colored blocks, without a symbol, so it can be hard to decipher if you have two very similar colors next to each other. On the other hand, it's a good springboard for the more creative stitchers out there, if you're planning to use your own colors and ideas.

Here are my favorite projects, in no particular order:

"home" crewelwork pillow


"menagerie at midnight" cross stitch


"star-crossed love" needlepoint purse

The Giveaway!
Overall, I think it's a wonderful book, both for inspiration and projects, and that's why I decided to give away 1 copy here! To win, all you have to do is leave a comment here - and tell us this: if you had to pick 1 favorite out of the following: Cross Stitch, Needlepoint, Freehand Embroidery, or Crewelwork - what would it be? Please include your email address so I can contact the winner!

I'll leave the comments open until 9 PM, CST on March 17, when I'll close the comments and announce the winner soon after. Want to win your own copy of Anna Maria's Needleworks Notebook? Tell us your favorite stitching category!

stitched by K.J. Andersson

Awesome, huh? Stumbled on this homage to old computer games by Swedish artist, K.J. Andersson via Reddit and a few other sites. I love the way that white space invaders border looks almost like lace. Pop by K.J. Andersson's Embroidery section for more game-related goodness.