Modern and Traditional Embroidery Dress

(my June Stitchalong project in progress)

Yay! We've already had a great response to the June Stitchalong - we've got new projects in the pool, along with some free patterns designed by you guys! Remember that for this stitchalong you are welcome to stitch any free pattern that you like (even one you make yourself) - but please post a link to the pattern you use so we can stitch along with you. :)

For this post, I wanted to show you a great tool freely available in Flickr that you might not know about: Picnik!

Ever take a picture of your stitching and think it's too dark or you wish it reflected the actual colors better?

Here's some stitching from the super-talented lilyvanilli72:



You can tell, without a doubt that this is an amazing work, and the details are nice and sharp, but it's kind of dark and hard to see the actual colors...

Well, here it is after a quick Auto-fix in Picnik:


Isn't that awesome? Thanks, Lily, for letting me share your stitching!

Here's a pic stitched by life is crafty (wonderful stitching, by the way, Jeanne!) for the June Stitchalong:

Before:


After Auto-fix in Picnik:


Nice, huh? The original photo was fine, but Auto-fix added an extra  pop of contrast and tweaked the color temperature to the cool side. I've used this tool a lot, and like any tool, sometimes it works better than others, but it is definitely worth a try.

Here's how to use Picnik (tips from Flickr):
How do I start editing with Picnik


Now, back to the June Stitchalong...
A few of you have already stitched some of the freebies I posted!

How about this cutie stitched from the Wild Olive pattern:

Stitched by Now I'm Found

I love this white stitching on blue:

Stitched by ~ PixieFey ~

And, just in time for this stitchalong, Digital Misfit posted a free pattern on her blog:

Get the pattern

As for my project, I am finishing *cough* last month's stitchalong and stitching Carina's free pattern on paper:


(my progress again)

Can't wait to show you more! Until next week, have fun stitching, guys! :)

It wasn't enough for the winner of the May Stitchalong just to stitch up a version of the pattern. She decided to stitch a teensy-tiny version of the May pattern. On a dress. For a Blythe doll. That she crayon tinted. And she made herself.

Seriously, can it get any more amazing? Look at those stitches!


No, really, look at those stitches - she even made a little diagram to show you exactly what she did:


So congratulations, Lia of Summerday Studio, your stitching is incredible, and you won a free pattern from Cate Anevski's store and a bundle of floss and fabric from me. :)

But, you know what? Cate loved everyone's stitching so much that she's sending one free pattern to every person who took part in the May Stitchalong! Yup, everyone who stitched the pattern last month and added their picture to our pool won a pattern! Isn't that incredibly sweet of her? Cate, you are so wonderful - thank you so much for designing such a wonderful pattern, being so generous, and inspiring us all. Thanks everybody! Is anyone working on the June Stitchalong yet? I'll be checking in with you guys later this week with a special post for that one! :)

Download the pattern (PDF)
week 1
week 2
week 3-4

We're in the process of choosing a winner for the May Stitchalong, stay tuned for that! In the meantime, there are so many stitchalongs and free patterns out there, this month I thought we'd let you find the free pattern of your choice, stitch it up, tag it JuneStitchalong and add it to the pool. To play along, be sure to link to the free pattern you use under your photo, so we can stitch it, too! Here are just a few suggestions from my rapidly growing "to stitch" list:

For one thing, there's the Lark Stitchalong this month with Aimee Ray:

Aimee is adding a free pattern once a week for the rest of this month, so be sure to check those out! Join the stitchalong here

Or, how about a free pattern from our own Carina:


Carina is having a special stitchalong on her blog next month (she'll share the details with you later) but to get you ready for that, why not download this lovely free pattern and stitch it up? She even includes a color guide, which is super helpful for people like me who are duds when it comes to choosing colors... Get the free pattern.

Here's another lovely free pattern I've been wanting to stitch ever since I saw it:


This is a free pattern from Lazy May called "Valentine's Pillows" but I think they're romantic enough to be sweet for any time of the year. I think they'd make a really sweet wedding gift, and hey it's June right? Perfect! Get the free pattern

Or how about a fawn from the amazing Badbird:


I'd love to see all of Badbird's freebies stitched up into a quilt, I think it would be amazing. Get the free pattern

Or how about this lovely vintage pattern from The Floss Box:


Emily has tons of amazing little patterns for embroidery and cross stitch in her store - but be sure to visit her free patterns pages for gems like these. Get the free pattern

Or maybe a cute sugar cube embroidery pattern by Wild Olive:


Mollie has tons of amazing stuff on her blog, including her wonderful Embroidery Basics series, which is really worth a visit. Get the free pattern

So what do you think? Join in, tag your photos JuneStitchalong and let's see how many free patterns we can stitch this month! :)

(my rather sad progress)

So, how are you guys doing on the May Stitchalong? Did you all download your pattern and give it a start? Yes, I know it's June, and I'm still posting about the May Stitchalong, but remember this is a special one with a prize! AND, you still have a whole weekend and two days to complete it - the deadline is Tuesday June 7!


(my progress again)

I'll be the first to admit that my progress has been painfully slow. Ever have one of those days where nothing you do seems to turn out right? Well, I've been having one of those weeks. A word of advice? When you are feeling this way about your crafting, do not decide to sit down and stitch at night (unless you have a very nice lamp that mimics daylight). There's something about the orangey glow of most lights that will muddy up your colors and make you feel even grumpier. Case in point - me, stitching this, last night.

But when I got my project in some morning light, I immediately felt cheerier. Still grumpy, but cheerier:

(blue sparkly glow in the dark thread - should I?)

Right now I'm trying to decide if I should add some of this sparkly thread in somehow... Either way, I'm halfway done, which is encouraging.


Now, on to your stitching!


Stitched by fav_orite.things

Um, how awesome is this?! I love the colors chosen by Ms. fav_orite.things and just how bright and cheery overall this whole project is. Also, she posted a great idea to help alleviate some puckering on Mr. Toast - how about a little acupuncture? ;)

Love the chunky stitches and fun colors on this one:

Stitched by WithWhimsy

Here's some nice textured chain stitching and french knots on the strawberry:

Stitched by TippedDaisy

This one's all stitched up but needs a nice saying for the banner - hey maybe you can give her a few tips! :)

Stitched by eronn_actually

Also, I'm loving the texture on this PB and J - that toast looks like the perfect shade of peanut butter, he's making me kinda hungry...

Stitched by mrs. breadpony

So all in all, I counted, and 3 days before the deadline we have only 6 finished entries - and I think that's as good a reason as any to throw your hat in the ring! This is a quick stitch - a perfect weekend project, and remember the winner gets one free pattern from Cate Anevski's store and a bundle of floss and fabric from me (I promise I'll make it a nice one). Tag your pic "MayStitchalong" and add it to the Embroidery pool before midnight (US, Central time) on Tuesday, June 7 to enter!

Download the pattern (PDF)
week 1
week 2

Stitched by moxiedoll77

Don't panic, or anything, but it's Towel Day. :)

Stitched by HeidiMakesStuff

Boy are you guys fast! And stitchers like Heidi are setting the bar pretty high, indeed. How can I hope to stitch anything as great as this, you may be asking yourself? Ok, maybe it's just me asking myself, but whatever. The whole point of a stitchalong is to just join in and do your thing at whatever level your at, in whatever way you want! So I hope lots and lots of you join us for this one - remember, there's a prize for the most inspired stitching - a free pattern from Cate Anevski's store and a bundle of floss and fabric to get you started!

We already have a few awesome finishes in the pool, including a wedding sampler:

Stitched by snifferooski

An adorable framed set:

Stitched by Little Red Emo Hood

And some incredibly detailed satin stitching in progress:

Stitched by fav_orite.things

Am I feeling the pressure? Ok, maybe a little bit. But either way I whipped out my blue charcoal pencil and finally got started:


How about you? I think it's time you got started and added yours to the pool!

Need the patterns?
Week One

Need help transferring your pattern?
Here's some excellent tips from Mollie Johanson's Embroidery Basics series:
Embroidery Basics: Transferring a Pattern

And I did a basic how to use a transfer pencil (a billion years ago):
How to Use a Transfer Pencil

What are you waiting for? Let's see some more stitching! :)

Stitched by Lauradediaz

Everything about this embroidery just makes me say "yay." :) Thank you for preserving one of my favorite TV moments in embroidery, Laura. :)

How about another stitchalong? Hmmmm? :)

This month's pattern was brought to us by the super-talented Cate Anevski - we've featured her wonderful embroidery patterns often here, and we're so honored that she created something special for Feeling Stitchy readers!



That's right, you're looking at a fully customizable PB + J pattern! Maybe you want to stitch just the PB + J?

Or maybe you want your sandwich to say:


Or maybe, you want your sandwich to say a phrase of your very own? Well, we got you:


I love how Cate's design echoes the quirky, cute kitschiness of vintage patterns, combined with her own, unique feel. This is gonna be a fun one, guys, I can feel it!

And... there's a prize this month!

For a little added inspiration, and as a thank you to all of you for making our first-ever stitchalongs such a hit - Cate will choose one winner who'll receive one free embroidery pattern  from her store (choose your favorite) and a little bundle of floss and fabric from yours truly. Sound awesome? I hope so!

And, since we started this stitchalong a bit late, just know that you'll have until June 7 to complete your stitching. On that day, we'll collect all the entries and Cate will choose our winner.

Wanna take part? Just tag your stitching "MayStitchalong" and add it to our pool!

P.s. to those of you with questions about how or where to start, I'll be checking in this weekend with my progress and links to cool tutorials, etc. See you then! :)