Covid and Creativity
Its hard not to be affected by the current global pandemic. For many of us it has impacted all aspects of our lives and how we are able to live. So given that, it’s impossible for our creative outlets not to be changed. Over the last few weeks I have seen some remarkable things happen despite of the situation we have found ourselves in. For many of us though, being remarkable, or even normal, is hard at the moment. I hope that by talking about my situation in this post that it may lend some comfort or reassurance to others
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My favourite tools to use in Procreate!
Procreate is probably one of the most well know drawing apps out there. Its easy to see why! With a myriad of tools and brushes to choose from there is a lot to play with. But when you are first trying to find your way around that can be pretty daunting!
Today I’m going to take you through 6 of the tools I use the most when designing my patterns in procreate
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Working with Colour Gradients
We all love that seamless fade between colours that you can only achieve with the just the right threads! Well theres a little more too it than you might think…
I’m going to take you through:
Understanding a little about colours
How to choose your threads
How to use the gradient in a larger piece
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Making your embroidery into a patch!
There are many ways to create embroidered patches to sew onto clothes, bags etc
In this post I’m going to show you how to turn an existing piece of embroidery into a patch.
I like this method as it means that you can stitch your embroidery normally on whatever fabric you want, in your hoop, and don’t have to decided if you want it to be patch till you are done!
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An anniversary roses dress
As it was my parents 25th wedding anniversary in July this year they decided to have a vows renewal this summer
I thought that it would be a great excuse for me to break out the sewing machine and get back to dressmaking!
Although I have made several things in the past, including my prom dress, I certainly would not call myself an experienced seamstress and I certainly expected, and indeed wanted, this to be a challenge…
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Blackwork heart motif - free embroidery pattern!
A mini sampler pattern from a recent workshop!
I have written out exactly how to complete it, stitch by stitch.
As you work through this design, keep looking at the pattern grid and try to get the hang of counting it from there and then checking my instructions to see if you’re on track…
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Creating an original design
This is something that I know a lot of people struggle with.
It’s hard to know where to start sometimes, and even harder to know if what you’ve created looks right!
I’m going to take you through the steps I use to create my designs before I even start stitching:
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Some Bite Sized Stitching Wisdom
Recently I asked my Instagram followers two questions:
What piece of stitching advice do you wish you knew sooner?
What is the best piece of advice you can offer other stitchers?
I’m going to go through some of the best answers with you and explain them a little more where possible. (That instagram question box has a rather limited answer space!)
I hope that If you are new to stitching, or are experienced but willing to take advice and try new things, that some of these responses will be useful to you!
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Finishing off an embroidery hoop for display
There are many ways to finish your hoop but I’m going to talk you through my preferred method of sewing a circle of felt to the back of the hoop
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Creating circles in blackwork embroidery
One of the difficulties of working on a square grid as you do with counted embroidery such as Blackwork is creating those smooth curves and circles that some designs just need.
I’m going to explain a little about why circles are so difficult and a few things I think its useful to know about this shape before trying to stitch it.
I’ve also put together some of the tips I have for getting a smooth curved edge to help you create your own designs!
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