Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 46 i Love Embroidery

If you can’t go all out at Christmas, when can you? From our decadent foliage wreath cover star to a very jolly and very tactile Santa hoop, a fun figgy pudding-inspired tea cosy and, of course, the final part of Ksenia’s stunning Cosy Christmas Stitch-along – we aren’t holding back this issue. In fact, we think it’s one of our most festive yet. Our highlight? It has to be our brilliant gift tag stitch kit, designed by our very own Matilda Smith. Sadly, this will be her last issue with the mag as she’s jumping into the exciting world of freelance design as of next month. She’s been with us since the launch of the LE and will be sorely missed… but don’t worry, I’m sure we can tempt her…

MATERIALS ● Printed cotton fabric from the kit or plain cotton fabric: 20x12cm, white ● Stranded cotton from your kit or: 1 skein each of cream, green, light green, dark pink, light pink, red, yellow ● Tags from the kit or shop bought card tags ● 6mm ribbon from the kit: 90cm, light green ● 3mm wide strong tack double-sided tape ● Card: A4, off white ● Basic sewing kit STITCHES USED French Knot, Holbein Stitch, Running Stitch, Satin Stitch, Split Stitch, Straight Stitch NOTE ● The templates for this project are printed on the fabric in your kit. You can also find them on p71. 01 The festive motifs are printed on the fabric in your kit so you can get stitching straight away. Alternatively, you can transfer…

01 02 03 04 05  06 MATERIALS • Linen fabric: 40x40cm, in your chosen skin tone; 20x20cm, yellow (wings); 20x10cm, brown (hair) • Stranded cotton: 1 skein each of light green, dark green, white, red, dark red, pink, black, brown • Metallic stranded thread: 1 skein each of gold, bronze • Embroidery hoop: 10cm diameter • Organza: 20x6cm • Turning tool • 6mm ribbon: 15cm, 30cm, cream • Toy stuffing • Sewing machine with matching thread • Basic embroidery kit STITCHES USED  Bullion Knot, Couching Stitch, French Knot, Granitos Stitch, Holbien Stitch, Running Stitch, Seed Stitch, Straight Stitch 01 Transfer the designs from the template onto the corresponding fabric using a heat erasable pen and a light source. Transfer the body, arms and legs onto your skin tone fabric, the wings onto yellow and the hair onto…

E mbrace the beauty of the season through your sewing machine with two stunningly good tutorials that will both stretch – and delight – your stitching skills. First up is Connie Mabbott’s mesmerising snowflake hoops, which capture the fragility of these frosty formations by combining sheer organza with delicate stitching and metallic threads. Followed by Talia Bills-Moore’s very different, but equally magnificent, ‘Santa Stop Here’ sign. This fun decoration is made from white cotton and stash-friendly accents for a thrifty design that you can whip up for yourself, friends, neighbours... or anyone else you might want to treat. Whether the big man drops in or not? Well, that depends on how naughty or nice you’ve been!…

MATERIALS TECHNIQUES STITCH GUIDE TEMPLATES YOUR BASIC EMBROIDERY KIT For the majority of the projects in this issue you will need the following items. There are different types available, so read on to choose the correct materials for each project. Fabric Thread Needles Scissors Embroidery hoop Transfer pens/pencils FABRIC Embroidery can be worked on a wide variety of fabrics or ready-made items. It’s best to choose fabrics with a fairly smooth surface as heavily-textured surfaces will prevent the stitches from lying flat. For beginners, it’s best to start with 100% plain-weave cotton. When choosing fabric, consider its intended use, how much wear it will get, and how often it will need to be washed. Fabric can be categorised by its weave and fibre content. Plain weave is the most common…

GIFTS INSPIRATION DECORATIONS PATTERNS BOOKS Strung with stitched fig and citrus slices, this Whimsy Cotton Fruit & Leaves Garland by Anthropologie is guaranteed to add a bit of festive spice to your mantlepiece over the holidays. It features a dreamy combination of crushed velvet and sparkly bugle beads in a rich, wintry colour palette, which pairs beautifully with the decorative Tilly Bristle Brush Christmas Trees, shown here – we’ll be stocking up on some of those too... www.anthropologie.com…

ETSY PATTERNS For more designs by Georgie Emery, visit www.loveembroidery mag.etsy.com MATERIALS ● Cotton fabric: 25x25cm, mint ● Stranded cotton: 1 skein each of gold, dark green, pink, bright pink, light pink, red, dark red, turquoise ● Embroidery hoop: 15cm diameter ● Basic embroidery kit STITCHES USED French Knot, Satin Stitch, Split Stitch, Straight Stitch, Whipped Backstitch NOTE ● Find the template on p75. 01 Transfer the design from the template onto the fabric using your preferred method. Then mount the stitching into a hoop. Use Satin Stitch in one strand of red for the petals. Then, using one strand of dark red, work 3-4 Straight Stitches coming out of the centre of each petal. Next, use Satin Stitch in two strands of dark green to stitch the tree. 02…

W ow, can you believe it’s already time for the third, and final, part of our Cosy Christmas Stitch-along? We hope you’ve enjoyed stitching Kseniia Guseva’s gorgeous festive scene as much as we have? Don’t worry if you missed Parts 1 and 2 – you can grab issues 44 and 45 via our Back Issues site (turn to p40 for more info), or as digital downloads via our app. In Parts 1 and 2, we stitched the rug, greenery, and a pile of wrapped pressies. This time, Kseniia shows us how to use Split Stitch to work a star-shaped tree topper and a glittering moon, and gives us a chance to practise our Whipped Backstitch as we sew the pretty peppermint canes hanging on the tree! We’d love to see…

Here at LE, we love playing around with the latest stitching tech – especially when it gives us more time for making. Love it Stitch it (by founder of Caterpillar Cross Stitch, Sally Wilson) is a new online platform that helps you to create your own Cross Stitch patterns – from scratch - at the touch of a button! Simply upload the image that you would like to see in thread to the website, and voila! LiSi will present you with your cross stitch template. Take a peak at p41 for an example... www.loveitstitchit.com…

A cat in a bowler hat, a jar filled with hearts, and a pair of lungs blooming with sunflowers: Stella Caraman, founder of embroidery business, Why Knot Stitches, designs a beautiful variety of wild and wonderful patterns for stitchers of all abilities. Stella may now be a recognised name in the stitching community (Why Knot’s 154k Instagram followers will attest to that) but fabric and thread wouldn’t have been found in her first creative tool kit: the designer’s passion for stitching grew out of a decade-long career in illustration. In 2017, Stella was commissioned to illustrate a piece centred around embroidery – and something felt strangely familiar. She recalled how her mother and grandmother had, many years prior, encouraged their crafty little girl to give embroidery a go. After completing…

01 02 MORE LIKE Stitch THIS Visit Guide our website www.gathered.how Turn to for more PAGEfun 67and festive projects 03 04 05 06 MATERIALS • Knitted jumper: light blue • Rico Essentials Super Kid Mohair Silk: pale pink, white • Embroidery hoop: 10cm diameter • Iron-on vinyl: in a selection of pinks and one similar shade to the jumper • Seed beads: size 12, assorted colours • Bugle beads: assorted colours • Sequins: ranging from 5-12mm, assorted styles and colours • Star sequins: 5mm, assorted colours • Beading needle • Invisible thread • Basic embroidery kit STITCHES USED Straight Stitch NOTE • Remove the hoop as soon as you have finished stitching each tree to prevent damaging the jumper fabric. 01 Begin by cutting out eight isosceles triangles from scrap…

01 02 MORE LIKE Stitch THIS Visit Guide our website www.gathered.how Turn to Stitching PAGE 67 onto clothing 03 04 05 06 MATERIALS • Child’s size beret: red • Stranded cotton: 1 skein each of black, brown, dark brown, green, orange, red, white, yellow • Embroidery hoop: 10cm diameter • Adhesive water-soluble stabiliser • Basic embroidery kit STITCHES USED Backstitch, Long and Short Stitch, Satin Stitch, Straight Stitch NOTES Find the template on p79. Use three strands of stranded cotton throughout this design. 01 Transfer the design from the template onto the adhesive water-soluble stabiliser – we recommend using an erasable pen to reduce the risk of the ink transferring onto the threads. Cut the design out with a 1cm border, peel off the backing paper and firmly stick it…

GETTING STARTED Prepare your sewing machine by attaching a freemotion (AKA darning) foot. Next, drop or cover the feed dogs – the mechanism that grips and pulls fabric through your sewing machine. For this project, you don’t need to place your fabric in an embroidery hoop – there is enough excess fabric around the edge of the designs before trimming for you to grip and manoeuvre the project while working with your sewing machine. Before you begin working with your machine though, start with a piece of test fabric to make sure the tension is correct. Remember, the stitch length is determined by your speed – the faster you move your fabric, the longer your stitches will be. When machine embroidering, try to work in one continuous line. If you…

HOW TO TRANSFER TRACING Place light-coloured and fine fabrics over the design and trace over it. For thicker or dark-coloured fabrics, a light source such as a window or lightbox makes this process much simpler. TRANSFER PENS AND PENCILS Choose a colour that will show up on the fabric. Use a permanent marker if the stitching will cover the lines, or a removable marker if you need to erase the lines afterwards – test on a scrap of fabric first so you know it can be removed. IRON-ON TRANSFERS Press your fabric, then place your transfer sheet ink side down on top and press with a hot, dry iron (taking care with heat-sensitive fabrics). You can reuse the transfers three to four times depending on the type of fabric you…

W hen Lindsay’s floristry business was put on hold during the pandemic, she started looking for a different way to express her creativity. And that’s when she discovered embroidery... Tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you based? Are you a full-time stitcher? Hi, I’m Lindsay, and I’m based in Texas with my husband and three kids. When I’m not wrangling children or animals (we have a mini farm complete with chickens, quail, rabbits and a cat!) or tending to the garden, I’m stitching. How and when did your textile journey begin? After my second child was born, I decided to stay home to raise the kids while continuing my floral design side hustle. I primarily designed wedding flowers, but this got put on hold when the pandemic…