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Happy Spring. Happy Butterfly Days

5/22/2022

I wanted to celebrate Spring with a close up of butterfly bodies. You will also get a close up of the back of my work.

After you try one of these little sweet butterflies, you will want to embroider them to everything. Jeans, T-shirts, and especially dishtowels.
Things just feel happier with embroidery.

"Chase Your Dreams" Embroidered Dishtowel pattern or kit can be found in "Embroidered Toweling" Category on this website.

First step in all dishtowel embroidery is to wash and dry your dishtowel. You will want to pre-shrink your towel before doing all the embroidery work.
I used a cool setting for my washer water and a normal setting for dryer heat.

After wings are done with a backstitch, I used 2 strands
of black floss for the body. I took one stitch from top to bottom of butterfly.

Then, I repeated this stitch one more time to emphasize the body.

Knot off the 2 strands. Wrap the needle around previous stitching a couple times to secure.
DO NOT CUT THE THREAD.
Next, cut only one strand off.
Remove the cut strand from the needle.
You will use the one strand left in the needle to make the antennae.

Check out my backside. Not perfect. But kind of neat? I do not carry strands far. If it over an inch, I cut. I trail or wrap the thread under to carry under 1 inch away.
Leaves will be placed all around the flowers. These threads will be carried under these flowers.

Use the existing 1 strand to stitch the antennae.

Simple and sweet little butterfly finished.

Keep posted for backstitch
and French Knot Blog Posts.

Have fun.
Be colorful.
Enjoy every stitch,

Barri Sue

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Ropin' & Stitchin - How to Stitch a Lasso

5/22/2022

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I really had a lot of fun stitching this lasso. I hadn't stitched anything like this before. I really liked how it turned out. If you are reading this blog and want to stitch up this towel look for Giddy Up Pattern or Kit in "Embroidered Toweling" category on this website.
Giddy up and let's start stitching.

After yellow/gold rope work is done, use 1 strand of brown floss to wrap the rope in diagonal stitches.

I always wash my towels before starting the stitching. The towel I used is 100% cotton. It will shrink a bit. You always want to wash first as the towel may shrink more than your floss will. If you skip this step, you might be left with wrinkled stitches. A sad sight after so much careful work.

I worked the lasso with an Outline Stitch or, AKA Stem Stitch. This stitch gives a rope look as it looks like a slight twist as it is worked. You might be able to see the twist in the photo. This stitch also sits on top of the backing fabric. So it looks slightly raised. Perfect stitch for this rope. I used three strands of gold-ish/straw color.

I will be adding a blog about the backstitch and outline stitch in future posts.

Come up on one side of the rope, place your needle on the other side of the rope a slight (1/32nd) move up to achieve the diagonal wrapped look.
Keep repeating this technique around the length of the rope.

Here is a close up of the finished lasso.
Not all perfect. Some are closer than others. Some are less diagonal than others.
I love this rustic look.

Put on your favorite jeans, your favorite music and lasso up some stitches.

Happy Trails and
Happy Stitches,

Barri Sue

Darlin' Harlin. Death Valley days. 2022.

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Carrying Threads. A View from the Backside.

5/22/2022

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Hello from the backside!

I often get asked about how to finish the backs of my embroidered dishtowels. While I do try to make the backside neat, it is not as neat as the front. There is an old adage, "Make the back as neat as the front". Not sure how to achieve this perfection as I am self taught, but here are my tricks to carry threads and neaten up my knots.

This view is from the backside of "Farm Girl" Embroidered Dishtowel.

In these photo's, I am finding a path to bring my thread to the next crevice line in my stitched tomato.
I don't want to knot and start my thread again. It is only a 1 inch to my next stitching line. But, I do not want to carry the thread across the back. This causes potential pulling and looks messy.
So, I wrap around existing
lines to get where I need to go.

Now, I have wrapped my red thread around the green tomato leaf lines. I am ready to backstitch the next tomato crevice.
After this red tomato line is finished, I wrap back around the red line and into the green leaf lines as you will see in the next photo.

Wrapped red thread to the last tomato crevice line. Then backstitched this last line. My tomato is done.
Ready to knot the red thread off.

To knot, I wrap the and square knot the thread. Pull until just taught.
Never pull embroidery tight. Embroidery is meant to sit gently.

As an additional security measure, as these towels may get washed many, many times, I wrap my thread up into the backstitched line to hold.

When starting a new thread, I have a knot at the end, after 1 or 2 stitches, I try to remember to go back and wrap that knot as well. Again, as a precaution to secure the knot.
I do sometimes get lost in my stitching and forget this step : )

Happy Stitching!
Barri Sue

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"Farm Girl" Typewriter Lettering Stitching Tutorial

5/22/2022

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Welcome to the Farm Girl Dishtowel Lettering tutorial.
This post will give you hints for stitching American Type
style lettering.

You may have the Farm Girl Dishtowel kit or pattern. If not, this pattern and/or kit is available to purchase from the "Embroidered Toweling" Category on this site.
Before beginning,
Pre-wash your towel following manufacturers instructions.
I used the cool setting on my washer.
Trace design onto your washed and pressed dishtowel. Find detailed tracing instructions on FAQ's page of this website.
I used 2 strands of black floss and backstitch for the letters.

I have started my letters in this photo. You can see my tracing for a single row column and a double row column. The F is finished with a double row main column. The base's of all vertical and horizontal columns are finished.
Note how each column does not necessarily have a base going in
each direction. For example, the top of the F only has a base going towards the left. The top horizontal column of the F only has the base pointing downward.

Here is my little diagonal stitch. Ready to bring my needle up and over the diagonal stitch to make the bend for a classic American Typewrites base look.

I have brought the needle up and over the diagonal stitch.
Insert and pull gently into a slight curve towards the base.
Classic column achieved!
Repeat for the other side of this column.

An example of double lined column. Same technique.
I stitch both rows first.

Have you noticed where I missed tracing the diagonal lines on the A? I am a quick tracer! In fact, I think I tried very hard to make this one complete for the photo's. I do not trace everything every time. When I get to the A, I will remember it needs a column when I glance at my design page.
If I wasn't tracing for photo's, I might not have made any diagonal lines.
Hope you have wonderful days ahead stitching!

Barri Sue

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Happy Spring. Happy Butterfly Days

Ropin' & Stitchin - How to Stitch a Lasso

Carrying Threads. A View from the Backside.

"Farm Girl" Typewriter Lettering Stitching Tutorial

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Happy Spring. Happy Butterfly Days

Ropin' & Stitchin - How to Stitch a Lasso

Carrying Threads. A View from the Backside.

"Farm Girl" Typewriter Lettering Stitching Tutorial

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