tidying up and a new pattern
Last November I was tidying up my workspace (a once a year event!) and I found a scrap of a drawing in a sketchbook that I was throwing away. I shared it on instagram and had a lot of requests for it to be a pattern. November and December are really packing and posting months so I taped it to my wall where it has stayed until last month when I started working on it for a pattern.
I wanted to make a small design because the original drawing was small and I love working small. Practically everything in my sketchbook is small. I created the design for a 4” hoop and printed it onto sticky fabri solvi which I have written about before here. I used some thread magic for the needle, although it didn’t really feel sticky at all this time. Unfortunately I got a bit impatient once I had finished stitching and failed to follow my own advice. I agitated the embroidery in the water to hurry it along and the ink from the printer ran into the fabric.
Luckily most of the ink ran into the edges of the fabric that I cut away so my original piece is still ok if you don’t look too closely! The second stitching that I did worked a lot better. I soaked it overnight in a bowl of water and didn’t touch it at all! I rolled it gently in a towel to start the drying process and then pinned it onto a cork board to stretch it as it continued drying. I’ve framed it in a 4” flexi hoop which I think looks really nice. I love the little ornate hanger at the top, it looks a bit Victorian.
So what I have taken away from my experience is to follow my own advice and patience is a virtue. I have also included a lighter version of the design in the pattern for using with sulky solvi so there isn’t so much ink. I would still recommend it because it takes all the pain away from transferring but just take care washing it out. I have also made the tracing design darker so it should be easy to trace even if you are using a window rather than a lightbox.
I really enjoyed stitching this one. It’s mostly my favourite stitch (back stitch) and it’s reasonably quick to stitch up. I have included a 5” version in case you find the 4” a little fiddly but I love stitching tiny stitches.
Now I’m working on another 4” hoop design, the moths. This one is mainly stitched with a single strand of thread so it’s more delicate and has some applique in it so a good opportunity to use up tiny scraps of liberty.
I’m also considering a monthly pattern club. I would probably run it from patreon as it seems to be the easiest option. I am working on designs now and it would involve paying a monthly subscription to receive a pattern a month and other digital downloads, perhaps some stitch along videos. I might expand it to printed panels but I will probably try it out digitally first. I would love to hear whether a pattern club would interest you and what you would like it to include.
Now I’m going back to my sketchbook for a little bit of daydreaming and sketching. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
x