Embroidery tutorial and ideas...

Today I did a guest post for Clover in Violet series, A Season by Hand. Welcome to Clover and Violet readers, we hope you like what you see.

 I decided to share an embroidery project that is twist on the norm. 

I embroidered right on top of a fabric I already loved. This is Sarah Jane's Out to Sea fabric line, and this mermaid is darling!

To start, cut the fabric piece about an inch and a half larger than the hoop you are using. 

Another tip is to add a circle of fusible white fleece to the back, this helps your stitches not show through to the front of your project. 

I started with a simple filler stitch for the mermaid tail...

I added some stem stitching to her hair, just pieces of her hair, not all. Then I did a handful of frenchknots to the starfish. The texture really stands out. You could be done here if you liked it. 

I decided to go on and "freestyle" the fishes. The same style of fish were in a different area of the print, so I basically just copied that idea and added the fish next to her. I really like them. 

When you are finished, pull tight, and use a glue gun and glue the fabric edges to the back of the hoop.

You are finished! A sweet, semi-custom, darling embroidery hoop art.

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial, and if you are new from Clover and Violet, we hope you come back more!

Ruffle Pillow and Embroidery Hoop Art Tutorial

 I got my second chance to work with some gorgeous Ruffle Fabric.  If you missed my Sweet Ruffles quilt tutorial where I used ruffle fabric strips check it out, turned out so fun!! I also share some tips on working with ruffle fabric if you're scared :)

Look at this fun collection for baby girl!!! And it was sincerely so simple to make (not including the quilt :)  

I am going to share how to make a simple throw pillow and embroidery hoop art, so let's get started!

Ruffle Throw Pillow

Materials Needed:

16" x 16" pillow form

1/2 yard of Ruffle Fabric

Cutting Requirements:

Two pieces of fabric 10" x 17"

One piece of fabric 17" x 17"

*adjust measurements for your size of pillow, generally 1" excess is the right size, if you have a much larger/smaller pillow form adjust accordingly.

With right sides together overlap the two 10" x 17" pieces for the back. IMPORTANT: Ensure your ruffles will all hang the same way.  Pin generously as ruffle fabric does stretch.  It is very forgiving however so don't be too intimidated.  No need to hem your edges, I told you it was simple!

Use a 1/2 inch seam and sew around entire perimeter of pillow.  Pull the pillow right sides out through the opening in the back.  You can hardly tell it's there with the ruffles!

Ta-da!  Love how this sweet pillow turned out, so feminine for my little lady!  This print is called Sunset Cascading, it's a beautiful combination of pink and coral.

Ruffle Embroidery Hoop Art

Materials Needed

hot glue gun

felt (optional)

marking pen

embroidery hoops

fabric piece 2" larger than the hoop

I used three sizes of hoops.  My 4" hoop I used a 6" square of pink mini ruffles.  My 6" hoop I used a pieced block (didn't it turn out cute??) I pieced a 4" block and added a border to make it 8" square.  Lastly I used a  9" hoop with a 11" square piece of fabric.

If you wanted to back the hoops with felt measure and cut that now.  Use the inside of the back hoop and measure out the right size of circle.  I opted not to add felt to mine, it gives a nice finished look so if you're gifting this project I would definitely back it.

Center and tightly screw in the hoop.  Take care that the image is centered and also it is centered to the top of the hoop.  Trim if necessary around the hoop with 1/4"-1/2" excess.

Carefully apply the glue to the inside of the hoop.  Work small sections at a time folding the fabric over as you go.  Careful not to burn yourself!

Again trim if necessary. If you'd like to add the felt to the back of the hoop you can do so now.

And now you've got some super sweet and simple artwork for your nursery!!  I am still working on the rest of the wall decor and will share the whole thing when I'm done.

I had no idea how nuts I'd go having this baby girl :)  It is so fun to go over the top and frilly, I'm loving it!  Thanks for stopping by and hopefully you learned something!!