Hey There!
As promised in one of my previous posts, my adventure with embroidery has only began!
I am "advancing" from making simple bracelets to hand made embroidery pictures.
It might became some kind of crafty art at some point, but I wouldn't dare to call my first completed work THE ART. It would be quite insulting to real artists, in my opinion..
But I believe I will get there one day !! (Maybe ;))
Anyhow..
To bring my journey through embroidery world to another level, I decided to create a little piece of hand embroidered geometric giraffe image.
As at this point I had no proper embroidery tools, I had to improvise.. I used an old "beauty set" box lid with elastic rubber bands instead of a proper embroidery wooden hoop!
It wasn't easy to work with, as the actual fabric wouldn't stay rigid and kept coming off the box. Hence I would recommend to start with a proper hoop.. They cost very little and are so handy!
You also want to get a proper embroidery needles that can take the thick thread.
So.. Having my "tools" I was facing another smaller issue to resolve - how can I transfer complex geometric pattern from a printed copy onto the fabric?
Option A - waste another 15-20 minutes trying to mark the fabric with a pencil, and probably not achieving the right outline..
Option B - trace it..
Obviously I went with Option B. I came up with the idea of using tracing paper I use for work. This allowed me to get the exact design I wanted. I used a sticky tape to fix it to the fabric, but I removed it once I had the main contour completed. I found it quite easy to pull the needle and thread through both tracing paper and fabric. The only disadvantage I came across, was extracting the tracing paper out of the little shapes.. It would get stuck between the stitches.
Luckily while struggling, I got this sudden idea in my head to try tiny nail scissors and forceps.. and they worked the magic!
Having all the contours done I could finally take a rest..
Wow.. top of my fingers hurt from the needle!
Lesson learned - embroidery is definitely not an effortless and quick hobby!! Nonetheless, I took few days off from working on this peace to let my finger tips rest and I took that time to decided on the colors I want to use - pastels (sure can't go wrong with that!).
Slowly, working through each shape and stitching in these beautiful light-toned threads, the giraffe eventually got its "skin" finished and my first embroidery graphic was ready!
Looking at the complete piece, I noticed few silly "beginners errors". Firstly, not having the right tension on the fabric caused it to wave around the contours. Secondly, the stitching method I came up with is not the cleanest - it creates a lot of knots at the back of the fabric, what in turn leaves me with a bumpy rather than a smooth fabric... In addition, the stitch seems to be too thick for contours around smaller shapes. To take the embroidery to another level I need to explore various stitches types and perhaps using a thinner thread. However, what's more important, I need to purchase all the basic tools so my next project can be done properly! I don't think I have enough stamina to keep working with beauty boxes and elastic bands :) It's way too painful and uncomfortable!!
So, my overall experience with embroidery is good so far! Plenty to learn and research, but it is something I can see myself taking up as a serious hobby. It is time consuming, but I think it's worth the while and the afford. Even considering my first finished piece, which is probably not the most sophisticated art you have ever seen.. but I am quite pleased with it. It's cute!
Not perfect, it has its flaws, but I like it!
I hope you enjoyed this post and will join me on my further journey with embroidery!
Talk Soon!
DOM
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