Category: Embroidery

Framed Embroidered Cards

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We rode out the storm last night safe and sound, and since we’re on high ground we didn’t flood and have electricity (so I can post now while we wait for the city to get back on its feet).

I got a new camera a couple months ago and I have been working on improving my photography. Part of this is trying to improve how I display/style my items in product photos.

Even though they’re intended as cards, I thought one added benefit is that they can be re-used and displayed after they’re received. I framed and hung selections from the Moroccan series and constellations. I’ll probably pick out my favorites at some point and leave them up permanently.

Bike Birthday Card

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My brother is absolutely bike obsessed. He commutes to work on bike and takes long tours in his free time. He works a non-bike-related job so he can save up to start his own custom bike frame business. So I wanted to make him a custom bike birthday card.

He is very very tall, so his bike frame looks a bit odd:

Here’s my embroidered version:

I used ombre pink thread and attempted to match it up to the fade on the bike, but that didn’t work out so well. He liked it though, and was surprised on what I got right (since I know nothing about the specifics of how a bike fits together. The wheels are the major leap from reality).

I liked the result and thought it would be fun to try something a bit smaller for more average sized bicyclists. Et Voila!

One blue bicycle with upgraded tires! And that’s how the bicycle card in the shop came to be.

Astrology constellation cards complete!

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Basically the title says it all. For my etsy shop, I’ve been working on a series of embroidered cards featuring all of the constellations of astrology. I just finished posting the last of them online, I’m pretty happy with how they turned out.

The most time consuming part is getting the placement of the stars right. Each hole actually represents the location of a star as we see it. You can see the whole set (with many more pictures) right here.

Presenting Koto Designs!

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Despite my long silence on this “projects” blog, I have been diligently at work. I am very happy to announce the launch of my Etsy Shop, Koto.

Right now the shop is filled with embroidered cards featuring a variety of designs.

This one is based on an Islamic geometric star design.

Diamond!

I also have several constellations – this one is Pisces. I hope to eventually finish off the whole zodiac and a few of the cooler constellations like Orion.

I have far more cards than I’m able to feature here, come check out the shop for more!

Sewing Box Organization

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I’ve had the same sewing box since I was a kid, and some of the thread and needles are only slightly younger than me. I don’t sew very often, so I’ve built up a collection of infrequently used thread. During a recent project, I decided I was sick of the mess of spools with loose threads everywhere and took some time to clean it up.

Nice and organized! I cut some cheap takeout chopsticks to fit the width of my sewing box and strung the spools of thread onto each chopstick. There is a little ridge around the parameter of the box, so I used that to rest the chopsticks on.

Under the spools of thread are some smaller notions that I’m keeping “just in case” but likely won’t get used anytime soon. Now I can see what thread is available at a glance.

Hilbert Curve Embroidered Pillow

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I saw this embroidery awhile back of a Hilbert curve done with multicolored thread. I wanted to make something for the house that reflected my husband’s tastes, and since he works in math, I thought this would be a good fit.

A Hilbert curve is a “continuous fractal space-filling curve.” It lends itself well to embroidery since it follows a single line, starting in one corner and ending in the other.

After embroidering the front with a simple back stitch, I used leftover fabric to add sides and a backing to turn it into a throw pillow cover.

Three buttons I picked up from Tender Buttons close the back. A nice math accessory for our house. Some time down the line I’d like to try making a dragon curve pillow to match.