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24 May 2021

Floral Embroidery

I hope you had some nice weather this weekend! It's starting to feel like summer here in the East Coast. But whatever the season, crafting is always on my agenda.

The Makerie, crafting community, crafting session, blah to TADA, hand letting, Heidi Parkes, Zak Foster
Last Wednesday, I joined the Makerie Community for "A Playful Pause," a virtual crafting session. 

hand yoga by Heidi Parkes, The Makerie, A Playful Pause, female quilters, blah to TADA
We started out with some hand yoga led by Heidi Parkes. I've never done hand yoga before and I think I should do it every morning or when I need to relax my hands.

The Makerie, A Playful Pause, quilters, blah to TADA
Then master quilter Zak Foster introduced the activity:

embroidery, embroidery hoop, sewing, sewing crafts, writing with thread, blah to TADA, fabric crafts, embroidery thread, A Playful Pause, The Makerie
We had to sew without looking! It was hard! But we relied on our fingertips to be our eyes. We tried it out by sewing a straight line, then sewing a shape (my attempt at a heart), and finally a word. My word was "leap" -- a reminder that I should just go for it without overthinking. But the "P" looks like a "D" so the word can be "lead" (as in "leadership" and not "lead" the chemical).  This activity made me extra grateful for the sense of sight and that I should be open to new techniques that challenge my creativity.

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It's all about sewing today. Personally, I am very drawn to handicrafts with floral embroidery. It reminds me of my childhood. We had tablecloths and pillow covers decorated with embroidery. I also learned embroidery in school -- we made a bag and a layette (linen for baby) for Practical Arts. Embroidery is one of my first forays into crafting. Embroidery also makes me feel safe.   

Here is a bag that I purchased in a Bangkok market many, many years ago:

embroidery, embroidered bag, lazy daisy, Bangkok souvenir, blah to TADA, handmade bag, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers
The cloth is linen and the handles are made out of wood.

embroidery, embroidered bag, lazy daisy, Bangkok souvenir, blah to TADA, handmade bag, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers
Lazy-daisy flowers and small seashells are sewn on it.

embroidery, embroidered bag, lazy daisy, Bangkok souvenir, blah to TADA, handmade bag, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers
I love that it doesn't look like the mass produced bags of today and I can imagine an artisan leisurely working on this while humming her favorite song.

I hardly use this bag now but I've kept it as a souvenir from that memorable trip (maybe I should frame it).

embroidery, embroidered skirt, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers
This is a pencil skirt that I've owned for more than a decade. 

embroidery, embroidered skirt, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers
I fell in love with the colors and the floral stitching.

Taking a cue from these items, I applied some embroidery to turn some items in my closet from blah to TADA!

embroidery, embroidered wallet, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers, Nine West wallet, 3-D embroidery
This is an old wallet that has been hiding in a box in my closet.

embroidery, embroidered wallet, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, floral embroidery, flowers, Nine West wallet, 3-D embroidery
To give it life, I added some 3-dimensional stitching that I learned on Pinterest...TADA!

TOMS shoes, embroidered TOMS, flowers on shoes, shoes for spring, blah to TADA!, sewing crafts, sewing flowers on TOMS shoes
I also embroidered a pair of shoes that developed a small hole. I thought that was a sneaky solution to cover it up. Apart from the hole, it was still in good shape.

TOMS shoes, embroidered TOMS, flowers on shoes, shoes for spring, blah to TADA!, sewing crafts, sewing flowers on TOMS shoes
I drew the flowers with white pencil.

TOMS shoes, embroidered TOMS, flowers on shoes, shoes for spring, blah to TADA!, sewing crafts, sewing flowers on TOMS shoes
Then I slowly made the stitches.

TOMS shoes, embroidered TOMS, flowers on shoes, shoes for spring, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, sewing flowers on TOMS shoes
Now, I am able to wear the shoes again (and the compliments aren't so bad either)...TADA!

fabric face mask, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, sewing flowers on face mask,
I used the same floral embroidery technique to decorate this handmade face mask...TADA! Always good to keep it handy even if mask mandates are being lifted.

shawl update, turquoise shawl, blah to TADA, sewing crafts, sewing flowers on a shawl
And finally here is a shawl that was looking blah. Sewing was a bit of a challenge because of the thin material but the flowers embroidered on it gives it more personality...TADA!

floral embroidery, sewing crafts, embroidery on shawl, embroidery on wallet, embroidery on face mask, embroidery on TOMS shoes, blah to TADA
How about you, are you a fan of embroidery?

2 comments:

  1. I am a fan of embroidery. Your embroidery projects are so cool. I think my fave is the pair of shoes. Sewing without looking...it sounds both fun and difficult!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hooray for embroidery! Thank you so much Priscilla for your vote of confidence :)

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