Blog Redesign!

You may have noticed a few changes to the look of my blog. I changed the font, background template, background colors, layout, width, arrangement of add-ons, and more. I'm definitely not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I feel pretty good about the current look!

The lovely banner at the top features my work, but was not created by me. I recently purchased a new banner for my Etsy shop from WinchesterLambourne, and decided to buy a blog banner that coordinates. Her banners are a steal right now, only sale for only $10, so I definitely recommend getting one (or two).

I decided to go with a blue theme because blue doesn't strain the eyes and it coordinate well with the blue in the banner images. Also, blue supposedly is an archetype for calm and peace, which I definitely feel when I embroider!

Saturday Night Specials on Etsy!

One of my favorite things about Etsy is the ability to meet other creative people, both buyers and sellers. One fun way to do that is by participating in the Saturday Night Specials thread. The thread started back on the forums in 2006, and we've recently moved it over to the new teams set-up.

Visit the Saturday Night Specials here.

Different sellers post specials each Saturday, starting at 5 pm. Most last all night, but check each seller's post to see how long their specials run. We also chat for the first hour or two of the specials time frame.

Collaboration with NudeeDudee

Last August I blogged a simple tutorial about embroidery on black fabric, including some photos of the project I was working on at the time. The project was a collaboration with Kim of NudeeDudee, who creates the MOST amazing reproduction vintage clothing. Check out the super-amazing overalls and matching top in this photo (modeled by one of her repeat clients):

I embroidered several fabric panels for Kim using a vintage "Mexicana" embroidery pattern which was full of big, bold flowers and leaves. Kim used these panels to create an absolutely stunning vintage style dress:

Isn't her model (a friend of hers) the perfect model for this dress? She's just stunning and I can totally see her stealing the hearts of all the cowboys and vaqueros at the cantina! See the rest of the pictures (or buy the dress) by visiting Kim's shop.

$5 and Under - Hankies On Sale!

I'm having a sale on a few handkerchief designs in my shop right now, $5 and under! These make great gifts... especially when the recipient is yourself!

Kitten, $4

Acorn, $3

Pink flower, $3

I'm Featured!

I was so excited to be featured on the EtsyNEAT blog this week! Check out the beautiful post by Bekah...

EtsyNEAT Blog

Recent Custom Orders -- Bragging a Bit!

Can I make a New Year's Resolution in February? If yes, I'd like to resolve that I will post to this blog at least once a week!

I've recently started contributing to the EtsyNEAT blog, the official blog of the Etsy Needle Arts Street Team. Each Tuesday, I write "Tips and Tricks" that I hope will help our members and any other blog followers.

I've also been VERY busy with custom orders. In fact, I haven't had time to do any embroidery that I just wanted to do since the beginning of January. This is totally a BLESSING, but I am looking forward to spending some time finishing the cowgirl pin-up I started at Christmas!

Here are just a few of the things I've worked on in the past month and a half... I also made quite a few of my popular initial handkerchiefs, but I've posted photos of those before!

(I made 127 of these handmade handkerchiefs.... I cut the shapes from fabric yardage, sew, and then hand-cut each of the scallop shapes on the edges.)

(This was a gift from a bridesmaid to a bride...)

My favorite thing that I worked on this month was a set of handkerchiefs for the beautiful ladies of ZASS. Zass is Zulay and Stephanie, a mother-and-daughter team who are known in local (Raleigh, NC is local to me) craft circles for their AMAZING upcycled jewelry designs. They asked me to create floral handkerchiefs as a gift for their yearly gathering of "Hot Older Women", or "HOW Girls". I modified their logo to be hankie-friendly and stitched it up in various colors on retro hankies. Check them out!

November is.... Busy!

November is turning out to be a very busy month for me! This week my students are performing the fall play (three performances, with me backstage as assistant director).

Saturday, my husband and my sister are going to have a booth at the Fairgrounds Flea Market. Check out my husband's furniture here, and my sister's photography here.

Next weekend (the 13th and 14th), my sister and I are sharing a booth at the State Farmer's Market Craft Fair -- We've been a few times as shoppers, so we're excited to go as vendors as well.

The weekend after that (the 20th), we will participate in the last Downtown Designer's Market for 2010!

Then, it's Thanksgiving week!

WHEW!

Of course, I always find time to embroider... My current projects are lots of kitchen towels for the upcoming markets-- I just finished a bunny and am almost done with a butterfly. Both simple designs, but very pretty!

Fall Wedding Trends...

Acorns...

...Taupe...

...Ivory and Ecru...

...Beige and Red...

... Custom orders available with your ideas: http://mutantangel.etsy.com

Embroidery Find of the Week: Embroidery on WOOD

Embroidery on Wood, from Lisbon...

Check out these ridiculously cute necklaces from "TheSpotlessLoop". She's in Lisbon (Italy) and hand-embroiders WOOD for these pendants.

She hasn't sold anything on Etsy yet, but I definitely see that changing in the near future. In addition to the cupcake above, she also has a cookie and heart filigree style. She also does the crochet trim around the edges. Too cool!

This makes me want to embroider some wood!

A handkerchief for your bride...

I just finished and posted my favorite handkerchief yet -- a pretty lace bridal handkerchief with nesting love birds in grey.

I've actually done three handkerchiefs in the past year with this same design, but always used blue for the birds. I decided to use grey this time because I wanted the birds to look like mourning doves.

Mourning doves are a very well-known species because of their unique cooing, which sounds like someone crying, as well as their popularity as a game bird. My favorite story about these birds is that they mate for life; once they select a mate, that's it. They are a common symbol of love and faithfulness, so I think they are a particularly good choice for wedding items!

I actually have a tattoo of a mourning dove on my left arm-- I guess you could say I'm a fan!

Embroidery Find of the Week- Cross-Stitch Buttons from DeepIndigo

DeepIndigo on Etsy makes the cutest little cross-stitched buttons, like this set, which features fruit:

I don't like doing cross-stitch myself and it often turns out looking like something a granny with bad taste would have in her powder room. DeepIndigo's buttons manage to look fresh and cute, though! I can imagine these as replacement buttons on a vintage blouse or dress, or as focal points as a plain tote bag.

Embroidery Crush: Mely's Baby

Embroidery Crush: Mely's Baby

In my almost five years selling on Etsy, I've had the pleasure to find many fabulous embroidery enthusiasts around the country. One of my favorites is "Mely's Baby", aka Rebecca from Florida, and her fabulous vintage style embroidery. I plan to feature many of my "crushes" here, and I asked "Mely's Baby" to be the first. Read on for the interview!

Rebecca (seen here with her daughter) uses vintage designs to create her charming pieces. I'm especially drawn to her excellent sense of color-- she chooses the prettiest hues for her work!

Although Rebecca learned to stitch at a young age, embroidering baby onesies for her daughter motivated her to take up the craft seriously. Check out this gorgeous tablecloth she stitched as a custom order (and see more in her Flickr photostream):

If you've ever stitched, you know how much time goes into something of that size and detail.

In addition to her custom work, "Mely's Baby" on Etsy features super cute vintage style tea towels, pillows, and framed art, among other vintage inspired pieces. Notice how the colors on the teapot and cup coordinate in this tea towel? (My teapot-collecting mom would love this.)

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Rebecca and her work a little better, and I hope you do as well!

Q: You use a lot of vintage embroidery patterns--

How did you first discover vintage embroidery patterns and what drew you to them?

A: I love all things vintage...I wear vintage, collect vintage, decorate with vintage...so to use vintage embroidery patterns just seems natural. I love using other designs (that were never even intended for embroidery), but there's just something so special and nostalgic about the vintage designs...kind of like vintage stuff in general. I've always seen vintage embroidery patterns out there, but I never had the desire (initially) to embroider them in the way that they were intended (tea towels, aprons, table linens). It wasn't until I was in a book store and saw and bought an embroidery kit by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching that I thought of using those designs on baby onesies for my daughter. I thought it was such a great way to incorporate my love of vintage as well as my laziness of being able to keep her in a onesie all day (but look so darn cute in it)...and at the same time it gave me a creative and soothing outlet.

Q: Many women today either never learn about or eventually stop working with traditional hand-crafts. When and how did you learn to embroider, and what has motivated you to stay with it?

A: My mom has always been very artistic and crafty (she was a home economics teacher). She taught me how to cross-stitch when I was a young girl, so I've been familiar with a needle and thread for a long time now and have always "taken" to it. But I never learned the art of embroidery....again, it was Jenny Hart's kit that taught me the various embroidery stitches and I was hooked!! Embroidering something is so fantastic to me. I love seeing a design come to life in a relatively short amount of time. If I need a new kitchen towel or some new art for the home or a gift for a friend...I can embroider something up quite quickly for very little cost but it always brings "oohs and ahs" because it's so personal. And the act of embroidering something I find so relaxing, so calming.

Q: I've noticed that you like to use patterns more than once (like this awesome peacock --http://www.etsy.com/listing/32415466/sale-art-nouveau-peacock-hand), but you rarely use the exact same color scheme twice and even vary your stitches. How do you choose your color schemes and stitches? Do you sit down and plan it all out beforehand or just go where the "embroidery muse" leads you?

First...thank you about the peacock...it's such a gorgeous design that it's a pleasure to "bring to life"! That's why I repeat a lot of the patterns...there are some that I just never get tired of embroidering. But I do change the color scheme to keep it interesting for myself and for customers. I don't plan too much...it is very much a where the "embroidery muse" leads me kind of situation. I love getting out my box of embroidery thread and putting color schemes together. But there are some color schemes that I will repeat if I think they go together nicely...especially if the design is a bit more complicated. As for stitches, I have found that the longer I am doing this, the more I am beginning to experiment with other stitches...I'm feeling more confident with my ability. But there are still some stitches I haven't worked with yet and there are some that I have tried and just don't enjoy using...so I don't use them!

Q: What tips, tricks, or advice would you share with novice (or your fellow experienced) embroiderers?

A: Embroider what you like. If you don't like what you are embroidering, it's just not going to turn out well and it won't be enjoyable. And I mean that not only in the design that you choose, but also what the actual item is that you are embroidering...some fabrics are just tough to embroider on.

Q: If you could teach anyone else to embroider, who would you choose? (I'd like to see the First Lady take it up myself... She'd start a revolution!)

A: The First Lady would be great, I agree!!

This will sound a bit hokey, but I look forward to teaching my daughter, Stella. She is six and loves watching me embroider and is always my biggest cheerleader every time I create something. She even helps me decide on designs and makes drawings for me to embroider. She has embroidered with stitching cards but I think she is ready for "real" embroidery with a blunt needle. She's very enthusiastic about learning!

Q: When selecting a pattern or design to embroider, what do you look for? Do you have any particular favorites in the world of embroidery pattern designers/companies?

A: I choose patterns based on what appeals to me. Maybe it's something that I like for my own home or that I think would just look amazing all embroidered up. I buy authentic vintage patterns on ebay or through www.patternbee.com. And the hooplove group on flickr is also a great resource for finding vintage patterns. I try to be careful about copyright issues, but as I really love vintage, that's usually not a problem. I also love Jenny Hart's designs, but I am not currently licensed to sell items with her designs (but I'm working on it!), so those designs I use for my own personal use. Stella makes designs for me embroider and I have even created my own embroidery designs! You will not normally see any of my own designs embroidered for sale in my shop...that is strictly when someone requests something in particular. For example, lately I have been doing hand-embroidered family trees (see above!)...that requires me to come up with some of my own design work which has been a new added (but fun) element to this whole venture!

Q: I'm often asked how I have time to embroider so much-- You've sold more than 300 items on Etsy since 2006, almost all of them hand-embroidered pieces (WOW!), so you must hear the same question! So... How do you find time to embroider so much?

A: I am amazed at how much I've embroidered over the years. I think my husband is just relieved that there was someplace like Etsy that allowed me to sell my items and indulge my passion or else our home would be completely overrun with embroidered items (not that that is a bad thing, mind you!). I started my shop on Etsy after Stella was born and I have been a stay-at-home mom. So when she was a baby, I would have time here and there to embroider. Now while my daughter is in school, I have the time to make it my part-time job. Not only do I create things for my shop, but I do a lot of custom work locally.

Q: Embroidery is...

personal. I spend a lot of time hand creating that item that eventually ends up in someone else's home. Maybe that person will never know or understand, but a little piece of me goes into each item I create. And I love each and every piece I embroider. Maybe it won't end up as a family heirloom (although that would be fine by me if that IS the case!), but I hope that each time they use my tea towel or wrap their baby in a my baby blanket, it at least brings a smile to their face.

I made that!

Check out this blog, by Michele Waite -- a wedding photographer in Seattle.

You can see photos of handkerchiefs hand-embroidered by me in the set for Beth and Joe's wedding here.

Her photography is gorgeous.

I love working on pieces for weddings. The thought that something I made is a part of one of the most important days of a girl's life... well, I don't want to sound like a dork and say it makes me cry, but it does!

Embroidery floss...

Over the years I've had various methods for storing my embroidery floss. My most recent was a blue multi-drawer box that was intended to hold screws. I've used it for about 4 years, actually, so I feel pretty callous just putting it aside. However, the little drawers simply don't hold all the floss I need for them to hold!

I decided to buy some new sectioned craft organizers when JoAnn had them for 50% off recently... Check it out...


Unfortunately, I didn't buy enough of them, so this is the coffee table in my office (where I do most of my embroidery, sitting on my "nap-couch"):


And of course, I haven't even started sorting the box of vintage floss I bought a couple of weeks ago, or the other vintage floss I have sitting in my "embroidery fabric" box....


I'm trying to keep it all together and easily visible, though. I'm tired of having to open little drawers every time I need a new color!

Work in progress...

I'm working on a huck towel with a satin-stitched "B" for Lyndsie ... Here it is "in progress"...



I love my pink plastic embroidery hoop. I know a lot of people swear by wood hoops, but I am attached to plastic. I don't do a lot of embroidery that isn't washable, though, and I think that's part of it. Take this piece for example-- It is made to be used and washed (it's going to be a kitchen towel), so I don't need to worry about hoop marks. I'll just wash them out before I mail it!

This lettering is from a vintage embroidery monogram pattern set I found at the Fairgrounds Flea Market here in Raleigh... It has three different sizes, and this large size is fabulous. I originally envisioned adding stars from a different vintage pattern, but they just didn't look right. The harsh angles of the stars clashed with the curves of the lettering.

Here's an "S" I made from the same pattern:

Embroidery Find of the Week: Hand-Dyed Floss!

Check out this amazing hand-dyed embroidery floss

The seller, barefootshepherdess, lives in Japan and uses natural plant dyes... Amazing! I just ordered some today, so I will post my own photo when it arrives.

Here are just a few of her natural dye ingredients... indigo homegrown in the hills of Japan, hand-harvested, and hand-dried... mugwort ("yomogi") collected from her neighborhood... sakura (cherry blossom) leaves collected with her son...

Japan is definitely on my "to visit" list, so I especially love the idea of plants from Japan being used in these dyes!